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Oil and Gas Well Drilling Process
- Ohio Valley Energy (OVE) utilizes the latest methods in Geographic Information Systems and geological data to find areas containing oil and gas reserves.
- Once an area is identified as a potential drilling area, OVE comes to inspect the prospective drilling location to determine if it is a physically viable location for a well.
- OVE then acquires the leases from the necessary landowners for permitting the well with the ODNR (Ohio Dept of Natural Resources), Division of Mineral Resources Management.
- OVE brings surveyors to the property to stake the exact location of the well and take all measurements required by the ODNR. (This takes a few hours and the landowner can be present if they so desire.)
- OVE sends an application to the ODNR for a permit to drill the well. The State Inspector comes to inspect the drilling location as part of the permitting process. The Landowner may be present for this inspection, which takes approximately one hour.
- OVE’s excavating contractors come to the well site and prepare the location for drilling. They clear and grade the land if needed, and build the access road to the drill site. This process takes one to two days depending on the location.
- The drilling rig is then moved to the location. Trucks deliver other necessary equipment and materials. Two earthen pits are dug and lined with industry certified “pit liners” to be used during the drilling process. Construction fencing is installed surrounding the drill site. The crew sets up the drilling rig and other equipment and commences drilling of the well. Drilling is noisy and can take approximately five to ten days, depending on the location, depth and type of well. Once drilling begins it continues 24 hours a day until finished. This is the only part of the process that goes on 24 hours a day.
- When drilling is complete the drilling rig and equipment are removed from the location. The mud pits are filled back in and reclaimed within a few weeks after drilling.
- After drilling is finished, other steps are required to complete the well. Within a few weeks after drilling is completed a small service rig brings equipment to “perforate the well”, creating small holes in the casing pipe through which gas and fluids can flow freely. This process takes one day.
- Once the well has been perforated, hydraulic fracturing is accomplished by injecting fluid and sand into the well in order to “fracture” the geological formation to access the oil and natural gas within the formation. Several large trucks and water tanks are required for this process which takes one day. For a few hours this process can be noisy.
- Once the well has been fractured, we complete the well with a small service rig. Water trucks come to haul out the water that was pumped into the well. This process may take three to four days.
- Next we install a multi-valve wellhead to control the flow from the well. Our contractors then install the rest of the equipment;
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Two tanks to hold any oil or water produced from the well. |
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A separator to separate the natural gas from the fluids that will go to the tanks from the wellhead. |
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A pipeline from the separator to the local gas company’s line to sell the gas. |
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A meter run to measure the gas being sold |
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Permanent fencing around all equipment. |
- The well is now ready to put into production (turn-on).
- Once all the equipment is installed the location is restored as nearly as possible to its original contour. As soon as possible thereafter landscaping is completed as previously approved by the landowner.
- After the well is in production a well tender will frequently stop by the well in a pick up truck to inspect the well. As needed, a service truck will come collect the fluid in the tanks and haul it away.
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