How Technology Helps Us Drill for Oil More Effectively

America is in the midst of an oil drilling boom. It is not that the country necessarily has more oil, but technology is doing a better job finding the oil we already have and getting it out of the ground. Here are some ways that technology makes oil drilling more effective and productive.

Equipment

The actual drilling process has become more advanced. Equipment can now drill at different angles and through previously impenetrable surfaces in order to reach oil that was thought to be unreachable. At the same time, the actual drilling is more efficient because of improvements in the actual rigs. Rig mats hold drills and rigs securely in place. The fact that the drill is stabilized allows for drilling in extreme climates. They also help provide access to the site for vehicles and other equipment.

Source: Spartan Mat

Locating Oil

Much of the “easy oil” has already been located, requiring oil drillers to resort to using more advanced technology to find oil. Now, 3D technology can help drillers map out the area beneath the ground to give them a better idea of where to find oil. Technology can also use algorithms and large amounts of data to process seismic information in order to predict where oil is. 3D technology is also being used to locate previously undiscovered oil pockets that are located near existing oil deposits. This new technology also allows drillers to search larger areas more quickly and do so for less money than they would have in the past.

Source: Petro River Oil

Reducing Downtime

When an oilfield must be taken offline due to maintenance issues, it costs the oil company money. Drillers like to extract oil continuously because it can only come out of the ground so fast. Technology can help repair any maintenance issues quickly to reduce the amount of time that the drilling rig must be taken offline. It can also help predict maintenance issues in advance so they can be repaired without stopping production at the oilfield. Not only does this increase oil production, but it also decreases the costs of maintaining the oilfield. Now, artificial intelligence is changing the way that oilfield maintenance is done, making it more proactive than reactive.

Source: Emerj

These are exciting times in oilfield exploration as new methods and processes are expanding the possibilities beyond what was previously thought possible. The technology being used by drillers has increased both the productivity and profitability of drilling.

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