There have been significant changes in technology in the production of oil since its first production as you will read more here. Considering the value of oil to our lives, it is suitable to review the changes that have followed its discovery. The ancient people in Mesopotamia used a hardened substance called bitumen to construct sailing vessels and put jewelry pieces together. In Egypt, it was used to solidify the famous pyramids. Bitumen, asphalt and mortar although did not require drilling, were the substances that led to the discovery of oil.
The first method used to extract oil was by digging up the soil to reach the oil. The people living in this period used oil to heal diseases, light their lamps and heat their houses. There was not much knowledge of oil and the people came up with myths about the earth releasing gases and liquids.
The technology that followed drilling was the use of spring poles. This apparatus which was connected to a tree was made popular by the Ruffner brothers with the intention of reaching more salt deeper in the earth. Despite a hint of the possible things oil could be used for at this time, oil was still not a necessity. When steam was introduced to provide energy for the spring pole for the extraction of salt the process became enhanced. A chemist at Yale by the name Benjamin Silliman discovered more about distillation of oil into Kerosene that could be used in lamps to provide lighting and even cook. It is at this point that the society became interested in the commodity and commercial drilling began.
From this website, you will read more about how the need for oil increased significantly. More oil deposits were also discovered deeper in the earth. During the drilling process there were sediments that obstructed extraction of oil and the need for better machinery came up. Thus the rotary whose drill head went deeper past the sediment without the need to clear the debris constantly was developed. One event that marked how effectiveness of the rotary drill in the process of oil extraction was observed in Texas when a rig struck a rock resulting into a lot of oil flowing to the surface. Because the world was getting ready for the first war, the need for oil skyrocketed leading to the development of better oil tools as a result of competition. The greatest achievement for the rotary drill was the ability to reach greater depths that the spring pole wouldn’t.
At the moment as we learn more here, rotary rigs are still in use for extracting oil. Besides been in use, the equipment has had significant changes technologically to improve efficiency. Besides that, the rigs are more sophisticated. For example ,as you see here is that one rig can drill multiple oil wells and even move on their own.
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