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88-638: The Drake Well is a 69.5-foot-deep (21.2 m) oil well in Cherrytree Township, Pennsylvania , the success of which sparked the first oil boom in the United States. The well is the centerpiece of the Drake Well Museum located 3 miles (5 km) south of Titusville . Drilled by Edwin Drake in 1859, along the banks of Oil Creek , it is the first commercial oil well in the United States. Drake Well

176-412: A drilling rig , which contains all necessary equipment to circulate the drilling fluid, hoist and rotate the pipe, remove cuttings from the drilling fluid, and generate on-site power for these operations. After drilling and casing the well, it must be 'completed'. Completion is the process in which the well is prepared to produce oil or gas. In a cased-hole completion, small perforations are made in

264-480: A "sweep" effect to push hydrocarbons out of the reservoir. Such methods require the use of injection wells (often chosen from old production wells in a carefully determined pattern), and are used when facing problems with reservoir pressure depletion or high oil viscosity, sometimes being employed early in a field's life. In certain cases – depending on the reservoir's geomechanics – reservoir engineers may determine that ultimate recoverable oil may be increased by applying

352-533: A 105-acre farm, the Hibbard Farm which was owned by timber company Brewer, Watson & Co, at a cost of $ 5000. The timber company had also received a competitive offer from Samuel Kier , a pioneer in oil refining , and an early founder of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company , an important competitor of Andrew Carnegie . Despite having received a lucrative offer from Kier, Brewer, Watson & Co decided to accept

440-521: A business relationship resulted. On August 27, 1859, the company first succeeded in striking oil, on a farm in Titusville , Pennsylvania . John D. Rockefeller took notice of this event and decided to jump on the opportunity and joined the Pennsylvania oil rush , forming his own oil-refining business with Maurice B. Clark , naming it Clark & Rockefeller . Rockefeller's enterprise would evolve into

528-491: A critical role in the first successful oil well in the region. Bissell, through Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co., invested heavily in the surrounding region with significant financial success. With time, Seneca Oil Co. became unable to pay the royalties due to the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company . The matter was resolved when Bissell and Eveleth agreed to forgive the unpaid royalties in exchange for taking full title to

616-401: A disposal problem at wells that are developed to produce oil. If there are no pipelines for natural gas near the wellhead it may be of no value to the oil well owner since it cannot reach the consumer markets. Such unwanted gas may then be burned off at the well site in a practice known as production flaring , but due to the energy resource waste and environmental damage concerns this practice

704-455: A gymnasium on the campus of Dartmouth University that included a gymnastics center, a bowling alley, and an indoor track. This building was demolished in 1958. A residence hall constructed that year, Bissell Hall of the Choates, is now named in his honor. The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co.'s agent, Edwin Drake, is sometimes credited with the "discovery" of oil, although the success of Drake's efforts

792-422: A high pressure, high-temperature well of duration 100 days can cost about US$ 30 million. Onshore wells can be considerably cheaper, particularly if the field is at a shallow depth, where costs range from less than $ 4.9 million to $ 8.3 million, and the average completion costing $ 2.9 million to $ 5.6 million per well. Completion makes up a larger portion of onshore well costs than offshore wells, which generally have

880-473: A large number of neglected or poorly maintained wellheads is a large environmental issue: they may leak methane or other toxic substances into local air, water and soil systems. This pollution often becomes worse when wells are abandoned or orphaned – i.e., where wells no longer economically viable are no longer maintained by their (former) owners. A 2020 estimate by Reuters suggested that there were at least 29 million abandoned wells internationally, creating

968-516: A marked avoidance of areas near oil wells and seismic lines due to disturbances. Drilling often destroys wildlife habitat, causing wildlife stress, and breaks up large areas into smaller isolated ones, changing the environment, and forcing animals to migrate elsewhere. It can also bring in new species that compete with or prey on existing animals. Even though the actual area taken up by oil and gas equipment might be small, negative effects can spread. Animals like mule deer and elk try to stay away from

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1056-579: A member of the Yale family and his third cousin. Her mother, Mary Valentine Yale (1870-1916), niece of Dr. Leroy Milton Yale Jr. , was the wife of Eugene Van Name Bissell, and sister-in-law of shipping magnate Edgar F. Luckenbach , whose niece was daughter of Charles Yost , United Nations Ambassador under President Nixon . Her brother, Eugene Bissell Jr., was the proprietor of the Cedar Hill Estate in 1946, originally owned by George Ludlow Lee Sr. , and

1144-501: A millionaire as a result, as seen in the registry of the American Millionaires of 1892, with a fortune of over a million dollars, which translate to over a billion dollars in 2022 money. There was only 4047 millionaires in the United States at the time, making him among the richest men in the country. As the decade progressed, large producers like John D. Rockefeller would learn at his expense, and would begin to consolidate

1232-806: A millionaire of 1892, married to Helen Alsop French, daughter of Colonel Thomas J. French. He was educated at Columbia College , and was a large owner of the Adirondacks Pulp Company, later merged into the International Paper Company . He was also a member of the Columbia Alumni Association , the New York Athletic Club and the New York Historical Society . His grandson, Pelham St. George Bissell Jr., married to Mary Valentine Yale Bissell (1889-1948),

1320-424: A mud motor while drilling to achieve a depth of over 12,000 metres (12 km; 39,000 ft; 7.5 mi). Until the 1970s, most oil wells were essentially vertical, although lithological variations cause most wells to deviate at least slightly from true vertical (see deviation survey ). However, modern directional drilling technologies allow for highly deviated wells that can, given sufficient depth and with

1408-450: A raw form known as associated petroleum gas , is almost always a by-product of producing oil. The short, light-gas carbon chains come out of solution when undergoing pressure reduction from the reservoir to the surface, similar to uncapping a bottle of soda where the carbon dioxide effervesces . If it escapes into the atmosphere intentionally it is known as vented gas , or if unintentionally as fugitive gas . Unwanted natural gas can be

1496-440: A roughly 2.5 percent annual population decline in males, correlating with the density of oil and gas wells. Factors such as sagebrush cover and precipitation seemed to have little effect on count changes. These results align with other studies highlighting the detrimental impact of oil and gas development on sage-grouse populations. George Bissell (industrialist) George Henry Bissell (November 8, 1821 – November 19, 1884)

1584-463: A shallow land well to millions of dollars for an offshore one. Thus the burden may fall on government agencies or surface landowners when a business entity can no longer be held responsible. Orphan wells are a potent contributor of greenhouse gas emissions , such as methane emissions , contributing to climate change . Much of this leakage can be attributed to failure to have them plugged properly or leaking plugs. A 2020 estimate of abandoned wells in

1672-523: A shallower reservoir. Such remedial work can be performed using workover rigs – also known as pulling units , completion rigs or "service rigs" – to pull and replace tubing, or by the use of well intervention techniques utilizing coiled tubing . Depending on the type of lift system and wellhead a rod rig or flushby can be used to change a pump without pulling the tubing. Enhanced recovery methods such as water flooding, steam flooding, or CO 2 flooding may be used to increase reservoir pressure and provide

1760-539: A significant source of greenhouse gas emissions worsening climate change. The earliest known oil wells were drilled in China in 347 CE. These wells had depths of up to about 240 metres (790 ft) and were drilled using bits attached to bamboo poles. The oil was burned to evaporate brine producing salt . By the 10th century, extensive bamboo pipelines connected oil wells with salt springs. The ancient records of China and Japan are said to contain many allusions to

1848-692: A station on the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad . Oil well Wells are frequently sold or exchanged between different oil and gas companies as an asset – in large part because during falls in the price of oil and gas, a well may be unproductive, but if prices rise, even low-production wells may be economically valuable. Moreover, new methods, such as hydraulic fracturing (a process of injecting gas or liquid to force more oil or natural gas production) have made some wells viable. However, peak oil and climate policy surrounding fossil fuels have made fewer of these wells and costly techniques viable. However,

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1936-603: A waterflooding strategy early in the field's development rather than later. Such enhanced recovery techniques are often called Secondary or " tertiary recovery ". Orphan , orphaned, or abandoned wells are oil or gas wells that have been abandoned by fossil fuel extraction industries . These wells may have been deactivated because had become uneconomic, failure to transfer ownerships (especially at bankruptcy of companies ), or neglect, and thus no longer have legal owners responsible for their care. Decommissioning wells effectively can be expensive, costing several thousands of dollars for

2024-399: A well depends mainly on the daily rate of the drilling rig, the extra services required to drill the well, the duration of the well program (including downtime and weather time), and the remoteness of the location (logistic supply costs). The daily rates of offshore drilling rigs vary by their depth capability, and the market availability. Rig rates reported by industry web service show that

2112-410: Is becoming less common. Often, unwanted (or 'stranded' gas without a market) gas is returned back into the reservoir with an 'injection' well for storage or for re-pressurizing the producing formation. Another solution is to convert the natural gas to a liquid fuel. Gas to liquid (GTL) is a developing technology that converts stranded natural gas into synthetic gasoline, diesel or jet fuel through

2200-637: Is due in part to Bissell's business acumen . Bissell and his enterprises are also featured in the Pulitzer award book The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power . Bissell's wife was Ophie Louise Griffin, with whom he had two children. Ophie died in 1867. At the time of Bissell's death in 1884, he was living at 16 West 40th Street in New York City. He was interred at the Dartmouth College Cemetery. His son, Pelham St. George Bissell,

2288-548: Is far more costly than a comparable onshore well. These wells dot the Southern and Central Great Plains, Southwestern United States, and are the most common wells in the Middle East. Another way to classify oil wells is by their purpose in contributing to the development of a resource. They can be characterized as: At a producing well site, active wells may be further categorized as: Lahee classification [1] The cost to drill

2376-447: Is usually outfitted with a collection of valves called a Christmas tree or production tree. These valves regulate pressures, control flows, and allow access to the wellbore in case further completion work is needed. From the outlet valve of the production tree, the flow can be connected to a distribution network of pipelines and tanks to supply the product to refineries, natural gas compressor stations, or oil export terminals. As long as

2464-645: The Fischer–Tropsch process developed in World War II Germany. Like oil, such dense liquid fuels can be transported using conventional tankers for trucking to refineries or users. Proponents claim GTL fuels burn cleaner than comparable petroleum fuels. Most major international oil companies are in advanced development stages of GTL production, e.g. the 140,000 bbl/d (22,000 m /d) Pearl GTL plant in Qatar, scheduled to come online in 2011. In locations such as

2552-462: The Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler partnership, with Samuel Andrews , Henry Flagler , and Stephen V. Harkness as associates. As a result of the first success at striking oil, a business relationship will develop between Bissell's Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co. and Seneca Oil Company. Colonel Edwin Drake became involved in the enterprise through his employment with Seneca Oil Co., and Drake played

2640-544: The oil wells and refineries in Pennsylvania . By 1882, with the formation of the Standard Oil Trust , Rockefeller would effectively establish a monopoly over the industry in the region, and with the discovery of oil in other states, the nation's interest would shift elsewhere. Other competitors also emerged in the oil industry, such as the Nobel family through Branobel , later known for their Nobel Prize award, and

2728-684: The 1 acre (0.40 ha) that included the well to the Canadohta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1913. The chapter erected a limestone boulder with a bronze plaque at the well in 1914 to commemorate the site. In 1931, the American Petroleum Institute donated $ 60,000 for the creation of a museum and library, as well as a dike to protect Drake Well from flooding by Oil Creek. The Institute stipulated that when

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2816-512: The 12th century. Some sources claim that from the 9th century, oil fields were exploited in the area around modern Baku , Azerbaijan , to produce naphtha for the petroleum industry . These places were described by Marco Polo in the 13th century, who described the output of those oil wells as hundreds of shiploads. When Marco Polo in 1264 visited Baku, on the shores of the Caspian Sea , he saw oil being collected from seeps. He wrote that "on

2904-704: The Brewer and Watson Farm in December ;1857. His report prompted Bissell and Eveleth to organize the Seneca Oil Company in Connecticut in March ;1858 and to place Drake in charge of producing petroleum. Because Drake decided that drilling in the manner of salt wells would yield more petroleum than conventional digging, he hired William A. Smith, a Tarentum, Pennsylvania , blacksmith and salt-well driller, to aid in

2992-813: The City of New York. He also served as Chairman of the Mayor's Board of Survey, joined the Union League Club of New York, and served in the army as Lieutenant, Captain, Major and Lieutenant-Colonel. Mary Valentine Yale served as Chairman of American Legion Auxiliary in New York, Chairman of the First New York District of the Auxiliary, President of the Greenwich Village unit, and Salon 33, Society of 8 and 40. She

3080-772: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took ownership of the site during the Diamond Jubilee of Drake Well in 1934, it was to be made a state park . The Drake Well State Park remained under the control of the Department of Forestry and Waters, the precursor to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , until 1943 when it was transferred along with the Cornwall Iron Furnace in Lebanon County to

3168-604: The French branch of the Rothschild family , through the Caspian and Black Sea Oil Company led by Alphonse de Rothschild . George H. Bissell's name would be seen as a household word among oil men during his lifetime, and from all over the continent. In the oil industry, he was a giant, and his business empire was seen as an industry of its own. Bissell funded the Bissell Hall which was

3256-580: The Hibbard Farm and his bank, Bissell's other investments in the region included various other farms and oil wells, a barrel factory , the Central Petroleum Company, the Farmer’s Railroad, United Petroleum Farms Company, and the George H. Bissell Express Company. When retiring in New York, he was the owner of 3 banks, a railroad, and was also director and President of various companies, such as

3344-551: The Pennsylvania Historical Commission. Since at least the late-1890s, the only artifacts remaining from the original well were the drilling tools and drivepipe, much to the disappointment of visitors to Drake Well. In 1945, the Pennsylvania General Assembly appropriated $ 185,000 for the construction of a replica derrick and engine house, including pumping equipment. The "board-for-board replica"

3432-676: The Peruvian Petroleum Company and the Peruvian Refining Company. He and other investors started these companies with a capital of 5 millions dollars and a lease on 4.5 millions acres of land. They supplied most of the oil in west South America, exporting the surplus to Australia, England and New Zealand. He also invested extensively in real estate, becoming one of the largest operators in dealing in New York real estate, which would be inherited by his son Pelham, along with his oil companies, banks and railroads. His son became

3520-484: The United States before the Drake Well, oil-producing wells were wells that were drilled for salt brine, and produced oil and gas only as accidental byproducts. An intended drinking water well at Oil Springs, Ontario found oil in 1858, a year before the Drake Well, but it had not been drilled for oil. Historians have noted that the importance of the Drake Well was not in being the first well to produce oil, but in attracting

3608-573: The United States was that methane emissions released from abandoned wells produced greenhouse gas impacts equivalent to three weeks of US oil consumption each year. The scale of leaking abandoned wells is well understood in the US and Canada because of public data and regulation; however, a Reuters investigation in 2020 could not find good estimates for Russia, Saudi Arabia and China—the next biggest oil and gas producers. However, they estimate there are 29 million abandoned wells internationally. Natural gas, in

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3696-527: The United States with a high natural gas demand, pipelines are usually favored to take the gas from the well site to the end consumer . Wells can be located: Offshore wells can further be subdivided into While the location of the well will be a large factor in the type of equipment used to drill it, there is actually little downhole difference in the well itself. An offshore well targets a reservoir that happens to be underneath an ocean. Due to logistics and specialized equipment needed, drilling an offshore well

3784-516: The added cost burden of a surface platform. The total costs mentioned do not include the those associated with the risk of explosion and leakage of oil. Those costs include the cost of protecting against such disasters, the cost of the cleanup effort, and the hard-to-calculate cost of damage to the company's image. The impacts of oil exploration and drilling are often irreversible, particularly for wildlife. Research indicates that caribou in Alaska show

3872-400: The borehole. Screens also control the migration of formation sands into production tubulars, which can lead to washouts and other problems, particularly from unconsolidated sand formations. After a flow path is made, acids and fracturing fluids may be pumped into the well to fracture , clean, or otherwise prepare and stimulate the reservoir rock to allow optimal production of hydrocarbons into

3960-404: The case of horizontal wells. These new systems allow casing to run into the lateral zone equipped with proper packer/frac-port placement for optimal hydrocarbon recovery. The production stage is the most important stage of a well's life: when the oil and gas are produced. By this time, the oil rigs and workover rigs used to drill and complete the well will have moved off the wellbore, and the top

4048-775: The casing from corrosive well fluids. In many wells, the natural pressure of the subsurface reservoir is high enough for the oil or gas to flow to the surface. However, this is not always the case, especially in depleted fields where the pressures have been lowered by other producing wells, or in low-permeability oil reservoirs. Installing a smaller diameter tubing may be enough to help the production, but artificial lift methods may also be needed. Common solutions include surface pump jacks , downhole hydraulic pumps or gas lift assistance. Many new systems in recent years have been introduced for well completion. Multiple packer systems with frac ports or port collars in an all-in-one system have cut completion costs and improved production, especially in

4136-527: The confines toward Geirgine there is a fountain from which oil springs in great abundance, in as much as a hundred shiploads might be taken from it at one time." In 1846, Baku (settlement Bibi-Heybat ) the first ever well was drilled with percussion tools to a depth of 21 metres (69 ft) for oil exploration . In 1846–1848, the first modern oil wells were drilled on the Absheron Peninsula north-east of Baku, by Russian engineer Vasily Semyonov applying

4224-458: The deepwater water floating drilling rigs are over twice the daily cost of the shallow water fleet, and rates for jack-up fleet can vary by factor of 3 depending upon capability. With deepwater drilling rig rates in 2015 of around $ 520,000/day, and similar additional spread costs, a deepwater well of a duration of 100 days can cost around US$ 100 million. With high-performance jackup rig rates in 2015 of around $ 177,000, and similar service costs,

4312-437: The drilling location (extended reach drilling), allowing for the production of hydrocarbons located below locations that are difficult to place a drilling rig on, environmentally sensitive, or populated. The target (the endpoint of the well) will be matched with a surface location (the starting point of the well), and a trajectory between the two will be designed. There are many considerations to take into account when designing

4400-459: The east bank of Oil Creek . The site was originally on an artificial island formed by the creek and a mill race . On a floodplain , the well and the museum are protected by an earthen dike . Most of the oil produced in northwestern Pennsylvania was formed in sandstone reservoir rocks at the boundary between the Mississippian and Devonian rock layers. Over time, the oil migrated toward

4488-404: The endeavor. An engine house and derrick were constructed, and Drake purchased a 6-horsepower (4.5 kW), horizontal steam engine . The steam engine was used to ram the drill through the soil until it reached bedrock 32 feet (10 m) down. After it was found that groundwater would cause the walls of the hole to collapse, Drake acquired 50 feet (20 m) of cast iron pipe to stabilize

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4576-426: The existence of petroleum in the 1600s. At the time, this "mineral-oil" was used primarily for medicinal purposes and was reputed to cure many ailments, including rheumatism and arthritis . Around 1848, Samuel Kier realized the potential of the medicinal oil as an illuminant. Kier distilled the oil to make it more suitable in lamps by removing the odor and impurities that created soot when burned. A sample of oil

4664-429: The first great wave of investment in oil drilling, refining, and marketing: The importance of the Drake Well was in the fact that it caused prompt additional drilling, thus establishing a supply of petroleum in sufficient quantity to support business enterprises of magnitude. The Drake Well is located in Cherrytree Township , Venango County in northwestern Pennsylvania . situated on the flats 150 feet (46 m) from

4752-426: The ground. Bissell was aware of the primitive oil -gathering industry in western Pennsylvania . At the time, oil was gathered by such crude methods as soaking blankets in surface oil and then draining the blankets over barrels. Rock oil in that period of time was used mainly for medicinal purposes. Bissell recognized that the oil could be refined to produce kerosene , then in high demand, especially for lighting. If

4840-486: The hole. After reaching bedrock, Drake and Smith were able to drill at a rate of 3 feet (1 m) per day. Drake's colleagues back in Connecticut gave up on finding any oil by April 1859 and after spending $ 2,500, Drake took out a $ 500 loan to keep the operation going. The drill reached its maximum depth of 69.5 feet (21.2 m) on August 27, 1859. Smith visited the well the next day and found oil visible on top of

4928-522: The idea of drilling for oil, rather than mining it or digging for it as is done with salt wells . This was widely considered ludicrous at the time. However, Bissell and Eveleth pursued the idea and sought investors. This included a group from New Haven, Connecticut, who eventually formed the Seneca Oil Company . Bissell and Eveleth had a royalty dispute with the investors in Seneca Oil Co., although

5016-522: The ideas of Nikolay Voskoboynikov. Ignacy Łukasiewicz , a Polish pharmacist and petroleum industry pioneer drilled one of the world's first modern oil wells in 1854 in Polish village Bóbrka, Krosno County who in 1856 built one of the world's first oil refineries . In North America, the first commercial oil well entered operation in Oil Springs, Ontario in 1858, while the first offshore oil well

5104-503: The noise and activity of drilling sites, sometimes moving miles away to find peace. This movement and avoidance can lead to less space for these animals affecting their numbers and health. The Sage-grouse is another example of an animal that tries to avoid areas with drilling, which can lead to fewer of them surviving and reproducing. Different studies show that drilling in their habitats negatively impacts sage-grouse populations. In Wyoming , sage grouse studied between 1984 and 2008 show

5192-820: The oil-producing region. His bank at Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania , with office at 5 Beekman Street , New York, was regarded as one of the most substantial banking institution in the oil industry at the time. When Bissell's oil enterprise began to flourish, he moved from New York City to the Pennsylvania Oil Region, taking up residence at the Franklin Hotel in Franklin, Pennsylvania . He lived in Pennsylvania until 1864, when he returned to New York City. On his return, Bissell diversified his investments and started to include insurance in his portfolio. In addition to

5280-424: The one of Bissell and Eveleth, as they intended to sell the stock of their new enterprise through New York's financial markets , and Brewer, Watson & Co. perceived that they could therefore develop an equity position in the new business. In December 1854, Bissell and Eveleth formed the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company while transferring ownership of the Hibbard Farm to the new company. The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co.

5368-543: The petroleum and described the distillation processes needed to produce kerosene . The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company was incorporated and the farm transferred to the company. Edwin Drake , a former conductor for the New York and New Haven Railroad , invested $ 200, his entire savings, into the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company. Drake became more involved in the company and traveled to Titusville , Pennsylvania and

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5456-403: The portion of the casing across the production zone, to provide a path for the oil to flow from the surrounding rock into the production tubing. In open hole completion, often a 'sand screen' or 'gravel pack' is installed in the last-drilled but uncased reservoir section. These maintain structural integrity of the wellbore in the absence of casing, while still allowing flow from the reservoir into

5544-463: The portion of the Hibbard Farm that Seneca Oil controlled. Additionally, Eveleth died in 1862. As a result of these two events, Bissell had much control over development of this oil-producing region. He continued to attract investors, to develop new oil fields in the region, and built a railroad to carry the oil to markets. In an 1866 economic downturn, Bissell opened a bank in the region, George H. Bissell & Co., to assure continued development of

5632-439: The pressure in the reservoir remains high enough, the production tree is all that is required to produce the well. If the pressure depletes and it is considered economically viable, an artificial lift method mentioned in the completions section can be employed. Workovers are often necessary in older wells, which may need smaller diameter tubing, scale or paraffin removal, acid matrix jobs, or completion in new zones of interest in

5720-443: The process, sections of steel pipe ( casing ), slightly smaller in diameter than the borehole at that point, are placed in the hole. Cement slurry will be pumped down the inside to rise in the annulus between the borehole and the outside of the casing. The casing provides structural integrity to that portion of the newly drilled wellbore, in addition to isolating potentially dangerous high pressure zones from lower-pressure ones, and from

5808-448: The proper tools, actually become horizontal. This is of great value as the reservoir rocks that contain hydrocarbons are usually horizontal or nearly horizontal; a horizontal wellbore placed in a production zone has more surface area in the production zone than a vertical well, resulting in a higher production rate. The use of deviated and horizontal drilling has also made it possible to reach reservoirs several kilometers or miles away from

5896-461: The rock oil could be obtained inexpensively and properly refined, it could replace such substances as whale oil and coal oil as sources of fuel for illumination. Recognizing the potential for rock oil in 1854, Bissell and his law partner Jonathan Eveleth , a Harvard graduate, decided to start their own firm. Eveleth & Bissell will be formed and their office would be in New York at 14 Wall Street , on Wall Street . Together, they purchased

5984-544: The steam engine and boiler were purchased in Erie and installed in 1986. The American Chemical Society designated the Drake Well a National Historic Chemical Landmark on August 27, 2009, the 150th anniversary of the strike. The Drake Well Museum encompasses 22 acres (9 ha) of land that surrounds the well. The museum was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 1983 and reaccredited in 1995. The museum has

6072-517: The study of law in his spare time. In 1853, Bissell relocated to New York City to become a practicing attorney. Concern over the yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans was a reason for Bissell's relocation. In 1853, during a social visit to Dr. Dixi Crosby, a professor at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire , Bissell saw samples of what was then known as "rock oil," which had been obtained from

6160-575: The suitability of the rock oil for making a refined oil suitable for illumination. The evaluation included an economic study and a chemical analysis, and Atwood was positive on the prospects from the beginning of the evaluation. Silliman was more cautious, although he issued a promising opinion in May 1855. Silliman's evaluation cost Bissell and Eveleth $ 1200. With these expert opinions, Bissell and Eveleth continued with their endeavor. In 1856, after seeing pictures of derrick drilling for salt, Bissell conceived of

6248-482: The surface, became trapped beneath an impervious layer of caprock , and formed a reservoir . The presence of upwards-curving folds in the caprock called anticlines , or sometimes an inversion of an anticline called a syncline , greatly varied the depth of the reservoirs, from around 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to just beneath the surface. Petroleum found along Oil Creek was known to Native Americans for hundreds of years through natural seeps . Europeans became aware of

6336-401: The surface. With these zones safely isolated and the formation protected by the casing, the well can be drilled deeper (into potentially higher-pressure or more-unstable formations) with a smaller bit, and then cased with a smaller size pipe. Modern wells generally have two to as many as five sets of subsequently smaller hole sizes, each cemented with casing. This process is all facilitated by

6424-450: The target. These properties may include lithology pore pressure , fracture gradient, wellbore stability, porosity and permeability . These assumptions are used by a well engineering team designing the casing and completion programs for the well. Also considered in the detailed planning are selection of the drill bits, Bottom hole assembly , and the drilling fluid Step-by-step procedures are written to provide guidelines for executing

6512-406: The trajectory such as the clearance from any nearby wells (anti-collision) or future wellpaths. Before a well is drilled, a geologic target is identified by a geologist or geophysicist to meet the objectives of the well. When the well path is identified, a team of geoscientists and engineers will develop a set of presumed characteristics of the subsurface path that will be drilled through to reach

6600-726: The use of natural gas for lighting and heating. Petroleum was known as burning water in Japan in the 7th century. According to Kasem Ajram, petroleum was distilled by the Persian alchemist Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes) in the 9th century, producing chemicals such as kerosene in the alembic ( al-ambiq ), and which was mainly used for kerosene lamps . Arab and Persian chemists also distilled crude oil in order to produce flammable products for military purposes. Through Islamic Spain , distillation became available in Western Europe by

6688-473: The water 5 inches (13 cm) from the top of the well. The original structures at the well caught fire in October ;1859 and were rebuilt by Drake a month later. The well produced 12 to 20 barrels (2 to 3  m ) a day, but, after the price of oil plummeted from the resulting boom, it was never profitable. The well stopped producing in 1861 and the Seneca Oil Company sold the property in 1864. The derrick

6776-410: The well in a safe and cost-efficient manner. With the interplay with many of the elements in a well's design, trajectories and designs often go through several iterations before the plan is finalized. The well is created by drilling a hole 12 cm to 1 meter (5 in to 40 in) in diameter into the earth with a drilling rig that rotates a drill string with a bit attached. At depths during

6864-481: The wellbore. Usually the area above the producing section of the well is packed off inside the casing, and connected to the surface via a smaller diameter pipe called tubing. This arrangement provides a redundant barrier to leaks of hydrocarbons as well as allowing damaged sections to be replaced. Also, the smaller cross-sectional area of the tubing gives reservoir fluids an increased velocity to minimize liquid fallback that would create additional back pressure, and shields

6952-589: Was an entrepreneur and industrialist who is often considered the father of the American oil industry . His company, the Pennsylvania Rock Oil , was the first Petroleum company in America. His businesses included oil companies, banks, railroads, and substantial real estate in New York. At his death in 1884, his son Pelham would inherit his fortune, making him among the richest men in the United States. Bissell

7040-550: Was born in Hanover, New Hampshire , the son of Nancy (Wemple) and Isaac Bissell. His father was a fur trader in Detroit and a Revolutionary war soldier, while his mother was a daughter of John Wemple, a Revolutionary war Captain. He was a descendant of a noble French huguenots family, and had as relatives Yale University graduate Clark Bissell , Connecticut Governor and Senator, and Col. William Henry Bissell , Illinois Governor and Congressman. George Bissell's father died when he

7128-506: Was brought to Dartmouth College by Francis B. Brewer from the Watson, Brewer and Company Farm on Oil Creek around 1853. The sample was acquired by George Bissell who, along with Jonathan G. Eveleth purchased the farm for $ 5,000. Bissell and Eveleth took another sample of oil to Benjamin Silliman at Yale University in 1855 for further investigation. Silliman's report confirmed the quality of

7216-538: Was drilled in 1896 in the Summerland Oil Field on the California Coast. The earliest oil wells in modern times were drilled percussively, by repeatedly raising and dropping a bit on the bottom of a cable into the borehole. In the 20th century, cable tools were largely replaced with rotary drilling , which could drill boreholes to much greater depths and in less time. The record-depth Kola Borehole used

7304-536: Was duplicated from photographs of the well taken by John A. Mather from the 1860s. Drake Well was listed on National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark on November 13, 1966 by the National Park Service . It was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in October 1979. Authentic reproductions of

7392-568: Was listed on National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1979. The well was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark in 2009, on the sesquicentennial of the strike. The Drake Well is often referred to as the first commercial oil well, although that title is also claimed for wells in Azerbaijan , Ontario , West Virginia , Myanmar , Persia , Arabia , Sichuan and Poland . In

7480-522: Was moved in 1876 to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia . The well remained abandoned until 1889, when David Emery of Titusville bought the site, erected a derrick and cleaned out the well. Emery was able to obtain a small quantity of petroleum from the well and attempted to sell it as souvenirs to raise funds "to perpetuate the site", but died before he was able to do so. His widow donated

7568-618: Was sold in 1950 to John Jacob Astor VI of the Astor family , and became known as the Astor Estate. Astor lived at the Astor Mansion on Fifth Avenue and was the grandson of Mrs. Astor of Beechwood . The Bissell couple resided on Park Avenue , New York. Pelham Jr. served as a special attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, and as Judge and President Justice of the Municipal Court of

7656-467: Was the first oil exploration company in the United States. Early in the enterprise, Bissell and Eveleth gained the support of James Townsend, a bank President from New Haven, Connecticut , who helped them obtain further support. Shortly after obtaining the Hibbard Farm, Bissell and Eveleth hired Yale University chemist Benjamin Silliman Jr. and coal oil chemist Luther Atwood of Boston to evaluate

7744-519: Was twelve years old. Bissell attended Dartmouth College , paying his way by teaching and writing newspaper articles. He graduated in 1845 having studied literature and languages. Bissell then continued to earn a living as a teacher at Norwich Academy and also traveled, working as a journalist. He settled for a time in New Orleans , where he served as a high school principal and superintendent of schools. He continued to study languages and also took up

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