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Despite some efforts to go green and use alternative energy sources, the amount of oil that Americans use is still staggering. U.S. gas consumption totals about 378 million gallons per day, which is about the equivalent of nine million barrels. The fact that these numbers are so high means that oil and gas companies still play a major role inn society today. Lots of different production facilities depend on oil to maintain efficiency and it is used to produce a wide range of commercial products like solvents, polyester products, yarn, pens, upholstery, plastics, and others. As a result, high levels of oil well production per day are still required.

Of course, lots of the oil that Americans use stems from dependence on vehicles. Many people depend on their cars to get to and from work, pick up kids, and run errands every day, which increases the U.S. need for oil. A 42-gallon barrel of oil only produces a bit more than 19 gallons of gas, which means that oil and gas companies need to produce high volumes of oil to keep gas tanks full. Despite the fact that only 45% of the 20 million barrels of oil the U.S. imports every day is used for gasoline fuel, the need remains shockingly high.

Though there are lots of scientists and other professionals devoted to finding oil, doing so is not always an exact science. In fact, many companies and entrepreneurial spirits have lots it all thinking that they could find oil on a certain plot of land only to come up dry. New technology and oil production software helps companies find and access oil, but the reality is that there is never a sure thing, and its nearly impossible to gauge how much oil is actually in a given location. Because of that, finding ways to lower oil usage is a good idea.

Even with all of the advanced technology and equipment, oil wells are still relatively simple. They are created by drilling rigs that rotate a drill string with a bit attached. It will create a hole between five and 10 inches in diameter and head into the earth until it reaches oil. There are lots of problems that could take place during this process, including failed equipment, so it can be difficult to reach the depths where oil is located. So oil and gas companies are challenged every day by both geological and mechanical problems.