E&P Magazine - December 2001
As I See It
Emerging after the merger
Combining two companies is no easy task. But WesternGeco has come through the process with few visible scars.
Cover Story
The gradual future
When people ask about the future of our industry, it's tempting to point to some of our new "gee whiz" technologies. Smart pipe and four-dimensional vertical seismic profiling are two that come to mind.
Drilling Technologies
Drilling the well on paper
DWOP is the process of analyzing each step of the well construction process to generate ideas for improving performance and reducing cost.
Features
Mackenzie Delta gets set for drillers
Battle lines have been drawn between three alliances working this future site of significant oil and gas production.
Tech Watch
Spooled composite tubulars gain ground
Small-diameter composite tubes are becoming more popular in onshore fields, and marine use is drawing near.
Activity Highlights
Rejuvenating the oil patch
I have watched the leaves turn this autumn with a bit more nostalgia, and a bit more anticipation, than usual.
Another Perspective
Demand triggers pipeline rush
World demand for natural gas is blossoming, and huge pipeline projects are in the works to serve that demand.
Device enables remote data collection
The "virtual lease operator" has finally arrived, enabling operators to monitor and control production from their computers via the Internet.
Diverse projects keep oil, gas flowing
From the Pacific to the Atlantic and the Arctic to Colombia, North American onshore projects show innovation at work.
Energy industry goes wireless
Wireless is the next revolution for getting critical information from the field to the office.
Exploring new ways to explore
Explorationists will look to computer technology, other industries and the history of climate change to find hydrocarbons.
Faster drilling, faster data
Jets, mud-actuated hammers, water pulses and mini-lightning are boosting drilling speeds, while acoustic telemetry and embedded wire show promise in moving downhole data up the drill pipe faster.
Gas dominates demand curve
Natural gas is taking over the dominant energy spot from oil as more nations seek cleaner fuel to grow.
Innovations cram production 'piñata'
Break the burro and see a spray of new ideas, most spurred by the quest for the 'smart' well.
Light cements take durability test
An industry study assesses the ability of lightweight cements to hold up under downhole conditions.
Massage seismic to find new gas
A relatively unused technique of looking at seismic reflections can reveal vast supplies of undiscovered natural gas.
New tools tackle hostile environment
Offshore technology development will focus on smaller footprints and more efficient designs.
Oil fields go completely digital
From nanotechnology to fiber optics, and from P2P to fuzzy logic, advances in information technology look set to digitize the oil patch.
Stuck at the starting gate?
New technologies being researched will change the way the oil industry does business. But will it be ready, or able, to take full advantage of them?
World Map
Currents furrow more than brows
Abyssal storms create huge seabed ditches, which have the potential to wreak havoc with offshore oil and gas exploration.