Write words for the definitions. 1. A device which has a hermetically sealed motor close-coupled to the pump body.

1. A device which has a hermetically sealed motor close-coupled to the pump body.

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2. A general term for any boring through the Earth’s surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons.

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3. An artificial lift method of deliquifying a natural gas well.

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4. A component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms.

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5. A type of positive displacement pump and is also known as a progressing cavity pump, eccentric screw pump or cavity pump.

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Read the article and mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1. The reduction of average flowing bottomhole pressure decreases inflow.

2. A plunger-lift system provides a mechanical interface between the produced liquids and gas.

3. Artificial lift uses some means to decrease the flow of liquids to the surface of a production well.

4. An artificial lift system is needed in wells with sufficient pressure in the reservoir to boost the liquid to the surface.

5. More than 60 percent of producing oil wells require some type of assisted lift technology to produce the recoverable oil.

Use the correct words from the text to fill the gaps in the sentences.

1. Plunger travel is normally ………. by formation gas ………. in the casing annulus during a well shut-in period.

2. ESPs are especially effective in wells with ………. pressure, low gas/oil ratio, low bubblepoint, high water cut or low API gravity fluids.

3. More than 60 percent of producing oil wells ………. some type of assisted lift technology to produce the ………. oil.

4. As the well is opened and the tubing pressure ………., the stored casing gas moves around the end of the tubing and pushes ………. to the surface.

5. An artificial lift system is needed in wells with ………. in the reservoir to ………. the liquid to the surface.

 

OIL DRILLING

Talk to a partner.

1. Where is oil found?

2. How long does it take to drill a well?

3. How disruptive is the drilling?

4. How closely spaced are wells allowed to be?

5. What are the negative effects of oil drilling?

 

In pairs, explain the highlighted words and phrases in the text. Underline other new words and guess the meaning from context.

How Oil Drilling Works

 

by Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D.

(http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-drilling.htm/)

 

Drilling

The crew sets up the rig and starts the drilling operations. First, from the starter hole, they drill a surface hole down to a pre-set depth, which is somewhere above where they think the oil trap is located. There are five basic steps to drilling the surface hole:

1. Place the drill bit, collar and drill pipe in the hole.

2. Attach the kelly and turntable and begin drilling.

3. As drilling progresses, circulate mud through the pipe and out of the bit to float the rock cuttings out of the hole.

4. Add new sections (joints) of drill pipes as the hole gets deeper.

5. Remove (trip out) the drill pipe, collar and bit when the pre-set depth (anywhere from a few hundred to a couple-thousand feet) is reached.

Once they reach the pre-set depth, they must run and cement the casing -- place casing-pipe sections into the hole to prevent it from collapsing in on itself. The casing pipe has spacers around the outside to keep it centered in the hole.

The casing crew puts the casing pipe in the hole. The cement crew pumps cement down the casing pipe using a bottom plug, a cement slurry, a top plug and drill mud. The pressure from the drill mud causes the cement slurry to move through the casing and fill the space between the outside of the casing and the hole. Finally, the cement is allowed to harden and then tested for such properties as hardness, alignment and a proper seal.

Drilling continues in stages: They drill, then run and cement new casings, then drill again. When the rock cuttings from the mud reveal the oil sand from the reservoir rock, they may have reached the final depth. At this point, they remove the drilling apparatus from the hole and perform several tests to confirm this finding:

· Well logging - lowering electrical and gas sensors into the hole to take measurements of the rock formations there

· Drill-stem testing - lowering a device into the hole to measure the pressures, which will reveal whether reservoir rock has been reached

· Core samples - taking samples of rock to look for characteristics of reservoir rock

Once they have reached the final depth, the crew completes the well to allow oil to flow into the casing in a controlled manner.