E&P Magazine - November 2003
As I See It
Supply chain management gets better
With thousands of strings of pipes to manage in multiple locations, operators need just-in-time solutions.
Cover Story
Is the sky falling?
Between the Hubbert-curve disciples, who predict the world is running out of oil, and the climate change contingent, which fears that if we don't stop burning hydrocarbons the world's ecosystems will be destroyed, you might think petroleum would soon be following the downward spiral of photographic film, videotape and floppy disks.
Drilling Technologies
Effective cement plugs
Whether you're setting foundations or constructing roads, good cementing practices are the key to structural integrity and controlling costs. Well construction is no exception.
Completions and Production
Data stream adds subsea efficiency
Look to increased subsea data acquisition and use to add options in deepwater plays.
Features
Australia launches gas balloon
A series of new projects off the North West Shelf of Western Australia are preparing for world markets.
Tech Watch
Technology scene at Offshore Europe
Interesting new technology was everywhere you chose to look as the industry reacted to sunny weather in the oil patch.
Activity Highlights
Worst case scenario
Lately we have been engaged in more forward planning sessions here than is normal.
Another Perspective
Execution requires innovation, planning
Successful operations in hostile well environments demand special instrumentation in combination with extensive expertise.
Intelligent wells optimize production
Situational concerns drive development of well-by-well engineered solutions, but the reward is worth the effort.
New rules for the deep
Billed by its originator as "A novel system design enabling ultra-deepwater field developments," the NuDeep concept is about moving the game forward for subsea technology.
No depth limits with artificial buoyancy
One of the latest pieces of subsea hardware to come out of Norway is Atlantis, a prototype drilling and intervention buoy that allows equipment not rated for deepwater to be used at greater depth.
Riding ahead with Thunder Horse
Breaking new boundaries is essential to stay ahead in the subsea equipment business and a pioneering project in the US Gulf is doing just that by notching up a number of technology firsts.
Russia offers oil and gas opportunity
International oil companies have re-ignited their interest in Russian oil attracted by the prospects of continued high production growth, massive reserves and high oil prices.
Scientific shooting boosts production
The anatomy of a step-change: A new perforating technique improves productivity by factors of three to six in several North Sea horizontal completions.
Stimulating a multilateral well
A new design enables West Texas operators to use a more cost-effective approach in deep Devonian completions.
Suppliers enhance subsea gas options
Collaboration between Norwegian and Italian companies could see the installation of the world's first subsea gas compressor towards the end of the decade.
Talking to the bit
A new, downlink drilling control system changes conventional drilling operations.
Technology and brotherhood at the new frontier
The Russian oil industry is growing its production capacity by leaps and bounds, and is expected to quickly regain past levels. Now it seeks markets in both the East and the West.
What's your well IQ?
Intelligent Well Systems (IWS) are growing in popularity and application.
World Map
Clusters compute for CGG
As the first corporate recipient of a prestigious Dell Inc. award, a geophysical contractor shows that the upstream industry knows a thing or two about computers.