May 2016

E&P Magazine - May 2016

A perspective on operating in today’s North Sea oil and gas industry.

As I See It

Keeping A Balance

There’s no convenient universal law when trying to balance short-term needs against long-term goals.

Cover Story

Fighting Back With Innovation

A perspective on operating in today’s North Sea oil and gas industry.

Giant Challenge Brings Innovative Solutions

Eni’s Goliat development represents much of what is both best and worst about offshore megaprojects, a technological marvel but with giant-sized budget and schedule challenges.

Global Offshore Market Spend Set For Upturn

2016 has been consigned to the trash can by most, but 2017 sees rising demand and capex.

‘The Most Boring Company In The Gulf’

LLOG doesn’t care about being the first or the biggest. But its attention to fundamentals makes it one of the best.

Exploration Technologies

The Little Outcrop That Could

A ‘scrappy’ outcrop in eastern Mexico might just have the answers to geological puzzles in the GoM.

Drilling Technologies

Shades of Stroud, Okla.: Yards Full Of Stacked Rigs Bring Reminders Of 1980s

Once the rig count hits bottom historically, the rig count tops 1,000 rigs again within 12 to 18 months.

Completions and Production

Help Wanted

The market may be down, but the need for young talent willing to innovate the tried and true into the next generation of artificial lift technologies is greater.

Offshore Advances

Lundin Knows Drillbit Is Gold

Lundin Norway will be restarting its intensive drilling efforts in the Southern Barents Sea this summer.

Digital Solutions

New Horizons In A Changing World

Automation and efficient use of digitalization remain key to controlling cost and increasing productivity.

New Horizons In A Changing World

Automation and efficient use of digitalization remain key to controlling cost and
increasing productivity.

Features

A Solution For Reliable Onshore Reservoir-quality Seismic

High-density broadband data overcome near-surface challenges.

Age Of Aquarius

Support vessel targets Brazilian market.

Automation Advances Drive New Efficiencies In Pressure Testing

New tool acquires pressure data accurately and reliably with real-time control.

Automation And The Need For Cybersafety

The ‘virtual asset’ provides a working view of the asset that is critical to system operation, evolution and protection, and recovery.

Drillpipe For Shale Drilling Improves WOB, Reduces SPP

Three areas were identified with the most benefits in the field: hydraulics improvement, buckling resistance and tube wear reduction.

Electric-powered Pressure Pumping Solves Regulatory, Cost Concerns

A quieter, cleaner pressure pumping option is now available.

ESP System Engineered For Extended Runlife In Challenging Fields

Collaboration leads to improved ESP systems for the Forties Field.

Evolution Of Land Seismic Acquisition In South America

Wireless systems and single sensors are making an impact on this continent’s rugged terrain.

Jet Pump Deployment Lifts Well To New Operating Heights

Unique pairing of a hydraulic jet pump and an automatic downhole master valve provided a safe and economic solution for an offshore Alaska well.

Major Players Thinking Outside The Box—But Will It Last?

A panel of industry experts discusses findings from Trelleborg’s ‘Next Level’ report, including the benefits of marginal gains and the need for sustained collaboration.

Next Iteration In Drilling Rigs

Two international service providers are well advanced on new-concept digital rigs.

OTC Exhibitors Highlight Technology Developments

OTC will showcase innovative products and services for overcoming industry challenges.

RCP Begins Next Phase

Tom Davis is retiring from the successful consortium he started more than 30 years ago, but his legacy will endure.

RSS Expands Operating Envelope, Reaches Targets In UHT Reservoir

The 200 C-rated RSS was used successfully in a high-temperature exploratory well with a complex trajectory in the Sureste Basin offshore Mexico.

Subsea Tree Players Awaiting Green Shoots Of Recovery

The subsea tree market has tanked, but the technology remains viable and vital in the long term.

Testing Data Relationships In The Mississippi Lime

A 3-D survey area provides a practical test that, when validated with reservoir knowledge, could be helpful in identifying prospective trends.

The Power Of The Right Connections

The cost to get the best connections might be harder to justify in today’s climate, but it is much lower than the cost of failure.

Tullow’s Top TEN Off Ghana

West Africa’s list of stalled projects means Tullow Oil’s TEN development is a rare bright spot.

Wired Drillpipe Provides Repeatability, Operational Efficiencies

The ability to transmit data from downhole at a rate of 57,600 bps to the surface could radically change the way the industry drills wells.

Tech Watch

Replacing FPSO Seals Made Easier

New seal welding solution cuts down repair time of FPSO swivel stacks.

Tech Trends

Tech Trends

Check out the latest technology trends in the industry.

Activity Highlights

International Highlights

Read this month's international highlights for global projects and developments.

On The Move

On The Move

On the Move

MEA Innovations

2016 Special Meritorious Awards For Engineering Innovation

An expert panel of judges has selected the top 18 industry projects that open new and better avenues to the complicated process of finding and producing around the world.