Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-02-25

NG IcdSOu why u6To lS no Ied
son to worry greatly about
motor fuel for a long time
ahead is that people are worrying
about 1t. Interest in such a question
at the right time, is the best insur-
ance against disaster. The President
and the Federal On Corporation
Board have done what was needed, at
the right time.
come from rather limited areas and
that even from these only a small pro-
portion has been taken out OIL pro-
duced by gas pressure capable OF lift
lnY 1t to the surface when we drill
holes Is but a small proportion of all
the OF contained In the sands. Even
from the best pools recovery by the
old methods II small, perhaps one
hall In the most favorable conditions,
oftener one-sixth, or .oneeeventh, or
one-tenth. But = considerable part OF
what still remains In the ground can
be recovered by methods now estab-
lished as technically and economically
practicable.
Producing oil from coal and shales
and by mining the oil bearing sands
Is entirely possible. Experiments are
going ON in these directions, and if we
sver have to fail back on these re-
sources we Win be ready. For a long
time, however. the present methods of
exploration and drilling, with improv-
ing processes to assure larger recov-
cries. are likely to sufnce.
An OIL Dsme illustrated
I am no drauxhtsman, but maybe |
can draw something that will help ex-
plain. Here's a rough drawing OF an
oil dome. The shaded part at the bot
tom is a deposit Of oil bearing sands
with An impervfous rock stratum
above. A wild-catter drilled the hole
ALB and gas pressure caused oil and
gas to flow. After Z while the gas
pressure wasn't sufficient to keep up
the flow and they pumped until ulti-
mately even this ceased producing.
Nevertheless, most Of the oil was
stiIl left sticking b the sand grains.
Then the operator drilled the well
CD. which flowed for q time, but most
OF the oil was still down there in the
sand. N the gas pressure could be re-
stored more would dow. So the oper-
stor injects q into mi we'll, restor-
Ing the pressure and causing the oil
to resume flowing from the other.
After . time the dow will stop again,
but still much Of the oil will be left.
In ssme fields 1t has been possible to
ontain additional amounts of oil by
In Producing watsr In some of the wells
and forcing the oil to others. The ad-
dition OF q chemical such as soda aeh
to the water may assist In removing
the oil from the sand grains, but mel
Their plain water nor water containing
chemicals should be introduced into
an oil sand except as . last resort,
for It is likely that the water, which
travels faster through the sand, will
get to the open wells ahead OF the oil
and when the how is resumed under
pressure water will come out.
Everything Saved Nowadays
The gas escaping from an oil we'll
carries with 1t Z proportion Of gaso-
line. which In the old days was lost.
Nowadays It Is extracted from the gas
and saved, while the dry gas can be
forced back into the ground to main.
tain pressure.
One Of the menaces to most OIL
pools Ii the inflow of subteryanean
water. Water flows through ne I'll
sands faster than oil, and by sn nnd.
Ing the cotton OF the well - re