13 · 探寻石油
The Search for Oil
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The deepest holes of all are made for oil, and they go down to as much as 25,000 feet. But we do not need to send men down to get the oil out, as we must with other mineral deposits. The holes are only borings, less than a foot in diameter. My particular experience is largely in oil, and the search for oil has done more to improve deep drilling than any other mining activity. When it has been decided where we are going to drill, we put up at the surface an oil derrick. It has to be tall because it is like a giant block and tackle, and we have to lower into the ground and haul out of the ground great lengths of drill pipe which are rotated by an engine at the top and are fitted with a cutting bit at the bottom.
The geologist needs to know what rocks the drill has reached, so every so often a sample is obtained with a coring bit. It cuts a clean cylinder of rock, from which can be seen the strata the drill has been cutting through. Once we get down to the oil, it usually flows to the surface because great pressure, either from gas or water, is pushing it. This pressure must be under control, and we control it by means of the mud which we circulate down the drill pipe. We endeavour to avoid the old, romantic idea of a gusher, which wastes oil and gas. We want it to stay down the hole until we can lead it off in a controlled manner.
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The deepest holes of all are made for oil, and they go down to as much as 25,000 feet. But we do not need to send men down to get the oil out, as we must with other mineral deposits. The holes are only borings, less than a foot in diameter. My particular experience is largely in oil, and the search for oil has done more to improve deep drilling than any other mining activity. When it has been decided where we are going to drill, we put up at the surface an oil derrick. It has to be tall because it is like a giant block and tackle, and we have to lower into the ground and haul out of the ground great lengths of drill pipe which are rotated by an engine at the top and are fitted with a cutting bit at the bottom.
The geologist needs to know what rocks the drill has reached, so every so often a sample is obtained with a coring bit. It cuts a clean cylinder of rock, from which can be seen the strata the drill has been cutting through. Once we get down to the oil, it usually flows to the surface because great pressure, either from gas or water, is pushing it. This pressure must be under control, and we control it by means of the mud which we circulate down the drill pipe. We endeavour to avoid the old, romantic idea of a gusher, which wastes oil and gas. We want it to stay down the hole until we can lead it off in a controlled manner.
最深的孔都是为了开采石油而钻的，深度可达二万五千英尺。不过，与开采其他矿藏不同，我们不必把人送到地下去取油。这些孔只是钻孔，直径还不到一英尺。我的专业经验主要在石油领域；论推动深井钻探技术进步，石油勘探的作用超过了其他任何采矿活动。确定钻探地点后，我们就在地面搭起井架。井架必须很高，因为它相当于一个巨大的滑轮组，要把一节节长钻杆放入地下，再从地下提出来。这些钻杆由顶部的发动机带动旋转，底端则装有切削用的钻头。
地质学家需要知道钻头到达了什么岩层，所以隔一段时间就要用取芯钻头取样。它能切出一段完整的圆柱形岩芯，让人看清钻头穿过的地层。一旦钻到油层，地下气体或水产生的巨大压力通常就会把石油推到地面。这种压力必须受到控制；我们把泥浆沿钻杆向下循环，借此控制井内压力。我们力求避免那种旧时被描绘得很浪漫的井喷场面，因为那只会浪费石油和天然气。在能够有控制地把石油引出来以前，我们希望它先留在井下。
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Once we get down to the oil, it usually flows to the surface because great pressure, either from gas or water, is pushing it.
译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第54—56页，2022年2月第2版。