Drilling Methods: Ways Oil Is Extracted From The Ground

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The factors that determine the type of drilling method to be employed include the type of oil deposit, geographic location, as well as the driller's preference and outlook on the efficiency and environmental impact of a particular type of method.

Conventional drilling.The most common way to extract is a straight down method using technologies such as rotary drilling, cable drilling, or rotary percussion drilling.

Horizontal drilling. This method requires more advanced technologies that enable drillers to cut through rock horizontally along a thin deposit of oil. One technique is to drill two horizontal wellbores about three meters apart, and as steam is injected into the top bore, the heat precipitates oil down into the lower bore.

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Slant drilling. This is useful for oil reserves submerged in water as slant drilling minimizes environmental disturbance. A number of slant wells are drilled at an angle from one drill pad on the shore.

Directional drilling. A combination of horizontal and slant drilling, directional drilling is an advanced technique that changes direction and depth as frequently as needed. It is suited for oil reserves that are distributed across a landscape to minimize the environmental impact of the need to drill several wellbores.

Brian Alfaro is the founder and president of Primera Energy LLC, a leading oil and gas company based in San Antonio, Texas. For updates, follow this Twitter account.

Best Practices For Waste Oil Management

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The business of management of wastes in industrial oil extraction is something that can make or break a company. Government regulations on waste management are so stringent that these rules effectively deters reckless violations from oil conglomerates particularly in the way that they handle oil waste.

For those extractions done in the shale industry, cuttings, spent mud, flow back water, reservoir waters, and sludge, all contribute to the total waste.

Most people might think that the solution is as simple as disposing of waste within the operation’s premises or where there are no communities of people nearby. In this type of operation, it is much more complicated. Any weakness in the process of waste management is considered to be a huge risk to the environment and the community at large. The rule of thumb, especially at such a scale, is to be careful of even the slightest contamination.

When waste cannot be transported away from the oil site, it has to be stored tightly and secured shut under lock and key to avoid pollution. Steps have to be ensured to keep it vandal-proof and safe from flood risk.

Oil waste collection has legal requirements, too. There are certified consignees or waste receivers who are sourced out to do just this specific task. There may be companies that offer collection services as some oil waste can be treated to recover valuable components or used as a fuel in some other application.

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There is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of those who are privileged to operate in the industry. A good measure of companies that last here is whether they give importance to their production as much as they give to disposal.

Energy magnate Brian Alfaro is the founder of Primera Energy LLC, an industry leader in shale oil extraction known for practicing responsible oil waste management. For more on the oil and gas industry, visit this Facebook page.

Conserving Water With Nitrogen Drilling

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One of the most concerning challenges of fracking is its use of a substantial amount of water in fracturing shale rocks to reach trapped oil and gas reserves. An average of two million gallons of water are consumed in an average fracking well.

The industry has been on the receiving end of complaints and worries, so there has been increasing pressure to limit water use. Watersheds are seeing their levels decrease over time. Rainfall has also been historically low, while temperatures are higher than ever.

There are various fluid alternatives to water that have been implemented successfully in fracking. One of these is nitrogen. Different iterations of nitrogen can be employed for fracking or drilling.

Some frackers use pure nitrogen almost exclusively, with only a minimal quantity of water in the mix. The nitrogen in this alternative is maintained in its low-density and compressible gaseous state. In this condition, it is only effective in shallow depths and on very specific formation types.

Nitrogen-energized fracking uses a fluid with less than 53 percent nitrogen, along with water and small amounts of chemical additives. This amount of nitrogen energizes the fluid to maximize the flowback of water and fracturing of low-pressure formations.

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The most widely used and most water-efficient formula is nitrogen foam fracking. Containing 53 to 95 percent nitrogen gas, the composition is cooled and transformed into a foam-like liquid. The increased density and viscosity makes it an improved proppant carrier and vehicle for drilling into deeper formations.

Brian Alfaro leads Primera Energy, LLC in its drive to make the country self-sufficient in energy supply while minimizing the negative impact of oil and gas extraction on the environment. To read more on the company’s work, visit this website.

Powerhouse: History of the Eagle Ford Shale

The economic recession hit the U.S. hard in 2008. But it was during this time that a blessing in the form of a shale came for Texas, helping the state get back up on its feet and outperform most of the states economically the subsequent years.

The Eagle Ford Shale is named after the town of the same name where outcrops were first observed. It is a sedimentary rock formation that produces hydrocarbon substances, such as oil and natural gas. It is of utmost significance due to its production capacity, which is greater than many other traditional shale plays.

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Since its discovery in 2008, thousands of wells have been drilled on the 50-mile wide and 400-mile long shale that has a depth of approximately 4,000 to 12,000 feet. Innovation in oil extraction resulted in effective techniques such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. And because of such technology, Eagle Ford Shale has been producing 1.5 million barrels of oil per day as of December 2015.

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The shale is believed to have been formed in the late Cretaceous period. Ninety million years later, its contribution to the economy of the state and the entire nation is unmatched. Based on capital invested, it ranks as the largest oil and gas development in the world. And hundreds of thousands of jobs were, directly and indirectly, created, because of the powerhouse that is the Eagle Ford Shale.  

Brian Alfaro is the founder and president of Primera Energy LLC, an oil and gas industry leader in Texas with major operations in the Eagle Ford Shale. Read more about the industry when you visit this blog.