Improved Drilling and Production Methods in the Gulf Coast Field

The great number of wells being drilled in the Gulf Coast creates a greatdemand for and an opportunity to improve the methods of drilling wells and ofproducing oil from them. Some improvements have been made, but in the presentstrenuous drilling campaign at Spindle top, the quickest methods of drillingand completing wells are much too slow. Therefore, not a great deal of thoughthas been given to new methods. However, one can not help but compare the method and equipment used in thepresent-day drilling campaign at Spindletop with those of 1901. The differencesin equipment and methods are staggering and the present-day operators canhardly imagine how the old operators ever were able to drill a well. The"old timers" explain the reason as being that "Men were men inthose days and not much machinery was necessary." Yet the development in 25years of thought and study has brought about a great improvement in equipmentand in methods. I believe there has been a great deal more thought given to the developmentand improvement of drilling equipment and methods and to the completion ofwells than has been given to the actual production operations. Drilling Methods and Equipment The greatest improvement that has been made in the methods of drilling andcompleting wells in the Gulf Coast is in the rotary equipment machinery used indrilling. Equipment more suitable and applicable to the duty imposed indrilling wells has been and is being steadily developed. The operators are nowstudying and are beginning to find out just what work, what duty the machinerywill have to perform before a well can be drilled to the various depths in thequickest time and in the best possible manner. I think more than ever before the oil operator is making "carefuldiagnosis of drilling conditions," such as the character of formations tobe drilled, the depth of the hole, the size of the hole, the manner and sizesof pipe to be set and the time required to drill to certain depths.