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
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.