A Google search on "horizontal oil drilling" gets one a lot of information,
one item stating that horizontal drilling technology  (may also be called
"directional drilling") was 'perfected in Alberta in the 1980's and 90's'
(from Nickle's Daily Oil Bulletin, a publication of the Nickle Energy group,
a Canadian company located in Alberta...).

Another item dated 12/8/97 about the technology coming to Kansas (evidently
not as technologically advanced as those in Alberta) says:

>
For more than a hundred years, traditional oil wells have been drilled
vertically, straight down into the ground. When these wells reach an
oil-bearing rock formation, oil drains into the well from the surrounding
rock.

A horizontal well begins like a traditional vertical well, at least until it
nears the oil-bearing rock bed. At that point, sophisticated technology is
used to turn the drill bit and drive the well horizontally. The drill then
chews its way laterally along the targeted rock layer.

Traditional vertical wells drain oil from a single hole poked through a rock
layer. But horizontal wells encounter several hundred, maybe several
thousand, feet of a rock bed, allowing them to drain substantially more oil
from the rock.
>

One item made mention of using an existing vertical well casing, going down
to some depth, cutting hole in the side of the casing, and heading out
through that hole at some angle.

Apparently they use gyros to guide the drill bit but don't ask me how it
works.

Not my forte'.  BSME

P.S.  One of the items found makes reference to investment opportunities in
the technology.  It reminds me of a auto body shop manager friend of mine
who hit some hard times down in Houston and got into making sales calls on
Bubbas, trying to get them to invest in the directional drilling technology.
I think that was about 5 years ago.  He didn't get rich.

-----Original Message-----
From: John Callan [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sneaky Drilling


I believe the drilling technique is diagonal, or slanted.  I'm sure it
did not originate with the Kewaiti's...they probably had some help from
Texas.  Consultants.  Hmmmmm...seems the problem keeps returning to the
same family don't it?

-jc

On Thursday, February 20, 2003, at 12:05  PM, Bruce Marcham wrote:

> At what point in the "last time around" was this agreement for a slice
> of
> Kuwait alleged to have been made?  The only thing I can recollect of
> that
> nature was a weak response by our envoy a short time before he invaded
> Kuwait as to the US's position on his saber rattling (not that I was
> paying
> a whole lot of attention but that was one thing that hit the news back
> then
> as to how SH could've gotten the idea that we wouldn't come to the
> Kuwaiti's
> aid).
>
> My understanding of the situation was that SH was pissed because the
> Kuwaitis were supposedly taking advantage of the new "horizontal
> drilling
> technology" (which may be able to drill down and then turn horizontal
> though
> I have a real hard time imagining the hardware that can do that),
> using it
> to cross the Kuwait/Iraq border and take Iraqi oil.
>
> Mind you this is just my understanding/recollection of what took place.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Follett [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:57 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Iraq response & Constitution
>>
>
> I also understand that the US told Saddam that he could have a piece of
> Kuwait the last time around, some of their oil reserves, only he got
> greedy
> and took too much and we therefore had to go in to slap him around as a
> result.
>>
>
> ][<en
>
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