RE:RE:Drilling rigs vs. pumpjacks, etc.Good additions. Always room for improvement when the story is fleshed out, having originally been laid out in the simplest terms. I suspect that you and I could write a weighty tome on the topic - cheers!
Moemoney42 wrote: Takeaction I would like to politely adress some of the errors in you're post..Cheers!
All in all a relatively accurate portrail of the issue. Takeactionnow wrote: In terms of producing oil from a well, much depends upon the pressure under which the crude is found and differing techniques used to extract it. Many older wells that produce small but reliable volumes over time are fitted with pumpjacks (sometimes known as "nodding donkeys") that lift the oil. These wells do not have rigs. The only time a "rig" is on a hole is when its being initially drilled. When wells are new, there is almost always sufficient pressure in the oil-bearing zone to force the oil out this is not always the case.. many wells (not all) require a pump right off the start...of the ground (along with any associated natural gas and water), but this natural pressure declines relatively quickly in many locations. When pressure declines, different techniques are used to boost the pressure, such as water flood (it is exactly what it sounds like). Drilling rigs are no longer required at this stage, actually rigs are still needed to drill injection wells in key locations to facilitate the water/steam injection. So the rig count could go up but production is usually lagging as it takes time for water/steam injection starts to work.. since piping, valves and pumps are put in place to manage the process. All of this to say that rigs are not a good indicator of current production, but they do indicate future trends since all wells eventually run dry (although some in places like Saudi Arabia can be highly productive for many decades).