Offshore Drilling
Drilling or digging for oil has occurred in one way or another for hundreds of years. The Chinese, for instance, invented a bamboo rig to obtain oil and gas for lighting and cooking.
But only in the last 40 years has humankind been able to efficiently extract petroleum from beneath the seas - an achievement to rank with this century's mightiest technological triumphs.
In Australia, nearly 90 per cent of our petroleum wealth is found offshore. The search is difficult, extremely expensive, and often fruitless - but critical to the nation's economic future.
Locating an oil and gas "trap" - as it is known - and extracting the oil and gas is difficult enough on land. But offshore, in deep and often stormy waters, it becomes an awesome undertaking.
Potential traps are identified by analysing seismic survey data but whether they contain oil or gas won't be known until a drill bit penetrates the structure. Directing the drill bit to a precise location - perhaps several kilometres away - requires sophisticated computer technology. A navigation device installed above the drill bit feeds back information which enables the exact position of the well to be measured and monitored. A steerable motor within the drillpipe can be remotely controlled to adjust the direction of the drill.
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