December 2010
Volume 62 Number 12
Features
Guest Editorial • Securing a Productive Future For E&P: It’s All About New Technologies • Einar Gamman, Partner, Energy Ventures
Several new technologies allow companies working in unconventional resources to have access to unprecedented levels of information about their reservoir and produce more of their reserves more efficiently.
Global Unconventional Gas Potential—It Is There, But Is It Profitable? • Stephen A. Holditch, Texas A&M University, and HusamAdDeen Madani, Saudi Aramco
For now, the global opportunity in shale gas is limited to select areas where markets and service company expertise exist, but one day there will be Barnett, Haynesville, and Marcellus look-alikes all over the world. The key is to study the source rocks.
Total Spreads Its Wings
Integrated French energy giant Total is continuing to spread its wings as it focuses on liquefied natural gas, deep offshore developments, and heavy oil.
Beyond Macondo: SPE’s Continuing Role in Offshore Drilling Operations
SPE has responded to the Macondo disaster by forming a task force whose ongoing mission is to examine how the Society can best use its resources to tackle the myriad issues that are arising in the disaster’s wake.
SPE Honors Technical Editors
Every year, SPE recognizes technical editors who ensure the technical excellence of the Society’s journals.
Special Section – Hydraulic Fracturing: The Past, Present, and Future
Hydraulic Fracturing—History of an Enduring Technology • Carl T. Montgomery and Michael B. Smith, NSI Technologies
Since Stanolind Oil introduced hydraulic fracturing in 1949, close to 2.5 million fracture treatments have been performed worldwide.
Hydraulic Fracturing: The Fuss, the Facts, the Future
Despite low gas prices, North American fracturing activity is at an all-time high, with competition between fracturing companies fierce, margins slim, and volumes huge.
Technology Focus
Reserves/Asset Management
Delores Hinkle, SPE, Director, Corporate Reserves, Marathon Oil Company
Thunder Horse Takes Reservoir Management to the Next Level
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper OTC 20396, “Thunder Horse Takes Reservoir Management to the Next Level,” by G.A. Arnold, S.R. Cavalero, SPE, P.J. Clifford, SPE, E.M. Goebel, D.A. Hutchinson, K.H. Leung, E.N. Paclibon, T.D. Weiss, and D.B. Grass, BP plc, prepared for the 2010 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 3–6 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Insight Into Integrated Reservoir Management Using a Top-Down Intelligent-Reservoir-Modeling Technique: Application to a Giant and Complex Oil Field
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 132621, “New Insight Into Integrated Reservoir Management Using a Top-Down, Intelligent-Reservoir-Modeling Technique: Application to a Giant and Complex Oil Field in the Middle East,” by Amirmasoud Kalantari-Dahaghi, Shahab D. Mohaghegh, and Yasaman Khazaeni, SPE, West Virginia University, prepared for the 2010 SPE Western Regional Meeting, Anaheim, California, 27–29 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Gas-Reserves Estimation in Resource Plays
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 130102, “Gas-Reserves Estimation in Resource Plays,” by W.J. Lee, SPE, Texas A&M University, and R.E. Sidle, SPE, Consultant, prepared for the 2010 SPE Unconventional Gas Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 23–25 February. (See SPE Econ & Mgmt, October 2010, page 86.)
Improving Reserves Systems With Continual Reserves Management
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 130174, “Improving Reserves Systems Through Continuous Reserves Management,” by Tim Loser, Energy Navigator, prepared for the 2010 SPE Hydrocarbon Economics and Evaluation Symposium, Dallas, 8–9 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Production/Facilities
Brian Skeels, SPE, Emerging Technology Manager, FMC Technologies
Fast and Efficient Numerical-Simulation Method for Supersonic-Gas Processing
This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 131239, “A Fast and Efficient Numerical-Simulation Method for Supersonic-Gas Processing,” by Dengyu Jiang, Qitai Eri, Changliang Wang, Huoxing Liu, and Yao Yuan, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, prepared for the 2010 CPS/SPE International Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition in China, Beijing, 8–10 June. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Revolutionizing Offshore Production by In-Line Separation Technology
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 135492, “Revolutionizing Offshore Production by InLine Separation Technology,” by R. Fantoft, SPE, R. Akdim, SPE, R. Mikkelsen, T. Abdalla, SPE, R. Westra, and E. de Haas, SPE, FMC CDS Separation Systems, originally prepared for the 2010 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Florence, Italy, 19–22 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Sand Settling in a Subsea Production System
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 132909, “Sand Settling and Locations of High Erosion in Subsea Production System,” by S.A. Shirazi, SPE, and B.S. McLaury, University of Tulsa; E. Sow, SPE, BG Group; and M. Butter, SPE, A. Folefac, SPE, and S.A. Hassaballa, Rashpetco, originally prepared for the 2010 Trinidad and Tobago Energy Resources Conference, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 27–30 June. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Bit Technology and Bottomhole Assemblies
Graham Mensa-Wilmot, SPE, Drilling Engineering Advisor, Chevron
Design, Development, and Testing of a Slimhole Rotary-Steerable System
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 130920, “Design, Development and Testing of a Slimhole Rotary Steerable System,” by S. Jones, SPE, J. Sugiura, SPE, and P. Das, PathFinder Energy Services, originally prepared for the 2010 CPS/SPE International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in China, Beijing, 8–10 June. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
The Performance of Mud Motors With Two Different Bent Housings
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 125858, “The Performance of Mud Motors With Two Different Bent Housing on Drilling a Lateral Section of Horizontal Wells in North Dakota,” by Andy Syahputra, SPE, Bill Blaschke, and Jerry Hudson, SPE, Halliburton, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain, 26–28 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Managing Drilling Vibrations Through BHA-Design Optimization
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper IPTC 13349, “Managing Drilling Vibrations Through BHA Design Optimization,” by J.R. Bailey, SPE, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, and S.M. Remmert, SPE, RasGas Company Ltd., originally prepared for the 2009 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar, 7–9 December.
