November 2008

• Improving seismic imaging in Alberta

  Continuously improving the seismic image quality is key to Shell’s future exploration success in the Canadian Foothills.

• A new approach to VSP

  First-order free-surface related multiples provide a wider seismic illumination zone than conventional reflections.

• Patterns of progress

  In 1986 Diamond Shamrock drilled through hundreds of feet of Gulf of Mexico salt and found a thousand feet of reservoir-quality rock beneath it — and the race was on.

• New vibrator system holds promise

  A newly designed system offers vast improvements over conventional technology.

• Gas-lift reverses diminishing returns

  Traditional gas lift delivers only limited success in long interval environments. Newer techniques overcome shortcomings, but a single tool does not solve every problem.

• Heavy lifting solved in Venezuela

  Faced with trying to produce 8.6°API crude with viscosity beyond 10,000 cP, PdVSA found innovative solutions to lifting and metering problems.

• Polymer gels improve oil recovery

  Two recent projects in Argentina demonstrate how polymer gels can be effective in improving oil recovery in mature waterfloods.

• A downstream view of an upstream problem

  Production optimization must extend across levels and be based on an integrated environment.

• Wildcard for energy security

  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.

• Computing properties from 3-D imaging

  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.

• Microwave potential

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

• Software advances strengthen well-life systems

  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.

• One-trip multistage completions

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

• Solver developed for complex, environments

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

• Cooperation puts province back on the map

  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.

• Offshore Barbados poised for development

  Barbados is currently reviewing submissions for its latest offshore round.

• Innovation crosses over

  The myriad of challenges associated with developing petroleum reserves in the Arctic and in ultra-deepwater regions will require both new technologies and novel implementations of existing technologies to lower costs and to address environmental conditions unique to many frontier areas.

• Damage to be done

  It takes an honest man, or a completely remorseless idiot, to admit, as did Alan Greenspan in late October, that there was a flaw in his economic theory that drove the US economy for a couple of decades, a flaw that has placed it and the global economy on the slippery slope to depression.

• Making the leap to open source

  “You can’t stop what’s coming; it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” -No Country For Old Men

• On the verge of collapse?

  With oil prices dropping and the world facing recession, it’s interesting to study the relationship between these two dynamics.

• Mexico considers energy reforms

  After a long period of populist resistance, Pemex may finally receive the political backing to seek help in raising its reserves in the southern GoM.

• Measuring drilling performance with suitable KPIs

  Using the proper metric to measure performance can create a clearer picture of how a company measures up against its peers and can also function as a driver for improvement.

• Effectively engaging India

  The next decade will bring exponentially more opportunities for Western executives to hire and promote young graduates and experienced managers of Indian origin. At the same time, there will be equal opportunity for Western companies to offer more products and services to India.

• News and Analysis

  November news and analysis.

• First commercial gamma ray logs

  In 1939, two companies discovered the value of cooperating with each other.

• On the move

  Who's going where in the upstream sector.

• Innovation as a counter-cyclical investment

  Despite the cyclical nature of petroleum industry supply-and-demand dynamics, it’s important that operators continually invest in new technology. In fact, a downturn may be the best time to ramp up investment.

• OSVs stack worldwide order books

  Marked growth in the global OSV market — which includes anchor-handling tug and supply vessels, platform supply vessels, and multipurpose service and supply vessels — reflects the increase in offshore construction and subsea installations.

• Tech Trend briefs

  November tech trends.

• Introducing ‘greengineers’

  The big challenge of the 21st century is more than simply protecting our environment; it’s about thriving in a future that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.