November 2004
Volume 56 Number 11
Features
Guest Editorial • Acceptable Returns: Technology Developers’ Dilemma
Steve Jacobs, President of RMI, looks at why oilfield service companies have seen declining returns on investment even as they have developed technology in the last 2 decades that has significantly enhanced E&P success.
Q&A
Landmark Graphics Corp. President Peter Bernard discusses how software and computer technology have revolutionized the upstream oil and gas industry and predicts what changes lie ahead.
Management • Probabilistic Modeling for Well-Construction Performance Management
John McIntosh, Business Unit Manager for Peak Solution Systems Ltd., explains how probabilistic methods make well planning more efficient and cost-effective. One of the most compelling features of probabilistics, he argues, is that, as opposed to the traditional deterministic “best guess” scenario, plans are based on finite uncertainty.
Spotlight on R&D • Meeting the R&D Needs for a Global HSE Challenge
In this installment of the series, John Candler and Monica Norman, both of M-I Swaco, discuss how the wide spectrum of HSE challenges calls for an R&D effort to match the developing needs of the upstream industry.
Microhole Technology
A look at a U.S. Dept. of Energy drilling program designed to show that the cost of obtaining subsurface information can be drastically reduced through microhole technologies. The program encompasses drilling of shallow microholes with currently available coiled-tubing technology, evaluating the feasibility of drilling deep microholes, miniaturization and testing of bottomhole drilling assemblies, miniaturization of geophysical logging tools, and incorporation of emerging miniature-sensor technologies in borehole seismic-instrumentation packages.
Distinguished Author Series • Optimizing Multiple-Field Scheduling and Production Strategy With Reduced Risk
Stan Cullick, David Heath, and Keshav Narayanan, Landmark Graphics Corp., and Jay April and James Kelly, OptTek Systems
Horizontal Wells
Charles R. Stone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Signa Engineering Corp.
Improved Horizontal-Well Stimulations in the Bakken Formation
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 90697, “Improved Horizontal-Well Stimulations in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, Montana,” by C.B. Wiley, SPE, Lyco Energy Corp.; R.D. Barree, SPE, Barree & Assocs.; and M.J. Eberhard, SPE, and T.G. Lantz, SPE, Halliburton, prepared for the 2004 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 26–29 September.
Gravel Packing Deepwater Long Horizontal Wells Under Low Fracture Gradient
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 90552, “Gravel Packing Deepwater Long Horizontal Wells Under Low Fracture Gradient,” by Zhongming Chen, SPE, Rudolf J. Novotny, SPE, Rodrigo Farias, SPE, and Alfredo Mendez, SPE, BJ Services, and Carlos A. Pedroso and Lucia Helena C. Fernandes, SPE, Petrobras, prepared for the 2004 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 26–29 September.
Optimization of Horizontal-Well Completion Design
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 90579, “Optimization of Horizontal-Well Completion Design,” by K. Furui, SPE, (now with Baker Oil Tools), D. Zhu, and A.D. Hill, SPE, U. of Texas at Austin, and E.R. Davis, SPE, and B.R. Buck, SPE, ConocoPhillips, prepared for the 2004 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 26–29 September.
Productivity of Selectively Perforated Horizontal Wells
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 90580, “Productivity of Selectively Perforated Horizontal Wells,” by Turhan Yildiz, SPE, Colorado School of Mines, prepared for the 2004 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 26–29 September.
Drilling and Completion Fluids
Tom Carter, Director, Tetra Technologies Inc.
Drilling Fluid Strengthens Wellbore
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 87130, “Drilling Fluids for Wellbore Strengthening,” by M.S. Aston, SPE, M.W. Alberty, SPE, M.R. McLean, H.J. de Jong, and K. Armagost, SPE, BP plc, prepared for the 2004 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Dallas, 2–4 March.
Barite-Sag Management
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 87136, “Barite-Sag Management: Challenges, Strategies, Opportunities,” by Paul D. Scott, SPE, Marathon Oil Co., and Mario Zamora, SPE, and Catalin Aldea, SPE, M-I LLC, prepared for the 2004 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Dallas, 2–4 March.
Environmental Aspects of the Use and Disposal of Nonaqueous Drilling Fluids
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 86696, “Environmental Aspects of the Use and Disposal of Nonaqueous Drilling Fluids Associated With Offshore Oil and Gas Operations,” by H.R. Melton, SPE, J.P. Smith, SPE, and H.L. Mairs, ExxonMobil; R.F. Bernier, Chevron-Texaco; E. Garland, SPE, Total; A.H. Glickman, SPE, ChevronTexaco; F.V. Jones, SPE, Marathon; J.P. Ray, SPE, Shell Global Solutions; D. Thomas, SPE, Amerada Hess; and J.A. Campbell, SPE, OGP, prepared for the 2004 SPE International Conference on Health, Safety, and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, Calgary, 29–31 March.
Knowledge Management
Hongjie Xiong, Senior Staff Engineer, Burlington Resources Inc.
Data Mining for Zonal Allocation and Increased Production in Kern River
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 90266, “Zonal Allocation and Increased Production Opportunities Using Data Mining in Kern River,” by Carrie Popa, SPE, Andrei Popa, SPE, and Andrew Cover, Chevron-Texaco, prepared for the 2004 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 26–29 September.
Developing Knowledge-Sharing Communities
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 88655, “Benefits of Developing Knowledge-Sharing Communities,” by A. van Unnik, Shell E&P, prepared for the 2004 SPE Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 10–13 October.
Modeling the Knowledge-Value Chain
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 87027, “A Study on the Modelling of Knowledge-Value Chain,” by Yeong-Long Chen, Tzer-Chyun Yang, and Zsay-Shing Lin, SPE, National Cheng Kung U., prepared for the 2004 SPE Asia Pacific Conference on Integrated Modelling for Asset Management, Kuala Lumpur, 29–30 March.
