|
Industry
Overview
The
Drilling process is made possible through the efforts of three
distinct entities...
The
Operator,
the Contractor,
and the Service
Industry.
Operators (
ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, BP, Shell, etc. ) spend millions of dollars
each year on research
in order to
locate new geological fields in the world that hold oil and gas.
Recently, discoveries in the U.S.
have prompted
major activity and planning within the industry. The
Haynesville, the Bakken,
the Marcellus,
ANWR, Offshore, and others have energy reserves
that have the ability to
free America
totally from foreign oil... Natural gas is obtained in the same manner
as oil - by drilling.
The
USA has more than
enough natural gas
within its boundaries
to be
totally independent
from other Nations.
For
Example.... On April 10, 2008, the
United States Geological Survey (USGS) released their field report
about
the
Bakken Shale. The formation stretches across North Dakota, Montana and
Saskatchewan. The report
estimates that
3.65 billion barrels of oil can be recovered from the Bakken
formation. According to the USGS,
"This is the largest oil accumulation
in the lower 48 states. It is also the largest
continuous type
of oil accumulation ever assessed by the USGS at this time."
Operators
decide what areas to lease and where and when to drill. Then they
lease a drilling rig
(Contractor)
and move it to the location selected. The Contractor owns the drilling
rig,
provides
equipment and machinery necessary for drilling operations, and employs
all the
personnel required to operate the rig. The Service Industry provides
all the services
(pipe, casing,
casing crews, cementers, loggers, directional drilling, drilling
fluids, MWD,
wireline, drilling fluid
technicians {that's where we come in}, etc...) necessary to get the
job done. The services
personnel, like the Contractor, are also hired by the
Operator for
their specific
skills, talents, and products.
The three
basic entities work together as a team under the direction of the
Operator to drill and produce
the well(s).
Each depends upon the other to perform their respective assignments in
a safe and
efficient
manner. All three, the Operator, the Contractor, and the Service
Companies are
necessary, integral parts
of the successful drilling operation.
|
