E&P Magazine - July 2010
As I See It
Exploration Technologies
Searching for sunken treasure
Offshore explorers need to share the seabed with ships that met a fatal end.
Drilling Technologies
Moratorium by indecision
Although the US DOI has issued new safety requirements for shallow-water operations in the GoM, drilling operations may continue to slow due to ambiguity on recertification procedures.
Completions and Production
Who is watching the store?
A major part of production optimization is simply keeping better track of what wells and reservoirs are doing. The traditional pumpers and gaugers are being replaced by electronic robots.
Digital Solutions
Digital rock physics lab brings core analysis to the digital oil field
Accurate rock characterization improves understanding of technically challenging reservoirs.
HPC solutions improve computing environments for reservoir simulation
Guidelines help remove guesswork from cluster design and direct best practices implementation for increased performance and productivity.
Features
B-Rigs set new pace
New ‘walking’ rigs use a box-on-box design to operate on multiwell pads in sensitive, space-restricted areas. (See video of rig)
Coiled tubing rigs lower cost in shallow plays
Although shallow plays appear to be an easy target, profitability remains a factor of lowering drilling costs.
Exploring the future of sensing
Advances in sensing technology pay benefits across the upstream industry.
Hammer technology swings into offshore construction
Engineering and economic challenges combine with environmental conditions to construct safe, lasting foundations for offshore equipment and facilities.
Hydraulic rigs lower cost, reduce environmental impact
Fully hydraulic rigs lower field development costs, improve safety, and reduce the environmental impact of drilling operations.
Improving dialogue between industry, governments key for global energy success
James Kinnear, former president and chief executive officer of Texaco and Saudi Aramco board member, shares some of his experiences and thoughts about energy security and energy independence for the US.
IOCs need new business models
Changing times present challenges that require new approaches to doing business.
Mike Bahorich
As a technology ‘watch dog,’ Bahorich follows emerging technologies and encourages his colleagues at Apache Corp. to embrace them.
New technology saves drowning gas wells
From land to subsea, versatile new ideas offer economic solutions to many production problems.
Plunger lift technology improves shale gas production
A new automatic, self-actuating technique that operates as it is needed is taking the guess work out of dewatering in shale gas wells.
Seabed production boosting systems push the limits
Two landmark projects have laid the groundwork for subsea production systems of the future.
Sigma saves hot well evaluation offshore India
Lack of resistivity data in HP/HT well does not deter explorationists in their quest for energy.
Suction anchors see installation milestone
Unique project requires innovative installation methods.
Sun shines on the oil industry
Things are looking up for heavy crude production thanks to an economically viable technique as old as the universe itself.
Wireless installation delivers efficiencies
EOR technologies are impacting production volumes in mature fields around the world.
Tech Trends
Mobile visual collaboration allows instant connection for improved efficiency
A new approach to monitoring remote assets based on a mobile, visual collaboration platform can improve HSE.
On The Move
Last Word
Do not trust your rearview mirror
The business world has evolved, and leadership requirements have changed dramatically.
Activity Spotlight
The Bahamas holds promise
Though discoveries have yet to yield commercial hydrocarbons, the geology looks prospective.
Management Report
Streamlined backend processes allow efficient program execution
Automating business processes saves time and money.