Oil Drilling

May 14th, 2009 |

The world economy depends a lot on oil drilling.  It’s been around for a long time.  Despite the wishes of many alternative energy proponents, it will likely be around for a long time in the future.

oil drilling

The first known oil drilling took place in Chinese oil wells in 347 AD.  Bits on the tips of long bamboo rods could reach as far as 800 feet beneath the Earth’s surface.  The resulting oil was used to evaporate salt water, brine, to produce plain salt.  By the 10th century bamboo pipelines brought oil to salt springs.  Many writings from the time talk about heating and lighting homes with natural gas.

oil drilling continued in the middle east and in Asia.  Petroleum was burning water to the Japanese.  The streets of Baghdad were paved with tar in the 8th century.  The Persians lit their homes with kerosene lamps.  It all depended on oil.

Marco Polo saw oil drilling in his travels in Azerbaijan.  In 1264 he claimed to witness hundreds of oil laden vessels leaving the bay.  He described abundant fountains of oil.

Percussive oil drilling was the early technique.  Everything was driven into the ground by raw, blunt force.  That was later replaced by rotary drilling which could reach much deeper reservoirs.  One Russian hole, in Kola, made it to 38,000 feet under the Earth.

oil well drilling

This oil drilling Kola project has become a legend.  According to the story scientists decided to take a closer look at a cavern about 9 miles under the surface.  They lowered a microphone into the cavity.  It recorded the screams of the damned coming from the 2000 degree heat .  It never really happened, although they did find some geologic anomalies.

This legend of finding hell while oil drilling has become famous.  Tabloids showed photos.  People posted the audio online.  A Christian network called TBN breathlessly described that hell had been proven .  Everyone who ran the story knew it was false – but it sold newspapers.

offshore oil drilling

Everyone knows about oil drilling in the modern world.  Wells produce millions of barrels each day, but the devil never gets a cut.

http://drillingnow.com/

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Offshore Drilling

May 8th, 2009 |

Offshore drilling is all about finding and exploiting natural resources near our shores.  Most people take it to mean drilling off the coasts in oceans.  But inland seas are prime areas for offshore drilling as well.

offshore drilling

Offshore drilling was first attempted in the late 1800’s  offshore near a city called Baku in Azerbaijan.  Around that time Russia, who controlled the country, auctioned off oil rights to make money.  Drilling here accounted for half the world’s oil by 1900.  After the communist revolution in Russia and WW1, turmoil in the area interfered with further oil extraction.

Today many coastal areas host offshore drilling.  There have been new fields found off coasts on both sides of the US.

In 1981 the US Congress placed a ban on offshore drilling off the east and west coasts of the country.  But with a greater demand for oil there has been talk of lifting those bans.  The US government doesn’t have athority outside of US territory.  Foreign powers have begun looking at these coastal areas for oil.  These countries include China and Venezuela.

offshore oil drilling

There are some issues involved with offshore drilling.  The first of these is keeping a rig above sea level.  The rigs stand on tall pylons.  They still have to be mobile, which is a challenge.  Other types of rigs are designed to float over the drill area.  They cost less but are hazardous to maintain.  They move with the waves which can create problems.

A second issue for offshore drilling is the pressure on the fluid column.  It also takes more energy to lift away the sand.  More and more operations now do this at the ocean floor, or simply pump the sand and oil to shore prior to separation.

Human concerns are also important with offshore drilling.  It requires that people live on the rigs for extended periods.  The rig is essentially a town.  Shifts are normally two weeks.  Offshore workers earn a lot of money in return for those extended shifts.

offshore drilling companies

As long as the world needs oil the world needs offshore drilling.

http://drillingnow.com/

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Offshore Oil Drilling

May 2nd, 2009 |

A lot of offshore oil drilling is conducted near the coasts of the continents.  It is a critical technique for accessing natural resources such as oil and natural gas.  But people debate its merits

offshore oil drilling

Offshore oil drilling has been banned off the east and west coasts of the United States since the 1980’s.  They cited a number of reasons.  Environmental concerns, for example.  Oil spills could possible endanger the underwater ecosystem.  There were also claims that the sound waves generated from drilling interfered with whales and dolphins.

People also claim that offshore oil drilling creates an eyesore with all the rigs off the coast.  There are many vacation homes and resort areas near the shore.  The view of rigs on the horizon would ruin people’s enjoyment of the area.  But the rigs would be far enough away that they wouldn’t be visible over the horizon, so this isn’t much of an argument.

offshore oil drilling rigs

Some people want to lift this ban on offshore oil drilling.  They argue that the low probability of environmental damage is a risk worth taking.  The danger to the environment remains a potential danger.  It has not been realized.  Why should drilling be blocked just because someone can come up with a make believe disaster scenario?

Some people have chimed in on the offshore oil drilling debate.  One man from Florida wrote:  Leave us something to look at.  Check the facts jack.  It would take x-ray vision to see the oil rigs from shore, so stop whining.

Here’s another offshore oil drilling comment:  Give me a break.  If you had your way we’d be living in caves freezing because you wouldn’t even let us build a fire.  One possible retort is:  Right on.

offshore oil drilling jobs

Natural resources are there for our use.  Offshore oil drilling is one great way to get them.

http://drillingnow.com/

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