Drilling Oil Wells For Oil And Profits
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Oil Wells.

When you think of oil wells, what comes to mind first? Do you think of an old fashioned stone well filled with oil, rather than water? If so, you are not too far off, but you are also not right. An oil well is simply a hole that is drilled into the ground (sometimes in water and sometimes through rock) in order to gain access to oil deposits that are buried. Now, the idea of an oil well is simple, but, unfortunately, actually creating an oil well is quite hard. In fact, in some situations, an oil company will come up short constantly when trying to find the location of an oil deposit, even when employing a tremendous amount of equipment and skilled labor.

The basic component for drilling wells for oil is the drill itself. The drill utilizes a large drill bit. This is a large rock cutting apparatus containing multiple hardened teeth. It is similar to a bit for a wood drill, except that an oil well's drill bit is designed to chew through rock instead of wood. Oil well bits can be from 5 to 30 inches in diameter.

The oil driller must take special care not to over exert the drill bit for fear of breakage. In that event, the oil well drilling is stopped and the bit is returned to the surface for repair or replacement. These delays add considerable cost the an oil well's already substantial investment.

The oil well's drill bit is attached to a hollow rotating shaft. A high-torque motor turns the shaft and forces the bit into the ground. As the bit turns, it grinds or chews through the rock towards the oil deposit. Oil shafts come in fixed lengths, so additional shaft segments must be added to allow the bit to drill as far down as necessary. Modern rotary oil well drilling technology has reached depths down to about 38,000 feet. That's an oil well deeper than 7 miles!

Specialized drilling fluids, often called mud, are used during the drilling process. This oil well mud is actually a slurry made to a very specialized recipe. The mud is pumped down the center of the oil well's drill shaft. It exits at the bit, and forces the rock cuttings upwards along the outside of the shaft. This can also help to lubricate and cool the drill bit.

One important thing to keep in mind is that oil under the ground is acted on by a tremendous amount of pressure. For this reason, as soon as the drill bit reaches strikes oil, it is immediately forced upwards. Those in the oil business often refer to this as a gusher. Usually, an oil company will use what is called a pressure valve to prevent oil from escaping.

While finding and drilling oil wells can be time consuming and risky, they are directly responsible for providing the world with a stock of energy to consume.