Some technical information on horizontal drilling…

Using horizontal drilling, the well will drop straight down for two miles, then take a gradual turn and travel sideways until it reaches the rock underneath the subdivision.

This is usually in a specific position across the oil/gas bearing layer, although in the recent well in Alaska the horizontal well was deviated so that it undulated up into an overlying oil-containing layer for a while, then down into a thicker one underneath, and then back up into the upper oil-bearing layer etc. {snip} I mention all this so that you can realize that while, in the end, these techniques can produce much more oil and gas from the rock in a shorter overall time, the time that it takes to prepare the well becomes much longer…

More after the jump at The Oil Drum.