Production of petroleum and Gas

 

At first petroleum was produced by primitive methods: it was bailed out of wells dug to a depth of 10 to 30 miters and more. Wells were deepened until petroleum-bearing beds were reached. Later on, these primitive methods gave way to the industrial pro­duction of petroleum.

Beds are located at depth from 1 to 3 kilometers and over. Modern deep petroleum and gas wells reach depth up to 5 or 6, and sometimes, to 7 kilometers. Wells from 10 to 15 kilometers depth are to be drilled for studying the structure of the Earth's crust. Wells are necessary not only for the production of petroleum and gas they must also be drilled for prospecting pur­poses.

This has led to the development of various types of drilling equipment for drilling shallow, medium-depth, deep and super deep wells.

During the early stages of drilling, the petroleum production technique itself was primitive: wells were drilled until they started gushing. If no gushing resulted, time was given for the petroleum to rise to a certain level in the well. At first, the hydrocarbon gases, which flowed out of the well, were allowed to escape into atmosphere.

Improvement in the drilling techniques led to improved methods of petroleum production. Today no free gushing of petroleum and gas is permitted. In modern practice, this can only be the result of an accident or of a very high pressure in the petroleum and gas deposit.

 

IV. Answer the questions:

1. How was petroleum produced at the beginning of our century?

2. Were the wells deep at that time?

3. What improvements were made in drilling later?

4. What kinds of wells can we drill now?

5. What are wells necessary for?

6. What can you say about modern practice of drilling?

 

V. Arrange the following words in pairs of synonyms:

deep, well, permit, bail out, petroleum, study, escape, emergency, gushing, modern, up-to-date, research, hole, recover, oil, allow, deposit, disappear, flow.

VI. Arrange the following words in pairs of antonyms:

deep, modern, surfaсе, high, old, shallow, low, subsurface, escape, forbid, at last, permit, appear, at first, accident, large, start, stop, incident, small.

 

VII. Open the brackets using Passive Voice and translate the following sentences into Russian:

1. At first petroleum (to produce) by primitive methods.

2. Now petroleum (to produce) by modern methods.

3. First wells (to drill) to a depth of 10 to 30 meters.

4. Now wells (to drill) to a depth of many kilometres.

5. At first, the hydrocarbon gases (to allow) to escape into the atmosphere.

6. Today no free gushing of petroleum and gas (to permit).

 

VIII. TranslateintoEnglish:

1. Раньше нефть добывалась примитивными методами.

2. Бурильщики тратили много сил и времени, чтобы добыть нефть.

3. Позднее, устаревшее оборудование 6ыло заменено современным.

4. Современные нефтяные и газовые скважины достигают глубины до 7 и даже 15 км.

5. Современное оборудование позволяет бурить мелкие, глубокие и сверхглубокие скважины.

 

IX. Speak on:

1. Production of petroleum by primitive methods in early days.

2. The improvements of wells drilling methods.

3. The necessity of drilling wells.

4. Petroleum production technique in drilling wells in eаrlуdaysаnd nowadays.