Offshore oil drilling has come a long way in a little over a century. Very simple submerged oil wells began to appear in the United States in the late 1800s, but were crude and simple in design and execution. It wasn't until the late 1930s that the ability to drill through columns of water and access oil reserves that were farther offshore began to take hold.
This progression away from land continued. In 1947, Kerr-McGee built the world's first offshore oil well that was completely out of sight of land. The platform was constructed in 20 feet of water and was able to drill 15 feet into the seabed off the coast of Louisiana.
Today, the offshore drilling industry has progressed to mind-numbing proportions. This year Shell will begin operation of the Perdido oil rig, a massive unit that is as tall as the Eiffel Tower. Operating in ultra-deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Perdido spar will float on the surface in nearly 8,000 ft of water and is capable of producing as much as 130,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
The spar will be secured in place by nine chain and polyester rope mooring lines, spanning an area of the seafloor roughly the size of downtown Houston. On the seafloor, 22 wells, each extending more than 14,000 ft from the surface and into the mud and rock beneath the vast Alaminos Canyon, will be linked to the Perdido spar above.
Learn more about the evolution of offshore drilling.
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Amazing technology. It's amazing that gas doesn't cost even more!
ReplyDeletePlus, this drilling is done in a much more environmentally sensitive manner than it was way back when.
Yep. Mind boggling!
ReplyDeleteAnd horizontal drilling! Wow!
22 wells, 14,000 ft from the surface all to the Perdido spar above.
Just wait until the economies of India and China are roused from their slumber and the price of oil rises.
Shell has done the cost/benefit analysis.