February 2010

• Tamar discovery looms large offshore Israel

  Chuck Davidson, chairman and CEO of Noble Energy, calls Tamar a gamechanger for Israel, Noble, and its partners.

• Industry Icon: Dr. John J. Murray

  FloaTEC LLC is investing in R&D to find solutions to deepwater and harsh environment challenges under the leadership of John Murray.

• Offshore managed-pressure drilling boosts efficiency in Asia Pacific

  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.

• Improving efficiency in land seismic acquisition

  New methodologies reduce cost, improve data quality.

• Four ways to increase ROI using enterprise PPM solutions

  Project portfolio management software solutions help E&P companies profit in challenging times.

• New breed of technology streamlines oilfield operations

  In an industry where downtime and inefficient field operations can be crippling, a new breed of innovative, easy-to-use technology solutions is helping companies in the oil and gas industry be more efficient, more informed, and more profitable. 

• DFN modeling unlocks the potential of shale gas reservoirs

  Modeling discrete fracture networks optimizes frac design and performance.

• Think big, get small

  The AEC makes progress toward illuminating the reservoir with a world-class team of interdisciplinary researchers working on a portfolio of nanotechnology-based sensor technologies.

• New PDC Bit Design Eliminates Gage Pads

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

• Advanced PDC design extends durability and speed

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

• Hammer tools and PDC bits provide stick-slip solution

  TORKBUSTER combination destroys rock and reduces costs.

• Quantec Force PDC Is Stable, Durable

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

• Advanced materials yield new performance benchmarks

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

• Optimize body and cutter design to drill hard, abrasive formations

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

• Add value to any frac

  A complete frac additive program reduces costs, lowers HSE risk, and maximizes production.

• Chemical solutions improve field economics, especially when remediation costs are high

  As water and well depths increase, so do remediation costs, making flow assurance and other production chemicals a critical component of integrated well completion and production planning.

• Advanced insulation maintains thermal integrity of subsea systems

  Silicone-based resin combined with glass microspheres is one of the newest subsea insulation materials.

• Riserless system makes cost-effective subsea well intervention a reality

  There are approximately 4,000 oil and gas producing subsea wells across the globe, and this number is increasing. With many now more than a decade old, intervention is crucial to extracting all possible recoverable oil.

• LNG opens PNG markets

  PNG, one of the world’s more resource-rich but market-poor countries, opened access to world markets with the approval of two LNG gas projects late in 2009.

• Industry looks for a “delicate recovery”

  During our present global recession, it is encouraging to take a look at how far the industry has come in the last 30 years and to take stock of the people who have helped make that progress possible.

• Digital Oil Field: Advanced digital monitoring and analysis of well data

  As project complexity increases, advanced digital monitoring and analysis of well data can lead to better business decisions for asset management.

• HPC gets its own society

  A user group is being formed to acknowledge the huge impact high-performance computing is having on the oil and gas industry.

• IPAA educating next generation

  IPAA’s petroleum academies are educating the next generation.

• Reinvesting will pay off

  North American land drillers upgrading fleets.

• Planning tool allows effective project slowdown, restart

  As companies struggle through difficult financial times with reduced capital budgets, delayed projects, and reduced staff, they still need to spend capital, but in a more efficient manner.

• On the Move

  Who's going where in the upstream sector.

• What if...? The key to creativity

  The ability to simulate provides an immensely powerful tool to drilling, reservoir, and production engineers.

• CFD aids in well inflow monitoring

  A new software system uses computational fluid dynamics to increase productivity.

• Tech Trends

  A look at February Tech Trends.

• Big Oil in Big Shale

  What started as a casual trend in 2008 with BP and Statoil turned into a major force in the oil and gas industry during 2009.