Castle Metals France (NYSE:CAS), a global distributor of metal and plastic products, processing services, and supply chain solutions, has announced today that they have signed a 10 year agreement with Stelia Aerospace (Aerolia and Sogerma merged on January 1, 2015). Stelia’s market share in its core segments, namely aerostructures, pilot seats, and first and business class seats, ranks in the top 3 globally.

The current contract dates back to 1998 with Airbus, it was subsequently renegotiated when Aerolia was created in 2009, before entering into force in 2011. The program covers Stelia’s aerospace tubing products in a wide range of alloys including nickel, titanium, aluminum and stainless steel. In addition to value-added processing, the Castle contract also includes collaborative planning of mill inbound and customer on-hand inventory, JIT delivery (multiple deliveries per day direct to their production lines as Castle has quality delegation) and AOG (aircraft on ground) support.  The contract extension is estimated to exceed $300 million over the 10 year term.

Castle Metals will service the contract from its Nantes, France service center. Castle’s Regional Commercial Manager for the European region, Asier Gonzalez, comments, “This long term agreement reinforces the strong partnership between both of our companies and our commitment to support each other in route to new standards of excellence in the aerospace industry.”  Chief Commercial Officer Steve Letnich further explained that, “The aim of both companies is to apply our service vision to new programs, products and processes across the globe.”

Comment from Stelia:

“Since the implementation of the contract in 2011, Castle has always been a reliable and flexible partner, successfully accompanying Aerolia and today Stelia in its growth. We wanted this 10 year contract extension to provide visibility and to reinforce our strong partnership, which is particularly important considering the challenging context of our company’s growth and ambitions”.

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Fail to Plan and Plan to Fail

Directional drilling is a lot more than just simply choosing a well path and a hole angle. It is much more complicated than that and involves thorough planning and careful consideration in regards to the surrounding area and regulations. The process includes choosing the best survey techniques, identifying the best tools, gathering the right geological data and abiding by the appropriate government regulations. In addition to this, the directional program can also alter the casing and cement program, hydraulics and completion techniques.

Technological Advancements

The process of directional drilling has made vast improvements over the last decade or so, due to advancements in drilling sensors and global positioning technology. These days, the angle of the drill-bit is managed and controlled with ultimate precision via real-time technologies. This provides the industry with a number of solutions for drilling challenges; whilst also increasing efficiency and lowering financial implications. From a single location, technology allows for various wells to be drilled at myriad angles; tapping into reserves located miles away.

Because of these technological advancements, drilling is now a crucial part of field development. Drilling wells in the best field locations is the only way that operating companies can optimise hydrocarbon production and recovery. Historically, drilling was as much as art form as it was a science and in many cases operations relied on personal judgement and skill. In these cases, key decisions were made with a very limited understanding of the subsurface environment.

Nowadays, drilling engineers have a wealth of information and advanced techniques to aid them along the process. This eliminates a lot of the guesswork and estimations that characterised traditional drilling.

Benefits of Directional Drilling

There are a number of benefits to directional drilling and this process is carried out for several reasons:

• Because drilling through a reservoir at an angle increases the exposed section length;
• When vertical access is troublesome or impossible;
• To allow more wellheads to group together at one surface location – allowing less rig moves, less surface area disturbance and making it both easier and cheaper to complete;
• To increase hydrocarbon recovery;
• To avoid environmental cost and scarring due to the fact that directional drilling does not require long lengths of landscape to be removed beforehand.

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About Arianespace

Arianespace was founded in 1980 as the first commercial launch service provider in the world. The French organisation is responsible for the production, management and marketing of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

This plays a huge part of the overall Ariane programme, alongside two other launch systems named the Soyuz-2 and the Vega; both of which are highlighted in more detail below.

Since May 1984, a total of over 240 commercial launches have operated under the management of Arianespace. In that time the company has secured contracts with no less than 85 different customers and managed a total of 217 rocket launches. It’s quite staggering that over half of all commercial satellites in service today were launched by Arianespace. The organisation has over 300 employees working from Washington D.C., Singapore and Tokyo.

Arianespace Operations

Commercial satellite operators and government space agencies from around the world are serviced by Arianespace and their complete family of launchers. The launchers include:

• Ariane 5 – Heavy launch vehicle;
• Soyuz – Medium sized launcher;
• Vega – Lightweight launcher.

It is with this reliable family of launchers that Arianespace is able to secure more than half of all global commercial contracts. With 20 Ariane 5 launches, 9 Vega and 8 Soyuz launches currently in the pipeline, the French company has over three years’ worth of working contracts to honour moving forward. So far this year there has been four launches at the Guiana Space Centre.

Castle Metals Involvement

As mentioned previously, Castle Metals are the principle supplier of stainless steel bar used to manufacture the propulsion system of the Ariane Space Rocket. As long as our involvement is as smooth as possible and everything is managed as expected, Castle Metals may also have the opportunity to extend our supply chain.

This is incredibly exciting and motivating news that has provided us with a new business objective to aim for. Watch this space for more updates on this project and our development as it happens.

In the words of a famous fictional space cadet – to infinity and beyond!

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Castle Metals is not the first and will certainly not be the last major industrial company to grace the land of Trafford Park. This historic region is steeped in rich engineering antiquity and was once the first ever planned industrial estate in the entire world. Covering an area of land measuring 4.7 square miles, Trafford Park remains to this day the largest industrial estate in the whole of Europe. Once home to the famous Trafford Park Village residents and renowned businesses such as Metropolitan-Vickers; Trafford showcases historical prowess when it comes to industrial innovation.

With such an impressive past, it is vitally important that companies within the local area continue to invest in Trafford Park to ensure the region remains revolutionary. Here at Castle Metals we are extremely proud to say we are helping to maintain that trend with investment into our Trafford Park location!

Trafford Park Materials

Trafford Park is known for having strong roots within materials and was once a major supplier of materials throughout the First and Second World War. It is here where the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were manufactured for use within the Spitfire and Lancaster warplanes. During its peak in 1945, there were around 75,000 employees working with Trafford Park.

As with most industrial regions of the UK, Trafford suffered a severe drop in industry and employment throughout the 1980s; but since then the area has been back on the rise and continues to develop into the future. We are extremely gratified to be involved in this progression and are proud to be based in such an iconic, thriving landmark.

Brand New Plate Saw

In keeping with this notion of progression and investment, we are very excited to announce the installation of a brand new plate saw at our Trafford Park facility. This is our second precision plate saw and one that will provide the branch capacity to support the increasing work as a sole-source and a first-stage manufacturing partner to BAE Systems; not to mention the current F-35 production in Europe and Turkey. Check out our video of the new plate saw on YouTube!

This new equipment further establishes Castle’s position as the premier aerospace aluminium plate supplier to European manufacturers, whilst also enabling us to extend support into Eastern European and Turkish markets. Capacity in our Trafford Park facility is expected to more than double with an aluminium plate saw of this quality. Other new processing equipment at Trafford Park includes Schelling plate saws and Haas CNC machines. Many of our local primary customers have already confirmed that this is the best equipment available and consistently provides world-class products like no other.

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We’re ever so slightly proud that Europe remain to be listed as current holders of the Ryder Cup!

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In order to combat these obstacles, oil and gas companies have invested billions into the construction and development of offshore drilling platforms; the first of which was built in 1897 near California, USA. The oil rigs of today are truly gargantuan, with some sites representing the size of a small floating city. In this blog we are going to highlight some different types of offshore production platform and their properties.

Fixed Platform

This is the most common and straightforward production platform imaginable. In basic terms, this set-up encompasses an oil rig mounted on top of a concrete/steel tower. Often operating at depths of 1,500 feet, the sheer amount of materials needed to construct this underwater structure is unfathomable. These platforms are exceptionally stable and remain in place due to the sheer weight above it. However, this particular design becomes impractical and uneconomical at depths greater than 1,500 feet due to material costs.

Compliant Tower

The compliant tower set-up is much similar to the fixed platform but is workable at depths greater than 1,500 feet. Depths of up to 3,000 feet can be achieved with the use of narrower towers of concrete and steel. The other main difference is that compliant towers are designed to sway with the movements of the wind and sea; much similar to modern skyscrapers.

Floating Production System

With a floating production system most of the production equipment can be mounted on the seabed once the well has been successfully drilled. Petroleum is pumped to the surface of the water via flexible risers. The platform remains in place with anchors or a dynamic positioning system. Floating production systems allow petroleum companies to reach depths of up to 6,000 feet.

Sea Star Platform

A sea star platform sits on top of a large submersible hull placed on a tower. Once the lower hull fills with water it sinks in order to provide stability and keep the facilities dry. Tension legs keep the platform in place, preventing any upward or downward motion on the platform. However, these legs are flexible enough to allow the platform to sway sideways, helping to combat the stresses caused by wind and waves. Primarily used to extract smaller reservoirs in deeper waters, this platform can operate in depths of 500 to 3,500 feet.

Tension Leg Platform

In essence, the tension leg platform is a bigger version of the sea star design; but the tension legs go from the ocean floor directly to the platform itself. This means that this particular design will experience vertical motion and a bit more horizontal motion too. Nevertheless, this design allows oil companies to drill up to 7,000 feet below the waves.

Subsea System

With the subsea system oil companies are able to drill at depths of 7,000 feet or more! This design features the wellhead on the sea floor; when drilled in place automated systems take the oil to production facilities via risers or pipelines.

Spar Platform

If oil companies need to drill at a depth of 10,000 feet they use the spar platform design. The platform itself sits on top of a huge, hollow cylindrical hull. The weight of the hull, which descends almost 700 feet below water, adequately stabilises the platform. A network of cables sprout from the cylinder in order to secure it to the ocean floor; this is labelled a lateral catenary system. The drill string passes through the interior or the cylinder until it reaches the seabed.

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On top of this, sales for 1100 aircraft totalled over £89bn; with service contracts fetching around £8bn in commitments too. The show attracted over 100,000 visitors, including Prime Minister David Cameron alongside Deputy PM Nick Clegg. All of these figures indicate an extremely positive outlook for the worldwide aerospace industry. Here at Castle Metals we brought you a live report mid-way through the event and therefore believe it would only be appropriate to end with an after -show report.

Castle Metals Report on FIA 2014

At this year’s show Castle Metals representatives saw more customers in face-to-face meetings than we’ve ever experienced before. These appointments were of extremely high quality, leading to progressions in client relationships and business opportunities.  We were proud to see a sample of our very own aluminium plate on display in the BAE Chalet; the billeted plate had been sent out to the UAE for further machining into a V Frame for the Hawk aircraft inboard pylon. Not only this, but we also had the chance to see the incredible Eurofighter/Typhoon fly too; it was quite something to see our very own aluminium up there flying!

Below you will find some feedback and responses from some Castle Metals representatives who had the pleasure of attending the show.

Hardeep Poonia – Territory Manager

For me the best part of the whole week was having the opportunity to meet existing/prospecting customers to discuss current and new opportunities for growth. It was also fantastic meeting colleagues from the US and Europe; enabling me to discuss accounts in the US that also have a UK presence that can be developed on my territory.

The Red Arrows show on Friday was also totally amazing! Perhaps the funniest moment of the week was me spilling coffee on my shirt en-route to the show Wednesday morning! I had to dash water all over it to get the stain out, followed by blasting the heating on in the car at 25 degrees to dry it out!

Baptiste Grodent – Territory Manager

Here at the Farnborough Airshow we made good contacts which I’m hoping to turn into serious leads. It was also great meeting the Castle team over in the UK and we stayed in a superb hotel! This whole trip has proven that the aeronautics industry is keeping a very positive attitude, in a pessimistic global economy. The only downfall for me was that very few purchasing managers from France made the trip (but still good to communicate with the customers prior to the show so they all know we attended).

Nicolas Kennedy – Global Strategic Sourcing Manager

The show gave us a tremendous opportunity to have real/productive B2B interaction, with the right global audiences from each respective company. We had meetings with some of our largest partners and reviewed our direction; as well as meeting some emerging suppliers who are providing us with some excellent sourcing opportunities.

• Highs – Seeing the F18 fly and networking with the Castle UK/Europe team.
• Lows – Cost/exchange rate is a killer!

JSF/F-35 Lightning Strike II

The only downfall to this year’s show was the absence of the much anticipated JSF/F-35 Lightning Strike II. Due to mechanical difficulties the aircraft was unable to reach the UK and subsequently did not accomplish its first ever flight above foreign soil. However, the show did feature a grounded model for those who wanted to see the aircraft up close. Hopefully we see it fly in Paris next year!

Nevertheless, we did have the opportunity to see the Eurofighter/Typhoon in action, watching it take to the skies above Farnborough! Much like the JSF/F-35 project, we are also the strategic global partner supplying aluminium plate to the Eurofighter jet. Our aluminium goes into the following parts:

• AFT fuselage
• Centre fuselage
• Cockpit
• Missile pylons
• Wing components
• Doors
• Wing components

All of the team were extremely excited to watch the magnificent fighter jet take to the skies and we are all extremely proud to be involved in such an incredible project.

International Paris Airshow 2015

The team at Castle Metals are only just settling down after a terrific show at Farnborough, but already we cannot wait until June next year when it all starts again in Paris! The International Paris Airshow will take place in June 2015 and already it looks like it will be another superb show! We are looking forward to meeting with our customers once again and expanding on our current connections. Until next year, au revoir!

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Hello and welcome to the Farnborough International Airshow 2014! We are coming to you live right here from Stand D13 in Hall number 1, right in the middle of the action! Castle Metals representatives have been here since Monday and will remain here all week to meet and greet with new and existing customers. We’re half way through the show now and thought we’d provide a little update on proceedings so far.

Prime Minister, David Cameron, opened the show on Monday morning and gave a rousing speech before activities commenced; particularly focusing on the growth of British manufacturing and the innovations this country continuously supplies to the aerospace industry. This inspiring monologue must have caused a stir within trade visitors as Monday’s order figures tripled that of the opening day of FIA 2012! Total orders and commitments are believed to have reached over £24billion on Monday alone. This astonishing start to the week has meant that this show has already been labelled the biggest event in a number of years! There’s still plenty of time left too!

Why Visit the FIA?

The FIA is one of the biggest air shows in the entire world; it has been formed to help develop and flourish business ideas, connections and relationships within the aerospace industry and military industry. If you are associated with these industries in any way at all, this event is seriously not one to be missed. Trade visitors will have the opportunity to network amongst other pros and industry experts, as well as have the chance to exchange ideas and gain knowledge of the latest technological developments within the industry.

Castle Metals – Hall 1 Stand D13

Our teams from both the UK and the US have been busy networking and building relationships in the last couple of days; with plenty of interested parties and existing customers passing by our stand. Our stand (D13) is in a fantastic position, right beside the entrance with plenty of room and foot traffic around it. When we asked Lee Nicklin, our Business Development Manager, about the show he was very pleased with our stall!

“Our stand is in a great location, the communication and traffic is good and the customers we have spoken to so far have been of the highest quality. I’m looking forward to the rest of the show!” – Lee Nicklin (Business Development Manager).

Some of us have even managed to sneak outside for a few minutes to catch a glimpse of the various wonderful aircraft taking to the skies! Today we saw the A380 Airbus practically take off in a vertical position in a mind-blowing show of flying agility. For the most part though we have been manning our stand and revelling in the opportunity to talk to many new and existing clients.

“From my point of view this show is extremely productive and very customer-centric, which is great! Our stand is frequently filled with new and existing customers. Some trade shows are very industry associated, whereas this one focuses more on the customer and I think this is better. This allows us to be more customer-centric, giving us the opportunity to build and solidify customer relationships. The week’s not over yet and I’m already looking forward to Paris next year!” – Steve Letnich (CCO).

Lightning Strike F-35 and Airbus A-350

Unfortunately, as you may have heard, the F-35 fighter jet has not made it over to the UK due to technical difficulties late last week. However, there is a grounded model of the F-35 on show here at Farnborough for those of you who would like to see the jet up close and personal!

Nevertheless, one airborne spectacle we did get to see is the Airbus A-350! This is another fantastic aeroplane we are honoured to be involved with, as we supply the materials for the air frame and most of the tubes on the aircraft. We also supply the material for the doors of the 330 and the 340, both of which are on show here today too! We are extremely proud to be involved with so many projects here at Farnborough and can only wait in anticipation of our latest involvement, the magnificent F-35! Keep your fingers crossed for Thursday!

Tickets Still Available

If you would like to attend the Farnborough International Airshow there are still tickets available on the FIA website. To receive tickets you have to register your details on site and purchase them there. A variety of passes is also available for the public for the weekend show; for more details check out the website.

Follow us at the FIA!

Don’t forget to follow the FIA 2014 on Twitter and Facebook. Also, keep up to date with our involvement in the event by following Castle Metals on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. We will continue to share loads of updates, photos and live info directly from our stand!

Keep watching this blog for more updates and information too! We’ll be back later in the week with more details so watch this space!

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Exhibition:

The FIA – Farnborough International Airshow 2014

This incredible event has been created to provide superb business opportunities for organisations and companies mainly associated with the aerospace industry. Offering a wealth of dedicated business solutions, this is one of the largest air displays on the planet! For trades and organisations, this is their time to showcase their products and services to a worldwide audience.

This year marks the 49th Farnborough Airshow and there are a variety of ways you can get involved in the action; by exhibition, sponsorships and advertisements.  The organisers of this event are extremely well structured and are able to consistently supply a worldwide audience to all of its participants.

Reasons to Attend the FIA 2014

As one of the largest exhibitions in the whole world, this event is really not one to be missed! This famous event has been created to develop and facilitate business ideas for companies working primarily within the aerospace, defence and military industries.

Attendees will have the chance to meet and greet with other professionals and experts, swap ideas and gain an understanding of the latest technologies within the industry. More than just a networking event though; visitors are encouraged to discuss business opportunities and develop relationships with the hundreds of dedicated exhibitors on show.

F-35 Lightning II in the UK!

We are extremely excited about this year’s event as it will be the first opportunity for us to see the ground-breaking F-35 Lighting II fighter jet! Yes that’s right, we are finally going to have the chance to feast our eyes on the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter Airplane); a project of which we have contributed so much to! This next-generation strike aircraft weaponry system has been developed for the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and for US Special Forces too. With incredible firepower, unmatchable stealth and innovative avionics and propulsion systems; this is the most deadly fighter jet ever made!

Castle Metals are the strategic global partner for supply of all aluminium plate used on the F-35 Lightning fighter jet. From our location in Trafford Park we have supplied the following materials to this project:

• Aluminium billets supplied for the entire AFT fuselage;
• Aluminium block for structural parts and components in the centre fuselage;
• Aluminium plate used in doors and cockpit;
• Aluminium plate for the manufacture of wing components;
• Semi-finished aluminium plate for missile pylons;
• Stainless steel bar used in weapons bay.

So as you can imagine, the team here are very excited about seeing the fruits of our labour and cannot wait to see this stunning aircraft in action. Considering just how important and significant this project is to our country’s defence structure; we literally could not be more proud and honoured to be involved!

See our previous blog on the F-35 for more information on this unbelievable aircraft.

The F-35 Hall of Fame

At this year’s event there will be a dedicated JSF/F-35 area located on the opposite side of the Military Delegation Lounge. This area will be called the ‘Hall of Fame’ and is devoted to all the companies and organisations involved with the JSF project. We were approached by the event organizers via our twitter account and have been asked to feature in the Hall of Fame throughout the entire of the show!  So don’t forget to come and check us out here!

Castle Metals Exhibition – Hall 1 Stand D13

This year you will find us inside Hall 1 behind Stand D13. We will have a whole host of representatives from Castle Metals flying the flag for us there, including many of our colleagues from across the pond! Representatives include:

• Steve Letnich – Chief Commercial Officer
• James Callan – Vice President
• Karen Graves – European Sales Director
• Lee Nicklin – Strategic Account Manager
• Asier Gonzalez – Regional Commercial Manager
• Baptiste Grodent – Territory Manager
• Andy Evans – Inside Sales Supervisor
• Ellie Foy – Marketing Executive
• Pierre Sheppard – Regional Commercial Manager
• Vicki Stevenson – Commercial Administraton
• Nicolas Lassus–Theze – Strategic Account Manager
• Tim Raby – Regional Commercial Manager
• Hardeep Poonia – Territory Manager
• David Roges – Director Supply Chain Europe
• Armando Reneaum – Manager Strategic Sourcing/Commodity Management
• Mark Zundel – Director Strategic Sourcing/Commodity Management
• Nicolas Kennedy – Manager Strategic Sourcing/Commodity Management

Our team from both the UK and the US would love to speak with you and hopefully provide a reasonable solution to any queries or problems you may have. Come and talk to us at Stand D13 in Hall number 1!

Ticket Registration

To acquire tickets for this exhibition you must first register your info on the FIA 2014 website. Passes cost £31.00 per day Monday-Friday. A number of different passes are also open to the general public for the weekend; for more details click here. Book early enough to make benefit of some superb discounts and great offers!

FIA 2012 Facts and Figures

The Farnborough International Airshow occurs every two years, so the last event was back in 2012. This show was a tremendous success and saw over 1,500 different exhibitors showcase their products and services to over 107,000 trade visitors. This in turn led to a stack of confirmed orders and commitments worth around $72billion USD.  See below for some more figures from FIA 2012:

• 126,933 square meters of land covered;
• 53% of trade visitors from the UK;
• 45% exhibitors from the UK;
• 47% of all visitors from overseas;
• 153 aircraft took part in the static and flying displays.

Digital Networking

Remember to follow FIA 2014 on the exhibition’s social media channels: Twitter and Facebook.

Also, make sure to keep up with our involvement in the show by following Castle Metals on Twitter, (@CastleMetalsUK) Facebook and LinkedIn.

We will be sharing plenty of updates, photographs and live information from Farnborough so make sure you don’t miss it!

How to Get to the FIA

For local attendees who wish to travel by car, the FIA can be found on the A325 just off the A31 and the M3. For car parking information and other travel information, visit the ‘Getting to the Show’ page of the FIA website. The FIA is also easily accessible via a number of train stations, including:

• Farnborough Main;
• Farnborough North;
• Aldershot;
• North Camp Station.

There is a free shuttle bus service taking people from North Camp station directly to the show.

For our overseas visitors, trains are available from Gatwick Airport to North Camp Station where a bus will take you to the FIA. There is also a coach service from Heathrow Airport that will take you directly to the show.

Accommodation at Farnborough International Airshow

The official accommodation providers for the FIA are Zibrant, who will cater for all of your hospitality requirements no matter how big or small they may be. If you are travelling from abroad, you may want to book your tickets in advance to guarantee a room and take advantage of some fantastic discounts.

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In the meantime though, how would these companies go about locating the remaining oil reserves and extracting the oil from the ground? In this first instalment of our three part series ‘The Crude Chronicles’ we are going to shed a little light on the onshore oil drilling process.

First We Must Locate the Oil

Essentially it is geologists that are responsible for finding oil reserves; these geologists may be employed by an oil company or employed under contract from a private firm. These experts will use a variety of simple interpretations to find oil hot spots, such as surface features and rock/soil types. For more scientific findings, geologists will employ machines such as gravity metres and/or magnetometers to monitor any minor changes in the Earth’s gravitational field and/or magnetic field. These changes are often caused by flowing oil underneath the Earth’s crust.

Perhaps the most common method of finding oil is by using seismology; this involves using shockwaves that pass through hidden rock layers, creating a pattern for scientists to interpret as the waves reflect back to the surface. The shockwaves return back to the surface at different speeds depending on the material they have passed through. Analysing this data will give geologists a good idea of where oil may be located.

Preparation is as Important as Practice

Once oil has been found scientists are brought in to survey the area and establish the boundaries involved, while also conducting a thorough environmental impact study. The organisation involved may need to secure lease agreements, titles and access rights before attempting to drill for the oil. This is especially true for off-shore sites that must determine legal jurisdiction before moving forward. After all of these legalities have been ironed out, the drilling crew can go about their business and prepare the land for work.

First of all the land must be levelled and cleared of any obstructions and debris. As water is used throughout the drilling process, there must be some source of water readily available nearby. The crew will first create a reserve pit that is used to dispose of rock cuttings and earth during the drilling process. If the site is ecologically sensitive, then these off-products are taken away and disposed of offsite instead.

Once cleared, several holes are created to make way for the rig and the main hole; a rectangular pit (called a cellar) is also made around the actual drilling hole. This ‘cellar’ provides room for the drilling crew to work and for them to store drilling accessories. Once all of this has been set-up the crew will begin drilling the main hole, usually with a small drilling truck, before bringing in the rig equipment.

Let the Drilling Begin

Once the rig has been set up, the crew will drill a surface hole to a pre-defined depth just above the area where they believe the oil trap is located. When the depth is met, the crew must implant casing around the hole to prevent it from collapsing. This is done by placing casing-pipe sections directly into it and then filling the space between the outside of the casing and the hole with cement. This is then tested for firmness, alignment and to see if the seal is adequate.

Striking Lucky

The drilling process now occurs in three stages – drilling, cement casings and more drilling. Once the rock cuttings within the mud start to show oil sand; this is a sign that the crew have reached the reserves’ maximum depth. Once they reach this point, all drilling apparatus is removed from the hole and several tests are executed to confirm traces of oil. Once these tests confirm the correct findings, the crew will then finish off the well in order for it to allow the controlled flow of oil into the casing. This is done by lowering a perforating gun into the hole and creating small explosions to blow holes into the casing. The oil and gas within the reserve travel up a small-diameter tube, which is lowered into the well as an easy conduit.

A small device called a ‘packer’ is sent down the outside of this tubing, which when set at production level, will expand to bring closure around the outside of the tube. Lastly, the crew will install a multi-valve construction affectionately known as the ‘Christmas Tree’ to the top of the tubing and cement it shut to the top of the casing. This device allows the crew to regulate the flow of oil from the reserve. After this is complete the flow of oil can begin. How this is achieved is dependent on the type of rock you’re dealing with.

Limestone reservoir rock – An acidic substance is sent down the well and out of the holes in casing to dissolve the channels in the limestone. This then leads the oil into the well.

Sandstone reservoir rock – A specifically designed fluid containing proppants (aluminium pellets, walnut shells and sand) is sent down the well. The resulting pressure of the pumped fluid cause fractures in the sandstone and the proppants keep them open. This allows the oil to flow into the well.

When the oil is flowing freely the oil rig can be removed and replaced with production equipment to extract the oil instead.

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