What are Oil Seeps?

Put simply, oil seeps are naturally occurring oil and natural gas “springs” which rise from oil reservoirs within the earth and emerge at the surface. Seeps usually contain some mixture of natural gas, crude oil, water and asphaltum, which is a thick substance commonly known as tar. Similar to the manner in which freshwater springs on the earth’s surface originate from collected water underground, oil seeps originate from underground collections of oil that have accumulated within porous rock and have been contained by impermeable rock.

Oil seeps occur both on shore and under water, and provide valuable insight about the location of oil reservoirs deep within the earth. Since we have yet to develop a one hundred percent accurate way of determining the location of underground oil reservoirs, the presence of oil seeps provides valuable clues that can reduce the risk of wasted capital for oil drilling endeavors by companies such as Western Pipeline Corporation. The first project believed to have been dedicated to drilling for oil, led by Edwin Drake, took place in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in an area that was chosen in part because of the known oil seeps.

Oil seeps provide a natural resource which has been used by humans for various purposes throughout history, long before the advent of commercial drilling as we know it today. Native Americans are believed to have used resources collected from oil seeps for such purposes as lantern fuel, lubricant for wagon wheels and adhesive for weapons and canoes centuries ago. Asphaltum from seeps is also believed to have been used by such civilizations as face paint and for decorative additions to bowls and jewelry.

Oil seeps on land, though they may only release small amounts of oil and be difficult to see, provide scientists with important clues about the underground environment and the potential of an oil reservoir being located beneath. Likewise, oil seeps in the ocean are evidence of possible oil reservoirs below the sea floor, which modern oil drilling technology is now capable of extracting. Oil and natural gas released through vents in the ocean floor float and collect on the surface of the water, often forming oil covered natural gas bubbles and eventually a film of oil on the surface, making them easy to locate. Over time, large amounts of oil collect on the surface that eventually become visible from satellite images. Combined with information from other technologies, satellite analysis of oil seeps can provide scientists important data about the type of oil that is present as well as the potential for successful excavation.

The presence of oil seeps leading to further exploration has resulted in the discoveries of numerous productive oil reservoirs in the past. Without the natural clues about subsurface activity provided by oil seeps, we may have never discovered oil and its many commercial uses that are so common today. (ArticlesBase SC #173478)

Why Horizontal Drilling Results In A Lucrative Texas Oil Investment

Can investing in a more costly form of drilling mean better returns? Yes, if drilling for oil is performed utilizing horizontal drilling. Oil drilling technology has advanced a tremendous amount over the last quarter of a century. And while some people talk of the long-lost “good ole’ days” of oil drilling in Texas, Texas oil investment is still a possibility with horizontal drilling.

Enhanced Oil Recovery Paves Way to Future Extraction Methods

With rising prices for each barrel of oil, oil and gas investing is becoming more and more appealing. Especially with the newer enhanced oil recovery (EOR) systems in place that were not available even a decade ago.

EOR is an improved oil recovery system that uses techniques aimed at extracting more oil from a reservoir that cannot be achieved by direct drilling. One of those techniques is horizontal drilling, which can extract up to 60% or more of an oil reservoir, compare to only 20%-40% using traditional vertical drilling.

Now your Texas oil investment can reap big rewards with a company that practices horizontal drilling. Horizontal drilling uses coil tubing rather than 30-foot sections of steel pipe used on traditional wells. The coil tubing allows the drilling angle to be much more flexible, even drilling at angles of 90 degrees to 95 degrees. And rather than spinning the steel tubing to turn the drill, coil tubing techniques send high-pressure drilling mud through the tube which in turn triggers a pressure-sensitive hydraulic motor that rotates the drill bit.

It's Not Just Where you Drill - The Angle Can be Critical

Controlling the angle at which the drill bores into oil reserves is the key. Direct vertical drilling greatly reduces the exposure to the oil reservoir. Crude oil tends to accumulate within pockets of layered rock, usually sandstone. And because crude oil moves extremely slowly a direct tap from a vertical drill tends to produce low tap.

However, since horizontal drilling allows can access a crude oil reserve from the side, the total exposure to the entire reservoir is greatly increased, resulting in much more and faster oil recovery. In addition, horizontal drilling can access more than one pocket of crude oil. That means instead of drilling multiple vertical wells, only two or three horizontal wells may be needed to tap an entire oil field.

In addition, natural gas can now be collected from crude oil drilling using a process that converts the gas into a liquid state. Where once natural gas was burned off from crude oil production wells, it can now be harnessed and turned into a usable product.

Texas oil investing is at a new milestone. It is now possible to tap into wells that were once unreachable, and extract more crude oil than ever possible. If you are interested in oil and gas investing, now is the time to look into what could be a very profitable venture. Be sure you analyze the risks and benefits of oil and gas investing, and find a reputable oil company to invest in that meets your investing objectives.(ArticlesBase SC #1873355)