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Meeting demand

We are working to help meet the world’s rising demand for energy. Advanced technology is helping us unlock new energy resources  and squeeze more from existing oil and gas fields.

Drilling

New drilling technologies and techniques have extended the reach  of wells to more than 10 kilometres. We have developed snake wells that are horizontal and can turn corners to access small pockets of oil.

We have also designed special metal casings called expandable tubulars that help us to build longer wells.

Our Smart Fields® technology integrates digital information systems with the latest drilling, seismic and reservoir monitoring techniques to better manage our operations.

Enhanced oil recovery

When an oil field reaches the end of its normal life, up to two-thirds of its oil can be left in the ground because it is too difficult or too expensive to produce. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) involves injecting steam, gas or chemicals to bring more oil to the surface. Boosting production in this way could unlock around 300 billion barrels of oil, according to the International Energy Agency.

Tight gas

Antelope at Shell drilling site in Pinedale, USA

Antelope at Shell drilling site in Pinedale, USA

Some natural gas is trapped tightly in rock pores, as little as 100 times less the width of a human hair. Until recently these resources were considered too difficult or too costly to extract. We are using advanced technology to help unlock the gas and boost energy security.

Liquefied natural gas

Many large natural gas fields are far from customers in need of energy. The gas must be safely transported in a cost-effective way to markets. We cool natural gas to -162°C (-260°F) to turn it into a clear, colourless, non-toxic liquid 600 times smaller in volume. We then ship it to regasification plants where it is returned to a gaseous state and piped to customers.