NOWSCO History

In 1959, technology was being developed to pump liquid oxygen as a fuel source for the United States missile industry and space program. In order to pump this supercold liquid, cryogenic pumps, capable of handling fluids as cold as -350 F, were developed. In turn, these new pumps enabled Big Three Industries, a large producer of liquefied industrial gases, based in Houston, Texas, to sell more of their product, liquid oxygen. In producing this liquefied oxygen, large amounts of the by-product nitrogen were also produced, for which there was little use at the time.

Liquid nitrogen is a free-flowing liquid which is lighter than water, 6.738 pounds per gallon, and very cold, -320 F. Discoveries were made, however, that liquid nitrogen pumped under immense pressure could be used in oil production for displacement, backwashing and other well cleaning and stimulation applications.

Because nitrogen is colorless, odorless, and inert, it could be used in numerous applications without fear of contaminating the well. The new generation cryogenic pumps allowed implementation of a range of nitrogen services and produced a profitable application for the by-product of the Big Three oxygen plants, nitrogen.
Mr. A. W. (Smitty) Smith, an oilfield worker from Louisiana, was the individual who approached Big Three Industries with the idea of incorporating liquid nitrogen in oilfield applications. Prior to this, compressed nitrogen gas in tubes or cylinders was the only source of gaseous nitrogen energy and it had some obvious disadvantages: maximum pressures of 2400 psi and rapid depletion of supply. A. W. Smith’s new low-temperature concepts were translated into equipment, procedures and supplies, and on December 17, 1959, in Liberty County, Texas, the first job was performed. It was the first of many successful operations and from 1959 to 1962, Big Three expanded their oilwell services through their wholly owned subsidiary called Nitrogen Oil Well Service Company, operating primarily in the Gulf Coast are of Texas and Louisiana. It didn’t take long for news of these developments to reach oilfield personnel in Canada.

Recognizing the value of this development, people began urging Mr. Harry K. Smith, President of Big Three Industries, to expand his nitrogen oilwell services to Canada.