I joined the Petroleum Branch of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers in 1952 as member number 2552. What a fortunate move. The "Big Bang" period of petroleum technology was in progress and, like our universe, it has continued to expand at an ever increasing rate. It was both a chaotic and exhilarating time. I had become a part of what was as much a challenge as my previous work on the Manhattan Project during World War II. There were so many folks doing such great things and rising to the challenge.
Of course, there had been a long period of innovation preceding it that effectively began with the work of John Franklin Carll in the 1870s (for whom a major SPE award is named). As is always the case, technological innovation was triggered by the growing needs of the industry. At the end of the 1940s, a very basic foundation had been established to meet the needs of the industry. This involved primarily the drilling of rather shallow wells that had a short payout, with the primary surface processing being the separation of the oil from the water, solids, and gas. Because of the depth, the producing pressures were low and much of the gas not required to operate the lease was flared.
Most of the technology had been adapted from other industries. Reservoir measurements and analysis were rudimentary. The electric log invented by the Schlumberger brothers in 1918 had been adapted for petroleum reservoir use in the early 1930s. Also in the 1930s came other developments such as pressure testing, a material-balance approach for analysis, and improvements in the tools used to drill and complete wells.
After the end of World War II, demand for energy exploded and, as usual, the industry responded. But this required the exploration and exploitation of deeper reserves in less friendly environments. What was needed was new technology, quickly. One example was the development of reserves in the "swamps" of southern Louisiana and the shallow waters just offshore. The industry sought technology that would allow this to occur in a favorable economic manner. The front-end costs increased markedly, and a national market for natural gas complicated production strategies. Better methods for locating potentially profitable drilling sites were needed. Technology that previously had been a secondary concern in many circumstances now became a critical part of the decision process.
