Chiang Mai Fang Oil Well

http://www.hotsia.com > Chiang Mai > Fang Oil Well Visit the oil drilling rig at Fang. Anyone passing through Fang will see an oil drilling machine model displayed by the roadside. If you have never seen a real one, stop by for a visit to gain knowledge about oil drilling. When I saw the oil drilling rig at Mae Sun, I immediately went inside to explore. Not far in, there are two working oil drilling machines. These machines drill down approximately

kilometers. The crude oil extracted is first stored in barrels before being picked up by trucks. The machines operate with quite a loud noise and run continuously. When I checked the spot where the crude oil comes out, I realized this is what real crude oil looks like. Walking a bit further from the first machine, there is a zone where the drilling workers are located. Here, there is another rig with a machine actively drilling, as indicated by a sign. The Fang oil drilling rig has a history of about one hundred years.

I have compiled the information below from http://kanchanapisek.or.th/kp8/cem/cem710.html. The drilling has been ongoing for over a century. Local villagers in Fang district, Mae Sun subdistrict, discovered black oil seeping to the surface. Some believed it to be sacred oil used for healing various ailments. The Chiang Mai ruler ordered the digging of wells to contain the oil, calling it "Bo Luang" or "Bo Chao Luang".

Various government agencies have shown interest in surveying and continuing operations over many periods. In 1922, the Railway Department, under General Phra Chao Borom Wong Ther Krom Phra Kamphaeng Phet Akkarayotin, then known as Phra Chao Nong Ya Ther Krom Khun Kamphaeng Phet Akkarayotin and commander of the railway, learned of the oil discovery in Fang district and hired an American geologist named Mr. Wallace Lee to conduct surveys during 1921-1922, finding only traces of gas.

Natural gas drilling reached a depth of 185 meters, but drilling was halted due to casing pipe failure. In 1934, the Army Fuel Department conducted surveys by hiring two Swiss geologists, Dr. Arnold Heim and Dr. Hans Hirschi, along with three Thai officials. They examined surface geology and dug shallow wells but eventually stopped. Prince M.L. Kri Det Chaiwong took over operations aiming to find oil sands near the surface for

the benefit of the Highway Department as a substitute for asphalt rubber. The survey used a hand-powered rotary drill called the "Bangka drill" to drill about 10-20 meters. The survey found about 38 million cubic meters of oil sands and used deeper drills reaching 200 meters in several wells, discovering oil at about 70 meters depth. These wells with oil were called "explosion wells" containing natural gas. The site is located at the Ton Kham well area, about 500 meters away.

The Highway Department built a small experimental oil refinery producing 40,000 liters of oil. Due to lack of equipment, expertise, and because it was not their main responsibility, the work was halted. The Department of Metallurgy took over from 1949 to 1956 under the name "Fang Oil Exploration Unit," using German rotary drills to drill about 230 meters at Ton Kham well, later called the "Chai Prakan oil field." They built a small experimental refinery and occasionally refined crude oil using about 1,000 liters during 1949-1956.

The development of Fang oil wells under the Department of Metallurgy was overseen by the Minister of Industry as chairman. It was agreed to focus mainly on exploration drilling, while refining efforts aimed at producing asphalt rubber. In 1956, the Military Energy Department took over. In March 1956, Dr. Harold Hutton, a petroleum expert, visited the Fang oil exploration unit and reported that the crude oil in Fang district was suitable for refining and sale. He recommended exploration to establish a 1,000-barrel refinery if sufficient quantity was found. The Cabinet resolved to transfer Fang oil operations to the Military Energy Department on September 12, 1956, marking the first establishment of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Division. They expanded exploration to several northern basins including

Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Phrae, and Chiang Rai basins. The crude oil drilling rig at Mae Sun, Fang district, has a replica rig displayed in front of the road. At Ban San Ma Fuea, Village No. 10, Mae Sun subdistrict, Fang district, Chiang Mai, there is a large crude oil barrel. The drilling goes down two and a half kilometers, about 2,600 meters deep. Have you ever seen crude oil? On the Mr.Hotsia trip to Fang district, visit the coffee shop at Doi Ang Khang, Doi Ang Khang at night, giant roti at Doi Ang Khang, and the Fang oil drilling rig.

Noodle shop Thip Ros, Fang town, Fang hot spring, Doi Fa Hom Pok National Park

Chiang Mai Fang Oil Well Image 2