Particle analysis technology can detect contamination in real time

A new particle analysis technology developed by Cambridge Consultants will allow real-time measurement of droplets of oil or particles of sand and wax in produced fluids at offshore and remote production sites, the company said in a press release. This has the potential to allow produced water to be safely reinjected into a well or disposed of overboard. The new technology combines optical measurement and signal processing techniques to measure the size distribution of droplets ranging from sub-micron (µ) to tens of µ in diameter at typical production flow velocities. The technology’s hardware allows it to be deployed online in remote locations, with the results then sent directly to an operator to allow remedial action to be taken before a situation becomes critical. The new technology has the potential to be affordable enough to allow numerous devices to be deployed at multiple locations, the company said. Such a system also could include a local alarm that would flag potential problems and send control signals to fix an issue or turn off a valve. cambridgeconsultants.com.

Biocide treats water without chemicals

AquaMost Inc. unveiled its new SX PECO Reactor, which enables chemical-free water treatment, the company said in a press release. The chemical-free biocide can handle different water types and flow rates with little or no operator interaction. The technology can treat fresh, brackish, and salt water as well as flowback and produced water. The system can be installed at disposal wells, fixed plant recycling facilities, and the wellhead. In addition to chemical-free killing of multiple bacteria types, the reactor also has a modular design that is scalable to meet industry requirements and a compact footprint, and it can lower energy consumption. In spring 2013 systems were deployed in the Eagle Ford and Barnett shales in Texas, the Piceance and Denver-Julesburg basins in Colorado, and the Uinta basin in Utah. When used in these areas, the company’s reactor outperformed chemical biocide treatment methods, killing more types of bacteria for less money without requiring the purchase, storage, handling, and insurance of chemicals, according to the release. aquamost.com.

Drilling software offers real-time 3-D view of operations

Performance Drilling Technology launched its HawkEye RT (real-time) directional drilling software, the company said in a press release. The original HawkEye platform gives the user a view of downhole drilling operations in a 3-D environment that includes the well plan, the well being drilled, offset wells, anti-collision capabilities, zones of uncertainty, targets, target planes, lease lines, and hard lines along with additional options such as lithology and projections. Detailed data are available for all drilling and directional information, and the program offers user-friendly reports and plots. HawkEye RT offers the same visual options, well data, plots, and reporting in a real-time environment, the company said. The software allows an unlimited number of users to view downhole events in the 3-D real-time format. hawkeye3d.com.

Platform provides integrated fracture monitoring, geomodel predictions

SIGMAIntegrated Reservoir Solutions Inc. introduced the CRYSTAL 2013 platform for use by geophysicists and modelers when conducting microseismic analysis and shale reservoir characterization. The new platform helps geoengineers build models that connect microseismically derived stimulated reservoir volumes to actual produced volumes in the context of 3-D seismic, geologic, and well log data, the company said in a press release. The platform includes broadband spectral inversion capabilities for resolution enhancement as well as specialized tools for natural fracture modeling. These enhancements can allow users to better resolve structure, stress anisotropy, stratigraphy, texture, rock physics, total organic carbon, fracture density, and petrophysics and improve reservoir quality. The platform can support and optimize several field development decisions such as lateral azimuth, stratigraphic target and landing zone, well spacing (both lateral and vertical), stage spacing, and well location. sigmacubed.com.

Fracturing fluid system allows operators to use produced, flowback water

Halliburton announced in a press release the commercialization of UniStim Service, the company’s latest advancement to the H20 Forward service and suite of products aimed at reducing freshwater use in completions. The UniStim Universal high total dissolved solids (TDS) crosslink fracture fluid can enable operators to use 100% produced or flowback water. The crosslinked gelled water system has the ability to tolerate salt concentrations in excess of 300,000 parts per million as well as other contaminants. Additionally, the hydraulic fracturing fluid system allows companies to use waste streams to negate fresh water used in completions, with economic and environmental benefits. The UniStim service can allow companies to recycle all available impaired waters with minimal treatment and make stable crosslink fracture fluids in high-TDS waters, according to Walter Dale, Halliburton’s strategic business manager of water management solutions. This advancement can reduce the amount of water treatment needed to make stable fluids, with the end result being a reduction in the use of disposal wells and fresh water. halliburton.com.

Moment tensor inversion service can enhance microseismic data

Schlumberger announced in a press release the introduction of a new moment tensor inversion service that provides enhanced analysis of the dynamics of hydraulic fracture propagation. The service can help companies improve their well completion designs through an increased understanding of natural- and induced-fracture characterization in oil and gas reservoirs. When applied in unconventional reservoirs, the moment tensor inversion service can provide information about the orientation, volume, and proppant placement associated with the hydraulic fracture, according to Joseph Elkhoury, vice president and general manager of Schlumberger Microseismic Services. This can provide a framework for building and interpreting geomechanical models and can enable companies to improve well completion design for increased production. The proprietary processing used in the moment tensor inversion service accounts for anisotropy. As the micro-seismic monitoring industry moves toward quantitative source inversion, the incorporation of anisotropy in unconventional reservoir models becomes more important to accurately process and interpret the information contained in the microseismic signals. The moment tensor inversion service has been field-tested on micro-seismic projects in North America, according to the release. Analyses of moment tensor inversion processing during field trials in the Permian basin confirm that the incorporation of anisotropy leads to improved interpretation of microseismic data and more robust geomechanical models. slb.com/mti.

Composite wraps offer solutions for pipe, infrastructure corrosion

Stork Technical Services designed a new range of composite wrap solutions as part of its advanced asset integrity portfolio, according to a company press release. Aging asset infrastructure can require expensive maintenance and repair, with pipe corrosion posing a major industry challenge. The company’s composite wrap solutions are designed to provide flexible, efficient, and cost-effective repairs to piping and infrastructure components. The new technologies include the Stork PowerSleeve and Stork AquaWrap, both of which also can be used to restore structures and vessels from internal and external wall loss. The PowerSleeve is made of Kevlar hybrid fiberglass fabric, high-strength E-glass, and a high-performance epoxy and targets internal corrosion, acting as a barrier against through-wall conditions, according to the company’s website. Made of a fiberglass substrate impregnated with a urethane resin, the AquaWrap addresses and stops external corrosion and provides structural support. storktechnicalservices.com/wrap.