Oil Timeline

First Oil Well Drilled

July 14, 1848

1848

The first oil well was drilled by Major Aleveev at Baku, Azerbaijan and successfully hit a small pocket of oil. When Major Aleveev drilled this well he was following governor-general Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov's command. In addition, this well was at least 20 meters deep and was made using a cable-tool drilling technique which was utilized in China hundreds of years ago.

Standard Oil Company Formed

January 10, 1870

1870

Founded by John D. Rockefeller (and some business partners) standard oil company was an American-based oil company. This company was formed with the mission of being the most successful oil company in the country and expanding into various other companies. Furthermore, this company by 1880 would control 90% of the US oil refining business having the first great monopoly on industrial products or resources.

Spindletop

January 10, 1901

1901

On January 10, 1901, the Hammill brothers were able to tap into Spindletop which for the next nine days would spew oil uncontrollably into the air. In addition, every day that Spindletop spewed around 70,000-100,000 barrels of oil into the air. Spindletop would soon produce 3.5 million barrels of oil in its first year and 17.4 million barrels in its second.

Roller Cone Drill Bit

1909

The roller cone drill bit was invented by Howard R. Hughes Sr. and was used to cut through rock on the earth's surface. To do this the drill bit had two rotating cones and it was inserted at the end of the drill string. (Hughes's drawing of this drill bit for his patent is shown on the right)

The Standard Oil Company is

broken apart

May 15, 1911

1911

The Supreme court forces the Standard Oil Company to split into numerous different companies because of a lawsuit. This lawsuit was against the US government and was based on the Sherman Antitrust Act. Moreover, this act forced the federal government to take action against and try to stop any trust.

The Electrical submersible pump

1916

The electrical submersible pump is used to lift oil to the top of the well and was invented by Armais Sergeevich Arutunoff. This invention was first used in ships, mines, and water wells because of its ability to move liquids when submerged in them but was altered to be used in oil wells. (A model of the ESP is shown)

Controlled directional drilling

1929

Invented by Eastman in 1929 and patented by him the next year controlled directional drilling is used to drill in a non-vertical direction and can allow multiple oil reservoirs to be exploited from one well. This allows for lower costs and higher production rates. The first well to be drilled using this technology was in 1930 at Huntington Beach, California.

First Horizontal Well Drilled

1929

The first horizontal well was drilled in 1929 near Texon, Texas. Additionally, in horizontal wells the drill turns horizontally once it hits the kickoff point and the drill's entry point is where it accesses the oil. (the picture to the left shows this with B being a normal drill and A being a horizontal drill)

Tricone roller cone drill bit

The tricone roller cone drill bit was invented by Ralph Neuhaus and one other Hughes engineer. Additionally, this bit is an improvement to the earlier roller cone drill bit because it uses three rotating cones instead of two. On these cones, there are also rows of cutting teeth that allow it to cut through rock faster than the original invention.

1933

Catalytic Cracking Discovered

1937

Invented by Eugene Houdry catalytic cracking is used in the oil industry to create different products. Furthermore, to due this petroleum vapor is passed through the catalyst which causes a denser section to crack forming a less dense product. Some of these products include benzene, ethylene, propylene, and more.

First Offshore Well

1938

The first offshore well was built in the Gulf of Mexico by the Pure Oil and Superior Oil Company. Offshore wells are used to extract petroleum that lies under the seabed. In addition, being able to extract this oil allows for more available petroleum in the world. (to the left is an example of an offshore well)

Hydraulic Fracturing

(of an oil well)

1949

Commercial hydraulic fracturing was first performed in 1949 at an oil well near Duncan, Oklahoma. This hydraulic fracturing was used to break up bedrock by injecting water, chemicals, or sand into it. Additionally, this allowed trapped oil to be released from a 'tight' rock or rock that traps the oil.

Jack-up drilling rig

1954

The first jack-up drilling rig named 'Scorpion' was ordered by Zapata Oil Company in 1954. This type of drilling rig has long legs or support beams that are portable, and the drilling rig is a mixture of a normal rig and a floating barge. Furthermore, because of its unique features, this rig is easier to relocate than other floating rigs. (a model of a jack-up rig is on the left)

OPEC is Formed

September 1960

1960

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC was formed by five countries the Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, although in the future more would join. OPEC was originally formed in Baghdad, Iraq by these countries to prevent the world oil producers from decreasing oil prices. In addition, today OPEC also strives to unify the petroleum policies of the member countries and ensure that the oil industry does not collapse.

Semisubmersible Drilling Rig

January 1962

1962

The first semisubmersible drilling rig was named 'Bluewater' and was built in the Gulf of Mexico. Semisubmersible drilling rigs are used to reach depths below 400ft which are inaccessible to jack-up rigs. Unlike other rigs, these are also floating while being moved into position and are partially submerged during the operation. (to the left is a model of one of these rigs)

Polycrystalline Diamond

Compact Drill Bit

1971

This drill bit was first invented in 1971 but it took until 1976 for it to be first used. Unlike earlier versions, this drill bit used synthetic diamond disks to cut through rock. These disks or cutters as their commonly called perform a scrapping motion to get through the rocks and are more efficient than other versions. (an example of this drill bit is on the right)

Mud-Pulse Telemetry

1972

Although there were earlier versions this version of mud-pulse telemetry was invented in 1972 and was first commercially used in 1978. Moreover, mud-pulse telemetry allows information to be transferred from a drill piece to the surface of the drill while the drilling process occurs. This allows the drilling process to be monitored and controlled and it gives additional data about the drill pieces and the geological formations that the drill passes by.

Measure While Drilling Technology

1978

Invented in 1978 measuring while drilling technology allows real-time information about the drill to be given helping with the steering and controlling of the drill. To do this the path of the hole is measured and recorded while the drilling process takes place. In addition, this technology is important because it allows for drilling to be based on geologic formation rather than only on the wanted destination.

Steerable Drilling System

1984

The steerable drilling system was invented by Norton Christensen in 1984. It was invented to be used during directional drilling to replace sliding a steerable motor, which allowed it to be in a continuous rotation. Additionally, because of the continuous rotation their is a lower likelihood of the drill getting stuck.

Tension leg platform

1984

The first tension leg platform was built in the North Sea to develop the Hutton field. Tension leg platforms are used for the offshore production of oil and are floating platforms that are tethered to the sea floor. These platforms can go deeper than most reaching depths of 1000-4900ft. (on the left different platforms that are similar to the tension leg platform are shown.

Multilateral valves

1993

Invented in 1993 multilateral valves help regulate the amount of or flow of oil as it makes its way up the well. In the case of multilateral valves, they can also regulate the direction in which the oil goes, its pressure, and the amount that is moving.

Multilateral Completion System

1994

The multilateral completion system allows the drilling of multiple lateral boreholes or sections of a well through one main access point. This allows for different strategies of well construction and a lower amount of wells that need to be built. This system also allows for lower costs causing greater economic benefits.

Through Tubing Multilateral

Intervention

1996

Through tubing multilateral intervention was invented in 1996 to allow intervention in multilateral wells. Through tubing multilateral intervention is done in multilateral wells to improve the life expectancy and productivity of wells. This intervention is focused on the through tubing or the main part of the well that transfers oil to the surface. The multilateral part shows that the intervention is on multilateral wells, and the intervention part is the process of improving the well.

Rotary Closed-Loop Drilling

System

1997

Invented by Eni (Agip) and Baker Hughes Inteq the rotary closed-loop drilling system is used to allow for precise directional control of wells. To do this the system does not include a sliding mechanism allowing all the parts to work continuously in motion and it includes a drill string rotation.

Intelligent Wells

1997

The first electronic hydraulic intelligent well was invented by Halliburton and Beihai Petroleum Service Engineering Company while in Beihai. On the other hand, the first intelligent well in general was made in Snorre field, Norway. Furthermore, intelligent wells are categorized as wells that can transmit and analyze the well production and can be remotely accessed and controlled.

Dual Activity Drillships

1999

The first dual-activity drillship was the Discoverer Enterprise dual-activity drillship which allowed for equipment to function at the same time and for multiple operations at once. This drillship is capable of having 2 wells being drilled at the same time increasing efficiency by 20-40%.

Managed Pressure Drilling

2003-2005

Introduce in 2003-2005 managed pressure drilling allows the operator to control the pressure between the drill string and the top of the drill. Furthermore, because it allows better control of the pressure in the well there is better control of the well or drill and there is less fluctuation in the pressure. It also reduces problems and increases safety in drilling operations.

Citations

Citations

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1185697/#:~:text=Description-,Mud%20pulse%20telemetry%20is%20a%20method%20of%20transmitting%20information%20from,arranged%20in%20a%20binary%20code.

https://drillingcontractor.org/dcpi/2001/dc-septoct01/s1-dualact.pdf

https://ektinteractive.com/history-of-oil/

https://glossary.slb.com/en/terms/j/jackup_rig#:~:text=1.%20n.%20%5BDrilling%5D,section%20 floating%20on%20the%20water.

https://glossary.slb.com/en/terms/r/rotary_steerable_system#:~:text=1.%20n.%20%5BDrilling%2C,%2C%20or%20extended%2Dreach%20wells.

https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/january/standard-oil-established#:~:text=John%20D.,billionaires%20and%20a%20 celebrated%20 philanthropists.

https://petrowiki.spe.org/Intelligent_wells#Category

https://petrowiki.spe.org/Multilateral_completions#:~:text=Multilateral%20completion%20systems%20allow%20the,existing%20oil%20and%20gas%20wells.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tricone-bit#:~:text=A%20 tricone%20bit%20is%20a,own%20 row%20 of%20 cutting%20 teeth.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/directional-drilling.asp#:~:text=Directional%20 drilling%20is%20the%20 practice,the%20 environmental%20impact%20of%20 drilling.

https://www.offshore-technology.com/comment/history-oil-gas/

https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.htm#:~:text=The%20Organization%20of%20the%20 Petroleum,Founder%20 Members%20of%20the%20Organization.

https://www.rigzone.com/training/insight?insight_id=296&c_id=#:~:text=Measurement%2DWhile%2DDrilling%20

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/catalytic-cracking#:~:text=Catalytic%20 cracking%20is%20an%20 important,on%20a%20 very%20 large%20 scale.

https://www.spe.org/en/industry/history/timeline/

https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/hydraulic-fracturing#:~:text=Hydraulic%20 fracturing%2C%20 commonly%20 known%20as,up%20 oil%20 or%20 gas%20 reserves.