E&P Magazine - October 2012
As I See It
Cover Story
A rising tide
Surging market demand and advances in materials and modeling technologies are pushing the boundaries for flexible risers.
EUR ROUNDTABLE - Estimating the UNKNOWN
Unconventional plays wreak havoc on traditional EUR calculations. Here’s what’s being done about it.
Exploration Technologies
Growing through the reservoir
Moving into reservoir services will help a major contractor achieve its long-term goals.
Tuning in to geology
A new geophysical technique uses radio waves to determine rock types.
Drilling Technologies
Fewer, better rigs for unconventional plays
As unconventional plays mature, operators are doing more with less.
Research focuses on measuring effectiveness of cementing jobs
An RPSEA research project was started at the University of Houston to determine a way to measure drilling mud loss and the effectiveness of cementing operations in real time.
Completions and Production
A first reeled in at Corvina
The BPZ CX-15 platform, the world’s first buoyant tower drilling and production facility, is installed in the Corvina field.
MEOR: Activation of bacteria in formation boosts oil production
Glori Energy claims a 9% to 12% increase in oil production by activating naturally occurring microbes in the formation to improve oil mobility during waterfloods.
Special Report
Canada’s oil sands: Balancing risk and opportunity to reap rewards
Canadian oil sands producton could reach more than 4 MMb/d by 2020.
Canadian liquids plays offer continuous upside
Although natural gas producers may be experiencing challenging times amid low gas prices, unconventional resource development is ramping up in Canada’s light, tight oil plays.
Digital Solutions
'Shale gas factory' provides collaborative field development
The principles of lean manufacturing are applied to the shale gas factory to eliminate the wastes of people, time, resources, and assets while improving the quality of the shale gas well.
Attributes play important role in seismic interpretation
A new family of attributes aids in geological understanding.
Real-time community meets the well bore
A new platform integrates formation evaluation, drilling, and completions engineering.
You've discovered oil and gas — now discover your data
The data explosion requires new methods of analysis.
Features
A declaration of independence
Ryan Lance is defining the new ConocoPhillips as the independent E&P company moves into organic growth mode with a focus on unconventional plays, major development projects, and an emerging exploration program.
A question of intervention
The market for light well intervention vessels has both opportunities and pitfalls for new players in equal measure.
Are slugs too fast to handle?
Research into slug flow could facilitate significant advances in the safe design of mechanical restraint systems.
Asia-Pacific region poised for huge growth in investments
Capex levels in Asia are forecast to continue to recover after stagnating between 2006 and 2009.
Biggest offshore prizes lie deep
The ultra-deep offshore is proving to be the most productive for new giant discoveries.
Capital efficiency, optimization keep Marcellus shale active
The proximity to the Northeast markets provides incentive for companies to continue activities in the Marcellus shale even though natural gas prices remain in the doldrums.
Closed-loop drilling boosts deepwater MPD success
Getting a rig ready for MPD must come through a coordinated industry effort to develop procedures and standards for equipment, procurement, rig modification, design, and training.
Drilling down operator costs onshore, offshore
Operators are seeing cost savings by dealing with drilling waste at source, minimizing environmental impacts, and reusing costly materials.
Eagle Ford activity continues at a frenzied pace
Operators barely have time to catch their breath as they ramp up production in this world-class play.
Economic method improves conformance in CO2 flood
The use of polymer gels in fractured CO2 floods can lead to more economic projects and extended flood life.
Finding the balance between automated and manual interpretation
A new technique aids in interpretation of any stratigraphic feature.
First mover advantage
Statoil’s incubator strategy for nurturing emerging technologies shows that the early bird does catch the worm.
Floating systems market rides the wave
Floating production systems are the most adaptable offshore development solution, and the growth in demand for these facilities shows no sign of slowing.
Improving dynamic well control in MPD operations
One result of current research is a refinement of the condition that ensures the influx has ceased. The new research shows that a single, pressure-based signature alone is sufficient to determine when the influx stops.
Industry groups tackle R&D for drilling automation
The case for drilling automation in both onshore and offshore operations has been robustly debated as the industry moves toward standardized development platforms.
Integration enhances shale production
Seismic attributes that correlate to drilling and completions data aid in reservoir understanding.
Marine market steams ahead
Better images are spurring more drilling.
MegaProject gives the big picture in Makassar Straits
An interpretation project that ties basins together from East Java to Muara could be the key to understanding the regional framework and exploring for new prospectivity.
Mobile solution aids field technicians
A communications system enables near-constant contact, even without Wi-Fi.
Modeling is next step-change in unconventionals
Improved fracture understanding aids optimization.
MPD boosted with hands-free connection of mud bypass
Continuous circulation sub opens up opportunities to drill in reservoirs with narrow windows between pore- and fracture-pressure gradients.
New EOR technology uses chemicals to generate gas for oil recovery
Surfactant-enhanced product recovery, an environmental remediation system, finds a potential new home in the EOR toolbox.
New horizon for remote gas fields
The E&P industry is witnessing the advent of the FLNG era with offshore terminals offering a viable alternative for previously stranded reserves.
Pastures old and new rejuvenate Norway's offshore profile Norway has been reborn as a global investment hot spot.
Norway has been reborn as a global investment hot spot.
Producing a water management solution
Managing produced water from oil and gas operations is a major challenge for operators around the world. In the Middle East, specific external factors make the issue of produced water even more pertinent.
Production tank protection eliminates traditional corrosion mechanisms
One persistent and costly problem is production tank corrosion. A unique tank base design can break the chain of corrosion mechanisms to eliminate problem sources and extend tank life.
Racing to real-time collaboration
A new dynamic 3-D modeling system helps make real-time subsurface modeling possible.
Retrieving subsea wells in one trip
Whether they reach their economic limit or suffer irreparable damage, all offshore wells inevitably shift from asset to liability, with subsea well abandonment and suspension the next step.
Scientific target selection optimizes horizontal shale completions
Determining reservoir stress anisotropy in advance of completion design leads to more productive perforations.
Securing the future of Norway's mature fields
Improving the recovery from mature fields offshore Norway can provide a way forward for regional output, but ‘bold decisions’ must be made to spur new drilling, according to Petoro President and CEO Kjell Pedersen.
Sustainable development relies on biocide usage reduction
UV light disinfection helps operators save money and promote sustainable development.
Technologies for expanding horizon of digital oil field
A balance between ‘too much’ and ‘not enough’ data is crucial for ensuring that relevant information is available for decision support systems.
Technology changes the LNG equation
New floating LNG concepts are changing the way operators are looking at field development and will open production in formerly ‘unreachable’ areas.
The economics of subsea sampling in offshore production
A new subsea multiphase sampling system ensures the collection of accurate PVT data.
Wide-azimuth seismic enables better shale play economics
The use of conventional wide-angle, wide-azimuth 3-D seismic as a first step in profitable shale play production is reviewed in this case study from central Alberta, Canada.
Tech Watch
Isolation system shuts down gas migration
A new swellable system uses proprietary elastomer technology to effectively seal off micro-annular voids.
Preventing problems in saltwater disposal system piping
Grooved coupling systems provide reliable and headache-free aid in unconventional fields.
Tech Trends
Activity Highlights
On The Move
Last Word
Managing social risk
Getting a ‘license to do business’ requires understanding public perception.
Unlocking shale’s economic potential with upfront planning, collaboration
Despite all of the opportunities and the years of experience gained in developing shale plays, has our industry truly reached its adulthood in shale?
International Spotlight
From meters to millimeters: Satellites explore the Amazon
Satellite images are enhancing geological data acquisition in the heart of the Amazon forest in the Solem?s basin, allowing scientists to tell a story that has not been revealed up to now.
Management Report
ERP systems provide efficient supply chain management
An efficient extended supply chain requires an integrated system.
It's not just about filling the seat
Experienced middle managers are just a few years away.