Natural Gas Drilling
FACT SHEET
Learn more about Oklahoma’s energy future at oerb.com/AdvancingEnergy
A Oil and natural gas wells have traditionally been
drilled vertically, at depths ranging from a few
thousand feet to as deep as five miles.
A Advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic
fracturing have supported rapid shale development
such as the
Woodford in
southeast Oklahoma.
A The hydraulic fracturing
process consists of pumping
fluids down a natural gas or oil well at
pressures sufficient to create fractures in
the hydrocarbon-bearing rock formation.
A Advanced technology like satellites, global
positioning systems, and 3-D and 4-D seismic
software make it possible to discover natural gas
reserves while drilling fewer wells, thus lessening
the environmental impact at the surface.
A 3-D and 4-D seismic technology works by
bouncing sound waves into the earth. The
waves bounce off the rock formations to create a
computer model of the rocks under the surface.
Geologists can tell from
these models whether
is it economically and
environmentally sound
to retrieve the oil or
natural gas from these
formations.
A It can cost as much as $5 million or more to drill a
horizontal natural gas well in Oklahoma.
A While the cost factor for a horizontal well may be
as much as two or three times that of a vertical
well, the production factor can be enhanced as
much as 15 or 20 times.
A According to the U.S. Department
of Energy, the production ratio for
horizontal wells versus vertical
wells is 3.2 to 1, while the cost
ratio of horizontal versus vertical
wells is only 2 to 1.
Technologies of Drilling
Woodford
shale
3.2to1
Production
Ratio
The use of horizontal and directional drilling makes
it possible for a single well to produce natural gas
from much bigger areas than in the past.
