June 2010

• Unique small-footprint anchor handles extreme out-of-plane loading in high-uplift conditions

  A diving anchor designed to contend with severe weather digs deeper in harsh GoM conditions.

• Advanced engineering allows mooring facilities close to offshore structures

  Reliable engineering and design methods facilitate mooring floating systems next to offshore structures in more conditions than ever before.

• Rig-based mooring inspection saves millions

  Novel approach to conducting inspections allows surveys to be carried out on mooring components onboard moored drilling rigs.

• Influential People: Steven Mueller

  At the helm of a company that has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, the president and CEO of Southwestern Energy talks about his company’s success in the Fayetteville and how that success will continue for decades to come.

• An integrated approach to frontier exploration

  Combining gravity gradiometry with other exploration technologies can unlock new reserves.

• A declaration of independence for land seismic

  Give me flexibility, or give me death! New acquisition systems offer unprecedented freedom.

• JIP takes proactive stance on marine mammal protection

  It’s hard to make regulations without sound science. A joint industry program hopes to provide that science.

• ‘Sourceless’ LWD improves horizontal analysis

  Compact multimeasurement logging-while-drilling tool provides essential information to solve a petrophysical puzzle.

• Lower risk lateral logging

  While LWD/MWD offers substantial results in a number of drilling applications, horizontal shale laterals provide limited opportunities for these systems due to high cost and increased risk. A new memory-based tool can go where the bit goes and provides a wealth of information for horizontal laterals.

• Custom composites combat corrosion

  Application of non-metallic materials for oil and water transportation in E&P operations matches materials with fluids in the operational environment.

• A new line emerges on linear lift

  Traditionally focused on heavy lift applications or viscous crude production, linear lift systems are spreading their wings to envelop all phases of artificial lift.

• Why care about treatment fluid recovery?

  Analysis of hydraulic fracturing treatment fluid recovery provides insight that can predict long-term fracture productivity.

• Shale shock reverberates across US and beyond

  Ripple effects from the US shale boom are undulating around the globe.

• An integrated workflow for selecting optimal drilling locations

  A Barnett case study examines the proper placement of horizontal wells.

• Casing drilling tool sets multiple records in Marcellus

  In the Marcellus shale, wells tend to be drilled with a truly horizontal lateral section. Setting casing to bottom can be challenging, but new developments in casing drilling are paving the way to lower cost.

• Pioneering the Eagle Ford

  The Eagle Ford shale is galloping into the ranks of the nation’s top resource plays due to rich gas, impressive flows, and remarkably consistent results.

• São Tomé and Príncipe offers first deepwater licensing round

  The double-island state, located approximately 186 miles (300 km) off the coast of West Africa and 124 miles (200 km) south of Nigeria, launched its debut licensing round in its EEZ on March 2, 2010.

• Low-risk oil is a thing of the past

• The sky’s the limit for digital oil fields in the cloud

  Cloud computing is a relatively new concept for the oil and gas industry, but its role is growing because it is ideal for E&P information delivery, decision-support, and collaboration

• Shell, IBM tackle reservoir simulation challenges

  An industry collaboration hopes to quantify uncertainty in reservoir modeling.

• One heck of a survey

  ExxonMobil stared down a host of obstacles to acquire one of the largest multicomponent land surveys in history.

• The next big game change

• Limited resources yield maximum impact

  A well-conceived process can help to maximize the return from new product development. Adherence to the process over time is the challenge.

• On the Move

• The end of an error

  Always interesting, often controversial, Matt Simmons delivered the obituary for oil and gas but acknowledged that it’s always darkest before the dawn. Then he offered a preview of the dawn.

• Tech Trends

• Addressing the challenges of offshore LNG transfer

  As LNG continues its expansion as a worldwide commodity, new methods of safe, efficient offshore transfers are attempting to meet current demand.

• Knowing risks improves decisions on safety

  Cost does not have to compromise a company’s ability to achieve safety excellence.