E&P Magazine - August 2009
As I See It
The challenge of changing
As I see it, the oil and gas industry is experiencing very interesting times, and they are times of tremendous change and opportunity.
Exploration Technologies
Just when you thought it was safe
In an expedition funded by oil and service companies, scientists find a truly scary marine fossil.
Drilling Technologies
Common sense is not so common
How many politicians does it take to screw in a halogen light bulb? Just one, but you’ll also need a simple majority to vote on a tax at every turn.
Completions and Production
Hydraulic fracturing fracas could compromise domestic industry
Pending legislation to restrict well-understood practice would leave many questions unanswered.
Digital Solutions
Software technology integrates assets across lifecycle
In consumer markets, technology revolutions happen quickly. The E&P sector of the oil and gas industry is always looking for new ideas, but adoption takes time.
Features
2009 UK budget offers fiscal incentives for challenging fields
Recently rolled out government incentives, attempting to attract investment in the more challenging new UK fields, are a positive sign of government and stakeholder engagement.
CCS provides bridge to sustainable energy
CCS is held up by many as a necessary means to combat climate change, while others claim that it has no place in a future of sustainable energy supply. For the energy industry the question is: How can future demands be met with low CO2 emitting energy?
DRM takes advantage of new conveyance technologies
A new methodology has significantly expanded the operational envelope of wireline.
Electric submersible pumps fine tuned for gassy wells
Chesapeake Energy and Schlumberger collaborate to solve gas blocking, significantly improve uptime of ESPs in difficult wells.
Elemental analysis tool enhances logging accuracy
Predicting reserves and production estimates in complex reservoirs is becoming less challenging with new formation evaluation tools.
Hostile drilling environments require new approach
With HP/HT operations becoming the norm, drilling and formation evaluation technologies must ensure that systems can withstand extreme levels of shock, vibration, and pressure surges.
New composite materials enhance HP/HT operations
Glass fiber based thermoset composites handle high temperatures and extreme pressures yet are easily drilled out in downhole applications.
New system can safely store CO2
CCS has dominated global thinking on CO2 emissions reduction and has led to industry projects that are pushing the envelope of today’s technology. One newly introduced concept is a large-scale, non-excavated geologic storage system that can store large volumes of CO2.
Norway’s mature North Sea still attractive after more than 40 years
It is exactly 43 years since the first exploration well was spudded on the NCS. The well, located in the North Sea, was dry, but it paved the way for the successes to come, amounting to proven reserves of more than 60 Bboe throughout the NCS.
Pioneering artificial lift
Artificial lift coaxes oil to the surface, stimulates production, and extends a project’s lifespan by up to 10%.
Presalt draws international investors
Brazil’s massive presalt reserves and the need for development open opportunities for services providers.
Safety valve system brings wells back to life
Integrated systems provide operators with single-source approach to well revival.
Tech Trends
New tree opens access to marginal fields
The growing market for small and marginal field projects requires a new hardware solution. A new entry in the subsea market improves NPV of small, marginal fields by accelerating production and lowering capital expenditure.
On The Move
On the Move
Who's going where in the upstream sector.
Last Word
CNG: Taking gas where it has never gone before
Fashionable alternative energy sources (such as biofuels or wind) and climate rhetoric aside, the world which today draws 87% of energy from fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), will by the year 2030 still draw 87% from them — all this while the total energy demand will grow by 50%.
Activity Spotlight
Greenland primed
A new licensing round releases the enigmatic Arctic frontier for exploration and exploitation.
UK takes on energy security challenge
British government officials discuss plans to achieve energy security through domestic and international means as part of the transition to a low carbon economy.
Management Report
Supply chain management drives value
With the sudden steep decline in oil price and the dramatically increasing cost base over the last few years driven by shortages of people and equipment, the oil and gas industry has renewed its focus on supply chain management.