Deep well challenges; the hunt for black gold

摘要

DESPITE MOVES TOWARD greater energy efficiency and a turbulent economic climate, global demand for oil and gas shows no sign of letting up. Consumption in the developed world may be flatlining, but China will more than double its oil consumption from 2000 to 2015, while in India demand will increase by about 75 per cent. Debate continues about when "peak oil" will be reached, but the fact remains that a huge amount of oil is still in the ground - enough to last several decades by most estimates. The problem is that much of the "easy" oil has been found, and demand for energy is taking exploration and production to ever-tougher extremes of geography and climate. The deepwater (more than 500 m and ultra-deepwater (more than 1,500 m) energy sector represents one of the major growth areas for the oil and gas industry, but exploiting these reserves presents tough technical challenges.