E&P Magazine - September 2004
As I See It
Predictability avoids waste
Reduction of unplanned events creates savings in offshore operations.
Working with security in mind
Security training keeps employees safe.
Cover Story
Guess right
Estimating reserves from limited data is very challenging.
Drilling Technologies
Accidental research helps oilpath
Pressure management marks a step change for drilling.
Completions and Production
Perforator penetrates, not pulverizes
Controlling dynamic underbalanced pressure when perforating using the PURE method results in clean perforation tunnels for higher productivity and better injectivity.
Features
Russian weather report: Cloudy in the east
Despite rosy production numbers, actions by Russia courts have cast a cloud over future growth and potential investments.
Tech Watch
Keeping your eye on the ball
In nearly every game, at least those involving balls, the first, second and last admonition coaches give their players is, "Keep your eye on the ball." In our game production is the ball.
Activity Highlights
Convince us
Sometimes they make it just too darned easy - the environmental radicals, of course. I received a press release from the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) recently.
Another Perspective
Choices critical for offshore platforms
Operators sift through a lot of variables before picking the right production facility.
IWS solves complex problems
The ability to manage each producing zone in a multizone completion pays big dividends.
LNG debuts for smaller fields
Technology makes LNG available for offshore stranded gas.
Managed-pressure drilling adds value
Better recoveries, better economics make new projects more drillable.
Meeting the Norne challenge
Advanced time-lapse seismic acquisition technology improves repeatability by greatly reducing noise and positioning problems that previously impeded reservoir management.
Offshore production skyrockets
Floating production systems provide a large share of the world's oil and the trend is accelerating as oil and gas operators learn offshore targets are bigger and more profitable than most accessible onshore reservoirs.
Recipe for success in IWS
Intelligent well systems (IWS) are slowly building traction as early adopters gain confidence in their reliability and long-term profitability potential.
Rocky Mountains-high on gas?
The conventional wisdom points to the Rocky Mountains as a major part of the solution to America's gas future.
Stranded gas finds a boat ride
Deep and ultradeep water of many of the world's most promising hydrocarbon provinces has technically and economically challenged developers and operators in their field development approaches, especially for natural gas.
The secrets of the shelf
An integrated study is attempting to minimize risk in Deep Shelf wells through careful analysis of available and new data.
UBD unlocks reservoir secrets
Water incursion measurements during underbalanced drilling improve production.
World Map
Are we running out of prospects?
Same song, new verse. Wise portfolio management will continue to yield exploration success.