ABSTRACT

Modern society and industry use large amounts of oil and gasoline. The first observations of oil in the northern parts of North America were by Sir Alexander Mackenzie who described oil seeps along the Mackenzie River near Norman Wells in 1789. Most modern exploration begins with seismic work to identify the underlying rock structure. The drilling rigs used in oil or gas exploration on land in North America are very large. On land, drilling is preferably carried out in winter to protect the environment in North America. Problems may also occur with water under high pressure trapped beneath the permafrost. Having brought oil or gas to the surface, it is necessary to move it to a central processing plant and on to the consumer. Where a cold pipeline is involved, any patches of unfrozen ground are subjected to additional cooling, resulting in freezing.