May 2015 ///
Special Focus
Joe D. Woods, International Pinpoint; James F. Lea, PL Tech LLC; Herald W. Winkler, Texas Tech University
Part 1: In this first of two monthly reports, the authors highlight innovations in beam/rod pumping, linear lift units, hydraulic piston pumps, hydraulic jet pumps, and more.
Features
Annabel Green, Tendeka; Martin Halvorsen, Statoil
The North Sea’s Troll field, 80 km northwest of Bergen, is Norway’s largest gas reservoir.
John Flavell Smith, Wireless Seismic, Inc.
A wireless seismic system offers a more efficient way to acquire data in challenging terrain. The system proved its capabilities on a record-breaking survey in Iraqi Kurdistan, facilitating seismic acquisition, despite a regional earthquake and armed conflict between the Kurds and ISIS.
Jim Redden, Contributing Editor
Drilling, LNG prospects face stiff headwinds
Mauro Nogarin, Contributing Editor
Responding to falling oil prices, some Latin American governments push energy investment, while others slash E&P budgets.
Peter Howard Wertheim, Contributing Editor
Alvaro Teixeira is a civil engineer and geologist who worked 36 years for Petrobras on E&P projects in Brazil and abroad.
Peter Howard Wertheim, Contributing Editor
Mexico is the world’s 10th largest oil producer and has some of the largest reserves in the Western Hemisphere.
Peter Howard Wertheim, Contributing Editor
Statoil Brazil, in partnership with China’s Sinochem, is betting $3.5 billion in the Campos basin. Statoil Brazil president Pål Eitrheim explained the company’s strategy to World Oil.
Phoebe McMellon, Geofacets; Neal Marriott, Geological Society of London; Jonathan Craig, Eni
Organizations in academia and industry support the development of new geological information tools to help geoscientists sift through huge quantities of data, and incorporate that data seamlessly into their workflow, leading to improved decision making and improving the odds of exploration success.
Columns
Pramod Kulkarni, World Oil
Climbing up the down cycle
William J. Pike, World Oil
Vexing questions
William (Bill) Head, Contributing Editor
Modern oil and gas exploration is good for the environment: Fact
Jim Redden, Contributing Editor
Turn out the lights
Henry Terrell, Contributing Editor
Alaska oil money, onshore and off
Ron Bitto, Contributing Editor
Five years after Macondo, the industry is better prepared to respond
Raj Kanwar, Contributing Editor
Despite lower crude prices, India’s ONGC goes ahead with ambitious plans
Michael Dyll, Texas International Freight
Why I am a NOMAD
Steven McGinn, World Oil
Alexander Palynchuk: A lifetime of innovation
Kurt Abraham, World Oil
PESA’s non-industry speakers make excellent points
News & Resources
Roger Jordan, World Oil
World of oil and gas
Henry Terrell, Contributing Editor
Industry at a glance
Steven McGinn, World Oil
People in the industry
Steven McGinn, World Oil
New products and services
Steven McGinn, World Oil
Companies in the news
ShaleTech Report
T. Grant Johnson, NAPE Operators Committee
It has now been 21 years since I attended the very first NAPE expo, a marketplace for buying and selling oil and gas prospects and producing properties.
Robert F. (Bob) Shelley, Amir Nejad, Nijat Guliyev, StrataGen; Michael Raleigh, David Matz, Epsilon Energy
A data-driven, neural network model was developed to quickly and economically evaluate completion effectiveness for Marcellus shale wells. This model was used to identify significant opportunity to improve production for new wells by modifying completion and frac design. According to the model, geology and reservoir quality dominate Marcellus production. However, controllable contact and conductivity-related parameters are also significant. The number of frac treatments and the amount of proppant used in the completion rank first and second in significance. This is followed by perforation design, fluid volume and treatment rate.
Fred W. Frailey, Contributing Editor
The Class 1 railroads are back in the U.S. crude oil business. Now, the hard part.
Perhaps the most significant, extensive changes in crude-by-rail transportation were made on May 1, 2015, by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its agencies, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The changes are contained in a “final rule” for “the safe transportation of flammable liquids by rail.”
Tyler Micheli, Sigma³ Integrated Reservoir Solutions
Starting with nine wells and ending with a $1.3-billion sale, the systematic application of engineering principles, guided by geologic analysis, creates success in North Dakota.
Markham Hislop, Contributing Editor
Fracturing efficiency gains enabled Nexen to optimize its operations, and maximize its profits, in Canada’s Horn River basin. Logistical preparations for the remote nature of the site, an emphasis on the use of produced water, and switching to bi-fuel pumps resulted in significant operational savings.