Common Ground: The Unique Synergy Between the Oil Field and Aerospace

Abstract

Though disparate locations, outer space and the oil field have much more in common than one might think. Both can be taxing on operations and often redefine the idea of an isolated and, at times, hostile work environment. Harsh atmospheric conditions and wide-ranging pressure regimes call for unique technological applications and operations to achieve the best performance and results, whether it’s the gravitational and meteorological challenges of another planet or the crushing pressures and changing meta-ocean conditions of the deep offshore. Despite the obvious differences, operating in both the terran oil field and the blackness of space offer hurdles that can be cleared by similar means. Shared technologies between the two industries have been around for decades and center around disciplines like automation, robotics, and remote sensing. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) itself has dabbled in oilfield studies, especially when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the atmosphere. In 2021, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, completed a study to identify methane super-emitters in the Permian Basin. The month-long, airborne study concluded that fixing the worst leaks identified in the area’s infrastructure could cut methane emissions by 55 tons an hour, equivalent to 5.5% of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s estimates of all methane emissions from hydrocarbon production across the entire US. The study pointed to malfunctioning equipment as the likely culprit for the 123 sources found. Conversely, NASA has also tapped into oilfield technology for some of its planned drilling operations on the moon. It will be the first such operation on any planetary body outside of the Earth. One of the earliest directives of NASA’s Artemis program is to try and find water near the lunar South Pole. Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) will be the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the moon. For the first time, NASA will robotically sample and analyze for ice from below the surface. PRIME-1 will use TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain) to drill in a single location at a site with a high likelihood of having water, whether in liquid or ice form. TRIDENT was developed and supplied by Honeybee Robotics, which also supplies geotechnical tools and sensors, among other tech, to the oil patch. The system, to be integrated into VIPER, NASA’s first robotic moon rover, will drill about a meter below the surface, each time bringing up samples that NASA will analyze with a mass spectrometer. The launch of the NOVA-C, which carries the PRIME-1, was previously delayed. At press time, the payload was due to blast off on board Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket in early 2024. NASA said in October the VIPER will reach its destination at Mons Mouton near the lunar South Pole in November 2024.