What Is the Process of Drilling for Oil? 4 Basic Facts
While the search is on for alternative fuels, and that's important, the world needs oil to run. This was brought home recently when fires in California shut down power, forcing electric car drivers to find gas-powered vehicles to get around. The first step in getting the fuel we need is drilling for oil. Here's how the process works:
Locating the Oil
Oil forms only under certain conditions, and it's usually geologists who find it. They go hunting in likely areas until they find an oil reservoir. Once they've identified a likely spot, oil geologists can use satellite images, gravity meters, magnetometers, and seismology tech to "look through" rock layers and identify pools of oil beneath.
Once a likely pool is located, the initial drill identifies whether a particular reservoir is worth using or not.
Preparing to Drill
The preparation process is time-consuming, but if everything is done well at this stage, the rest of the process will go smoothly. First, the oil company has to examine who owns the land and right-of-way access for bringing in equipment. Then the land must be cleared and leveled. Access roads have to be built so that heavy equipment can reach the area, and all the equipment has to be transported to the drill site.
Water is very important in the drilling process, so there must be a water source near the drilling site. If there isn't, a water well has to be dug. It's also important to prepare the land in a way that protects the environment by finding or building proper disposal sites or arranging for disposal away from the area entirely.
Setting Up a Rig
The next step in drilling for oil is to set up the power system and rig that will put in the well and then pull the oil out of the ground. The power system is a mechanical system of motors powered by electricity. Electricity is provided by generators fueled by diesel-burning engines.
The mechanical system includes a hoist and turntable. The turntable drives the rotating power, and at the end of the turntable, you'll find the drill string and the drill bit. The drill bit is what actually drills into the ground, and it can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials depending on what's best for that particular well.
Other Rig Parts
Casing
The casing will be used to shore up the sides of the well if the well turns out to be productive. Without the casing, the sides of the well would collapse once the drilling fluids were removed.
Circulation System
The circulation system pumps a slurry of water, clay, and chemical materials that help to dig the well. They make it possible for the drill bit to go down while rock cuttings come back up. The circulation system includes pumps to suck up mud and slurry and a system of pipes and hoses that makes it all work.
The Process
The drilling process begins when the crew uses the rig and drill to dig the hole. As the drill rotates, mud goes through the pipe and out the bit. Throughout the process, rock cuttings float up out of the hole. As the hole gets deeper, new bits of drill pipe will be put in to lengthen it.
Perforating
If an oil well is viable, it will be cased to shore up the sides, and then it's time to perforate the walls of the casing to allow the oil to enter the well stream. This is done by running a perforating gun and a locator device down the well hole. The device finds the oil reservoir locations. The gun perforates the casing in just the right spot, and then the oil flows.
Beyond the Basics of Drilling for Oil
Oil is crucial to everything we do. If you need a drilling partner expert in safe pump-down perforation, contact PerfX Wireline today. We're the perforating experts you need to get your job done right.