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E&P Magazine - October 2014
Digital
A new methodology creates a new processing technique for acoustic logging.
As I See It
Cover Story
Bringing seismic ideas to acoustic logging
A new methodology creates a new processing technique for acoustic logging.
Finding buried treasure
Geoscience tools are at the leading edge of one of the world’s great detective stories.
Resolving subsurface velocities with FWI
Full-waveform inversion is becoming a practical and important technology for determining seismic velocities.
Exploration Technologies
Playing nicely with the locals
Seismic surveys and urban areas don’t have to occupy mutually exclusive zones.
Drilling Technologies
What is most important in oil, gas industry? Family
The 3-year-old daughter of an M-I SWACO drilling fluids specialist in Brazil illustrates why oilfield workers do their jobs.
Completions and Production
Surveillance and optimization: critical to CO2 flooding
Operators must make an ongoing effort to manage CO2 performance.
Offshore Advances
Seeing success with new eyes
Seismic technology advances over the last 25 years helped one operator score major victories at two of its GoM developments in 2014.
Digital Solutions
Big takeaways from big data
Big data empowers oil and gas companies to deliver profitable results.
Features
Attracting and retaining talent in the shale boom
Exploration and production firms face significant people risk when resourcing projects in challenging locations such as the Bakken and Permian Basin.
Benefits of best practice maximize production and profits
Applying best practices for measurement control means better production management decisions can be made based on more accurate and timely data coming from separators and heater treaters.
Dealing with produced water subsea
When it comes to seabed processing solutions, the ability to accurately measure the quality of produced water subsea would be a significant step forward, and the offshore industry is working hard to close this technology gap.
Driving greater efficiencies in produced water clarification
New technologies increase operational efficiency while ensuring sustainability.
Engineering solutions teams drive drilling efficiency
To expand the performance envelope, a strong engineering capability for both planning and delivery is needed.
Exploration workflow enables timely decision-making
A detailed workflow allows operators to de-risk international shale plays.
Fire suppression systems protect valuable assets
Automated system guards vehicles from catastrophe.
Geopolitical angst, sanctions threaten, but Russia’s basins beckon
The push to develop hydrocarbons in the Arctic and tight oil onshore continues, but political tension and other risks create future uncertainty.
Low-flow lift solution developed for extended-reach laterals
A novel artificial lift solution promises reliable production for marginal wells while preventing potential gas-locking problems.
Meeting tough process sealing challenges
Perfluoroelastomers improve reliability, increase mean time between repairs and reduce operating costs.
Microseismic: Shaking all over?
Operators and service providers predict greater use of microseismic as the industry moves to pad drilling and batch completions.
Momentum builds for Australia’s unconventional plays
Whether it is in shales, tight sands or CSG, the number of international oil companies jumping into the Australian plays to ‘crack the code’ is increasing along with spending.
Multiphase flow gets closer to reality
A transient multiphase simulator improves accuracy for temperature calculations and prediction of slug behavior.
North American lessons in unconventionals apply worldwide
Creating a petrophysical model with a fairly limited dataset from exploratory and early appraisal wells leads to success in shale plays.
Paradox point for subsea processing
Subsea processing solutions have reached something of a ‘paradox point.’ The industry is standardizing equipment and cutting costs while also having to advance into harsher environments with increasingly complex new technologies.
Pumping paradox solved
High reservoir temperatures, wellbore deviations and abrasives are a way of life in Canada’s oil sands. So how does a company increase the reliability of downhole pumping equipment while also meeting the challenge of these extreme conditions?
Satellite imagery helps companies face challenges
Geospatial solutions aid in sound decision-making throughout the entire oil and gas life cycle.
Sucker rod helps overcome challenges in unconventional wells
Rod connection design improves field performance and rod’s fatigue life.
Technology R&D targeted for optimizing unconventional wells
As activity booms, the industry is investing time and money in innovating solutions for unconventional production.
Top-drive sensors, monitors provide real-time preventive maintenance
Drilling contractors can plan routine equipment maintenance and prevent downtime, providing near-instantaneous information to monitoring personnel.
Vertical success in Poland
Testing leads one company to conclude that a successful horizontal well is the likely next step.
VIV suppression: changing the current in subsea operations
Suppression devices like helical strakes and fairings can help prevent substantial fatigue damage of risers and tendons.
Tech Watch
Cryogenic fracking could boost recovery, save water
Researchers are studying a new well completion technique using liquid nitrogen and CO2.
Tech Trends
Activity Highlights
On The Move
Last Word
A microseismic approach to unconventionals
Advances in data processing calibrate hydraulic fracture design models to improve field economics.
Industry Impact
Improving performance in SAGD wells
CENtigrade ESP production system works at elevated temperatures to reduce equipment downtime and reliability issues.
Management Report
TRLs gauge progress on technology, commerciality
This is the second in a two-part series on how the technical readiness level process can be practically used to shorten the time before new technology can be commercialized.