Paradigm Geophysical sheds the shackles of Wall Street to pursue its vision. Even though the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) has abated slightly since the e-commerce craze of the... more

A new method improves seismic reflection detail and continuity. Satinder Chopra is manager, special projects; Emil Blias is research geophysicist; and Vasudhaven Sudhakar is president of the Reservoir Technologies Division of... more

Multicomponent induction log data can provide permeability readings more consistent with reservoir-scale data. Permeability is a key parameter critical to the efficient production of hydrocarbons. A complete reservoir description including... more

A new spectral decomposition method utilizing wavelet transforms reveals seismic direct hydrocarbon indicators that are not obvious on conventional stacked seismic data. The method can be applied to existing seismic... more

The RamPump is one part of an overall strategy to supply pumping capability to move fluids from the reservoir to the tank. Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems' RamPump has increased production by... more

Unconventional resources call for unconventional responses to artificial lift problems. Progressing cavity pumps (PCPs) and electric submersible pumps (ESPs) are two artificial lift techniques being employed in a variety of new... more

During the past 10 years, thousands of multilateral wells have been drilled worldwide, while scores of "intelligent" wells have been monitored and controlled downhole. It is only natural that these... more

A two-component multilateral junction enhances collapse resistance, excludes sand and enables a wide variety of completion options. In many instances, multilateral junctions have experienced connectivity problems due to unstable formations, which... more

The new AutoTrak G3 system drilled 6,000 ft in a single run offshore Norway and saved a UK operator a lot of money in the North Sea. Baker Hughes Inteq recently... more

Teamwork and technology contributed to the successful installation of three offshore multilateral wells for Burlington Resources. Multilateral completion technology and close collaboration created a winning formula that allowed Burlington Resources to... more

No longer are oil country tubular goods merely "dumb iron." In the tubulars business, there is now a smarter stainless steel, a smarter way to track tubulars from the mill to... more

Expandable tubulars have now been deployed using corrosion-resistant alloys to increase the diameter of the production conduit and to shut off corroded and partially collapsed perforations. The US Department of Energy... more

With tubing strings getting longer and heavier, and specialty tubing getting slicker and more expensive, new gripping technology is needed to hold on tight without damaging the pipe. Conventional power tong... more

Just as the structure of the oil and gas industry has changed radically over the last two decades, so have the structure, composition and attitudes of the E&P workforce. Understanding career... more

NORTH AMERICA Construction of a US $24 million Schlumberger Oilfield Services plant has begun in Bartlesville, Okla. The new facility will feature 240,000 sq ft of manufacturing space and 55,000... more

New software and software agreements give a helping hand to students, clients and those in the field. Shell's suite includes 3DiQ Shell International Exploration and Production's Software Suite Portfolio will now include... more

Growing demand for offshore construction has prompted a Dutch-based company to offer a bigger and - it hopes - better vessel. More offshore subsurface work has prompted the need for an... more

NORTH AMERICA CMS Energy agreed to sell most of its CMS Oil & Gas Co. affiliate's oil and gas properties for US $232 million to privately owned Perenco SA of... more

Some of the deepest wells in the world are to be drilled on Thunder Horse, the biggest project in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the most eagerly awaited offshore projects... more

NORTH AMERICA Peter M. Lovie, left, vice president of business development for American Shuttle Tankers LLC, has been appointed to co-chair the Contributors' Advisory Panel of The DeepStar Project. The... more

1. Trio Petroleum Inc.-operated wildcat #75-26 Anvil Bar, Section 26-24s-10e MD, Monterey County, Calif., is scheduled to undergo production testing of the lower portion of the Vaqueros sands from 9,595... more

1. Forest Oil Corp. began production from its Noble Energy-operated Lost Ark field in 2,700 ft (824 m) of water from East Breaks 421. The East Breaks 421 #1 well... more

1. Smedvig's West Navion drillship could drill up to three wells in Amerada Hess' west of Shetlands exploration program. With the completion of Marathon's Annapolis well off Nova Scotia, the... more

1. After a seismic shoot covering ultradeepwater tracts offshore Trinidad and Tobago by a group of active operators in the area, Shell plans a wildcat well before the end of... more

1. TotalFinaElf is ready to restart exploration in OML 102 offshore Nigeria following the end of the border dispute with Equatorial Guinea earlier in the year. The French operator is hoping... more

1. Russian authorities approved Yukoil's development of the Yalamo-Samursky and Central potential oil fields in the Caspian Sea's Russian sector under a production-sharing agreement. Yalamo-Samursky is 275 miles (450 km)... more

1. Oman is seeking bids for the onshore Afar and Ghunaim blocks that were relinquished by Nimir Petroleum and TotalFinaElf last year. Omani's minister of petroleum, Mohammed bin Hamed Al... more

1. Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. picked up the 810,000-acre Contract 102 in the Tanon Strait in the Philippine Islands. The contract gives the company 18 months to complete geophysical surveys.... more

Do whales have a louder voice in Washington than seismic contractors? A few months ago I wrote about the International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC) and its attempts to put sound... more

Technology is essential for the well-connected driller. In Fall 2001, a new drilling data-acquisition system that had been on the drawing board at National Oilwell since 1999 was delivered to Statoil... more

Even mature reservoirs can enjoy the benefits of horizontal well completions through the use of ultrashort-radius, rotary steerable drilling systems. Slimhole, rotary steerable, short-radius drilling equipment is one solution for widening... more

Before I get chatty this month, there are a couple of housekeeping things I need to cover with you. First, on page 85 of this issue you will find the... more

With accounting practices under intense scrutiny, accrual of field tickets and reconciliation with invoices can be made more accurate, timely and transparent using information technology. Managing payables and accrued liabilities... more

Valid and timely information is the foundation for any successful risk-management process. Decisions are made based on an individual's assessment of the current and future situation using available information. "Gut... more

Big fields and long-lived reserves draw big players. The Rocky Mountains of North America, from New Mexico in the United States to British Columbia in Canada, attract major exploration efforts in... more

Today's upstream business climate of consolidation, mergers, long-term alliances and total buy-outs has the potential of leaving the engineering community in a quandary of allegiances. This potential turmoil can adversely... more