A major deepwater challenge is flow-induced vibration of long risers, or vortex induced vibration (VIV). The suspended lengths of risers can challenge physical testing and computer simulation. Without an accurate... more

The Multi Purpose Floater (MPF) is a large tanker hull specially designed to be outfitted as a deepwater drilling unit with production capability, a pure deepwater floating production, storage and... more

All risers are subject to the same loading: internal and external pressure, current and wave actions, vessel motions, tension and drilling vibrations. Recent developments have led to the maturing of... more

Offshore seismic surveys are expensive to acquire, so companies that pay for these surveys want the data to have as long a “shelf life” as possible. Figure 1. Two sets... more

Geophysicists and others engaged in oil exploration have never had so much data to work with. Over the past few years, technological advances have made it possible to achieve Figure... more

One of the most interesting and closely watched developments in seismic technology in recent years has been the application of towed streamer wide-azimuth and multi-azimuth 3-D data acquisition techniques as... more

In the past, there were only two market situations that created a well-understood, if often ignored, cycle. Demand for seismic services was either high, in which case the seismic Figure... more

With surging oil prices causing many suppliers in the energy industry to ratchet up their fees, exploration and production (E&P) companies have been forced to look harder at making cost... more

The formation of hydrates in natural gas wells and pipelines presents a serious concern to oil and gas producers. Hydrate deposits form solid plugs, reducing production and ultimately shutting in... more

Global water production is on the increase — so much so that today we are producing more water than oil. Whereas current oil production is 80 million b/d approximately, current estimates... more

With rigs in short supply offshore as well as on land, the cost of intervention to bring back a well crippled by water invasion places a heavy hand on a... more

The Expro Group has deployed a hybrid subsea test tree (SSTT) system offshore Angola on behalf of FMC and BP. The unique system allows the dual-bore completions to be flowed... more

When the location and purpose of the Independence Hub project was established, it guaranteed that records would be set along the way to its completion (set for mid-2007). Independence Hub,... more

Historically, electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems were not considered the optimum artificial lift option for the Gulf of Mexico. However, in recent years the reservoir characteristics of maturing shelf fields,... more

New projects, new technology and new challenges confront exploration and production companies as they reach for the deepest water in the Gulf of Mexico. From outposts on the frontiers of US... more

In its deepwater Gulf of Mexico exploration area, Chevron has harnessed the force of gravity to reduce the amount of surface treating pressure (STP) required to pump frac-pack Figure 1.... more

Historically, the industry has used the term “visualization” as a synonym for seismic volume interpretation employing high-end compute power. But seismic volume interpretation disconnected from 3-D reservoir modeling is a... more

Utilizing 3-D wave-equation migration for seismic imaging is a new approach that has shown great promise imaging the complex deep Gulf of Mexico structures. Previously, only Kirchhoff methods could be... more

In 2001 an extensive research program led by BP’s research and development group concluded that improved subsalt seismic imaging required the acquisition of seismic information from all directions around a... more

Virtual Source and all its offshoots are a breakthrough that will yield repeatable data for reservoir monitoring, enable proper shear seismic and allow us to “look ahead” as we drill,... more

Ultra-Seal R wellbore sealant from CSI Technologies is an alternative to Portland cement in a wide variety of wellbore conditions. While the natural density of the epoxy material is slightly... more

AssetPlanner software generates multiple drilling target scenarios, designs cost-effective well path plans to those targets, and simultaneously evaluates optimum platform or pad AssetPlanner software employs a three-dimensional subsurface visualization environment.... more

Halliburton’s ReFlexRite re-entry multilateral system is used to add additional lateral branches to existing single horizontal wells. The new lateral branches are completed with the ReFlexRite TAML Level 5 junction... more

The SuperFill surge-reduction system allows wellbore fluids to enter the casing freely and exit the drillpipe, effectively reducing surge pressures and helping prevent expensive drilling-fluid losses. SuperFill AFE assembly consists... more

Schlumberger married its rotary steerable system (RSS) technology with its electromagnetic pulse telemetry in a seven-well pilot program sponsored by BP in the San Juan Basin of Colorado and New... more

BJ Services Co. used its InjectSafe WR (wireline retrievable) surface controlled subsurface safety valve (SCSSV) with its BJ Dyna-Coil capillary string inside existing tubing to bring a lifeless Gulf of... more

Faster installation and better protection from corrosion are just a couple of the advantages offered by Wellstream International Ltd. with its FlexSteel flexible steel pipe in onshore hydrocarbon gathering and... more

A new downhole tool developed by Star Oil Tools Inc. provides downhole pressure that helps give wireline and coiled tubing advantages of tools conveyed into the well bore by traditional... more

Denmark’s Welltec parlayed its Well Tractor technology into added value by introducing the Well Miller, a milling technique that allows operators to drill with electric wireline by using metal machining... more

Founded in 1971, Lightning Eliminators and Consultants Inc. (LEC) designs, manufactures and installs integrated, engineered systems to prevent all varieties of lightning-related problems. Both primary and secondary lightning effect situations... more

FAZEPRO from MI-SWACO is a reversible invert-emulsion reservoir drill-in fluid system with the performance characteristics of an oil- or synthetic-base drilling fluid and the completion simplicity and efficiency of a... more

While constructing oil and gas platforms in the North Sea, exploration and production (E&P) companies have to negotiate some of the planet’s highest winds and most punishing waves. But these... more

My 15-year-old daughter came home from a school field trip the other day wielding a small bag with a well-known oil company name on the front. Inside were the kinds... more

It sounds strange to say it, but some of Hurricane Katrina’s effects are highly constructive and go way past just replacing or repairing lost or damaged infrastructure on a one-to-one... more

We’ve all heard the analysts’ chants. The big fields are gone. The easy oil is extinct. That’s true, and it’s false. The easy oil still is easy to find if... more

Despite the significant advances in seismic technology over the past decade or so, dry holes are still a much-too-common occurrence in the petroleum industry. There clearly is a compelling need... more

Research and development. In many companies, these are the crown jewels, the product differentiator, the way forward (ideally with patents pending) to corporate prosperity. The industry’s push into ever harsher... more

Russia's energy giant Gazprom plans to become the world's largest energy company. Alexander Medvedev, general director of Gazprom Export, said the energy giant's transition to the principle of equal prices from... more

Schlumberger has announced its contribution of two $1,000 scholarships to the American Association of Petroleum Geologists' (AAPG) Outstanding Student Chapter Awards. The University of Oklahoma was the award recipient among United... more

ConocoPhillips has announced its support for a mandatory national framework to address greenhouse gas emissions and has joined the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), a business-environmental leadership group dedicated to... more

Chroma Exploration & Production Inc. has announced that it has closed a US $50 million Series AA Participating Preferred Stock issue with several investors. More than 60% of the new... more

EMGS has been awarded a contract by an independent oil company for a seabed logging (SBL) project offshore India beginning in late May 2007. The firm scope of work is... more

Russia plans to build the world's longest pipeline-tunnel complex, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the... more

The French chapter of SPWLA, SAID, invites you to participate in a special conference on the roots of logging in France Sept. 27th to 29th. We take the opportunity of... more

Bolivia's Congress approved 44 new oil and gas contracts negotiatedlast year with companies including Repsol YPF SA and Petroleo Brasileiro SA. The 130-member Lower House and 27-member Senate voted unanimously... more

Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary Exxon Neftegas Limited (ENL), has completed drilling of the Z-11 well, the longest measured depth extended-reach drilling (ERD) well in the world. Located on Sakhalin Island... more

In a presentation at the PPROA Annual Convention, eField Exploration LLC (eField) unveiled the results of the first direct detection survey of a producing gas reservoir by a passive electro-magnetotelluric... more

Malaysia will build a US$7 billion pipeline to transport Middle East oil across the north of its peninsula to East Asian countries, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said. "Yes we... more

Harbin Electric, Inc., a U.S. company, with operations based in Harbin, China,has successfully developed a high efficiency, energy saving "Tower Type Oil Pump" driven by permanentmagnetic linear motors for the... more

SCAN Geophysical ASA announced that the company has been awarded a contract from Petronas Carigali Overseas SDN BHD (Petronas) for 2-D marine acquisition in the Caribbean region. Petronas, a Malaysian state... more

Panasas Inc. announced that China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec), China’s leading petroleum and natural gas producer, has chosen ActiveStor Parallel Storage Clusters for seismic information processing. The addition of... more

In its latest Latin American research, Wood Mackenzie discusses Petroecuador’s decision to put the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) field development out to tender. Wood Mackenzie examines the drivers behind this move to... more

Although the world seems to be focused on terrorism, the largest threats to oil industry workers are kidnapping and violent crime. The number of annual kidnappings around the world has... more

Tough operating conditions, a complicated bureaucracy and government monopolies compound obstacles for companies working the Russian oilpatch, but huge opportunities open up for organizations that know the territory and the... more

Knowledge management, the great enabler of great achievements, has as its cornerstone global connectivity. As connectivity extends itself into the downhole world, it must pass through several narrow apertures. To... more

Spring means many things in Houston — the return of muggy weather, the beginning of another Astros baseball season, the purchase of antihistamines by the city’s many allergy sufferers. Since... more

A recent Economist special report titled “The Search for Talent: Why It’s Getting Harder to Find” argues that “the talent war has gone global — and so have talent shortages.”... more

Peruvian operators are happy with their activities, and new rules from the government try to assure future operators that the nation offers the best terms and operating conditions in South... more

I write this on the eve of another OTC. It hardly seems possible that it is that time of year again, and that I went to my first OTC in... more