E&P Magazine - August 2014
Digital
New options hold promise for this costly but necessary element of oil and gas operations.
As I See It
A change in the wind
Change is inevitable. Failure to recognize what might be coming is inexcusable.
Cover Story
Powering the oil field
New options hold promise for this costly but necessary element of oil and gas operations.
Exploration Technologies
Scanning tool offers fast results
NIR technology is poised to provide quick and inexpensive mineralogy measurements to field geologists.
Drilling Technologies
From desert to deepwater: Tackling landmines, high-pressure BOPs
The first landmine-clearing tracked vehicle goes to work in Kurdistan, and GE Oil & Gas gets an order for the industry’s first 20,000-psi BOP stack for deepwater.
Offshore Advances
Genius or madness?
No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness. – Aristotle
Digital Solutions
Preparing for the inevitable
Energy companies on the front line of the cyber war can turn the tables on cyberattacks.
Features
Annular casing packers isolate longer laterals, deeper wells
Zonal isolation is more critical in unconventional wells to prevent gas migration and to support the cement column in lost-circulation zones.
Collaboration on special production riser coupling meets new challenges
Two industry leaders in riser systems worked together to create and manufacture an innovative special coupling to meet the installation requirements of a single-barrier top tension production riser.
Deepwater offloading solution evolves
Direct offloading concept inspired by marine life offers flexible oil transfer from ultradeepwater fields.
Doing more with less
The upstream sector today is faced with increasing complexity in terms of its projects as well as continually rising costs. It must continue learning fast how to do ‘more with less,’ according to a leading panel of experts, if it is to achieve long-term sustainable growth.
Eagle Ford Shale completions evaluation
With proppant placement analysis, propped and unpropped parts of a reservoir can be identified, implying productive and nonproductive parts of the total SRV.
Interdisciplinary integration made easier
Rock physics provides the link between geomechanics, geopresssure and quantitative seismic interpretation.
Large water-management project meets with success
Operators use pipeline to transport and recycle nearby wastewater for fracking operations.
Market tightens for well stimulation services
The move to pad drilling and batch completions is tightening supply for pressure pumping equipment, prompting operators to add capacity.
New method characterizes naturally fractured reservoirs
Orthotropic inversion combined with stochastic rock physics modeling can help map heterogeneities.
Norwegian project conveyor belt rolls on
Despite some industry concern over certain aspects of Norway’s petroleum tax regime and rising project costs causing spending cutbacks, development activity in its offshore sector remains at a healthy level.
Novel water-based drilling fluid for HP/HT wells
Dedication to innovation is the key for operational excellence.
Permian Basin production heats up
Improved technology and favorable oil prices drive the industry to continue to unlock the play’s unconventional resources.
Redesigning stimulation, lateral placement to boost production
By implementing stimulation initiatives and multilateral sectional development in its wells in Sumner County, Kan., one company expects to lower capex and improve returns going forward.
Reservoir characterization uses digital rock physics
A case study in the Wolfcamp Formation indicates that DRP can help identify shale facies.
Standardization or innovation?
The subsea market in Norway is humming thanks to innovative designs, but many are debating a change in tune as standardization is seen as a way to control costs.
Subsea wellheads designed for the land ‘Down Under’
In facing the challenge of subsea tree and system designs for Western Australia’s Prelude and Wheatstone fields, one company finds success.
Training tomorrow’s subsea engineers
With a looming personnel shortage and a need for technological breakthroughs, one university is tackling the problem with help from industry.
Tree refurbishment key to Troll IOR campaign
Pit Stop strategy puts subsea tree program in the fast lane.
Tech Watch
Bringing nanotechnology down to earth
The concept of nanomaterials may seem rather pie in the sky, but one consortium is pushing for realistic applications.
Tech Trends
Activity Highlights
On The Move
Last Word
Refracks improve NPV
Determining which wells make the best candidates saves on the cost of drilling new wells.
Industry Impact
Autonomous nodal system enables surveys across harsh terrains
Cableless land acquisition system can decrease HSE risk and improve efficiency.
Management Report
A critical component in early offshore installation design
Integrating a well-defined HFE strategy into offshore installation design improves overall HSE and occupational performance, which ultimately can impact the bottom line.