E&P Magazine - January 2003
As I See It
RITE services improve business results
Remote IT-enabled (RITE) services can significantly improve earnings and return on capital expenditures
Cover Story
Aspirations drive Malaysia
The formation of Petronas, Malaysia's national petroleum corporation, in 1974 preceded the transformation of the country's oil and gas industry.
Drilling Technologies
Cheaper and deeper: Drilling for gas
A benchmark study compares best drilling and completion practices in South Texas, and a US government program encourages technological developments for deep, hot gas wells.
Features
Recent activity rekindles Atlantic interest
Exploration wells in 2002 and a future licensing round off Ireland have renewed interest in the hostile Atlantic Margin region.
Tech Watch
CT improves pumping success
Anadarko is testing an alternative to sucker rods in marginal fields.
Activity Highlights
Maybe a replay?
It is the cusp of the new year as I write this. The celebrations will be over and 2003 begun when you read it. That transition period should be a time for reflection and I gave it a try.
Another Perspective
Calculate wellbore stability, direction
To drill a well, you need a rig, a crew, pipe, bits, mud and cement. But if you're planning to do some well construction, you also need a computer and some software.
Caspian Sea poses a tough test
Sometimes just getting the right equipment on location can be a major challenge.
Data sets critical for completions
Being in a rush to complete a well can result in losing it completely.
Fieldwide approach boosts results
A comprehensive evaluation strategy offers a better return on investment.
Managing itellectual assets pays off
The petroleum industry's next generation of low-hanging fruit is ripe and ready to be picked: monetizing the world's best intellectual assets.
Operations support maximizes returns
Although the need for life-cycle asset management has always existed for operators, particularly those with more mature assets, it now has a bigger part in business planning.
Operators raise E&P spending plans
The slump in spending plans for the United States continues.
Producers monetize assets with UBD
A new technology allows producers to develop unrecognized reserves.
Software assists wellbore cleanup
A new computer program predicts pumping pressure and equivalent circulating densities (ECDs) and explores the advantages of using new tools like a circulating sub for completion fluid displacement operations.
Strategic planning spotlights Na Kika
The ultradeep, ultracomplex Gulf of Mexico development directs new thinking at reserves and records.
World Map
The rocks hold the answer
Geoscientists seem to be rediscovering an age-old fascination with rock physics.