Preview of OTC 2006

New depths, new horizons, is this year's theme for the 2006 Offshore Technology Conference, held May 1-4 in Houston. This year, World Oil explores what the 2006 show will feature and asks the OTC management the perennial question: What are you doing to improve the conference?

 Special Report: Technology From Europe

As part of our OTC issue, this special section offers the latest offshore technology innovations from the main European players: United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Netherlands, France, Italy and a few other technology offerings from other countries. A selection of novel technology developments and applications will be presented.

As part of our OTC issue, this special section offers the latest offshore technology innovations from the main European players: United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Netherlands, France, Italy and a few other technology offerings from other countries. A selection of novel technology developments and applications will be presented.

 Drilling Technology

What's new in rotary steerable technology. While drilling the overburden in Valhall field offshore Norway, BP experienced difficulties setting casing in extended reach drilled (ERD) wells. BP Norway and Halliburton demonstrate how they overcame these problems using rotary steerable technology and a new well design.

We will also feature another case study involving directional drilling technology, specifics of which will be announced later.

 Gulf of Mexico Report

Lease/drilling/activity overview. An overview of the present state of deepwater activity. And what's happening on the lease situation in the Gulf of Mexico, where thousands of leases are set to expire. Meanwhile, the East Gulf and deepwater areas continue to attract new money.

 Supply and Demand

Peak oil: A meeting of the minds. A report on the conclusions reached by a group of knowledgeable folks, who, for the most part, believe that a peak in oil production is not sufficiently distant to allow complacency in supply.

 Advances In Geophysics

A method to estimate economic gas accumulation from fizzy water. Authors from the University of Houston describe a method and give examples of how to use this AVO-based methodology. Economic determination for a gas-saturated thin-bed reservoir can be determined from seismic at the prospect phase

Monitoring fluid movements at reservoir scale using EM. Authors from Schlumberger and CNPC discuss resistivity variations due to changes in porosity, saturation (water, bypassed pay) and temperature (steam flooding). While crosswell EM development started two decades ago, it is only today, with advances in processing, inversion techniques and following rigorous workflows, that it is available for oilfield applications on a commercial basis. The field work described is the Gudao oilfield in Shandong Province in China.

 Production – Artificial Lift

Part 1: From their base at Texas Tech University, our long-standing contributors, the duo of Herald Winkler and Jim Lea, will compile the first half of this highly popular, annual World Oil features. Once again, they will assemble an exciting array of new developments and systems in Rod Pumping and Gas Lift. There will be ample photos and diagrams to accompany the featured items.

 Petroleum Technology Digest

Our popular, recurring feature that results from World Oil's association with the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council .This month, a lease operator describes his experiences in lowering costs and improving production.