Drilling Project Report

Once the well reaches the right depth, it turns right or left and becomes horizontal. This is called the kick off point. The horizontal section can span anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 feet. The drill is removed but the surrounding steel casing remains. These steel casings are meant to protect the groundwater and the surrounding area from any potential leakage during the fracking process. Down at the horizontal section of the well, little holes are punctured through the steel in thousands of spots. Then, a water solution is pumped at a extremely high pressure down the well. This causes tons of cracks and fissures in the rock. Additives and sand in the water mixture hold the cracks open, allowing oil to escape and be brought up to the surface.

With the age of constant industrial and technological growth has come the necessity for not only cost effective and efficient methods for industry, but also the need for obtaining fuel for the machines that make the modern world possible. Oil has become as precious a commodity as gold, if not more so; its attainments constantly driving the world's largest businesses and governments across the world into action. Naturally, a "quick-fix" solution to this problem is constantly sought after by oil companies wishing to provide oil on a massive scale. One of these drilling methods is known as induced hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking).

other materials used to fracture the rocks. Sources for fracking assure there are multiple layers

In today’s society the issues of producing energy is becoming more and more scare which, constantly posses the question, “How will energy be obtained in order to sustain future generations?” Hydraulic fracturing, informally known as fracking is believed to be an effective alternative to provide us with the energy we need to fuel tomorrow. Hydraulic fracking was first used at Texas Stanolind Oil and Gas Cooperations in 1947. However, it was not until 1949 that The Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Cooperation was given a licensee to use hydraulic fracturing. Since then a combination of two advanced methods have been introduced and incorporated (4). These methods are slick-water hydraulic fracturing and precision drilling of wells. Nevertheless,

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique often administered by oil and gas companies in order to create fissures within subsurface shale formations. After a site is established, the initial step entails breaking through the soil and stone via a bit placed at the end of a drill. As the drill moves through the rock layers, it utilizes air pressure to drive fragmented rocks to the surface.The drill ceases immediately after it comes into contact with the first indication of fresh water. Once the drill is removed, cement is incorporated into the drilled hole in an effort to prevent contamination of the water source and as a safety measure.

This organization is opposed to not allowing wells to reach a depth of 600 meters or greater unless a risk assessment has been conducted and a special permit has been obtained (Gagnon, 2016). A risk assessment usually includes; advanced and adjourned hydraulic samples of well water, a fracturing plan, a design, an estimate of fracture proliferation, specific depth and the cement integrity (Gagnon, 2016). During drilling, non-toxic drilling fluids and non-saline water must be used until all porous strata that are less than 600 meters have been isolated (Gagnon, 2016). Surface casing requirements state that casing is obligated to underneath the porous strata or must be cemented entirely to the surface (Gagnon, 2016). The BCOGC must ensure that wells are within 100 meters of the natural embankment of water or from an uncontrolled flow (streams that dry up or naturally move over time) could reach (Gagnon, 2016). During drilling, examination of groundwater or surface water is by no means required and water testing is only required if requested by the property-owners (Gagnon,

The Problem with the immense amount of drilling companies in the area, is that land which was once used for agriculture and land which once was home to fields and forests are now being transformed into drilling sights. As of October 2011 the researchers estimated that 276.84 hectares (684.09 acres) of previously unaltered land had been converted to 69 well pads. Agriculture land has taken the biggest hit from the drilling companies, 458.58 acres or 67% of the land had been converted for drilling natural

The process of hydraulic fracturing is methodical and technologically complex. Drilling companies will first locate the shale

September 5, 1927 marked a turning point in the history of oil exploration. Before then, to assess the composition of subsurface rocks to find oil pay-zones, scientists had to rely on core samples brought up from boreholes. These were highly unreliable and drilling companies frequently missed oil zones. Conrad Schlumberger had the idea of running an electrical probe into the drilled borehole to measure resistivity through the formation. This first log taken in the Alsace region of France was a simple hand-plotted graph, but it effectively aided engineers to “view” what was inside the

Wells located in Texas and Oklahoma were the first two Halliburton used hydraulic fracking on in 1949. The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) “recounts that 332 wells were fracked in the first year alone, with up to 75 percent production increases recorded” (MacRae, “Fracking: A Look Back”). In the 1990 's the Mitchell Energy & Development Corporation began work on a horizontal fracking technique. In this technique the well is first drilled vertically and then drilled horizontally. “About 90 percent of the wells in operation have been fractured – and the process continues to be applied to boost production in unconventional formations – such as tight gas sands and shale deposits” (Shooters – A “Fracking History”).

The first step of fracking is for a company to drill a hole, case it with primer, and cement the sides so the hole does not get any bigger. This hole is in

In order to carry out works under the current Contract, Contractor prior to the conclusion of the Contract has reviewed the Initial Data, all materials, conclusions, pre-design reports and other documentation provided by the Company and consider them as complete, sufficient, reliable and accurate for performance of Works and other obligations under the Contract. While the Contractor will conduct all necessary engineering survey works (geological, hydrogeological, geodetic, etc.) in accordance with the Assignment, the cost of which is included in the Contract

The process of hydraulic fracturing has made it easier to reach gas and oil reserves that used to be impossible to access, this has led to a dramatic expansion of energy production and an increase in the activity level of the economy (Hassett and Mathur). The use of hydraulic fracturing and directional horizontal drilling are being used together to reach oil and gas that was previously unreachable with old drilling methods (Romich and Schumacher). In Ohio, there have been at least 80,000 natural gas and oil wells that have used fracking at varying depths (“Hydraulic Fracturing”). There are areas in Eastern Ohio that contain deposits of dry gas (farthest east) and wet gases and

In underground hard rock mining, drill and blast continues to be the dominant method of fragmenting rock. Blast hole deviation is an inevitable yet undesirable outcome of small diameter, long hole drilling. The objective of drill and blast is to unlock a targeted volume of rock for removal and further downstream processing. However, if poor drill hole accuracy is observed, outcomes may be significantly different to that which are planned and expected, resulting in additional cost and time implications. A hole is considered to have deviated if it has not been collared at the correct location, has not followed the projected path or has not broken through at the intended position (Kangwa, 2000). Underground mining uses a cyclical methodology with repetitive steps carried out on a daily basis. As drill and blast is the first stage of extraction, the accuracy of this step can significantly impact the cost of downstream operations including secondary drilling, mucking, transportation, ground control, milling, development requirements and crew requirements (Corcoran, n.d.). This report intends to investigate the common sources of drill hole deviation, address the cost and design implications of poor drill accuracy and outline control measures that may be effective in reducing blast hole deviation. Different drilling technologies will also be examined to understand their impact on drilling accuracy.

Well control is challenging, as predicting pore pressure, fracture gradients and the existence of fractures is difficult. Shock and vibration levels have also proven to cause problems in these formations. Additionally, salt flow is a positive function of time. Therefore, a high rate of penetration (“ROP”) to minimize the possibility of salt flow related problems, such as borehole deformation, is critical when drilling salt. Selection of drilling fluid is one of the most important components of a successful well construction operation. Strategies for successful salt drilling involve recognizing salt closure behavior, stresses, and adjusting drilling fluid density and temperature to minimize problems.