Warpinski

I would like to take the opportunity again to discuss journal reviews and the great job done by the technical editors and the review chairpersons.  Most of us have probably reviewed one or more papers at some time in our career, so we understand the responsibility and effort required when acting as a technical editor.  It is a volunteer job that is filled because of the professionalism of these reviewers, and I am sure that everyone appreciates their efforts.

On the other hand, many people may not be aware that it is the review chairs who have the really tough job in the review process.  They are the ones who perform an initial screening of papers, distribute the papers to the appropriate technical editors for review, collect the reviews, assimilate the information, and, if necessary, adjudicate between opposing reviews.  Many of us have seen cases in our own papers in which two reviewers have a completely different take on a paper.  It is the review chairs who sort through the disparate reviews and try to figure out the most logical way to proceed.  Often, this means that they act as a third reviewer of the paper in order to come up with a recommendation for the paper.  It is a time-consuming job, and we all should make an effort to commend the review chairs for their dedication.

For the Production & Operations Journal, our current review chairpersons (in alphabetical order) are Harold Brannon, Ian Collins, Ali Ghalambor, Jennifer Miskimins, Liang-Biao Ouyang, Joe Smith, and Dean Wehunt.  They have certainly earned my respect and trust over this last year.

I also want to acknowledge the great job performed by the SPE staff in getting out these journals.  It is incredible how much extra work goes on behind the scenes and how accommodating the staff is in helping the review and editorial team.  Thank you from all of us.

This issue is again loaded with a wide variety of papers covering all aspects of production and operations.  The first three papers deal with some aspect of produced oilfield fluids and their effects on production or their handling in surface facilities.  These three include A General Study of Asphaltene Flocculation Prediction at Field Conditions, which is a modeling effort to predict asphaltene precipitation using the solubility parameter concept; Rheology of Heavy-Oil Emulsions, which is an experimental study of stock-tank oil samples to determine viscosity as a function of water content; and Operational Control of Hydrocyclones During Variable Produced Water Flow Rates—Frøy Case Study, which is a case study assessing the importance of flow-rate control and flow split control on performance optimization.

The next four papers are heavy on oilfield chemistry.  The first two, which deal with scaling issues, are Innovative, Integrated, and Cost-Effective Chemical Management on the Miller Platform, a study of the application of both scale inhibitors and relative permeability modification to maximize production of a mature oil field; and Development and Implementation of a Scale-Management Strategy for Oseberg Sør, which assesses scaling of downhole safety valves and the use of chemical injection lines, injection into the gas-lift system, and squeezing as operational solutions.  The second two papers of this group deal with corrosion on tubulars and metallic surfaces and proper pickling approaches using coiled tubing.  They are Production of Wet Natural Gas Containing Corrosive Components: Four Case Histories, which looks at materials design, inhibitors, monitoring, and field-design concepts for natural-gas fields with high CO₂ or H₂S contents;and Pickling Well Tubulars Using Coiled Tubing: Mathematical Modeling and Field Application, a modeling study of optimized volumes for pickling in coiled-tubing applications, along with a field example.

Coiled tubing is also the subject of the next paper, Eliminating Human Error During Coiled Tubing Operations. A safety control system to minimize coiled-tubing failures is discussed, along with the overall failure results during a 2-year followup assessment.

Artificial lift is considered in Prediction of Slug-to-Annular Flow Pattern Transition (STA) for Reducing the Risk of Gas-Lift Instabilities and Effective Gas/Liquid Transport From Low-Pressure Reservoirs. This paper uses field and laboratory data to make the case that STA should be avoided in gas-lift and unloading applications.

Two papers on hydraulic fracturing optimization follow.  They are Proppant Placement Using Reverse-Hybrid Fracs, which is a laboratory study of the viscous fingering that can occur when sand-laden water displaces gel slugs, and Field Case Studies: Damage Preventions Through Leakoff Control of Fracturing Fluids in Marginal/Low Pressure Gas Reservoirs, a laboratory and field case study of surfactants and microemulsions in reservoirs that typically exhibit marginal fluid recovery after stimulation or other treatments.

The final paper in this issue is Gas Storage and Operations in Single-Bedded Salt Caverns: Stability Analyses.  It is a geomechanical modeling study of stress, deformation, and damage in cavern walls induced by long-term cyclic operations in bedded-salt caverns.

Thanks for joining us in this issue.