E&P Magazine - November 2008
As I See It
Damage to be done
It takes an honest man, or a completely remorseless idiot, to admit, as did Alan Greenspan in late October, that there was a flaw in his economic theory that drove the US economy for a couple of decades, a flaw that has placed it and the global economy on the slippery slope to depression.
Exploration Technologies
On the verge of collapse?
With oil prices dropping and the world facing recession, it’s interesting to study the relationship between these two dynamics.
Drilling Technologies
Mexico considers energy reforms
After a long period of populist resistance, Pemex may finally receive the political backing to seek help in raising its reserves in the southern GoM.
Completions and Production
Innovation as a counter-cyclical investment
Despite the cyclical nature of petroleum industry supply-and-demand dynamics, it’s important that operators continually invest in new technology. In fact, a downturn may be the best time to ramp up investment.
OSVs stack worldwide order books
Marked growth in the global OSV market — which includes anchor-handling tug and supply vessels, platform supply vessels, and multipurpose service and supply vessels — reflects the increase in offshore construction and subsea installations.
Digital Solutions
Making the leap to open source
“You can’t stop what’s coming; it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” -No Country For Old Men
Features
A downstream view of an upstream problem
Production optimization must extend across levels and be based on an integrated environment.
A new approach to VSP
First-order free-surface related multiples provide a wider seismic illumination zone than conventional reflections.
Computing properties from 3-D imaging
Next-generation computed tomography (CT) scanning reveals the actual pore structure of shale reservoirs at the nanometer scale, and breakthrough algorithms compute the physical properties of shale from these 3-D images — all with unprecedented accuracy.
Cooperation puts province back on the map
Operating companies that have been active in Atlantic Canada have teamed up to speed drilling programs that could lead to additional production offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.
Gas-lift reverses diminishing returns
Traditional gas lift delivers only limited success in long interval environments. Newer techniques overcome shortcomings, but a single tool does not solve every problem.
Heavy lifting solved in Venezuela
Faced with trying to produce 8.6°API crude with viscosity beyond 10,000 cP, PdVSA found innovative solutions to lifting and metering problems.
Improving seismic imaging in Alberta
Continuously improving the seismic image quality is key to Shell’s future exploration success in the Canadian Foothills.
Microwave potential
A company is examining the possibility of using microwave technology for extracting usable hydrocarbons from oil shale.
New vibrator system holds promise
A newly designed system offers vast improvements over conventional technology.
One-trip multistage completions
Efficient fracturing techniques used with an appropriate multistage fracturing completion can achieve higher initial gas rates, increased recovery rates, and reduced completion costs.
Patterns of progress
In 1986 Diamond Shamrock drilled through hundreds of feet of Gulf of Mexico salt and found a thousand feet of reservoir-quality rock beneath it — and the race was on.
Polymer gels improve oil recovery
Two recent projects in Argentina demonstrate how polymer gels can be effective in improving oil recovery in mature waterfloods.
Software advances strengthen well-life systems
A new three-level well-life system is helping cement-job designers to diagnose problems in advance to build cement sheathes that maintain integrity throughout the life of a well.
Solver developed for complex, environments
A new mixed-integer constrained global optimization algorithm tackles oilfield production system challenges.
Wildcard for energy security
Unconventional oil resources are increasingly important in the quest for energy security. Global liquids discoveries have failed to replace oil production for more than twenty years, and there is concern that conventional oil resources will not be able to meet growing supply requirements to fuel worldwide economic growth.
Tech Trends
Tech Trend briefs
November tech trends.
On The Move
On the move
Who's going where in the upstream sector.
Last Word
Introducing ‘greengineers’
The big challenge of the 21st century is more than simply protecting our environment; it’s about thriving in a future that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.
Activity Spotlight
Offshore Barbados poised for development
Barbados is currently reviewing submissions for its latest offshore round.
Another Perspective
Innovation crosses over
The myriad of challenges associated with developing petroleum reserves in the Arctic and in ultra-deepwater regions will require both new technologies and novel implementations of existing technologies to lower costs and to address environmental conditions unique to many frontier areas.
Management Report
Effectively engaging India
The next decade will bring exponentially more opportunities for Western executives to hire and promote young graduates and experienced managers of Indian origin. At the same time, there will be equal opportunity for Western companies to offer more products and services to India.
Measuring drilling performance with suitable KPIs
Using the proper metric to measure performance can create a clearer picture of how a company measures up against its peers and can also function as a driver for improvement.
News & Analysis
News and Analysis
November news and analysis.
Oilfield History
First commercial gamma ray logs
In 1939, two companies discovered the value of cooperating with each other.