A chronicle of the development of drilling technology from ancient methods of digging water and brine wells to the sophisticated rotary drilling systems that transformed the modern petroleum industry. Rather than focusing primarily on the discovery of oil fields or the business of oil production, Brantly emphasizes the engineering innovations, equipment, and techniques that made increasingly deeper and more complex wells possible.
The book traces the progression from hand-dug wells and spring-pole drilling to cable-tool drilling, which dominated the early oil industry in the nineteenth century, and then to rotary drilling, which became the industry standard in the twentieth century. Brantly explains the evolution of drilling rigs, drill bits, drilling fluids, casing, cementing, power systems, blowout prevention, directional drilling, and offshore drilling, showing how each innovation addressed technical challenges encountered in the field.
Drawing on patents, company records, engineering literature, and historical photographs, the book documents the contributions of inventors, drillers, manufacturers, and petroleum engineers whose work advanced drilling technology. Richly illustrated and extensively referenced.
