Getting the oil out of the ground and into your car isn't as easy as you might think. The oil companies can't just drill a hole in the ground and expect for oil to come gushing up and out. There is a lot of work that goes into making sure that the well is dug in the right place and in the right direction. They also need to make sure that the drills they use have the right kinds of motors to make sure that they will get down to the oil.

Those motors need to be in several places, including at the bit. The bit is the part that does the actual work of the drill. One kind of motor that the oil company would use to help get the well dug is a mud motor:

What Are They Called Mud Motors?

They aren't motors that are specifically made to drill in the mud. Instead, they get their name from the drilling fluid that is used to help the drill work correctly. In the oil business, drilling fluid is called mud or drilling mud. The drilling fluid can be made using water or oil based.

The main reason that the oil companies use these drilling fluids to help insure that no fluid that is in the oil or gas formation comes up into the drill. 

What Do Mud Motors Do?

Mud motors are pumps that act as motors. Specifically, they are a kind of pump called progressive cavity positive displacement pump. That very long name may sound confusing, but it accurately describes what these motors do. Each pump has cavities or holes that are set in a particular sequence. As the rotor inside the pump moves, it moves the drilling mud progressively through each of those cavities. 

The motors add more power to the drill bit. It can be hard to get through some of the rock surrounding the oil. The bit will need to have some extra force to power itself through, especially when the bit gets further and further away from the surface. There may be some power loss just from that distance, and the mud motor helps to compensate. 

Once the oil company has gone through all the work to get the oil out of the ground, they are able to send it to the refinery. Then it gets turned into a product that you can use in your car. Mud motors just make it easier for them to do that.