The oil industry is one of the most important industries in the world. It fuels our cars, heats our homes, and keeps us moving! But how much do you know about it? Read on and you will know some facts about the oil industry that you didn’t know before.
Oil Reservoir Is Not So Huge
Due to speculations making rounds on the internet, it is easy to think that an oil reservoir is a huge pool located underground. However, that is a claim that is far from the truth. It is not a huge pool located beneath the ground.
Also, the pool of oil underground cannot be brought up to the surface of the earth. The fact is, you will always find oil trapped in the cracks and pore spaces found in between rocks and some soil grains. That way, there is no pool of oil beneath the surface of the earth.
To give you the gist of what we are talking about. Imagine a sponge soaked in some oil. That is how the oil reservoir looks like beneath the ground.
Mud Is Cleaner
Nobody likes to have mud on their doorway or anywhere else. It is quite undesirable, and you will ask your kids not to touch or step on it. But that is not how mud is viewed in the oil industry. Have you ever seen how sawdust comes out when the wood is sawn?
The same thing will happen when you try to drill oil from its oilfield underground. You will end up with huge amounts of rock chippings. So you can believe it when we say that mud is even cleaner.
It is easy to blow sawdust, right? But how can you blow something stuck deep underground? To do that, you should mix clay and water in certain proportions to end up with drilling mud that will be pumped out from the hole.
Oil Makes 40% of Marine Cargo
You can imagine how massive that is. Though it is hard to predict how important the oil industry is, with that statistic, you can have a clear picture. Oil has played an integral role in powering the world, and it will continue to do so in the years to come.
Though solar power is also doing great, it still has many years to take over the world and replace the oil industry. We have yet to factor in some non-energy applications of petroleum products. That is how huge the oil industry is.
Oil Rig Experts Are Skilled and Paid
Despite being dirty, oil rigging is a tiresome job. Note that you don’t need any college education to become an oil rig worker. However, you must understand that oil rig workers are highly paid compared to many professionals globally. For instance, it is reported that an average oil rig worker earns around $100,000 annually.
The junior workers earn around $34,680 annually, which is roughly the median pay in the whole of the US. They are highly paid because of the amazing skills they have and the fact that they serve in one of the biggest industries in the world. They also risk their lives by working in dangerous environments.
Note that as a rig worker, you will spend long periods away from your loved ones and friends. Thus, the fact that they are well-paid makes sense.
Most World’s Oil Will Not Be Recovered
Most of the world’s oil will indeed go unrecovered. When we say reserve, we refer to the amount of oil available in the reservoir that we can technically extract. However, the recoverable oil is most of the time, only 10% or 60% of the reservoir.
You may want to know why it is hard to extract 100% of the oil reservoir. Most of this is caused by rock permeability, oil viscosity, and natural pressure. Today, we have massive technological advances, but we still don’t have the best ways to extract 100% of oil from the reservoirs.
Closing Thoughts
These are some of the facts you need to take note of about the oil industry. You can learn more by looking for reputable online resources like this one. However, if you have any questions about the subject, we would be more than happy to assist.
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