As the oil and gas industry continues to become more sustainable, more companies are starting to explore and implement new technologies that can help them cut down on their carbon footprint and improve their operational efficiency. This is happening as the Middle East’s oil and gas countries push to diversify their economies.

Oil drilling has been a part of the world’s landscape for over a hundred years. However, due to the technological advancements in the field, it has become more sophisticated. This has also contributed to the development of civilization.

Here are some of the leading technologies that have made oil production easier.

Hydraulic Fracturing

The hydraulic fracturing process was first used in oil drilling during the 1940s. It’s mainly utilized in tight reservoirs, where the rocks don’t have large pores. This makes it difficult for the oil to flow from the rocks.

In hydraulic fracturing, a type of oil and gas drilling process, drillers use a combination of chemicals and water to stimulate the well and remove the trapped oil. This process can create fractures that are up to hundreds of feet long. The drillers use a mixture of sand, pellets, and fluids known as a proppant to prevent the fractures from closing. Through hydraulic fracturing, the oil and gas can flow from the rock. In the US alone, it has been able to pump an additional 7 billion barrels of oil.

Streamlining

New technologies that aren’t explicitly designed to make the processing of oil and gas cleaner and greener can still help increase the industry’s efficiency. For instance, by utilizing ultrasound technology, companies can now create 3D images inside wells, which can help them make informed decisions.

Technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence and analytics, can help O&G companies identify and eliminate operational inefficiencies. These can help them produce the same amount of oil but with lower energy expenses.

Horizontal Drilling

One of the advantages of this technology is that it allows operators to steer the drill in various directions. This has been regarded as one of the most significant advancements in oil drilling.

Since many of the oil reservoirs in the world are spread horizontally, vertical wells cannot efficiently extract the oil from them. The driller changes its direction with a horizontal well before reaching the reservoir. In addition to increasing well productivity, this type of drilling can also help protect the environment by allowing wells to be drilled safely underneath protected and sensitive lands.