The oil industry is one of the most lucrative in the world, with billions of dollars in profit generated each calendar year. Oil is frequently a topic in the news, but it’s something that the average person actually knows very little about.
Have you ever wondered how the oil drilling process actually works? How do oil companies and the oil industry actually get crude oil from the Earth? It’s a fascinating process that is well worth learning about.
How does it all work when it comes to offshore oil drilling? Read on and we’ll walk you through the details.
How the Oil Drilling Process Begins
First, an oil company must seek out areas where oil is located beneath the earth. Large companies employ geologists who use a variety of techniques to discover where oil is located.
With today’s technology, geologists can get precise GPS locations of areas where oil may be located far below the ground.
Once this process begins, the oil company in question can move in and start work on actually accessing the oil. The company uses large machines to drill deep into the earth. The drill bit in this kind of situation can be as wide as fifty inches and is burrowed deep into the Earth.
There are many types of oil drills, and the variety used in each situation might vary depending on the needs of the location and the depth of the oil reservoir. These machines can be quite large and are often transported by companies that specialize in this kind of work, like Broekman Chartering.
Once this long hole has been dug, a thin steel pipe that is slightly smaller than the hole is dropped in. Cemented is then poured to fill in the gap between the diameter of the pole and that of the hole.
Pulling Oil
Once the pipe has been inserted, oil industry technicians might add sand and debris to the bottom of the piping to serve as a screen.
Often, once direct contact is made with a reservoir, the natural pressure is enough to push the oil up the metal piping and to the surface.
In some situations, the team at the site might need to use a pumpjack to increase pressure and push the oil in the direction of the surface.
The oil company will then pull oil from the well for as long as the returns from the well are good. Often, an oil well isn’t fully depleted. Rather, it stops producing enough oil to justify the production costs of keeping the well open.
At this point, the company will remove the metal piping and fill the hole with cement to ensure the oil doesn’t mix in with natural water reservoirs.
Understanding the Oil Drilling Process
If you’re looking to understand how the oil drilling process works, you don’t need to look any further than the above information. The process of running an oil rig is complicated and even sometimes dangerous, but it’s a practice that occurs all around the world.
To read more on topics like this, check out the Business category
Leave a Reply