Oil drilling is nothing new, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a new and constant stream of advancements in the industry that help to make it more efficient and safer. Let’s look at some of the biggest advancements that have hit the field of oil since the beginning, and you’ll see just how much things have changed.
Let’s first go back to the beginning. The very first oil well began in 1859 when Edwin Drake set it up in Titusville, PA. The oil removed from the earth during that time was mostly for creating kerosene, which was used in lamps. However, it wasn’t long before the invention of the combustible engine automobile. This invention ensured that oil would always be important. The number of barrels produced in the world jumped significantly, as you would expect. By 1925, there were more than a billion barrels being produced annually.
Getting oil out of the ground is no easy task, and it was even more difficult in the beginning. One of the first real advancements in the field was the development of the rotary drill. This made it far easier to drill into the ground. Soon, the oil companies started to notice that the wells that seemed the most productive were those that were close to the shore. They soon started looking out to sea and wondered just how they would be able to get at the oil beneath the waves. They erected rigs on wharfs, but these were not as effective as the first real offshore rig, which went up in 1947.
The advancement of remotely operated vehicles in the 1970s made it even easier to erect and work the offshore oil rigs. The device allows the operators to get a view of what’s happening beneath the water. This can ensure that everything is working properly, and is essential on deepwater installations, as some of them are around 10,000 feet deep.
Of course, another of the innovations that we’ve seen bear fruit in the past couple of years is hydraulic fracturing. This technique has actually been around since the 1940s, but it has really come into the public consciousness recently. It’s responsible for the big oil and gas boom in the United States.
These are just a few of the major innovations to the field that have helped to make drilling for oil an easier and safer prospect. New tools and advancements are still coming into the field all of the time.
About Oil Works Inc.
Oil Works, Inc. is a complete drilling rig equipment manufacturer and service provider based in the Permian Basin for over 20 years. OWI’s product and service offerings include Derricks, Substructures, Drawworks Manufacturing, Mud Systems, Rig Walking Systems, Power Generation, Control Systems, Iron Roughneck Service, Quincy Air Compressors. We are a complete Drilling Equipment Manufacturer and build to API and ISO standards. OWI is also proud to offer 24/7 Service and Support.
