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Introduction
Perhaps many of those who have had the opportunity to see an oil field have been able to see some equipment related to the extraction of petroleum, such as a rocker arm (mechanical pump) whose main function is to extract oil, however, in our minds it may happen that we simply place the rocker arm in the place where we think there is petroleum to extract it, and in this way the whole task of extracting the petroleum is finished.
In case we think that this process is given in this way, it is not that we are wrong at all, but logically the technical processes focused under an engineering vision to extract oil are not given in that simple way, logically depending on a set of factors, some petroleum fields may be easier to extract oil compared to others.
Under this premise, the objective that I pursue in this article is to explain in a summarized form the technical processes that must be carried out to extract petroleum from the different existing petroliferous fields, in addition it is also important that I manage to add a small review about the security involved in the activities of petroleum extraction, especially taking into consideration that the health of those who work in these activities is primordial for the execution and continuity of this type of operations.
How do we locate oilfields?
We recognize oil fields when we pass through an area where there are wells in production, we also recognize oil fields because there may be drilling platforms that are performing drilling activities of wells which will be able to produce oil through known production methods.
However, how to recognize and locate an oil field without having to see that set of wells in production and without having to visualize any drilling platform, that is, how to locate the area of future oil fields whose wells will be put into production soon.
It is a complex task to get the territories whose area are prospective to contain the hydrocarbon, since these areas are the ones that have to be discovered to later represent oil fields as shown in the previous image.
The objective that is pursued initially in this process of oil extraction is to achieve that professionals such as geologists and geophysicists can work together to use their knowledge and tools on seismology and can get geological structures that give an indication that there are deposits of oil and natural gas in a given area.
We must keep in mind that along with seismography there are other technical methods that help in the search for hydrocarbons, however all these methods simply give us an estimate of probability of success in the search to find oil reservoirs, this is one of the reasons why the drilling of an exploratory well is the one that gives us the certainty that finally we may or may not find oil in a given area.
Below is an image that serves as an example of a seismographic log, which along with other elements of study will give us an indication of whether we can enter the stage of exploratory drilling.
The advancement of science and technology from my perspective will determine the different ways in which they will vary the way to improve the techniques to search for oil and thus minimize the risk of having to drill in areas where there is no petroleum.
Drilling stage in petroleum extraction
As I mentioned in the part that explained how we can find oil fields, drilling oil wells is an activity that complements the oil search activities, because if we do not drill the well we will never know if there is really oil, not only that but also after we know that in a certain area there is an oil field we must then begin to produce it.
The drilling of wells is the origin of a very complex technique to be able to construct a hole that connects the subsoil (reservoir where the oil is found) with the surface and in this way apply the techniques of oil extraction.
When I say that the drilling of oil wells is quite complex is because it involves mathematical calculations, design, equipment and a whole complexity to be able to drill a well, one of the fundamental equipment are the drilling platforms, which allow to accommodate a series of equipment that allow to build the hole.
In the previous image we can visualize a drilling platform suitable for drilling on land, this drilling platform requires a full deployment capacity by the personnel working at the site to manage logistics and conditioning of all equipment and accessories such as trailers where the personnel will live, drilling fluid storage tank, among other equipment.
It is needed in the drilling of wells an experienced personnel who extend their knowledge and experience not only to the net application of the techniques applied to drill a well, but also to knowledge in the nature of industrial safety, especially at the time of disassembling all the equipment of the drilling rig, since in most of the drilling rigs it is necessary to take down the drilling rig, being this a quite risky activity where if you don't have the practice and expertise you can get to die personnel present in the activity as a result of an accident such as the collapse of the rig, either when you are going up to assemble the equipment, or when you are going down to disassemble the equipment.
How are petroleum extraction and recovery techniques performed?
When it is said that oil recovery techniques have to be applied, it is because the oil field has lost its own energy to freely provide the oil found in the subsoil, this energy of the oil field can come from an aquifer, from a gas layer.
Petroleum recovery is not at well level, since when it is at well level we are talking about oil extraction methods, and they are individualized techniques for each oil well, and to evaluate the recovery mechanisms they have to be done under the knowledge of reservoir engineering, all this oil recovery is done in stages, among these stages are primary recovery and secondary recovery.
In primary recovery there is no human intervention, but the reservoir itself has the ability to freely provide the oil contained in it.
While the secondary recovery are the mechanisms used by technicians and experts in reservoir engineering to make the reservoir can provide oil through recovery techniques in which are: water injection, re-injection and gas lift, these two examples I will explain below:
- Gas injection
Gas injector wells are used, where the main function is that this gas injected into the reservoir can flow the oil found in the subsurface, although this is a technique at the reservoir level, it can also be individualized at the well level, better known as artificial lift by gas, then I present an image of the method of artificial lift by gas.
- Petroleum extraction with water vapor injection
For this technique it must be clear who will make the injector wells where steam will be injected into the reservoir, and which will make the producer wells, which will receive the production of that oil that was with little mobility in the reservoir, but once the formation is heated, only remains to be extracted by the set of producer wells, then I present an image of this technique:
There are enhanced oil recovery mechanisms, which are more advanced and complex mechanisms than those of secondary oil recovery, also called tertiary oil recovery, in this technique more complex forms are used especially for unconventional oilfields, i.e. for those oilfields where oil viscosity affects oil mobility, or the case of oilfields where induced fracturing must be performed, such as in the practice of fracking.
General information on health and safety in petroleum extraction activities
It is a constant challenge for the oil industry to stop and minimize the impact of accidents that occur in oil extraction activities, that is why it is important to identify and provide intervention strategies with respect to occupational health and safety issues, hence there are institutions that are responsible for ensuring that health and safety rules are met at the level of the oil industry.
From my experience in the oil industry, I can tell you that the best thing to do is never to be confident, and to carry out activities, whatever they may be, even the most common ones, taking the necessary precautions as if we were doing them for the first time. Accidents usually happen when we feel confident in some activities that are routine and in which we do not take precautions because we believe ourselves to be experts.
The other thing to consider is the use of gloves, helmets and glasses, which although it seems very common its use, it is one of the safety implements that are most often ignored in the oil industry by engineering personnel, workers and supervisors.
Observations
- The cover image was created using Microsoft Powerpoint design tools and the following image source
References consulted and recommended