New technology: impacts of new technology on petroleum exploration, development and production

摘要

In the last decade of the twentieth century, the petroleum industry was severely challenged by declining reserve bases and price volatility. With the aid of technology, however, world hydrocarbon shortage has once again been pushed into the distant future. The most significant developments have been in new seismic technologies which have contributed strongly to sustained exploration success, reduced drilling costs and sophisticated well designs, and the technology evolution which has allowed companies to explore for and develop fields in water depths of over 2000 metres.