Global oil and gas firms are experiencing booming production in crude oil and natural gas thanks to advanced technologies like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling rigs. To increase their efficiency during energy production, these firms are also experimenting with new innovations, including using a magnetometer along with the Earth's magnetic field to help direct drill operators, according to the  U.S. Geological Survey.

Magnetometers, which are used to calibrate permanent magnets and electromagnets, are used for a variety of different applications, including geophysics and archeology, according to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory located in Florida. German scientist Carl Friedrich Gauss developed the first magnetometer in 1832, which was made from a permanent magnet that dangled in the air using a fiber.

Magnetic technologies helping to increase oil production
Recently, the oil and gas industry has increased its use of magnetometers, which acts as a compass on the oil field to increase productivity and decrease development costs, to install a drill-string instrument package to optimize drilling.

Technologies such as these are helping the U.S. to produce more oil and gas than in the past. U.S. total petroleum deliveries rose 4.9 percent in November with an average of 19.4 million barrels per day, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Reaching a 25-year high, domestic oil production surpassed the 8 million barrels per day mark in November, a 13.8 percent increase year-over-year.

"A number of the production trends we track either set or came close to setting new records last month," API Chief Economist John Felmy said. "As the Energy Information Agency said this week, growing domestic production is helping consumers by putting downward pressure on prices."

Also achieving a new record is natural gas liquids (NGL) production. NGL production climbed 7.6 percent to 2.7 million barrels per day in November, up 7.6 percent from the same period last year, according to the API. With this surge in domestic oil and gas production, U.S. total imports and crude oil imports also reached a 17-year low for November. Oil and gas firms say that expansion in exploration and production, with the help of advanced technologies, is increasing the energy independence of the U.S.

How oil and gas workers use the Earth's magnetic field to their advantage
Since the Earth's magnetic field changes constantly due to multiple factors – including tides or magnetic storms – it might be difficult to know where drill bits will travel without colliding with other wells or drilling ineffectively. Through geomagnetic referencing, drill operators know which direction their drill bits will go as they are provided with measurements of the magnetic field in the drill hole along with observations gathered at the Earth's surface.

"Drill-bit positioning requires directional accuracy of a fraction of a degree, and this can be accomplished with advanced technology and expert understanding of the Earth's dynamic magnetic field," said Carol A. Finn, USGS Geomagnetism Group Leader. "USGS operational systems measure the magnetic field on a continuous basis. These data are provided as a service to research scientists, civilian and defense government agencies, and to customers in the private sector, including the oil and gas drilling industry."