E&P Magazine - November 2009
As I See It
Gas — the forgotten fuel in the carbon reduction
The Obama administration has placed emphasis on renewable fuels in the ongoing struggle toward a “clean energy future.” It has done so at the expense of tax breaks and tax credits for oil and gas E&P despite the fact that for the foreseeable future, hydrocarbons will have to make up the bulk of US energy use.
Exploration Technologies
Educating tomorrow’s leaders
A new minor program at the Colorado School of Mines takes energy education beyond the basics.
Drilling Technologies
Drilling Horizontals In The Marcellus Shale
Unconventional shale development is a boon for Appalachian operators.
Completions and Production
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
Today’s debate about the alleged evils of hydraulic fracturing call to mind Chicken Little’s dire predictions.
Digital Solutions
Data quality — What is it worth?
Integrating disparate sources of data is good for a company’s bottom line.
Features
3-D EM addresses exploration challenges
Technique helps reduce risk in GoM projects.
And the list goes on
Expandable technology helps operators get more out of their wells at a time when higher productivity is number one on the priority list.
Black Marlin sails to new plays
Jeff Hume, CEO of Black Marlin Energy, discusses his company’s unique business model and his hopes for success in East Africa.
Electromagnetics takes on deepwater risk
Integrating seismic with non-seismic techniques has proven to lower exploration risk, particularly in deepwater frontiers where challenges, logistics, and costs can be formidable.
Energy policy overwhelms China
Energy demand within China has defined the country’s goals, but the domestic energy policy has failed to keep pace with China’s evolution.
Fluid Design Solves Shale Instability Problem
Integrating geomechanics with drilling fluid design successfully mitigates time-dependent wellbore instability in Middle East fields.
Innovations improve reliability of frac sleeve completions
A systematic approach to design, manufacturing and operations creates new reasons to deploy frac sleeve completions in multizone horizontal wells.
Monitoring technology enables long-term CO2 geosequestration
Tried-and-true methods can be used in a new way.
Multiphase twin-screw boosting technology improves production
System flexibility extends the limits of successful subsea boosting.
New swellable packer technology speeds completions in multizone wells
Higher pressure ratings and shorter packer lengths add value to customized frac completions.
Sine of the future
New technology variable speed drives extend electrical submersible pump life while cutting operational costs.
The Middle East remains a heavyweight in the upstream arena
Though exploration activity has fallen off, a number of countries in the region are opening licensing rounds to encourage more outside investors. Sizable new discoveries indicate the region is still very prospective.
The most recent economic downturn is a peak oil recession
As nations and corporations consider their energy strategies for the future, their beliefs about the sources of the current recession will prove critical in strategy formulation.
Turning lemons into lemonade: Achieving benefits from CCS
Carbon capture and storage has multiple benefits — but a wary public.
Unlocking the value of CSEM
EM data are at their most useful when integrated with other data types.
When is a hole more than a hole?
Many operators, especially those drilling in the shale gas plays, are finding out that there’s a big difference between perforating for production and perforating for stimulation.
Tech Trends
MEOR finds oil where it has already been discovered
On average, with the best currently available technology, only 35% to 45% of the original-oil-in-place in an oil field can be recovered. A new technology has the potential to bring a large quantity of that trapped oil into production.
Tech Trends
A look at November tech trends.
On The Move
On the move
Who's going where in the upstream sector.
Last Word
Stay connected while on the move
No matter where they are located — an offshore rig, a remote oil field, or the home office — it is critical for industry professionals to stay connected seamlessly to people, information, and applications to be productive.
Activity Spotlight
Romania hosts forum, attracts foreign operators
Gas could be the key that opens the area for increased production.
Management Report
Achieve alpha performance in a capital-constrained environment
Designing a successful development program requires an understanding of how the pieces fit together. This is the second of a two-part series.