May 2010
Volume 62 Number 5
Features
Guest Editorial • Hydraulic Fracturing the Key to a Brighter Natural Gas Future • Marc Edwards, Senior Vice President, Halliburton Completion & Production Division
Public concern over the safety and efficacy of hydraulic fracturing is genuine, but it is based on a series of misunderstandings. Fracturing technology has steadily evolved over 60 years to become better, cleaner, and safer, and it is indispensable for energy production.
FPSOs enter the Gulf of Mexico Operator Tool Box
The second of two articles examining the 14-year journey to the use of FPSOs in the US Gulf of Mexico and what the future holds for this technology.
Harvesting Oil in India’s Rajasthan Desert
The Thar Desert in India’s western state of Rajasthan is a desolate region characterized by wind-blown sand dunes. The state is a major tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors annually to tour forts of medieval kingdoms and visit camel fairs. It is here that Cairn Energy, a Scottish oil company, took over a production-sharing contract from Shell in 2003 and has developed a major oil field that has recoverable reserves of at least 1 billion BOE.
Digital Energy Enters the Mainstream
Coverage of the SPE 2010 Intelligent Energy Conference in The Netherlands.
Talent and Technology • An Industry Upturn with a Downside: Talent Needs Still Loom Large
Greg McCormack, Director, University of Texas Petroleum Extension Service, believes the industry will continue to be challenged by the cyclicality of financial results, but it must takes steps to ensure that it is not seen as an unstable workplace.
Distinguished Author Series • Probabilistic Subsurface Forecasting—What Do We Really Know? • Martin Wolff, Hess Corporation
A systematic approach that is based on probabilistic principles [often including design-of-experiment (DoE) techniques] provides a means of forecasting projects and presenting decision makers with a suitable range of outcomes to consider. A rigorous process to combine uncertainties through DoE, proxies, Monte Carlo methods, scenario modeling, and other techniques is clean and auditable. Not that the probability levels are necessarily quantitatively correct, but, they are as correct as the selection and description of the basic uncertainties.
Technology Focus
Intelligent Fields Technology
Iberê Alves, SPE, Senior Technical Adviser, Petrobras
Intelligent-Well Completions in Agbami: Value Added and Execution Performance
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper OTC 20191, “Intelligent-Well Completions in Agbami: A Review of the Value Added and Execution Performance,” by Adekunle Mojeed Adeyemo, Chris Aigbe, Ike Chukwumaeze, SPE, David Meinert, SPE, and Steven Shryock, SPE, Chevron Nigeria, prepared for the 2009 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 4–7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Analysis of Inflow-Control Devices
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 122824, “Analysis of Inflow-Control Devices,” by Bernt S. Aadnoy, SPE, University of Stavanger, and Geir Hareland, SPE, University of Calgary, prepared for the 2009 SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition, Aberdeen, 8–11 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Real-Time Diagnostics of Gas Lift Systems: A Case Study
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 124926, “Real-Time Diagnostics of Gas Lift Systems Using Intelligent Agents: A Case Study,” by G. Stephenson, SPE, Occidental Petroleum; R. Molotkov, SPE, Weatherford; and N. De Guzman, SPE, and L. Lafferty, SPE, Intelligent Agents Corporation, prepared for the 2009 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, 4–7 October; revised for publication. The paper has been peer reviewed.
Multilateral/Extended Reach
Alvaro Negrao, SPE, Global Offshore Drilling and Completion Manager, Repsol
Wellbore-Instability Predictions in Cretaceous Mudstones: Clair Field, West of Shetlands
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 124464, “Wellbore-In stability Predictions Within the Cretaceous Mudstones of Clair Field, West of Shetlands,” by R. Narayanasamy, SPE, D. Barr, SPE, and A. Milne, BP plc, prepared for the 2009 SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition, Aberdeen, 8–11 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Saudi Arabian Trilateral Oil Well in an Unconsolidated-Sandstone Reservoir
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 120999, “The First Saudi Arabian Trilateral Oil Well in Unconsolidated-Sandstone Reservoir,” by Ali S. Raba’a, SPE, and Anthony S. Johnson, SPE, Saudi Aramco, and Keith Parry and Mohammed A. Abduldayem, SPE, Weatherford, prepared for the 2009 SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Jakarta, 4–6 August. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Single-Trip TAML Level-4 Multilateral Junction Reduces Well Costs in Norwegian Sea Subsea Well—Case History
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 123935, “New Single-Trip, TAML Level-4, Multilateral-Junction Technology Reduces Well Costs in Norwegian Sea Subsea Well—A Case History,” by Olle Balstad, Statoil, and Mark Glaser, SPE, and Tage Heng, Weatherford, prepared for the 2009 SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition, Aberdeen, 8–11 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Wellbore Tubulars
Casey McDonough, SPE, Drilling Engineer, Chesapeake Operating
Aluminum Drillpipe Extends Operating Envelope for ERD Projects
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 128910, “Can Aluminum Drill Pipe Extend the Operating Envelope for ERD Projects?,” by Mark Jenkins, SPE, Alejandro Castro Rodriguez, SPE, Christian Linke, SPE, and Georg Mader, Baker Hughes, and Mark J. Davies, SPE, Alcoa Oil and Gas, originally prepared for the 2010 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, 2–4 February. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Expandable Tubulars Facilitate Improved Well Stimulation and Production
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains high lights of paper SPE 121147, “Expandable Tubulars Facilitate Improved Well Stimulation and Well Production,” by Doug G. Durst, SPE, and Neven Ruzic, SPE, Enventure Global Technology, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE Western Regional Meeting, San Jose, California, 24–26 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Aluminum Pipes: A Viable Solution To Boost Drilling and Completion Technology
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper IPTC 13758, “Aluminium Pipes—A Viable Solution To Boost Drilling and Completion Technology,” by M.Y. Gelfgat, SPE, A.V. Vakhrushev, D.V. Basovich, SPE, and V.S. Tikhonov, Aquatic Company, and A.C. Odell, SPE, and D.J. Brunnert, SPE, Weatherford, originally prepared for the 2009 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar, 7–9 December. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Well Construction
Bob Carpenter, SPE, Research Consultant, Chevron Exploration and Technology Company
Innovative Retrievable Lock Mandrel Extends Monobore-Completion Potential
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 121548, “Innovative Retrievable Lock Mandrel Extends Monobore Com pletion Potential,” by François G. Millet, SPE, and Pierre-Arnaud Foucher, Geoservices Equipements; Paul Helderle, E.W.E.; Dedi K. Djunaedi, SPE, Vico Indonesia; and Pierre Petel, SPE, PT Welltekindoo Nusantara, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing and Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition, The Woodlands, Texas, 31 March–1 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Two-Phase Cement/CO2/Brine Interaction in Wellbore Environments
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 126666, “Computational Studies of Two-Phase Cement-CO2-Brine Interaction in Wellbore Environments,” by J.W. Carey and P.C. Lichtner, Los Alamos National Laboratory, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE International Conference on CO2 Capture, Storage, and Utilization, San Diego, California, 2–4 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Large-Volume Cement Squeezes for Severe-Loss Zones
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 128734, “Large-Volume Cement Squeezes as Cost-Effective Solutions for Severe-Loss Zones,” by Devendra Algu, SPE, Loran Galey, SPE, Myles Barrett, and Mike Humphries, Shell International E&P, originally prepared for the 2010 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, 2–4 February. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
