November 2007
Volume 59 Number 11
Features
Presidential Interview
2008 SPE President William Cobb outlines the goals for his term and assesses the future of SPE and the oil and gas industry.
Guest Editorial • SPE Meetings Provide Value at Affordable Price
SPE Executive Director Mark Rubin discusses the costs—and the value—of SPE conferences, workshops, and forums.
Management • The Challenge of Lessons Learned: Overcoming the Barriers to Successful Application
Don Dressler, president of Enterprise Performance Group Consulting, and consultant Walt Palen outline how management can develop a learning culture that enhances business performance
SPE Salary Survey
SPE members’ base pay has risen more than 8% in the past year, according to the latest SPE Salary Survey.
Offshore Europe Conference
Highlights from the 2007 Offshore Europe conference held in Aberdeen.
Technical and Professional Award Winners
The winners of SPE’s Annual Technical and Professional Awards, including the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal, John Franklin Carll Award, Distinguished Service Award, and 15 others.
Technology Today Series • Critical-Gas-Content Technology Provides Coalbed-Methane-Reservoir Data
A new downhole chemical-sensing tool has been developed for the coalbed-methane industry. It provides the critical desorption pressure of methane gas dissolved in coal-reservoir fluid in the wellbore.
Horizontal and Complex-Trajectory Wells
Greg Conran, SPE, Drilling Advisor of Drilling and Measurements, Schlumberger
Chayvo Field, Sakhalin Island, Russia: Identifying a Significant Oil Leg From 3D Seismic and Execution of an Extended-Reach-Drilling Program
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 103588, “Chayvo Field, Sakhalin Island, Russia: Identification of a Significant Oil Leg From 3D Seismic and Execution of a World Class Extended-Reach-Drilling Program,” by Ted G. Apotria, Randall S. Mathis, Richard J. Powell, and Bridget A. Venner ExxonMobil, prepared for the 2006 SPE Russian Oil and Gas Technical Conference and Exhibition, Moscow, 3–6 October.
Horizontal-Well Completion and Stimulation Techniques—Review Emphasizing Low-Permeability Carbonates
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 108075, “Horizontal-Well Completion and Stimulation Techniques—A Review With Emphasis on Low-Permeability Carbonates,” by Valdo Ferreira Rodrigues, SPE, and Luis Fernando Neumann, SPE, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.; Daniel Torres, SPE, Halliburton Energy Services; Cesar Guimarães, SPE, Schlumberger; and Ricardo Sadovski Torres, BJ Services, prepared for the 2007 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Buenos Aires, 15–18 April.
Real-Time Image Data Aids Horizontal Drilling in Carbonate Reservoirs Onshore Abu Dhabi
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 101916, “Real-Time Image Data for Successful Horizontal Drilling in Carbonate Reservoirs Onshore Abu Dhabi, UAE,” by Maria Teresa Ribeiro, Mohamed Al Neaimi, Irfan Hendrawan, Sultan Karrani, Mohamed Ben Saad, Mohammed R. Ayoub, Kamal Zubair, Khalid Al Marzouqui, and Suaad Khoori, Adco, prepared for the 2006 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 5–8 November.
Haradh-III: Field Development Using Maximum-Reservoir-Contact Wells, Smart-Well Completions, and I-Field Concept
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 105187, “Haradh- III: Industry’s Largest Field Development Using Maximum-Reservoir-Contact Wells, Smart-Well Completions, and I-Field Concept,” by Abdulaziz O. Al-Kaabi, SPE, Nabeel I. Al-Afaleg, Tony Pham, SPE, Ali S. Al-Muallem, Fahad A. Al-Bani, Richard G. Hart, and Drew E. Hembling, SPE, Saudi Aramco, prepared for the 2007 SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference, Bahrain, 11–14 March.
Drilling and Completion Fluids
Paul D. Scott, SPE, Principal Engineer–Fluids, ConocoPhillips
Membrane Efficiency of Shales Interacting With Water-Based and Oil-Based Muds
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 100735, “Factors Controlling the Membrane Efficiency of Shales When Interacting With Water- Based and Oil-Based Muds,” by Talal M. Al-Bazali, Kuwait U.; Jianguo Zhang, SPE, Baker Atlas; and Martin E. Chenevert, SPE, and Mukul M. Sharma, SPE, U. of Texas at Austin, prepared for the 2006 SPE International Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition in China, Beijing, 5–7 December.
Mud Design To Prevent Circulation Losses
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 105449, “Design of Well Barriers To Combat Circulation Losses,” by Bernt S. Aadnoy, SPE, Mesfin Belayneh, SPE, and Miguel Arriado, U. of Stavanger, and Roar Flateboe, BP plc, prepared for the 2007 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, 20–22 February.
Air Drilling in the Presence of Hydrocarbons: A Time for Pause
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 108357, “Air Drilling in the Presence of Hydrocarbons: A Time for Pause,” by K.P. Malloy, SPE, Stress Engineering Services, and G.H. Medley, SPE, and C.R. Stone, SPE, Signa Engineering, prepared for the 2007 IADC/SPE Managed Pressure Drilling and Underbalanced Operations Conference and Exhibition, Galveston, Texas, 28–29 March.
Gas Production Technology
Scott J. Wilson, SPE, Vice President, Ryder Scott Company LP
Production and Video Logging in Low-Permeability Horizontal Gas Wells
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 108084, “Production and Video Logging in Horizontal Low- Permeability Gas Wells,” by D. Sask, SPE, Consultant; C.D. Hundt, SPE, and J.M. Slade, SPE, EnCana Corp.; and P. Daly, Consultant, prepared for the 2007 SPE Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Technology Symposium, Denver, 16–18 April.
Improved Model for the Liquid-Loading Process in Gas Wells
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 106699, “An Improved Model for the Liquid-Loading Process in Gas Wells,” by Frank van Gool, SPE, and Peter K. Currie, SPE, Delft University of Technology, prepared for the 2007 SPE Production and Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 31 March–3 April.
Integrated Wellbore/Reservoir Model Predicts Flow Transients in Liquid-Loaded Gas Wells
This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 110461, “Integrated Wellbore/Reservoir Model Predicts Flow Transients in Liquid-Loaded Gas Wells,” by Gaël Chupin, SPE, Bin Hu, SPE, and Tor Haugset, SPT Group; Jan Sagen, IFE; and Magali Claudel, SPE, Gaz de France, prepared for the 2007 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, 11–14 November.
Tight Reservoirs
Mike Mayerhofer, SPE, Applied-Diagnostics Engineering Manager, Pinnacle Technologies
A New Barnett Shale Horizontal Completion Lowers Cost and Improves Efficiency
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 103046, “New Barnett Shale Horizontal Completion Lowers Cost and Improves Efficiency,” by D. Lohoefer, SPE, Eagle Oil and Gas, and J. Athans, SPE, and R. Seale, SPE, Packers Plus Energy Services, prepared for the 2006 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, 24–27 September.
Elliptical-Flow-Based Pressure-Transient Interpretation Technique
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 105767, “A New Approach for Reliable Estimation of Hydraulic-Fracture Properties in Tight Gas Wells,” by Y. Cheng, SPE, W.J. Lee, SPE, and D.A. McVay, SPE, Texas A&M U., prepared for the 2007 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, College Station, Texas, 29–31 January.
Mechanism for Permeability Reduction by Small Water Saturation in Tight Gas Sandstones
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 107950, “Quantitative Mechanism for Permeability Reduction by Small Water Saturation in Tight Gas Sandstones,” by Siyavash Motealleh, SPE, and Steven L. Bryant, SPE, University of Texas at Austin, prepared for the 2007 SPE Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Technology Symposium, Denver, 16–18 April.
