Oil and gas fields development

Oil and gas field development is a complex work consisting in drilling of the oil field and lifting of oil and gas to the surface.

Oil fields are developing in accordance with special development projects based on the natural conditions of the well and on the data obtained during exploratory drilling and exploitation of the first well. One of the most important problems in the development projects consists in the optimal spacing of the production wells which is dictated by the geological conditions of the field and is based on hydrodynamic and economical calculations. When developing an oil field two interrelated processes occur – flow of oil and gas through porous rock of the stratum and lifting of the oil and gas to the surface. The methods of lifting the oil to the surface are called the methods of well exploitation. All known methods of oil well exploitation can be classified into two basic groups: exploitation of a flowing well and mechanical exploitation.

In flowing wells the fluid (oil and gas) is lifted to the surface by the natural formational pressure. In mechanical oil wells the fluid is lifted by various engineering equipment located directly in the well, for example, by means of air-gas lifts and subsurface pumps. In air-gas lift wells the oil is lifted by injecting a compressed gas or air into the well. Injection of gas and water into the well is the best method of oil production. In the Soviet Union more than 70 per cent of oil is produced using this method.

Water is pumped into special injection wells which are drilled in accordance with the given system of oil field development. Injection of water into the wells is called also water flooding. In the Soviet Union edge water flooding was first used on a large scale in developing the Tuymazyn oil field.

Artificial maintenance of the formational pressure made it possible to increase the distance between production wells, the result of which is a smaller number of wells and a cut in oil field expenditure.

The experience gained in operating the Tuymazyn oil field has been used in all large oil fields of the Ural-Volga oil area. The system of development introduced at the Romashkin oil field (USSR) made it possible to increase oil production in a short period of time and save large sums of money due to the reduction of well drilling work and the cost of the equipment.

Послетекстовые упражнения

1. Подберите из правой колонки правильный перевод английских слов и словосочетаний:

1) in accordance with 2) exploratory drilling 3) well exploitation 4) flowing well 5) formational pressure 6) injection well 7) water flooding 8) oil production 9) oil field development 10) production well

1) нагнетательная скважина 2) добыча нефти 3) разработка нефтяного месторождения 4) эксплуатационная скважина 5) в соответствии с 6) эксплуатация скважины 7) разведочное бурение 8) пластовое давление 9) заводнение 10) фонтанирующая скважина

2. Подберите к глаголам из списка А соответствующие существительные из списка B. Переведите словосочетания на русский язык:

A. 1) to develop, 2) to obtain, 3) to consist in, 4) to classify into, 5) to lift, 6) to produce, 7) to pump, 8) to drill, 9) to increase, 10) to save.

B. 1) well, 2) an oil field, 3) the spacing, 4) the fluid, 5) large sums of money, 6) oil, 7) oil production, 8) data, 9) water, 10) groups.

3. Переведите предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на предлог by. Помните, что сочетания слов с этим предлогом могут передавать равные отношения, которые в русском языке передаются падежными окончаниями или падежными окончаниями в сочетании с предлогом:

1) The optimal spacing of the production wells is dictated by the geological conditions. (твор.падеж)

2) I get to my work by bus. (на)

3) He finished his work by 5 o’clock. (к)

4) I was standing by the window. (у)

5) They didn’t succeed in getting high by working with low grade gasoline. (из-за того, что)

6) The temperature had been raised 15. (на)

7) We plan to finish this work by the end of this month. (к)

8) By introducing new methods of development it is possible to increase oil production. (путем введения, вводя)

9) This book is written by a well known author. (кем)

10) In mechanical oil wells the fluid is lifted by various engineering equipment (чем), located directly in the well, by means of (посредством) air-gas lifts and subsurface pumps.

4. Перескажите текст, используя следующие ключевые слова:

a complex work, drilling, lifting, special development projects, optimal spacing, geological conditions, interrelated processes, well exploitation, natural formational pressure, engineering equipment, injection wells, water flooding, to increase oil production.

Lesson 4

Предтекстовые упражнения:

1. Составьте сложные слова из основ данных слов и переведите полученные слова на русский язык:

1) bore 2) oil 3) eye 4) screw 5) crew 6) discuss 7) pipe

a) man b) driver c) line d) piece e) change f) well g) hole

2. Образуйте слова, противоположные по значению с помощью префиксов. Переведите как исходные, так и производные слова:

un – desirable, natural, able, limited:

non – metallic, ferrous, productive;

in – dependent, effective, expensive;

im – possible, pure, personal;

ir – regular, responsible;

dis – order, advantage, (to) connect, (to) like;

mis – use, information, to understand.

3. Переведите сочетания, обращая внимание на перевод слов одного корня:

a deep hole, to control the depth of the oil-well, a long pipe-line, to measure the length, the productivity of the well; to produce oil; oil production, a famous producer, to drill a well, to work as a driller