Hart Energy Publishing
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March 2009
Drilling challenges in 2009

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.


Features
Drilling Automation and Control
New tools extend drilling automation

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

Land Seismic: Stepping up land seismic
Stepping up land seismic

A new system extends the boundaries of land acquisition.

Sophisticated dynamic modeling

UNIX-based finite element analysis (FEA) drilling simulation model incorporates more than 1,000,000 lines of code to accurately reflect the complexity of the total drilling system.
Quality planning is the key to quality data

Aging Cement field gets new look.

Offshore HSE
Lifeboats take on the Arctic

Lifeboats that work in harsh environments need different capabilities from those that operate in benign climates, but functionality of the craft is not the only concern. The other major component of lifeboat operation is the human factor. The way the lifeboat is designed ultimately affects the people whose lives the craft is intended to save.

New capsule targets safer crew transfers

A new crew transfer option is on the table as a result of a challenge put forward by the industry for a safe, efficient, low-cost device suitable for broad implementation.
Stimulation
The benefits of recycle-produced water for fracs

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

Applied fluid jetting improves production

The theory behind applied fluid jetting is simple: to increase production rates and improve reservoir recovery rates by maximizing the reservoir area contacted by the well bore, both vertically and horizontally.
 
Digital Oil Field
Recent advances in machinery analysis

Machinery-analysis capabilities have improved in step with increased computing power, but have been focused inward, toward detection of machinery failures. Advanced analytical algorithms can today place equipment condition within the context of overall operations, expanding the equipment health field-of-view to include event detection.

Exploration
Myth busters

Sound bites need to give way to reasoned discussion.

Well Construction
Drilling down for North America

Two recent reports provide a somewhat diminished picture of drilling activity in North America through 2009.

Production Optimization
Ultrasound applied to crude oil desulfurization

An innovative method for upgrading crude oils will find application across multiple industry sectors.

Tech Trends
ICDs contend with early water, gas breakthrough

Improving openhole completions with inflow control devices and swellable zonal isolation can be the means to avoiding problems associated with early water and gas breakthrough and resulting reduced oil production.

Tech Trend shorts

March tech trends. 

As I See It
Who turned up the volume on depression talk?

These days, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone babbling on about the recession (come on folks, it is a depression), its likely severity, and the chances of an early recovery in oil and gas prices.

Management Report
Safeguarding corporate reputation through crises

Since the North Sea Piper disaster in 1988, upstream companies have worked hard to improve the safety of their operations. Apart from the prime objective of minimizing risk to personnel and the environment, organizations know that having an accident is significantly more expensive than fostering safety.

Oilfield History
The Oil Queen of California

“A woman with a genius for affairs — it may sound paradoxical, but the fact exists. If Mrs. Emma A. Summers were less than a genius she could not, as she does today, control the Los Angeles oil markets.” – The San Francisco Call, July 21, 1901

Another Perspective
Managing engineering in a time of change

Global conditions compound the issues of generational change in engineering companies in the oil and gas industry. Those conditions are compounded by the “engineering company conundrum,” a situation that leads to cultures that, by their very nature, make it impossible to train, retain, and motivate the staff who must be in place to provide a quality product when the eventual upturn in demand occurs. This article is the first in a two-part series that examines the status of engineering companies in the oil and gas industry, where they have been, and where they are going in a time of tremendous change.

Activity Spotlight
The next Tupi?

Gabon prepares to launch its first deepwater license round in an area analogous to the Santos and Campos basins.

On The Move
On the move

Who's going where in the upstream sector.

The Last Word
Learn survival skills

Welcome to the real world, new recruits! Jobs may be tougher to find and keep, but a few survival tips will help you succeed.