What are the Steps of Natural Gas or Oil Extraction?
Oil and natural gas are found deep in the earth’s crust. There are several processes of extracting oil and gas. It is challenging and full of risks. A team of well-qualified petroleum engineers work together to prepare a well for production. There are several oil and natural gas production steps that a petroleum company follows.
Preparing The Rig Site
The above ground infrastructure called pads and roads is the initial step. It is all about preparing the land for drilling and easy to access. The location of extracting oil or gas can be anywhere but is typically away from a town. It can be in a forest or hill area. It can also be in the ocean. For transportation, it is necessary to make roads. There is a requirement to make noise barriers and follow all types of safety procedures. It should be according to state and local laws.
Drilling
In the second step, drilling is done beneath the pad. The first stage of drilling requires steel casing of around 100 feet deep. The drill rig is cemented in the well to avoid the risk of polluting drinking water. After this, a long hole is drilled at a depth of about 1000 feet deep in the earth. Various types of advanced technologies are used to make drilling successful. Once the target distance is reached, the drill pipe is removed and the steel pipe is pushed to the bottom. This is known as well casing.
Well Completion
Well completion is a process to perforate guns into the deepest part of the well. It creates holes. It is all about preparing a well ready for production once the drilling process is complete.
Fracking
Fracking is to increase the production of oil or gas from a well. It unlocks the oil and natural gas trapped in the rock. In the process, fracking fluid is prepared that includes more than 90% of water, 0.5% chemicals and the rest is refined sand. The fluid is injected at high pressure to the targeted area in the well. It creates paper-thin cracks in the hydrocarbon-bearing rock. Sand creates layering in these cracks to provide an uninterrupted pass to natural gas or oil. Fracking is repeated 4-5 times. The time range can be anywhere from one to ten days. Around 70% of the fluid is retained. It is stored in a tank for evaporation.
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Also Read: Introduction to Hydraulic Fracturing