On the Cover

V&M Atlas Bradford Drilling with Casing product in Green River basin, southern Wyoming.

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Cover and Table of Contents

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SPECIAL FEATURES

Guest Editorial • What Will the Oil and Gas Industry Do This Time? • Stephen A. Holditch, Department Head, Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University

At the industry’s request, universities have greatly increased enrollment in petroleum engineering schools. But will the oil industry see past the current economic downturn and hire these graduates?

Management • The Oil Curtain and the Evolution of National Oil Companies • Wajid Rasheed

How the behavior of international and national oil companies has permanently changed the energy landscape.

Industry Braces for an Uncertain Year

Oil and gas companies are still adjusting to the sharp price volatility, collapse in credit markets, and global economic downturn of the past few months. But many analysts and
forecasters believe that the medium- to long-term outlook for the oil industry has not changed, and that the need for more production, more people, and more research and development remains.

Upstream Global R&D Efforts Continuing, with Caution

While 2008 closed with lower demand for oil and gas and a corresponding drop in energy prices from their record highs in the summer, research and development efforts across much of the upstream sector continue, although with a sense of cautious optimism.

Nexen’s Buzzard to Fly with Fourth Platform

Canada’s Nexen is pushing ahead with the next phase in the development of its Buzzard field in the UK sector of the North Sea, with a plan to install a new hydrogen sulfide treatment platform.

International Petroleum Technology Conference

Discussions during the third International Petroleum Technology Conference, held for the first time in Asia, focused on the challenges of meeting the world’s future energy needs and the global economic recession.

Drilling Technology

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Overview

Stéphane Menand, SPE, Research Engineer, Mines ParisTech

Hydraulic Paramaters of Underbalanced and Managed-Pressure Drilling

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 114667, “Some - times-Neglected Hydraulic Para meters of Underbalanced and Man aged-Pressure Drilling,” by Charles R. Stone, SPE, and Shifeng Tian, SPE, Signa Engineering Corporation, originally prepared for the 2008 SPE/IADC Managed Pressure Drilling and Underbalanced Operations Conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 28–29 January. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Equivalent-Circulating-Density Fluctuation in Extended-Reach Drilling

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 115149, “Fluctuation of Equivalent Circulating Density in Extended Reach Drilling With Repeated Formation and Erosion of Cuttings Bed,” by Shigemi Nafanawa, SPE, U. of Tokyo, and Komei Okatsu, SPE, Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals Natl. Corp., originally prepared for the 2008 IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition, Jakarta, 25–27 August. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Deep Salt-Formation Wells Drilled Successfully With Integrated Techniques

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 115208, “Deep- Salt-Formation Wells Successfully Drilled With Integrated Techniques in Tahe Oilfield,” by Zhong Liguo, SPE, Daqing Petroleum Institute; Cong Haiyang, Sinopec; Wang Shiqing, SPE, and Zhao Defu, CNPC; Wang Zhifeng, Sinopec; and Yang Guang, CNPC, originally prepared for the 2008 IADC/ SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition, Jakarta, 25–27 August. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Improved Riser Design for Managed-Pressure Drilling in the Norwegian Sea

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 113672, “Managed-Pressure Drilling Resolves Pressure-Depletion-Related Problems in the Development of the High-Pressure/ High-Temperature Kristin Field,” by S.A. Solvang, SPE, StatoilHydro; C. Leuchtenberg, SPE, Consultant; and I.C. Gil, SPE, and H. Pinkstone, SPE, Halliburton, originally prepared for the 2008 SPE/IADC Managed Pressure Drilling and Underbalanced Operations Conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 28–29 January. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Offshore Facilities

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Overview

Claude Valenchon, SPE, Manager, Saipem S.A.

Design of Steel Catenary Risers for Deepwater Offshore Brazil

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper OTC 19249, “In fluence of Fatigue Issues on the Design of SCRs for Deepwater Offshore Brazil,” by A.L.F.L. Torres, M.M. Mourelle, S.F. Senra, E.C. Gonzalez, and J.M.T. da Gama Lima, Petrobras S.A., originally prepared for the 2008 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 5–8 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Management of Offshore-Ice Operations

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper OTC 19275, “Ice Management for Ice Offshore Operations,” by A.J. Keinonen, AKAC Inc., prepared for the 2008 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 5–8 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Lessons Learned From 12 Years of Operations of a Prestressed High-Performance-Concrete Floating Production Unit

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper IPTC 12546, “Lessons Learned From 12 Years of Operations of a Huge Floating-Production Unit Made of Prestressed High-Performance Concrete,” by Bertrand Lanquetin, Heidi Dendani, and Pascal Collet, Total, and Jose Esteve, Bureau Veritas, prepared for the 2008 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 3–5 December. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Well Testing

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Overview

Jay Stratton, SPE, VP Operations,Golden Energy

Pressure-Transient Testing and Production Logging To Monitor Performance of the Mars Deepwater Field

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 115591, “Case- History Review of the Application of Pressure-Transient Testing and Production Logging in Monitoring the Performance of the Mars Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Field,” by Jeffrey Weiland, Shell, and Mehdi Azari, SPE, S. Suparman, SPE, Phil Fox, SPE, and Daniel Dorffer, SPE, Halliburton, prepared for the 2008 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, 21–24 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Replacing Wireline Formation Pressure With Formation Pressure While Drilling in Long Horizontal Wells

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper IPTC 12103, “Replacing Wireline Formation Pressure With Formation Pressure While Drilling in Long Horizontal Wells,” by J.K. Larsen, SPE, Maersk Oil Qatar; C.J. Maeso, SPE, and F. Liu, SPE, Schlumberger; and R. Narayanan and R. Noman, SPE, Qatar Petroleum, prepared for the 2008 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 3–5 December. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Evaluating Confidence Intervals in Well-Test-Interpretation Results

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 113888, “Evaluation of Confidence Intervals in Well-Test- Interpretation Results,” by A.C. Azi, SPE, and A. Gbo, SPE, Imperial College; T. Whittle, SPE, Baker Atlas; and A.C. Gringarten, SPE, Imperial College, prepared for the 2008 SPE Europec/EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Rome, 9–12 June. The paper has not been peer reviewed.