The contribution of Galician engineers and entrepreneurs to the development of oil drilling methods

Abstract

Ignacy Łukasiewicz's development of a method for distilling crude oil caused the resource, long known in the Subcarpathian region, to be exploited for industrial purposes. In order to meet the rapidly growing demand for oil, it was necessary to develop effective methods of discovering oil deposits. In Galicia, since the early 1860s, the so-called free-fall drilling method was used for about 20 years. But it wasn't until the introduction of the Canadian method in the early 1880s that the richest deposits were discovered in the Borysław and Tustanowice areas. Galician engineers and technicians made enormous contributions to improving this system. Independently, they developed designs for modern structures suitable for mud drilling. Among them, world fame was won by the "ram" – Wacław Wolski's drilling apparatus. Technical progress in the Galician oil mining industry was possible thanks to the high professional standard of those deciding on the development directions of this new industry. Keywords: Galicia, oil industry, technical progress, free-fall, Canadian, mud, drilling methods