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16 October 2016

The Techniques Of Oil And Gas Exploration

By Kevin Jackson


Oil and gas are the main components used in gearing the economy of a country. This is because it is highly used in almost all aspects of the economy. Almost 80% of the industries use these products making them heavily used. Nevertheless, these resources can be exhausted and therefore, mining companies have to keep up with the demand and continue looking for more of these resources. Discussed below are some of the ways of oil and gas exploration.

Companies do not want to mine in areas that do not have the resources. This is why it is important for them to explore the area to confirm that the resources are available. It can be disastrous if they mine areas where there are no resources. The negative impact on the area can cause a lot of legal issues to the company and hence losses. That is why many companies send their explorers also known as geologists to investigate the area.

Before the drilling process starts, the geologists must assess the area and factor in the following aspects- the reservoir, source rock, trap, and cap rock. Once they ensure the factors are present, the mining experts employ various techniques to make sure the drilling process becomes successful. The first technique is the geophysical survey. Also known as the seismic survey. The process involves the measure of heat flow, electrical currents, density variation, geochemical reactions as well as magnetic and gravitational irregularities.

One of the most used methods for mining is the seismic survey. As its name suggests, this method uses sound to get the information about the area that is a potential for energy resources. It is mostly used in the seas and oceans because they are deep for divers to reach the floor. The information is recorded using a geophone. It is important for the companies to use this technology to ensure that they know how deep the wells are from the surface.

Besides the seismic surveys, the geologists may also use the offshore survey. This method involves the use of compressed air to form bubbles which burst when they get to the surface area. Once the bubbles burst, the sound waves from it travel below to the rocks where the hydrophones record the vibration. Since the rocks produce different sound waves, they help the experts to know the type of rock that exists down there.

Measuring the gravity of the place can be done by the use of two tools known as Magnetometers and Gravimeters. They are used to measure the level by which the gravity of the earth is pulling the rocks that the resources are located in. Gas explorers use geochemical prospecting to measure the availability gases in the earth. It uses very complicated machines that the explorers know how to use.

For the mining to be effective, the geologists have to assess the structure of the exploration site. They do this through a method called the remote sensing. To start with, an aerial photograph is taken to map the proposed area. This helps to reveal some important details like the vegetation type, soil, minerals and other features.

A wildcat well is used in places with very little information. For very fresh areas, the explorers always consider this method because it is efficient for getting the necessary information on the available resources and how far they are away from the surface of the earth. It is only used if the area is new to the explorers.




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