Reservoir
Pressure
Reservoir pressure is due to the pressure that has developed not
during the compaction of the sedimentary rock, but instead of the
fluids above. The deeper that the well is drilled, the more pressure
that exists in the formation. Think of when you go to a swimming
pool and dive down in the deep in of the pool. Your ears start
popping because of the weight of the water column above you.
This is the same with the formation pressure. It is not due to the
rock formation itself, but instead the fluids inside of them. A good
example is imagining if you went inside of a shipwreck. Your ears
would pop because of the weight of the water but not the shipwreck
because the shipwreck is a self-supporting structure that rests on the
sea floor.
during the compaction of the sedimentary rock, but instead of the
fluids above. The deeper that the well is drilled, the more pressure
that exists in the formation. Think of when you go to a swimming
pool and dive down in the deep in of the pool. Your ears start
popping because of the weight of the water column above you.
This is the same with the formation pressure. It is not due to the
rock formation itself, but instead the fluids inside of them. A good
example is imagining if you went inside of a shipwreck. Your ears
would pop because of the weight of the water but not the shipwreck
because the shipwreck is a self-supporting structure that rests on the
sea floor.
Another important concept to understand oil production is
Pascal’s law. Pascal’s law states “a change in the pressure
applied to a fluid is transmitted undiminished to every point of
the fluid and to the walls of the container”(4). What this means
is that pressure wants to be in equilibrium. So when a formation
is penetrated by a drill, the fluid of that formation wants to rush
to the top because of the low pressure in the well. In the case of
the cable tool method of drilling, it was unsafe because there
was no way to control this pressure and fluids would spew at
incredibly high pressures causing various hazards.
Geological
Aspect Origins
of
Petroleum Edwin Drake
Early
Drilling Oil
Industry
Facts
References
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References
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