Issue: September 2021
Special Focus
Six remedies to prevent casing deformation and maintain wellbore integrity for a successful completion.
GEODynamics and operators surface-tested typical unconventional fracturing configurations and determined that particle transport and fluid velocities impact proppant placement.
In 2019, Deep Well Services launched their greenfield SnubWell program, marking an industry-first data acquisition system custom-tailored to Hydraulic Completion Unit operations.
A service company deployed new concepts and improved completion technologies to deliver an innovative operational process improvement, devising a one-trip solution that saved days/weeks off the work schedule, for subsea well stimulation in the Santos basin, offshore Brazil.
Global Mid-Year Forecast
Despite analysts’ dire predictions about Covid-19’s short-term/long-term effects on the industry, demand and oil prices recovered significantly in second-and-third-quarter 2021. Even with consistently higher oil prices, U.S. operators showed uncharacteristic restraint, focusing on debt reduction and shrinking the DUC backlog rather than new drilling.
Although there are some hopeful signs that a recovery may be on the way for Canada’s oil patch, the ongoing global pandemic, misguided politicians, and skittish markets have left producers wary and risk-averse.
Although global oil and gas demand has recovered much of the ground lost last year, there are plenty of question marks left in the market for operators to navigate, including ESG and renewables challenges.
Features
Nanoparticle tracers provide affordable solution for sweet spot identification, frac hit avoidance and well spacing understanding.
Streamlining day-to-day operations, using purpose-built apps, is enabling improvements for operations, maintenance and worker safety.
Industry mandates for more sustainable operations and higher performance are reshaping drilling/well construction. For years, digital innovation has been important for improving efficiency and enabling returns-focused performance. Today, digital is equally important in reducing CO2 emissions to mitigate climate change.
While digitalization has improved project economics and streamlined operations, it also has brought the need for AI-enabled solutions to support sustainable growth and provide security against cyberattacks.
A novel flare combustion efficiency monitoring method has been developed, using parametric modeling based on existing experimental data and computational fluid dynamic calculations. This method can be deployed to upstream flare systems to achieve maintenance-free real-time monitoring.
As the energy industry evolves, there is one critical constant—understanding the subsurface thoroughly. Knowledge of the underlying geology is key to successful hydrocarbon, geothermal and offshore wind projects. It also ensures the success of carbon capture/storage initiatives—digital transformation will be a key enabler going forward.
Lessees and interest-holders in the Gulf of Mexico should carefully evaluate the existing contractual language governing their investments in light of case law and consider adding bond requirements or additional consideration in exchange for a specific, express release of costs associated with decommissioning obligations.
In the oilfield, providing insight to current problems and offering foresight into potential future problems should form the bedrock of client engagement. Engineers and technicians working on a clients’ machinery should treat it as if it were their own.
Columns
Forecasting for 95 of 105 years
Circumstances can get worse
A tough and hot slog
Regulatory update
Actions speak louder than words: Biden and the U.S. upstream
Offshore resurgence underway
Resources
