Every few years, the global search for oil yields what’s called an “elephant field” — a pool of oil believed to hold a billion barrels or more. Brazil says it’s found several such fields that, once in full production, will make the South American country a major oil player.Those discoveries have shined a spotlight on a company little known outside petroleum circles: Brazil’s state-owned Petrobras, which is now gearing up to pump as much oil as it can.
To drill for its version of El Dorado, Brazil is going to have to go far and deep — 200 miles out into the Atlantic, more than 4 miles down, through swirling seas, rock and a thick cap of salt….
