Overview

A strong global demand currently exists for readily useable energy in the form of petroleum and natural gas, and demand has been projected to increase steadily for the foreseeable future. Developed consumer nations are expected to increase consumption of oil and natural gas as their economies continue to improve and expand. Similarly, the energy appetite of developing nations also is expected to increase the demand for petroleum and natural gas, as long as that energy source remains a convenient, economically viable, and environmentally acceptable alternative. The strong demand in global energy needs therefore presents both welcome challenges and boundless opportunities for the petroleum industry. Therefore, the major challenge facing the petroleum industry in satisfying this demand may be the development and application of new or improved methods of finding and producing the required hydrocarbons. As a result, opportunities for the development and implementation of new or improved production technologies abound in this environment.

Some excellent examples of the opportunities that exist in the industry for novel or improved production technologies are presented in the summaries of the selected technical papers that follow. These examples are but a small sample of the extremely important production-operations issues addressed by the petroleum industry recently, many of which pertain to the modeling and assessment of the production performance of wells. I hope that you find the issues addressed in these technical summaries and the full-length papers, as well as in the additional technical references cited, as interesting and inspiring as I do. With the petroleum industry’s efforts to address modern production-operations problems, such as those illustrated by these examples, the challenges presented by increasing demand will invariably present many opportunities for future innovation.

Integrating Advanced Production and Image Logging in a High-GOR Horizontal Well
Modeling the Gas-Well Liquid-Loading Process
Multidimensional Velocity-Based Model of Formation Permeability Damage

Bob Poe, SPE, Engineering Adviser, Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services, has spent more than 17 years in well completions and production operations. Most of his career has been in well-stimulation design and evaluation, production-performance evaluation, phase behavior, and reservoir simulation. Poe holds BS, ME, and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M U. He has authored numerous SPE papers on production-performance analyses and has served on several SPE meeting organizational committees, the SPE Editorial Review Committee, and the JPT Editorial Committee.

Overview

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