E&P Magazine - June 2010
As I See It
Exploration Technologies
One heck of a survey
ExxonMobil stared down a host of obstacles to acquire one of the largest multicomponent land surveys in history.
Searching for sunken treasure
Offshore explorers need to share the seabed with ships that met a fatal end.
Drilling Technologies
Moratorium by indecision
Although the US DOI has issued new safety requirements for shallow-water operations in the GoM, drilling operations may continue to slow due to ambiguity on recertification procedures.
Completions and Production
The end of an error
Always interesting, often controversial, Matt Simmons delivered the obituary for oil and gas but acknowledged that it’s always darkest before the dawn. Then he offered a preview of the dawn.
Who is watching the store?
A major part of production optimization is simply keeping better track of what wells and reservoirs are doing. The traditional pumpers and gaugers are being replaced by electronic robots.
Digital Solutions
Digital rock physics lab brings core analysis to the digital oil field
Accurate rock characterization improves understanding of technically challenging reservoirs.
HPC solutions improve computing environments for reservoir simulation
Guidelines help remove guesswork from cluster design and direct best practices implementation for increased performance and productivity.
Shell, IBM tackle reservoir simulation challenges
An industry collaboration hopes to quantify uncertainty in reservoir modeling.
The sky’s the limit for digital oil fields in the cloud
Cloud computing is a relatively new concept for the oil and gas industry, but its role is growing because it is ideal for E&P information delivery, decision-support, and collaboration
Features
A declaration of independence for land seismic
Give me flexibility, or give me death! New acquisition systems offer unprecedented freedom.
A new line emerges on linear lift
Traditionally focused on heavy lift applications or viscous crude production, linear lift systems are spreading their wings to envelop all phases of artificial lift.
An integrated approach to frontier exploration
Combining gravity gradiometry with other exploration technologies can unlock new reserves.
An integrated workflow for selecting optimal drilling locations
A Barnett case study examines the proper placement of horizontal wells.
B-Rigs set new pace
New ‘walking’ rigs use a box-on-box design to operate on multiwell pads in sensitive, space-restricted areas. (See video of rig)
Casing drilling tool sets multiple records in Marcellus
In the Marcellus shale, wells tend to be drilled with a truly horizontal lateral section. Setting casing to bottom can be challenging, but new developments in casing drilling are paving the way to lower cost.
Coiled tubing rigs lower cost in shallow plays
Although shallow plays appear to be an easy target, profitability remains a factor of lowering drilling costs.
Custom composites combat corrosion
Application of non-metallic materials for oil and water transportation in E&P operations matches materials with fluids in the operational environment.
Exploring the future of sensing
Advances in sensing technology pay benefits across the upstream industry.
Hammer technology swings into offshore construction
Engineering and economic challenges combine with environmental conditions to construct safe, lasting foundations for offshore equipment and facilities.
Hydraulic rigs lower cost, reduce environmental impact
Fully hydraulic rigs lower field development costs, improve safety, and reduce the environmental impact of drilling operations.
Improving dialogue between industry, governments key for global energy success
James Kinnear, former president and chief executive officer of Texaco and Saudi Aramco board member, shares some of his experiences and thoughts about energy security and energy independence for the US.
Influential People: Steven Mueller
At the helm of a company that has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, the president and CEO of Southwestern Energy talks about his company’s success in the Fayetteville and how that success will continue for decades to come.
IOCs need new business models
Changing times present challenges that require new approaches to doing business.
JIP takes proactive stance on marine mammal protection
It’s hard to make regulations without sound science. A joint industry program hopes to provide that science.
Lower risk lateral logging
While LWD/MWD offers substantial results in a number of drilling applications, horizontal shale laterals provide limited opportunities for these systems due to high cost and increased risk. A new memory-based tool can go where the bit goes and provides a wealth of information for horizontal laterals.
Mike Bahorich
As a technology ‘watch dog,’ Bahorich follows emerging technologies and encourages his colleagues at Apache Corp. to embrace them.
New technology saves drowning gas wells
From land to subsea, versatile new ideas offer economic solutions to many production problems.
Pioneering the Eagle Ford
The Eagle Ford shale is galloping into the ranks of the nation’s top resource plays due to rich gas, impressive flows, and remarkably consistent results.
Plunger lift technology improves shale gas production
A new automatic, self-actuating technique that operates as it is needed is taking the guess work out of dewatering in shale gas wells.
Seabed production boosting systems push the limits
Two landmark projects have laid the groundwork for subsea production systems of the future.
Shale shock reverberates across US and beyond
Ripple effects from the US shale boom are undulating around the globe.
Sigma saves hot well evaluation offshore India
Lack of resistivity data in HP/HT well does not deter explorationists in their quest for energy.
Suction anchors see installation milestone
Unique project requires innovative installation methods.
Sun shines on the oil industry
Things are looking up for heavy crude production thanks to an economically viable technique as old as the universe itself.
Why care about treatment fluid recovery?
Analysis of hydraulic fracturing treatment fluid recovery provides insight that can predict long-term fracture productivity.
Wireless installation delivers efficiencies
EOR technologies are impacting production volumes in mature fields around the world.
‘Sourceless’ LWD improves horizontal analysis
Compact multimeasurement logging-while-drilling tool provides essential information to solve a petrophysical puzzle.
Tech Trends
Addressing the challenges of offshore LNG transfer
As LNG continues its expansion as a worldwide commodity, new methods of safe, efficient offshore transfers are attempting to meet current demand.
Mobile visual collaboration allows instant connection for improved efficiency
A new approach to monitoring remote assets based on a mobile, visual collaboration platform can improve HSE.
On The Move
Last Word
Do not trust your rearview mirror
The business world has evolved, and leadership requirements have changed dramatically.
Activity Spotlight
São Tomé and Príncipe offers first deepwater licensing round
The double-island state, located approximately 186 miles (300 km) off the coast of West Africa and 124 miles (200 km) south of Nigeria, launched its debut licensing round in its EEZ on March 2, 2010.
The Bahamas holds promise
Though discoveries have yet to yield commercial hydrocarbons, the geology looks prospective.
Management Report
Streamlined backend processes allow efficient program execution
Automating business processes saves time and money.