On the Cover

The recently completed Devon Energy simulfrac, located in the Woodford Shale play in southeast Oklahoma. Photo courtesy of Halliburton and Devon.

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Cover and Table of Contents

SPECIAL FEATURES

Guest Editorial -The Rise of the New Bodacious Independents

Peter Lovie of Devon Energy describes how the dramatic consolidation in the oil industry over the past 2 decades has led independent producers to reinvent themselves in the face of change.

Q&A

Emmanuel Egbogah, the new special adviser to the President of Nigeria on petroleum matters, discusses the restructuring of the country’s oil sector and changes in the national oil company.

Management · Crystallography: The Long-Term Price of Oil

In the absence of huge technology investments to bring solids and gases firmly into the domain of liquid fuels, with continuing growth in world demand, and with declining surplus oil reserves in the Middle East, there are no obvious outcomes under which future oil price increases can be contained, writes Ian Moncrieff, Vice President Oil and Gas of Kline & Company. The bottom line is that $100/bbl oil is here to stay.

OTC Preview

A first look at the 2008 Offshore Technology Conference.

Distinguished Author Series: A Vision for Future Upstream Technologies

M.M. Saggaf, manager of Saudi Aramco’s EXPEC Advanced Research Center, presents his vision of the potentially most influential upstream technologies of the future.

Hydraulic Fracturing

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Overview

Simon Chipperfield, SPE, asset-development team leader, Santos

Contact More Barnett Shale by Integrating Real-Time-Microseismic Monitoring, Petrophysics, and Hydraulic-Fracture Design

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 110562, “Contacting More of the Barnett Shale Through an Integration of Real-ime-Microseismic Monitoring, Petrophysics, and Hydraulic-Fracture Design,” by J. Daniels, SPE; G. Waters, SPE, J. LeCalvez, SPE, J. Lassek, SPE, and D. Bentley, Schlumberger, prepared for the 2007 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, 11–14 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Modeling Hydraulic-Fracture Treatments in San Juan Basin Coals: Fully Functional 3D Fracture Model

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 107972, “Lessons Learned From Modeling Hydraulic-Fracture Treatments in Coals Using a Fully Functional 3D Fracture Model in a San Juan Basin Project,” by Muthukumarappan Ramurthy, SPE, Halliburton, and Bill Lyons, SPE, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, prepared for the 2007 SPE Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Technology Symposium, Denver, 16–18 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Holistic Fracture Diagnostics

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 107877, “Holistic Fracture Diagnostics,” by R.D. Barree, SPE, and V.L. Barree, Barree & Associates, and D.P. Craig, SPE, Halliburton, prepared for the 2007 SPE Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Technology Symposium, Denver, 16–18 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Internal Breakers for Viscoelastic-Surfactant Fracturing Fluids

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 106216, “Internal Breakers for Viscoelastic-Surfactant Fracturing Fluids,” by James B. Crews, SPE, and Tianping Huang, SPE, Baker Oil Tools, prepared for the 2007 SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, Houston, 28 February–2 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Production Operations

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Overview

Bob Poe, SPE, Engineering Advisor, Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services

Effect of Complex Reservoir Geometries and Completion Practices on Production Analysis

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 111285, “Evaluation of the Effect of Complex Reservoir Geometries and Completion Practices on Production Analysis,” by S.A. Cox, SPE, R.P. Sutton, SPE, and R.P. Stolz, SPE, Marathon Oil Co.; R.D. Barree, SPE, Barree & Assocs.; and M.W. Conway, SPE, Stim-Lab, prepared for the 2007 SPE Eastern Regional Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, 17–19 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Analysis of Production Data From Hydraulically Fractured Horizontal Wells

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 110848, “Analysis of Production Data From Hydraulically Fractured Horizontal Wells in Tight, Heterogeneous Formations,” by F. Medeiros, SPE, Petrobras, and B. Kurtoglu, SPE, E. Ozkan, SPE, and H. Kazemi, SPE, Colorado School of Mines, prepared for the 2007 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, 11–14 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Inflow-Control Devices

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 108700, “Inflow-Control Devices: Application and Value Quantification of a Developing Technology,” by F.T. Al-Khelaiwi, SPE, and D.R. Davies, SPE, Heriot-Watt U., prepared for the 2007 SPE International Oil Conference and Exhibition in Mexico, Veracruz, Mexico, 27–30 June. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Heavy Oil

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Overview

Tony Kovscek, SPE, associate professor, energy-resources engineering, Stanford University

Optimize Cyclic-Steam Stimulation Through Experimental Design

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 109826, “Peace River Carmon Creek Project—Optimization of Cyclic Steam Stimulation Through Experimental Design,” by P.F. Koci, SPE, and J.G. Mohiddin, SPE, Shell International E&P, prepared for the 2007 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, 11–14 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Combustion-Tube Experiments Show Heavy-Oil-Production Increase With Addition of Catalyst

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 107946, “Increase Heavy-Oil Production in Combustion-Tube Experiments Through the Use of Catalyst,” by M.A. Ramirez-Garnica, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo; D.D. Mamora, SPE, Texas A&M U.; H.R. Nares and P. Schacht-Hernández, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo; A.A. Mohammad, Texas A&M U.; and M.C. Cabrera-Reyes, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, prepared for the 2007 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Buenos Aires, 15–18 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Enhanced Heavy-Oil Recovery by Alkali/Surfactant Flooding

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 110738, “Enhanced Heavy-Oil Recovery by Alkali/Surfactant Flooding,” by J. Bryan, SPE, and A. Kantzas, SPE, University of Calgary and TIPM Laboratory, prepared for the 2007 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California, 11–14 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.