E&P Magazine - September 2012

As I See It

Cover Story

AUTOMATION CONNECTS THE DOTS

Dehumanizing the more mundane or repetitive tasks within the drilling industry leaves humans to fully focus on the safety of the rig crew and the well bore.

Drilling automation tackles complex wells

Tight holes, lost circulation, and well control problems are being solved by turning control over to automated managed-pressure drilling systems.

Exploration Technologies

Does downhole injection cause earthquakes?

A joint workshop will study evidence for and against injection-induced seismicity – and what can be done to mitigate the problem.

Completions and Production

Plugging well requires on-the-fly creative thinking

Three new tools were custom-engineered during a riserless plugging and abandoning job in the Gulf of Mexico.

Digital Solutions

The data center of the future

Hybrid computing systems, remote visualization, and Cloud computing are changing the landscape.

Features

A material world

The oil and gas industry has traditionally been found wanting when it comes to spending enough money on R&D resources, but the importance of accessing academic brainpower has never been greater.

Balancing performance, cost, and environmental stewardship

Applying a comprehensive, standardized environmental assessment process to products enables hydraulic fracturing and more.

Blueprint aids microseismic frac monitoring in the Marcellus shale

Current passive seismic monitoring of hydraulic fracture operations puts the spotlight on the Marcellus shale.

Brazil poised for growth

The country will need to ramp up smoothly and efficiently to meet its ambitious goals.

Broadband drillstring system integrated for offshore ERD wells

The first commercial deployment of a full set of annular pressure measurement assemblies provided learning for optimal placement within a tight stability-fracture window.

Creating success in Brazil’s presalt fields

Opportunities abound offshore Brazil, but foreign investors need to have a solid plan in place.

Deepwater oil potential puts offshore Nova Scotia on radar

As the Canadian province’s largest call for bids in terms of acreage nears its due date, offshore Nova Scotia stands as an attractive oil and gas region with significant untapped petroleum resources.

Effective document control is key to capital project success

Successful processes can allocate risk and control a project’s value chain.

Giddings comes full circle

The Austin Chalk served as the stage for the birth of modern horizontal drilling. It may be time for Act II.

Gingrich Bullish On Energy

Conservative thought leader Newt Gingrich explores how much the federal government would gain by partnering with the energy industry, and he taps an expert uniquely positioned to answer.

Managing a remote, complex, deepwater wildcat

Thorough planning and effective project management enabled the successful drilling of a deviated deepwater wildcat exploration well in challenging subsurface conditions hundreds of kilometers from the nearest analog well

MEOR improves oil and gas recovery

The use of microbes rather than chemicals brings many benefits.

Microseismic data illuminate fractures in the Montney

High-quality data reveal fracture orientation and intensity.

New casing bit debuts in GoM subsalt drilling

Reaming-with-liner gains new ground with high-drillability PDC casing bit.

New GIS Feature, Analytics Make Mapping More Actionable

Database brings all land analytics into strategy maps, including surface, mineral, and seismic depth dimensions.

Next-generation tool maximizes productivity in ERD wells

New geosteering approach allows model updates on the fly.

RFID evolves operations, creates ROI

Identification system replaces paper-based maintenance and compliance record-keeping with real-time visibility and automated processes.

Tomorrow’s challenges require an integrated approach

Solving complex problems will require collaboration between industry, academia, and government.

Utica oozes oil with production slowly ramping up

With three defined hydrocarbon windows in eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania, the Utica/Point Pleasant play is drawing rave comparisons to the South Texas Eagle Ford shale.

Water management removes obstacles, improves efficiency

A well-executed wellsite water plan increases production and profits.

Tech Watch

Five ways modeling can improve efficiencies in hot plays

Solutions drive improved enterprise performance in oil and gas.

Tech Trends

Tech Trends

Activity Highlights

On The Move

Last Word

Constructive engagement on tax now delivering in UK

Billions of dollars of future investment could flow from latest government initiatives.

Activity Spotlight

Gulf of Mexico Hits Acquisition Trifecta

Nearly $7 billion in three Gulf of Mexico transactions signals growing demand for oil services in a major regional transformation.

Management Report