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In the early years of oil drilling and production, wells were primarily drilled on land to moderate depths and with relatively minor horizontal offsets, and an empirical understanding of the impact of geological forces and Earth material properties on required drilling practice was developed by region. Successful practices were defined by trial and (sometimes costly and spectacular) error. Once local conditions were understood, it then became possible to drill new wells with a sufficient degree of confidence to guarantee the safety and economic success of further field developments. However, techniques that were successful in one field were not necessarily successful in other fields, and, therefore, the trial-and-error learning process often had to be repeated. Because wells have become more expensive and complex, both in terms of well geometry (reach and length) and access to deep, high-temperature, high-pore-pressure, and high-stress regimes, it has become clear that the economic success of field developments can only be assured if geology and tectonics are understood and field activities are designed with that understanding. Furthermore, constraints on engineering practice based on environmental and societal requirements necessitate specially designed mud formulations and drilling techniques.
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