How Oil Drilling Has Evolved Over the Decades
The Evolution of Oil Drilling: From Hand Tools to High-Tech Rig The Evolution of Oil Drilling Oil, a vital resource that powers much of the modern world, has been extracted from the Earth for centuries. However, the methods used to drill for this precious commodity have undergone a dramatic evolution. From the simple hand tools of the past, oil drilling has advanced into a highly complex and technologically driven industry. The Early Days In the early days of oil exploration, drilling was a laborious and often inefficient process. Workers would use hand tools to dig deep into the Earth in search of oil. These early wells were shallow and produced relatively small amounts of oil. As demand for oil increased, so too did the need for more efficient drilling methods. The Introduction of the Rotary Drill A major breakthrough in oil drilling came with the invention of the rotary drill in the mid-19th century. This innovation allowed drillers to bore much deeper holes into the Earth, increasi...