Did you ever wonder how oil is removed from the ground? What technology must be used to remove the oil from the ground and maximize output? You sort of have an inkling that it is probably under great pressure—after all that is what all the old Hollywood movies show. That is not the whole story though, in fact, oil shooting out of the ground is probably reflecting a very bad drilling technique.
Unfortunately that is how a lot of the early wells were depleted in the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century until the technology improved. They say that the Spindletop oil field in Texas in 1901 lost over half of its producible oil in the gutters around Beaumont before they were able to get the pressure under control.
Essentially oil wells and proper drilling for oil is a game of depletion where you try to drill—horizontally or vertically —between the high pressure water below the oil and the non porous rock on top.Horizontal drilling and other technological breakthroughs are what is supposed to save our sorry asses from Peak Oil. Only time will tell but I suspect that it will be at best a deferment.
That is the easy oil between the water and the non porous rock and it is a race to make sure that you don’t bring up the water on the bottom as the pressure is released. Also, you want to release the pressure slowly (bleed it). He uses the analogy of releases the air slowly from a balloon rather than all at once in order to maximize the easy oil. Once this oil is gone then you’re job becomes harder. You have to start with horizontal drilling techniques where you essentially thread a needle between the non porous rock on top and the water on the bottom.
Once that is played out then you have to try fracturing the rock with tiny pellets that you fire underground and which holds the rock apart until it collapses. In the meantime the oil is released.
Is technology important in the fight against Peak Oil? Yes, of course–but we will have to wait and see if it is enough.
See Part 5: What Brazil Can Teach Us About Peak Oil