E&P Magazine - October 2012

As I See It

Cover Story

A rising tide

Surging market demand and advances in materials and modeling technologies are pushing the boundaries for flexible risers.

Exploration Technologies

Tuning in to geology

A new geophysical technique uses radio waves to determine rock types.

Drilling Technologies

Fewer, better rigs for unconventional plays

As unconventional plays mature, operators are doing more with less.

Completions and Production

MEOR: Activation of bacteria in formation boosts oil production

Glori Energy claims a 9% to 12% increase in oil production by activating naturally occurring microbes in the formation to improve oil mobility during waterfloods.

Special Report

Canada’s oil sands: Balancing risk and opportunity to reap rewards

Canadian oil sands producton could reach more than 4 MMb/d by 2020.

Canadian liquids plays offer continuous upside

Although natural gas producers may be experiencing challenging times amid low gas prices, unconventional resource development is ramping up in Canada’s light, tight oil plays.

Digital Solutions

Attributes play important role in seismic interpretation

A new family of attributes aids in geological understanding.

Real-time community meets the well bore

A new platform integrates formation evaluation, drilling, and completions engineering.

Features

Closed-loop drilling boosts deepwater MPD success

Getting a rig ready for MPD must come through a coordinated industry effort to develop procedures and standards for equipment, procurement, rig modification, design, and training.

Drilling down operator costs onshore, offshore

Operators are seeing cost savings by dealing with drilling waste at source, minimizing environmental impacts, and reusing costly materials.

Eagle Ford activity continues at a frenzied pace

Operators barely have time to catch their breath as they ramp up production in this world-class play.

Economic method improves conformance in CO2 flood

The use of polymer gels in fractured CO2 floods can lead to more economic projects and extended flood life.

First mover advantage

Statoil’s incubator strategy for nurturing emerging technologies shows that the early bird does catch the worm.

Floating systems market rides the wave

Floating production systems are the most adaptable offshore development solution, and the growth in demand for these facilities shows no sign of slowing.

Improving dynamic well control in MPD operations

One result of current research is a refinement of the condition that ensures the influx has ceased. The new research shows that a single, pressure-based signature alone is sufficient to determine when the influx stops.

Integration enhances shale production

Seismic attributes that correlate to drilling and completions data aid in reservoir understanding.

MPD boosted with hands-free connection of mud bypass

Continuous circulation sub opens up opportunities to drill in reservoirs with narrow windows between pore- and fracture-pressure gradients.

New EOR technology uses chemicals to generate gas for oil recovery

Surfactant-enhanced product recovery, an environmental remediation system, finds a potential new home in the EOR toolbox.

New horizon for remote gas fields

The E&P industry is witnessing the advent of the FLNG era with offshore terminals offering a viable alternative for previously stranded reserves.

Producing a water management solution

Managing produced water from oil and gas operations is a major challenge for operators around the world. In the Middle East, specific external factors make the issue of produced water even more pertinent.

Production tank protection eliminates traditional corrosion mechanisms

One persistent and costly problem is production tank corrosion. A unique tank base design can break the chain of corrosion mechanisms to eliminate problem sources and extend tank life.

Scientific target selection optimizes horizontal shale completions

Determining reservoir stress anisotropy in advance of completion design leads to more productive perforations.

Securing the future of Norway's mature fields

Improving the recovery from mature fields offshore Norway can provide a way forward for regional output, but ‘bold decisions’ must be made to spur new drilling, according to Petoro President and CEO Kjell Pedersen.

Sustainable development relies on biocide usage reduction

UV light disinfection helps operators save money and promote sustainable development.

Technology changes the LNG equation

New floating LNG concepts are changing the way operators are looking at field development and will open production in formerly ‘unreachable’ areas.

Wide-azimuth seismic enables better shale play economics

The use of conventional wide-angle, wide-azimuth 3-D seismic as a first step in profitable shale play production is reviewed in this case study from central Alberta, Canada.

Tech Watch

Preventing problems in saltwater disposal system piping

Grooved coupling systems provide reliable and headache-free aid in unconventional fields.

Tech Trends

TECH TRENDS

Activity Highlights

On The Move

Last Word

Unlocking shale’s economic potential with upfront planning, collaboration

Despite all of the opportunities and the years of experience gained in developing shale plays, has our industry truly reached its adulthood in shale?

International Spotlight

From meters to millimeters: Satellites explore the Amazon

Satellite images are enhancing geological data acquisition in the heart of the Amazon forest in the Solem?s basin, allowing scientists to tell a story that has not been revealed up to now.

Management Report

ERP systems provide efficient supply chain management

An efficient extended supply chain requires an integrated system.