Recovering the oil

We have used the term oil pools to refer to deposits of petroleum as though there were underground lakes of oil. A more accurate term , however , is one that is often used in the petroleum industry :oil reservoirs . The deposits are, in the words , more often like piles of sand or porous rock that have been saturated with oil . oil does not really flow rapidly through sand or rock , of course ; it must be forced to move . There are three kinds of natural drives. Each drive involves the gas and water that are almost always found with oil. First is the dissolved- gas drive . Dissolved gas is mixed with the oil . As it expands , it exerts a pressure which pushes the oil through rock or sand . Recovery is low when this type is encountered. Second is the gas-cap drive. Gas has not dissolved in the oil. As the gas expands, it forces the oil move through the rock or sand . Recovery is generally somewhat higher with this kind of drive. Third is the water drive, in which there is a large amount of water below the oil . Pressure forces the water upward into the oil - bearing rock or sand and moves the oil ahead of oil . It Third generally recovers more oil than the other two drives. If reservoir pressure is not high enough for the oil and water that flow into the well to be pushed all the way to the surface , then pumping is necessary. This is more expensive than when natural drives are present, since power for the pumping must be supplied. In the early days of the oil industry, new wells often came is as gushers. In these wells great underground pressure forced the oil upward without any control, and it was necessary to wait until the pressure dropped enough for the oil to flow at a normal rate

Recovering the oil

before any of it could be recovered. Of course, a great deal of oil was wasted when a well gushed in this way. Today, great care is taken to prevent gushers. They are indeed quite rare, thanks to the use of modern technology. The petroleum industry today is very concerned about acquiring the greatest possible amount of oil from each deposit without unnecessary waste. The steps for the recovery of the oil begin as soon as a new well is spudded in. Geologists study the indications for the presence of the oil itself. Later , petroleum engineers try to predict the kind of drive that will be present. With the aid of computers, they can determine how a deposit will be have under the effects of the different techniques that can be used to make the oil flow to the surface. At the head of most well is a device that is called a Christmas tree. This is really a system of valves that controls the amount of oil which is allowed to flow the surface. The Christmas tree directs the oil into the storage tanks, where it is kept until it is shipped to it is next destination.

Recovering the oil

Recovering the oil

Recovering the oil

allowed

Recovering the oil

Recovering the oil

Recovering the oil

is the water drive, in which there is a large amount of water below the oil . Pressure forces the water upward into the oil bearing rock or sand and moves the oil ahead of oil . It Third generally recovers more oil than the other two drives .

Recovering the oil