Page 7 - A Primer of Oilwell Drilling, 7th Edition

he story of modern oilwell drilling began at the start of the
Tindustrial revolution. Workers wanted better ways to illu- 2
Petroleum Extension-The University of Texas at Austin
minate their homes when they returned from the factories. The
steam-powered industrial machines increasingly used in factories
also required good quality lubricant oils.
Responding to the demand for reliable lighting, companies
began making oil lamps, which were brighter than candles, lasted History
longer, and were not easily blown out by errant breezes. The best
source of oil to burn in the early oil lamps was sperm whale oil.
Whale oil was clear, almost odorless, light in weight, and burned
with little smoke.
While everyone preferred whale oil, by the mid-1800s it was
so scarce that only the wealthy could afford it (fig. 7). Whalers in
the New England region of the United States had nearly hunted
sperm whales into extinction. There was a demand for something
to replace whale oil.
Oil seeping out of shallow accumulations is a common, worldwide
phenomenon. The area around Baku, Azerbaijan, had been known
from ancient times to hold oil and natural gas seeps. The first modern

oilwell was drilled in Baku in 1846. This well was drilled to a depth
of 69 feet (21 metres). By 1872, due mainly to lamp oil demand, the
Baku area had so many wells that it became known as the “Black City.”

of Commerce

Dept.

AA,
Source: NO

Figure 7. Whaling ships in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The barrels in the foreground are flled with whale oil.

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