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"Anyone know as to why this is the case?" Think of a telescopic antenna. That structure is similar to what is done to bore a well. You start with large casin
by cnnsucks 9y ago
"Anyone know as to why this is the case?"
Think of a telescopic antenna. That structure is similar to what is done to bore a well. You start with large casing diameter and add progressively smaller casings until you reach the target depth. The deeper you go the bigger the casing you must start with. Offshore deep water stuff can be a meter in diameter with 10cm solid steel walls; monstrously heavy and costly materials. And you use kilometers of the stuff.
There are a lot of reasons why costs scale as they do with depth; casing is just one of the more obvious.
- GregBuchholz 9y agoAnyone recommend a good pop-sci book on deep hole boring? Seems like it could be an interesting light engineering read.
- lumost 9y agoFor deep wells would the need for casing change depending on the material you're drilling into? once your into hard granite bedrock I'd imagine wells of a certain diameter are stable with minimal to no casing.
- cnnsucks 9y agoYes, geology is a big factor in engineering a well. Pressure is another. Every well is engineered to the prevailing conditions and requirements. Sometimes it is possible to elide heavy casing which can save large amounts of money.