E&P Magazine - May 2005
As I See It
Manage organizational frequency
Frequency of operations may provide key to success, or failure.
Cover Story
India offers opportunities
India, the second most populous country in the world with a population of over 1 billion, has been growing at a sustained GDP growth rate of about 6% in the last decade.
Completions and Production
Putting a new spin on flow
Field flow lines, gathering lines, even the wells themselves are benefiting from an innovative new way to optimize the multiphase flow.
Special Report
Bringing the Lab to the field
Westport Technology Center announced its Total Field Analytical Services (T-FAS), a new offering where a lab professional comes to a drilling site to capture hydrocarbon samples, do some initial onsite analysis to determine the integrity of samples, transports the samples back to the lab for further testing, and stores the samples long-term for the client operator.
COLT coiled rubing BHA
AnTech Ltd. has unveiled the COLT, a bottomhole assembly (BHA) designed to eliminate some of the problems associated with coiled tubing drilling (CTD) applications, particularly in depleted reservoirs and gas formations where downhole tools can be subjected to high vibrations and shocks.
Continuous CT inspection easier, less expensive
CTES, LP, of Conroe, Texas, has developed a device to provide continuous, cost-effective inspection of coiled tubing.
Drilling by design
Halliburton Security DBS has introduced a solutions-based approach to bit design and manufacture.
Hellcat 2 simplifies completions
Weatherford has released a retrievable, hydraulically set production packer that provides single trip speed and efficiency.
Sensor measures field stress
In an unusual approach to applying new technology, Energy Exploration Technologies Inc. (NXT) is both offering an exploration technology to clients and using it internally.
Features
Veterans build their own basin
Robert L. Bayless and Tom Dugan were oilpatch veterans in Farmington, N.M., and have been active throughout the Rocky Mountains in the United States.
Tech Watch
Defeating the drug trade
On the uptake of technology, our beloved industry sits in a dismal fourth place. Yet all agree that technology has enabled us to reach the frontiers of drilling and production.
Tech Trends
Too much? Too little? That is the question
A new management tool helps companies transparently manage vital software inventories, so that they have the capacity they need - but no more.
Activity Highlights
Out of sight, out of mind
I was at a non-oilfield soiree the other night and started a casual chat with a friendly fellow in the legal business.
Activity Spotlight
AGI gets large database
AGI gets large database
Another Perspective
A swell idea simplifies completions
Elegant in their simplicity but effective in performance, swellable packers are becoming increasingly popular, especially in brownfield developments where tight margins prevail.
Anchor Technology: Past, present and future
Pursuit of improved anchor technology began more than 5,000 years ago when an early anchor craftsman bored a hole into a rock to increase the performance and reliability of a stone anchor.
Assure wellbore's structural integrity
Operators have been installing well conductors for a long time, but ensuring the structural integrity of these primary components still presents serious challenges.
Dopeless applications increase
Operators increasingly turn to dope-free connections for environmental, safety and operational benefits.
Drilling with integrity
Drilling the perfect well is an unachievable goal - there's always room for improvement. But solving three key problems goes a long way toward reaching the "holy grail."
Dual-gradient drilling: An update
This unique technology has taken an unexpected detour on the value road, serving as a catalyst for more economically feasible methods of deepwater drilling.
Floatover platform lower costs
A floating platform, matched to a base offshore, eliminates lifting risk.
Liner drilling more than niche
Enabling technology improvements are paving the way for increased use of this drilling option.
New technologies offer promise
Two technologies at opposite ends of the complexity spectrum target tough shallowwater challenges.
Pre-drill planning saves money
Modeling geomechanical stresses can reduce operational headaches.
Producing the lift of a lifetime
The challenge to extend the economic life of mature fields has been one key factor driving the development of new production technology and field management techniques. New downhole sensors are providing more reliable measurements. Real-time monitoring, surveillance and control of wells producing on electric submersible pumps (ESP), are allowing tighter tolerances on operating conditions and delivering improved economic return. The combined and synchronized application of increased downhole information yields improved lift system results. Efficiently applying these new capabilities requires a systematic, engineered approach.
Reamer leads to more uses
The development of an advanced sealed bearing roller reamer has resulted in an effective solution for today's challenging drilling requirements.
Reducing exploration risk
In this example from the North Sea, seabed logging has helped detect hydrocarbons prior to drilling.
Research aids bit-cleaning
Hydraulics optimization research in large-diameter bits reduces operators' variable costs.
Sea floor intervention system debuts
The worldwide inventory of deepwater wells increases weekly.
Smooth sailing
Can it be? After years of doldrums, the marine seismic market has, almost overnight, turned the corner.
Space age monitoring soars
Fiber optics provide the ideal medium for downhole production monitoring.
Technologies pad PDC resume
Global force-balancing expands high-performance drilling into hard rock areas where combinations of technologies are required to succeed.
World Map
ANWR and the Sundance Kid
American actor Robert Redford, who is also the spokesman for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), sent a letter to NRDC "Action Fund" supporters warning of subversive activity on the part of the Bush administration regarding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, a constant source of hot debate between environmental groups and industry.