Recent US government actions indicate decisions are being made to support an energy agenda that does not match those of the American people.

It will take many decades for the U.S. to transition away from using fossil fuels for transportation, so oil and natural gas will continue to be important, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu told attendees at IHS CERAWeek in Houston. But, that transition must start soon, based on supply and demand trends, and the need to reduce emissions.

Provides potential for near-term CO2 cuts, but presents long-term challenges, study says.

Annual CT rig count indicates another 5% increase in 2009.

A new study by UK-based ActionAid, an advocacy group for food for the poor, says that if the EU sticks to its biofuel mandate targets for 2020, millions around the world will starve.

Deal valued at US $11.3 billion.

International collaboration will allow low-impact drilling technologies to be developed and disseminated faster.

Operators and service companies present ideas at drilling conference forum.

New bit design offers a variety of cutter choices for different formations.

Proven in Indonesia’s fractured limestone reservoirs, MPD is now becoming a key tool for cutting NPT and increasing operator efficiency in many types of formations.

SideWinder design can be incorporated into any standard profile PDC bit.

Extensive field testing verified the design, with the Diamond Edge series producing longer runs and showing exceptional post-run conditions.

TORKBUSTER combination destroys rock and reduces costs.

NOV’s TC11 bit combines forged-in tooth and jacket protection.

New ONYX PDC cutters deliver unprecedented wear and impact resistance, improved thermal stability.

While the last 12 months have been a challenge for companies in the oil and gas sector, there have been substantial opportunities for those with strong balance sheets.

Survey says 65% of operating companies will not step up hiring this year.

Developing a proprietary database is an important step toward improving lifecycle reliability of future subsea power products while simultaneously reducing their development cycle time and expense.

Technical innovations improve pump life and operating efficiency in the Powder River and Illinios basins.

Industry and environmental organizations are joining forces to integrate advanced technologies into drilling operations to significantly reduce the impact of drilling and production activities in environmentally sensitive areas.

Scottish company will drill a year earlier than scheduled, after attracting Malaysian investment.

New rigs, deeper wells, and Arctic drilling drew attention this year.

New rig designs, control systems, drilling risers, and API specifications are among the rollouts this year.

The publication of the first-ever comparative SAGD Drilling and Cost Benchmarking Study provides operators of SAGD projects insight into how efficient their in situ programs are and what lies ahead for this segment of the industry.

A North Sea drilling rig started a 2-month journey from a Highlands deepwater port to the Falkland Islands.

Drilling association takes representative to task for spreading “misinformation” about frac fluids.

Venerable US rig census under new ownership in its 56th year.

Five-year project, with an option for an additional five years, will drill and complete oil wells utilizing the turnkey concept.

Integrating geomechanics with drilling fluid design successfully mitigates time-dependent wellbore instability in Middle East fields.

New technology variable speed drives extend electrical submersible pump life while cutting operational costs.

Medical Bridges narrows the healthcare gap worldwide, connecting those who have with those who hope, saving lives at every stop.

A systematic approach to design, manufacturing and operations creates new reasons to deploy frac sleeve completions in multizone horizontal wells.

Higher pressure ratings and shorter packer lengths add value to customized frac completions.

OBS may soon reach an oil field near you.

According to Jeff Ventura, president, chief operating officer and director for Range Resources Corp., the company has found a way to recycle water to eliminate discharge.

James T. Hackett, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Anadarko Petroleum Corp., discusses energy policy and the role of natural gas as well as the company’s plans for international E&P.

As exploration pushes into more extreme environments, closed-loop MPD systems are providing the means to proactively challenge and succeed in some of the world’s most undrillable wells.

Thorough planning, innovative technology, and near-flawless operating technique combine to successfully drill a horizontal well in a fractured, depleted reservoir.

Combining casing drilling with underbalanced operations adds efficiency while maximizing borehole quality and safety.

Conference looked at a tantalizing variety of tools and systems.

Optimized drilling achieves record ROP in Peru.

Service useful in geosteering and geomechanical assessments.

New process maximizes production, saves Fayetteville Shale operator $735,000 in H2S scavenging costs.

Sixty years ago, an oilfield services company realized it needed a new technology developed by the US military to continue its success in the oilfield perforation business.

How to change our paradigms when the uncommon is becoming common.

The program committee for the Offshore Europe Conference must have known the regional emphasis was a sure bet, for this afternoon panel was well-attended.

Once again, experience proves to be the best teacher as operators find success at the end of a long string.

Multilateral technology is undergoing a renaissance as operators and service companies learn how to use it to improve production while saving money.

Multilateral completions have strong economic potential in unconventional gas developments.

A new study is combining the benefits of multistage fracturing with the additional data gained from time-lapse seismic.

Multizone completion technology and best stimulation practices minimize economic and environmental impacts, especially in horizontal wells.

Precise planning, careful project and contract management, and a positive working environment enable successful well abandonment in the North Sea.

Unlike oil reservoirs, which were known to leave large volumes in the ground that could only be produced through secondary and tertiary recovery techniques, it was generally not appreciated that large volumes of gas might remain between, beneath or behind the casing of the existing wells.

Government funds will help companies develop renewables and technologies that promote energy efficiency.

Naturally occurring gas hydrates could be part of the solution to US energy security.

Chesapeake Energy and Schlumberger collaborate to solve gas blocking, significantly improve uptime of ESPs in difficult wells.

With HP/HT operations becoming the norm, drilling and formation evaluation technologies must ensure that systems can withstand extreme levels of shock, vibration, and pressure surges.

Glass fiber based thermoset composites handle high temperatures and extreme pressures yet are easily drilled out in downhole applications.

An estimated 625 fixed offshore platforms are under construction or planned for installation in coming years, according to ODS-Petrodata's online Offshore Construction Locator market intelligence tool.

It is understandable that the designers and end users of such massive structures keep reliability and availability at the very top of their list of ‘must haves’ when they consider critical equipment.

The DEC expected to have the preliminary report done by this spring, but that's changed to later this summer.

With the increased demand for greater efficiencies in drilling operations, oil and gas companies are searching for new means of using all available data while drilling.

A complete formation evaluation suite in a single, compact LWD package is quickly gaining respect as a robust solution to complex reservoir problems.

By acquiring and interpreting the proper set of measurements while drilling, geosteering engineers can locate the well path in real time with respect to the geological boundaries and guide the progress of the well.

With the “green shoots” of recovery more numerous by the day, dark warnings of a new spike in oil prices are also multiplying.

A new generation of logging-while-producing tools allows enhanced flow monitoring in any operating environment.

As the global concern over the effects of CO2 on the environment grows so do energy industry initiatives to economically address the issue, such as CCS.

Engineered solutions for torque-and-drag gain new recognition with extended-reach wells.

For the world’s most extreme well construction operations, automated, reliable equipment and engineered fit-for-purpose cement designs are essential.

Oil and Natural Gas, a children's book published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and DK Publishing, talks about the basics of oil and natural gas.

Analysts predict that declining demand matched with rising supplies of natural gas and LNG will affect the market for at least the next four years.

It is hard to imagine a more traumatic time for the oil and gas industry. The depth and breadth of the economic crisis has significantly decreased hydrocarbon demand. Notwithstanding actions by OPEC and domestic producers, it remains unclear when supply and demand will regain their balance, especially in the natural gas market. The time for investing in strategic growth is now.

With the recent merger of W-H Energy Services with Smith International, SMITH has re-entered the directional drilling market with an extensive range of products and services including PathFinder’s rotary steerable system (RSS) and Dyna-Drill’s mud motor technology.

The offshore rig fleet was expanded again this week with the delivery on April 28 of Scorpion Offshore jackup Offshore Freedom.

According to the Texas Petro Index (TPI), a service of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers continued to decline throughout March for the fifth consecutive month.

Cummins latest launch for the oil and gas market includes a fuel efficiency improvement of 4% to 9%.

As OTC celebrates its 40th year, Oil States Industries Inc. is proud of its perfect attendance at the event.

OTC offers the opportunity for companies to spotlight technologies on a world stage.

Enhanced Enterprise-class drillships are in a class of their own.

Field-proven, MMS-approved technology restores surface control for subsurface safety valves.

A recently introduced ADFR fluid is enabling more economic operations in extended-reach wells.

Steadily advancing HWO and snubbing technologies have merged to provide a viable and economic alternative to conventional rigs in a host of onshore and offshore drilling, completion, and live-well intervention applications.

In 2Q, 2009, Murphy West Africa Ltd, Societe Nationale Des Petroles du Congo, and PA Resources AB will put the world’s first FDPSO into operation on the Republic of Congo’s Azurite field.

While CT has advanced beyond its origins, a new process for joining strip sections promises to improve fatigue life even further.

It’s no secret that the Santos Basin’s pre-salt layer is one of the most attractive deepwater plays in the market today.

The M-Series PACE rigs’ skidding speed boosts efficiency and safety.

Putting a number on digital benefits is one thing, but how important is the technology in a technology initiative?

President Barrack Obama made many promises during his campaign; he is now finding it difficult to keep them.

Mitchell Energy proved that technology makes a difference when it used horizontal drilling to unlock the secrets of the Barnett Shale. New technological breakthroughs will continue to be needed in the years ahead.

Mitchell Energy proved that technology makes a difference when it used horizontal drilling to unlock the secrets of the Barnett Shale. New technological breakthroughs will continue to be needed in the years ahead.

Mitchell Energy proved that technology makes a difference when it used horizontal drilling to unlock the secrets of the Barnett Shale. New technological breakthroughs will continue to be needed in the years ahead.

New directional drilling control software alleviates problems commonly associated with slide drilling.

Directional casing drilling technology increases ROP and ensures success when drilling through complex formations in high angle wells.

From the top down and the bottom up: there are always two ways to find a solution when designing challenging wells.

System allows building of multilateral junctions while permitting back-to-back stimulation of the well.

The second day’s plenary session of the 2009 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference discussed technology advancement and its evolutionary and revolutionary potentials.

Wednesday’s technical session at SPE/IADC “Drilling Automation: Technologies, Terminology, and Parallels with Other Industries” suggests the creation of a new, standardized terminology when designing and constructing automated drilling systems.

Pride International’s latest additions to its deepwater fleet are designed to meet challenges in the deepest offshore projects to date.

Does the drilling industry have the right people in the sufficient number to carry it through the next 30 years?

SPE/IADC Conference opens its first session on the needs, methods, and modes of automating the drilling process.

The list of E&P Magazine's MEA award winners. 

A new automated downlinking tool allows drillers to implement commands and controls through a single intelligent interface.

The economy is shaky, but the fundamentals are the same — operators will need to chase trickier targets and will need the best technology available to find them.

A robust, crosslinked frac fluid can help optimize well stimulation while conserving fresh water.

Once again, E&P is updating its drill bit world records, and your input is welcome.

Underground coal gasification (UCG) could serve as an alternative, clean source of energy.

PdVSA hopes to stanch its financial losses.

DOI Secretary Ken Salazar sets forth on a new five year OCS plan

Two of Canada's Premiers also call out to industry players that Canada is ripe for investment. 

Drilling projects are being put on hold because PdVSA owes two American companies, Helmerich & Payne Inc. and Ensco International Inc., a combined US $135 million.

PDC bit technology is fine-tuned for specific formations located in fields traditionally dominated by roller cone bit applications.

Application-specific roller cone bits equipped to withstand higher energy inputs can deliver better performance in critical applications.

Quantec premium PDC bits are fast, tough, and stable.

Modern drilling environments require renewed focus on cost reduction. Slimhole drilling can save casing and cement costs.

Use of multiphase metering has seen considerable growth and adoption in the oil and gas industry the past several years. As an effective alternative to expensive and labor-intensive well-testing operations — involving test separators, cumbersome mobile well-test units, and maintenance-intensive platform facilities — the potential for growing use of multiphase meters is significant.

Well testing provides answers that are not available any other way, supporting critical decisions that can affect reservoirs for their active life. Getting test data more swiftly allows operators to make faster production decisions.

Operating companies that have been active in Atlantic Canada have teamed up to speed drilling programs that could lead to additional production offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.

Finding new ways to drill for unconventional reserves and lowering overall costs means ‘doing more with less’ by using more efficient technologies.

To save money and minimize nonproductive time during a completion, the ideal fluid loss control system should be ready when it’s needed.

The trend to nationalize oil and gas assets may be “scaled back or reversed” due to the need of those countries to seek greater foreign investment.

Change in the price of oil has brought many new opportunities for acquisitions of upstream organizations. Experience in these transactions teaches that there are special considerations that present hidden opportunities and risk.

Drilling technology adds value to oil and gas reserves in 2008.

From a drilling perspective, operations in 2008 have pushed the envelope both on and offshore.

After nearly two decades of moratoria, offshore Virginia may finally see the light of day.

A company is examining the possibility of using microwave technology for extracting usable hydrocarbons from oil shale.

Unconventional oil resources are increasingly important in the quest for energy security. Global liquids discoveries have failed to replace oil production for more than twenty years, and there is concern that conventional oil resources will not be able to meet growing supply requirements to fuel worldwide economic growth.

Next-generation computed tomography (CT) scanning reveals the actual pore structure of shale reservoirs at the nanometer scale, and breakthrough algorithms compute the physical properties of shale from these 3-D images — all with unprecedented accuracy.

A new three-level well-life system is helping cement-job designers to diagnose problems in advance to build cement sheathes that maintain integrity throughout the life of a well.

Efficient fracturing techniques used with an appropriate multistage fracturing completion can achieve higher initial gas rates, increased recovery rates, and reduced completion costs.

A new mixed-integer constrained global optimization algorithm tackles oilfield production system challenges.

Determining the complexity of a managed-pressure drilling project can identify which tools to use to get it right the first time.

Many of today’s drilling prospects are challenging, expensive, and in some cases undrillable. Managed-pressure drilling techniques are increasingly being applied as a solution to overcome barriers and increase drilling performance.

The implementation of new technologies in Asia-Pacific increases drilling efficiency and improves the overall value of assets.

There is a huge demand for high-spec drilling rigs, and in remote areas of the world where comparatively little deepwater drilling is taking place, extending a rig’s mooring capability is one avenue operators have taken to contend with asset constraint.

A new frac technique combines a concentrated proppant slurry and energized fluids for optimal stimulation with minimal fluid to flow back.

Fast and cost-effective, multizone stimulation using coiled tubing (CT) offers several advantages in a South Texas well.

A newly introduced wellbore stimulation tool increases the chance of fracturing success.

A new water-based drilling fluid has been developed specifically to contend with the unique challenges of onshore ultra-deep HP/HT wells in sensitive ecosystems.

High density frac fluids enable hydraulic stimulation of ultra-deep reservoirs by reducing surface pressure for topside equipment.

3-D numerical simulations provide realistic input for predictions of fracture gradient and wellbore stability for subsalt wells.

Twenty years of decommissioning offshore oil and gas facilities creates a knowledgeable framework for estimating new projects.

Hurricane Katrina created abandonment challenges in the form of complicated platform and well conditions that, in some cases, required a new way of tackling projects.

Compared side by side, drilling extended reach wells from a platform shows a dramatic cost savings against placing a traditional template on the seafloor. StatoilHydro’s Gulltopp well is proof.

It is just a matter of time before ERD and multilateral drilling techniques converge and are then applied to more effectively develop those reservoirs that need it most.

Oman/Shell joint venture PDO overcomes access and production logging challenges in North Oman.

New formation testing technology tools overcome mixed-phase fluid challenges.

A new approach closes the loop between what is physically possible to do from a well tolerance perspective and the commands issued through drilling controls.

Executive Editor Judy Maksoud looks at how the world is producing oil and gas and how that approach needs to change.

We’ve all suffered through poorly executed talks. Here’s how to make sure yours isn’t one of them. This is the first of a two-part series.

A common understanding across disciplines can be achieved by sharing real-time LWD data using the familiar environment of a geological framework surrounding the well bore — a three-dimensional earth model.

Severe downhole vibrations can damage drilling equipment, including the drill bit, drill collars, stabilizers, measurement-while-drilling/logging-while-drilling (MWD/LWD) tools, and rotary steerable systems (RSSs). Advances in near-bit sensor technology are now allowing drillers to use vibration sensor information while drilling to optimize rotary-steerable operations.

West Texas operators experience dramatic savings in cost per reservoir-foot in zone when they take a high-tech approach.

A wellbore strengthening treatment initiative incorporating particulate or chemical-based lost-circulation material (LCM) and comprehensive pre-drill planning addresses the hazards associated with hole instability.

A new chemical sand-consolidation method is reliably controlling sand production and increasing oil-recovery rates from weakly consolidated sandstone reservoirs in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Companies that continue to thrive must develop unique and creative ways of attracting and retaining human capital that will allow their organization to grow and prosper.

Web-based alumni networks are helping oil and gas companies maintain their most valuable asset — experienced employees.

Human Resources (HR) executives list the talent void as one of the top five business issues facing their companies.

Unique combination of proven technologies makes heavy well intervention offshore feasible and more cost-effective.

Complete metal fatigue or even wear before complete failure can be continuously measured using the technology of harmonic footprinting.

Joints make the system react to the applied environmental loads in a fundamentally different manner compared to the performance of single hull floaters.

Shell applies a suite of advanced technologies to develop a challenging project offshore Brazil.

Always on the lookout for new technology that improves efficiency, increases safety and lower costs, one Chinese oilfield operator found a solution by drillling the top section of wells with a casing drilling system.

By streamlining business processes, drilling contractors can increase their activity without increasing worker headcount.

A new generation of solid tubular expandable liners provides dependable results even when conditions are deemed high risk.

Solid expandable technology, expandable casing patch systems, and expandable liner hangers enable many new techniques for drilling and completion operations.

Conventional neat cement can be used in the majority of drilling situations, but in special cases density adjustment is critical to successful well completion and long term zonal isolation.

Thick, deep salt structures challenge wellbore design, making cement a key factor in ensuring casing integrity and isolation over the life of the well.

In cemented completions, maintaining long-term zonal isolation is critical to helping ensure that worker health, safety, and environmental (HSE) standards are met and that the well is operated economically.

Active set-cement technology mitigates risk of future gas leaks in the Central Alberta Foothills region.

The best data in the world is useless if the mapping is incorrect.

Deep water brings with it demanding operating conditions for subsea equipment. A new vertical christmas tree resolves some of these challenges as it takes production to greater depths.

As a significant part of its efforts to find new resources for meeting this demand, the oil and gas industry continues to push the boundaries of deepwater exploration and development.

May news and analysis.

Worldwide competition for equipment to extract, produce and transport energy is intense. Easily accessible fields are being exhausted, and high energy prices are making developments in remote locations more viable.

Rebuilding service facilities on the US Gulf Coast following hurricanes Rita and Katrina presented enormous challenges and, at the same time, opened the door for improvement.

The crewboat and supply boat sector of the offshore industry is as constrained as the mobile offshore drilling unit segment. Demand is high, availability is scarce and there is a global need for additional vessels.

After three years of “integrated services” experience with six mobile offshore drilling rigs, a Transocean Inc. subsidiary has achieved successes in operational efficiency and improved safety offshore India.

Manufacturers are engineering bits as integrated components of a system that extends from the end of the drill string to topside to company headquarters.

Asset operating integrity programs that work depend on commitment and support.

A proppant viscometer measures resistance to solids settling in proppant-rich frac fluids.

Analysis of fracture path leads to more effective stimulation placement.

A new stimulation service provides a fast, accurate way to perforate and hydraulically fracture multiple zones on a single trip.

Smaller and lighter rechargeable batteries have the potential to revolutionize measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool design and simplify rig operations.

High day rates are pushing operators toward rigs with greater efficiency.

Log and seismic calibration and core-based simulations are revealing reservoir secrets with growing clarity, while composite plugs are helping to improve recovery.

PDC directional bit technology enhances steering performance by balancing the bit’s face and lateral aggressiveness with the application.

Ranking the relative importance of key performance indices in specific applications enables optimal technologies to be applied to improve drilling performance.

Sophisticated simulation process accurately models the total drilling system from individual cutter contact with the formation to the surface drive mechanism. 

A bit should be designed to complement the unique qualities and capabilities of each individual drilling system.

Understanding of drilling dynamics, both through drilling dynamics models and validation of those models with downhole measurements, has progressed significantly.

Tool initially developed to enable drilling with casing proves to be an effective method for automating casing running operations.

A proven pneumatic drilling system that could only be controlled locally becomes an electronic system that permits remote control.

Companies that provide drilling services are no longer in a “do as you’re told”environment.

A customized bridging solution aided drilling in Saudi Arabia.

Operating at a consistently low control line pressure regardless of depth or well pressure, the valve requires only the low-pressure circuit in the umbilical.

Light, multitasking vessels lower risks, costs for activities in existing offshore wells.

Sophistication offers top efficiency and safety for operators.

Technique saved time and money in isolating a non-productive zone in an offshore well.

New contacts in new industries spark better applications of technology in the oil field.

As mature reservoirs create more difficult challenges, accurate simulations grow more vital.

Lubricant helps to overcome torque and drag, minimize stick and slip concerns and allow drilling a longer section than initially planned.

Weighted fluid helps operator lower time of transition from mud to completion fluid.

Wells flow freely after fluid dissolves blockage in screens.

Tailored solution saves money for operator in sensitive well bore.

Special drilling fluid solution stops excessive mud losses and maintains wellbore integrity in a vuggy limestone formation with substantial natural fracturing.