2013 Forecast: Active gas well numbers increase slightly

The number of producing U.S. gas wells showed signs of growth in 2012, just barely reversing the negative trend of the previous year.

2013 Forecast: Canada’s upstream sector survives on oil activity

From the Canadian perspective, three major issues are dominating 2013—oil sands, pipelines and the price trap that is straining company profits and royalty revenues.

2013 Forecast: E&P spending to set a new record at $644 billion

Barclays forecasts exploration to be at the forefront of spending, with a focus on liquids-rich resources and accelerated deepwater activity.

2013 Forecast: High activity rate continues

The oil and gas industry has experienced two strong consecutive years, although it remains somewhat on an activity plateau.

2013 Forecast: Implications of the 2012 election abound

Having backed the wrong horse in the election, the upstream industry must now live with the oil and gas policy consequences, the best that it can.

2013 Forecast: Latin America aims for increased production

The southern part of the Americas continues to be a region of prolific growth. E&P activity will accelerate this year, both on and offshore, particularly in the deepwater, pre-salt areas of Brazil.

2013 Forecast: Producing oil wells squeeze out small increase

Last year, the number of U.S. wells producing oil grew 2.6% (up 14,225 wells), boosted by increases in oil-directed drilling.

2013 Forecast: Rig count takes a momentary breather

The U.S. rig count average rose 1.9% last year. This 40-rig increase was less than 2011’s 334-rig increase (up 21.6%), for a number of reasons.

2013 Forecast: Strong sailing lies ahead, absent any problems

The global E&P industry is set, for yet another year, to ride a high tide of drilling and production increases, with no end in sight

2013 Forecast: Turn up the volume: U.S. oil production surges despite softer prices

Although oil prices have generally sagged below 2011 levels, U.S. crude oil and NGL production increases accelerated in 2012. Year-over-year, production volume rose almost 13% overall, led by the Gulf Coast and, increasingly, the Mid-Continent region, with its skyrocketing shale activity.

2013 Forecast: U.S. reserves see third consecutive year of growth, driven by independents

End-of-year oil reserves increased for the third consecutive year, and gas reserves grew from 18.6 Bbbl in 2010 to 20.3 Bbbl in 2011, while gas reserves increased 4%, combined annual growth in the five-year period analyzed by Ernst & Young in its 2012 US E&P benchmark study.

Barnett Shale: Graybeard play producing more gas from less drilling

Much like the once-hyperactive pensioner clinging to assurances that productive days remain, the granddaddy of the unconventional shale plays stubbornly refuses to fade into retirement.

Improving directional drilling tool reliability for HPHT horizontal wells in the Haynesville shale

A Shell-Halliburton team implemented a collaborative, systematic reliability program to reduce MWD, mud motor and LWD failures under HPHT downhole conditions. Within two years, the team reduced the failure rate by more than 80%, in spite of increasing bottomhole circulating temperature.

Regional Report: Eastern Mediterranean

Shell, Statoil and ExxonMobil forgot to tell Noble Energy that the Arctic was to be the next hydrocarbon frontier. In an exceptional effort with several minority partners, the U.S. independent has upended plans of the Arctic-focused IOCs by making significant natural gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean’s Levant basin: Tamar (9.7 Tcf), Leviathan (17 Tcf) and Cypress A (5-8 Tcf).

Urban drilling in the Barnett shale

Operational and technological solutions in the shale plays should proactively address social responsibility and community interests. Aiding this effort is a slurry agent that optimizes cementing and reduces the need for remediation.

Drilling advances

No second guessing on Kulluk

Energy Issues

An oilfield career: A play in three acts

First Oil

A look back and a forward leap of faith

Innovative thinkers

Richard Sinclair: Propelling the future of fracing

Oil and Gas in the Capitals

Parsing the EIA oil and gas forecasts

The Last Barrel

Coal heads toward being the energy king

What’s new in exploration

Droid-driven seismic

What's new in production

Fractured reality

Companies in the news

Companies in the news

Industry at a glance

Industry at a glance

Meetings and Events

Meetings and Events

New products

New products and services

People in industry

People in industry

World of Oil and Gas

World of Oil and Gas

US Gas Prices ($/MCF) & Production (BCFD)

Monthly US Gas Prices and Trends ($/Mcf)

International Offshore Rigs

International Rotary Rig Count

International Rotary Rig Count

International Rotary Drilling Rigs

International Rotary Drilling Rigs Graph

World Oil Supply & Demand by Quarter

World Oil Supply & Demand by Quarter

Selected World Oil Prices

Selected World Oil Prices Graph

U.S. Oil Production

U.S. Oil Production

U.S. Rotary Drilling Rigs Graph

U.S. Rotary Drilling Rigs Graph

Rotary Rigs Running in US

Rotary Rigs Running in US

Workover Rig Count

Workover Rig Count

World Oil and NGL Production

World Oil and NGL Production Table

U.S. Oil Production (1)

U.S. Oil Production

Integrated workflow characterizes Campos basin fractured reservoirs using pressure-transient tests

Seismic and wellbore image data from a carbonate reservoir in the Campos basin suggested evidence of faults and associated fractures, but pressure-transient tests performed in the exploration wells did not indicate classic dual-porosity behavior. To understand the fracture properties in these types of reservoirs, Petrobras and Schlumberger developed new interpretation methodologies for understanding pressure-transient data.