bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling and Optimizing Inflow Control Devices
Authors: Todman S. , Wood G. , Jackson M. D.
Published: June 2017

Passive inflow control devices (ICDs) can redistribute the fluid influx (rate per unit length) into the well completion by causing additional pressure drops between the sand face and tubing. The aim of ICDs is to provide an increase in oil recovery and/or net present value (NPV) by reducing unwanted fluids. Software tools exist to model all aspects of ICD, reservoir, well and surface facilities. The challenge addressed by this paper is to provide an understanding of the implications for optimal ICD design over the life of the field, by integrating these models in a consistent manner.

This paper investigates different aspects of detailed ICD design on horizontal producers, using a wellcentric reservoir model. The ICD designs from the well-centric models were then applied to a full field reservoir model and integrated studies were then completed. This was achieved by linking several existing software to study the interaction between the ICD design, full field reservoir, well and surface network. Various aspects of the integration of these models were simulated including: artificial lift, water injection strategy and surface network.

Predictably, well-centric simulations showed that ICD designs are dependent on the objective function that is being maximized. If NPV is to be optimized, designing ICD strength to have higher production from the heel and toe regions of the well may produce better results than attempting to equalize the inflow for the entire well.

Integrated studies showed that artificial lift can be beneficial in combination with ICDs, as the ICDs redistributed the fluid influx into the well, yet the liquid rate reduction due to the additional pressure drop from the ICDs was mitigated. Even when ICDs were shown to be beneficial on standalone reservoir/well models, the design and predicted benefit when a surface network is coupled depends on: how the surface network is operated, surface network constraints and the relative water cut of the well which ICDs are applied to in comparison to the other wells in the field. These results show that ICD design and optimization requires an integrated approach to ensure outcomes that are consistent with the reality of the field.
Enhancing Production Using New Cable Deployed Electrical Submersible Pump - The First Trial and the Challenges Faced
Authors: Butt Qasim , Kothari Nikita , Boutamine Tahar Zoubir , Roth Brian
Published: June 2017

Coiled Tubing deployed Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs) have had a very short history in the oil and gas industry. The idea of installing a pump using coiled tubing was developed more than a decade ago which would allow the possibility of rigless operations and reduce the time for deployment/retrieval of the completion under "live-well" conditions. However, the initial attempts to define their economics were limited to comparing operational costs based on equipment and services, without considering the long term performance and gains over the life of the installation.

A new concept of power cable consisting of 3 mono-conductors has been developed in the past 2 years for deploying ESPs that eliminates the need for spooling and banding at the wellhead. The project has been a strategic development for ESP alternative deployment methods that would eliminate the need to move a work over rig on location to replace/service an ESP, making it more cost effective. A customer in Saudi Arabia has chosen the path of performing an initial recompletion of the well with this system with the benefits of the alternate deployment method during the periodic ESP replacements for resizing and wear out.

This paper outlines the details of the new cable deployed ESP system and the extensive considerations given to the deployment process to ensure safe and successful installation of the ESPs.
Water Control in High-Water-Cut Oil Wells using Relative Permeability Modifiers: A Saudi Lab Study
Authors: Al-Hulail Ibrahim , Shakeel Muzzammil , Binghanim Ahmed , Zeghouani Mohamed , Rahal Raed , Al-Taq Ali , Al-Rustum Abdullah
Published: June 2017

Water production in a hydrocarbon-producing well greatly affects the economic feasibility of a well, in worst cases, resulting in the well being shut in. Therefore, an effective water-control treatment program is important to help control water production and maintain or increase hydrocarbon production. Relative permeability modifiers (RPM) can be implemented in some high-water-cut wells as a chemical treatment to selectively reduce water production.

The study in this paper introduces an RPM system that is a hydrophobically modified, water-soluble polymer. This polymer is adsorbed on the rock surface, resulting in the alteration of the characteristics of rock surfaces. The unique polymer chemistry selectively reduces the water's effective permeability in the reservoir, impeding water flow and facilitating increased hydrocarbon flow. It can also help enhance the reservoir drainage area. Core-flooding experiments were conducted in the laboratory to assess the performance of the RPM system. Experiments were conducted on synthetic cores and formation cores from a well in the Central Arabia field.

The laboratory experiments showed that the RPM system can drastically help decrease water permeability, with low regained water permeability and high regained oil permeability in a synthetic core. The water regained permeability was 17% (i.e. 93% reduction in water permeability) in a formation core using formation oil and water. High-permeability core plugs were used in the laboratory to determine the effectiveness of the RPM system. A detailed procedure was followed, including repetitive oil and formation water cycles, to determine core permeabilities. The results demonstrate that the RPM system is effective in the Central Arabia sandstone formation.

This paper discusses the study performed to implement an RPM system in a Saudi formation, where the treatment can effectively reduce water flow in the treated area with minimum damage to hydrocarbon flow. The RPM system can be customized based on the temperature and permeability of the treatment zones to achieve maximum reduction in water production.
Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of a Downhole Flow Metering System for an ESP
Authors: Ejim C. E. , Xiao J.
Published: June 2017

Downhole flow meters are needed in oil field applications to measure the amount of fluid produced from a well. One of their advantages over surface flow meters is measurement of in situ pressure and temperature, which provides additional wellbore information to reservoir and production engineers. This work involves performing uncertainty analysis on a downhole flow meter tested for use in oil field operations. It is an important step to determine acceptable measurement limits of the metering system.

To quantify the measurement uncertainty, the analysis was performed on a downhole, oil-water flow meter with an inlet pipe diameter of 0.076 m. The analysis covered differential pressures with corresponding flow rates from 0.0036 m3/s up to the maximum flow meter capacity of 0.0224 m3/s. The operating fluid temperatures varied from 32°C to 40°C, which consequently changed the oil and water densities and kinematic viscosities during the flow meter tests. For a given operating flow rate and temperature, the uncertainty in the individual measurement components of the meter were determined, and the overall metering system uncertainty established.

The results indicate that as the operating flow rate increased, the uncertainty in the flow rate reduced substantially. The increase in temperature had the effect of increasing the magnitude of the flow rate measured by the flow meter. The variation in the flow meter inlet pipe diameter introduced the largest uncertainty in the flow meter measurement. The uncertainty was in the order of a factor of two and higher compared to the next lower uncertainty contributor. These observations suggest the importance of ensuring accurate control of flow meter geometry and flow parameters, to ensure reliable measurements of fluid flow from the wellbore.

Installing downhole flow meters in oil field applications is an important step in gaining additional knowledge of reservoir conditions at the flow measurement location. It is vital to ensure that measurements obtained from these flow meters are accurate in field operations for good production decision making. This paper highlights the flow meter parameters contributing to its uncertainty and also provides recommendations to maintain its reliability in the field.
Laboratory Customizations and Field Application of Water-based Drill-in Fluid to Enhance Well Productivity – A Case Study from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Pino Rafael , Abahussain Abdullah , Addagalla Ajay , Jadhav Prakash
Published: June 2017

Customizing a fluid system for drilling into the pay zone or working over an existing well requires a thorough understanding of the reservoir. Damage mechanisms while drilling in the pay zone include fine solids migration, clay swelling, drill-in fluid (DIF) incompatibilities with reservoir fluids, and the use of reservoir damaging chemicals that can reduce the average formation permeability and lower production rates.

A suitable drill-in fluid system must be chemically nonreactive with the rock minerals and reservoir fluids, and be less invasive to preserve the native state of the rock along with its natural wettability. The selection of the bridging particles type, size distribution, and concentration must be based on reservoir rock morphology and the calculated pore throat size distribution. An adequate selection rapidly establishes a tight, thin filter cake and an efficient bridging mechanism that prevents the invasion of filtrate and fine drilled solids deep into the formation, minimizing damage to the reservoir and the potential for differentially stuck pipe.

This paper discusses the extensive laboratory analysis performed to design a DIF system based on the reservoir characteristics. This customized DIF was then successfully field tested with predefined key performance indicators (KPIs) to drill two wells, each with a production interval of approximately 2,000 ft, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fluid properties, along with particle size distribution of bridging additives, were continuously monitored and precisely controlled through drilling fluids engineering. The optimized drilling practices and hydraulics analysis also enabled us to improve hole cleaning, prevent influx, and minimize hole instability.
The First Successful Nitrogen Lifting Job without Stripping Out for a Gas Well in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Purusharthy Naresh K. , Alhamed Khalid I. , Fraikh Saud B. , Asel Sultan A. , Shammari Nayef S. , Atwi Mohammed A.
Published: June 2017

This paper discusses the first successful in-Kingdom coiled tubing intervention in a well without conventional stripping-out of the well leading to significant cost savings, reduced risks, and compliance to Saudi Aramco environmental protection policies by adhering to a zero flaring initiative.

Conventionally, wells are shut-in, secured, and stripped out (depending on the operation, stripped out refers to the disassembly and removal of directly connected piping, cathodic protection, and other production system components) in preparation for performing any high pressure coiled tubing (HPCT) interventions (to allow crane and HPCT units to spot and rig-up). Wells are then again re-manifolded to the production system. These stages consume a tremendous amount of manpower, cost, time, and production loss. Unfortunately, some wells have severe condensate loading issues, to the extent that they tend to die again, during shutdown (re-manifolding period) after the lifting operation. A new approach was required to be developed to avoid asset depletion in problematic wells.

The new approach suggests eliminating the need for stripping out and re-manifolding by lifting the well while it is connected and flowing to the gas plant. Many challenges were encountered during this effort, including the limited space for spotting equipment around the well connections, well control, and well response monitoring. In addition, it was difficult to overcome the downstream pressure across the pressure control valve (PCV) to allow unloading the well under its own pressure drive.

The operation served as a benchmark for future wells. The operation turned out to be a huge success in terms of cost and safety. The avoidance of strip-out, re-manifolding, testing package, and producing to the gas plant instead of flaring resulted in significant cost avoidance and reduction in production time.

This paper will provide an insight on the reasons behind selecting this well as a potential candidate for the job. It will also shed light on the risk assessment aspects, both technically and environmentally, and the operational safety backup plan that was thoroughly discussed and implemented. In addition, the challenges faced throughout the whole process of selecting the well, conducting risk assessment, issuing the Management of Change (MOC), designing the rigless program, and finally commencing operations will be discussed to ensure obstacles in future operations can be minimized. At the end, lessons learned and recommendations will be shared to ensure that the highest levels of operational efficiency are maintained for similar cases in the future.
Solving Complex Petrophysical Characteristics to Unlock Hydrocarbon Potential of a Naturally Fractured Pre-cambrian Reservoir
Authors: Al-Rahbi K. , Al Wahaibi N. A. , Al Mamari O. , Hegazy O. A. , Yaarubi A. H.
Published: June 2017

The Buah formation has gained increasing interest in the search for new exploration plays in the Sultanate of Oman. Significant hydrocarbon accumulation has been discovered in the Buah recently. The Buah formation is complex in terms of lithology, pore structure, and the coexistence of oils with different gravities, including bitumen. The existence of bitumen makes it difficult to determine permeable and recoverable hydrocarbon intervals.

The rock characteristics of Buah formation impose significant challenges to traditional formation evaluation methods. Because of the low porosity, error tolerance for estimation is low. Saturation determination using resistivity logs is uncertain because of low porosity and inexact Archie parameters. These include the cementation factor (m) that accounts for water phase connectivity, and the saturation exponent parameter (n), which is sensitive to rock wettability. The wettability status is unknown. However, the existence of bitumen could greatly influence the wettability and thus the saturation exponent.

A formation evaluation workflow has been developed to provide accurate petrophysical parameters necessary to estimate stock-tank oil initially in place (STOIIP) and conduct static and dynamic modeling. The triple combo and elemental capture spectroscopy logs are first combined for the best total porosity estimate and lithology determination. Nuclear magnetic resonance provides a lithology-independent pore space hydrogen index, which improves the accuracy of the porosity estimate and also quantifies the bitumen-filled pore volume. Dielectric dispersion analysis provides water-filled porosity together with the water tortuosity exponent (mn) that is strongly related to the cementation factor that can be incorporated in resistivity analysis to obtain a better estimate of water saturation in uninvaded zone. Thus, the integration between nuclear logs and dielectric measurements enables the direct estimate of producible hydrocarbon. Conventional core analysis was used to categorize different rock types in this reservoir by using the reservoir quality index (RQI) approach.

The results of our analyses have improved the static model, and examination against production logging and the dynamic model has revealed the best contributing rock types, the importance of fractures, and the impact of bitumen in hindering production.
Dynamic and Static Extraction Efficiency
Authors: Rowe Mathew , Muirhead David
Published: June 2017

The conventional approach to gas extraction at the surface is often flawed because of static extraction efficiencies used during drilling operations; a dynamic approach has proven to be much more effective. A dynamic extraction efficiency correction captures inter- and intra-molecular interactions and physical changes in drilling fluid that are not captured by static corrections. To demonstrate the difference between dynamic and static extraction efficiency corrections, both methods were used to analyze multiple wells of various reservoir types.

For any extraction system, a dynamic set of extraction efficiency equations is used to adjust the chemical composition for variations in chemical concentrations, temperature, fluid properties, and extractor type. A vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) model was used to dynamically adjust the gas composition to reflect the extraction efficiency and to compare to a static extraction efficiency correction. These correction methods were applied to multiple wells to compare the dynamic and static methods in several types of reservoirs.

The use of the dynamic extraction efficiency method has enabled more than 25 organic and inorganic chemical species results to be provided in 10% of downhole pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) samples, without the need to calibrate vs. the drilling fluid system. In direct contrast, the static extraction efficiency method, which was calibrated vs. the drilling fluid, showed inconsistent results and more significant errors. These results clearly indicate that the dynamic extraction efficiency correction is the better solution for predicting formation fluid composition.

The ability to dynamically adjust a wide range of organic and inorganic chemical species with changing fluid conditions provided more accurate predictions of formation fluid composition than possible using static correction.
An Effective Streamline History Matching Technique
Authors: Anwar Awan R. , Mohamed Bouaouaja , Mustafa Amari , Zawawi Ahmed
Published: June 2017

The paper describes a comprehensive generic workflow that was developed to enhance the history match of the reservoir simulation model for fractured reservoirs. Commonly in the industry, such reservoirs are modeled in dual porosity, dual permeability (DPDP) mode; this is to account for the dominant effect of natural fractures. Additional complexity may be added for secondary/tertiary recovery processes and production history.

Streamline trajectory mapping provides insights about fluid flow patterns and well communications, which improves our understanding of flow in the reservoir and the dynamic behaviors. Additional streamline attributes, such as allocation factors and time of flight (TOF), can help in quantifying the degree of connectivity in the reservoir. All these factors were utilized to improve history match.

The workflow capitalizes on utilizing this information in methodic stages. The first step is to map the streamline and report their attributes for each timestep in the DPDP model. This first step accounts for the fluxes in both media: matrix and fracture. Once these results are obtained, the discrepancies between observed and simulated data for each well are computed, along with the graphical 3D analysis of the streamlines. These are then used to guide the modification of the target gridblock properties during history matching. It is required to perform few iterations, repeating the same procedure, to achieve acceptable history match results.

The presented approach is more time effective than the conventional method, and the results demonstrate large improvements in matching the dynamic data.
The Interpretation of Miscible Fluid Displacements in Multimodal Carbonates
Authors: Al Harbi Ahmad M. , Kwak Hyung T. , Gao Jun
Published: June 2017

The transport of fluids through a permeable rock can follow complex paths depending on the complexity of pore size distributions and connectivity. Understanding the contribution of individual pores to total flow helps to build representative relative permeability models for reservoir simulation of secondary and tertiary recovery applications. Whether or not micropores contribute to the flow will eventually affect the shape of the relative permeability curve of the two-phase flow. In addition, it affects the extent of the mixing zone during fluid displacement for any miscible enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes.

Through a single-phase dispersion test, mimicking miscible displacement with continuous nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) T2 distribution measurements, fluid displacements relative to pore type were directly observed and quantified. The displacement data was modeled using the classical convective-dispersive model.

Results illustrate that the micropores of the selected bimodal carbonate samples are preferentially connected and the micropores in M_1 petrophysical rock type (PRT) effectively contribute to the displacement/flow mechanism in these rocks. In addition, the experimental results from single-phase study suggests the contribution of micropores to the total displacment in the M_1 PRT should not be ignored when modeling relative permeability for reservoir simulation. The results from modeling the miscible fluid displacement data using the classical convective-dispersive model showed that micro- and macropores in M and M_1 PRTs communicate in parallel and in serial. This result should be accounted for designing any types of miscible and surfactant flooding for reservoirs with these PRTsas they are relevant to the extent of the mixing zone relative to pore types.
Optimization of Infill Drilling in Whicher Range Field in Australia
Authors: Al-Fatlawi Omar , Vimal Roy Aswin R. , Hossain Md Mofazzal , Kabir Akim H.
Published: June 2017

Now that most of the conventional reservoirs are being depleted at a rapid pace, the focus is on unconventional reservoirs like tight gas reservoirs. Due to the heterogeneous nature and low permeability of unconventional reservoirs, they require a huge number of wells to hit all the isolated hydrocarbon zones. Infill drilling is one of the most common and effective methods of increasing the recovery, by reducing the well spacing and increasing the sweep efficiency. However, the problem with drilling such a large number of wells is the determination of the optimum location for each well that ensures minimum interference between wells, and accelerates the recovery from the field. Detailed 3-D numerical reservoir modelling is the most trusted method to determine the optimum locations of the infill wells, but it is time consuming and expensive. Therefore, the industry is on the lookout for methods that are fast and effective. Over the last few decades, researcher have come up with techniques like moving window, rapid inversion, Infill Well Locator Calculator (IWLC) etc. for infill drilling optimization of tight resources.

In this paper reservoir simulation modelling was combined with the Moving Window Method (MWM) to develop an optimum infill-drilling plan for Whicher Range (WR) Tight-gas Field in Western Australia. The accuracy and effectiveness of developed optimum plan are justified through comparative studies using standard reservoir simulation model; which demonstrates that the proposed plan effectively predicts the optimum number of wells including the production rate of each wells similar to that obtained from standard reservoir simulation studies. It is also inferred that reservoir simulation combined with MWM requires less data and much simpler as well as faster compared to standard reservoir simulation for optimizing an infill drilling plan for alike of Whicher Range tight gas field.
Enhancement of Well Log Data Interpretation with Digital Rock Technology
Authors: Deshenenkov I. S. , Ayadiuno C. B. , MacPherson K. A. , Estevez Gonzalez J. A.
Published: June 2017

Micro-computed X-ray tomography (micro-CT) allows visualization and quantification of pore space, minerals, and the calculation of rock properties at micron-scale. The technology is particularly useful in complex reservoirs where subtle changes in the fabric lead to variations in pore connectivity and fluid flow. Internal rock fabric and physical properties can be calculated with a relatively short turnaround time compared to conventional laboratory techniques.

In 2015, Saudi Aramco established a micro-CT laboratory within its Exploration Core Facility to test the feasibility of moving micro-CT analysis from "R&D" to "routine" operational support for exploration and development drilling programs. After the successful completion of this trial, Saudi Aramco is deploying into full production a digital rock physics laboratory utilizing state-of-the-art micro-CT equipment. The objective of this paper is to describe the establishment of the micro-CT lab, a workflow and its application for enhancement of well log data interpretation.

Digital rock physics is a multidisciplinary field that requires expertise in 3D imaging, image processing, numerical modeling, computational physics, and petrophysics. A typical workflow integrates micro-CT images, thin sections, mercury injection capillary pressure data, backscattered electron scanning electronic microscopy - energy dispersive spectroscopy results used for digital image analysis to characterize heterogeneities, pore classes, porosity types, mineralogy, and rock properties. Micro-CT images are acquired, processed, and analyzed with resolutions up to 2.5 microns.

The following study is focused on the characterization of isolated porosity in carbonates, where the fluids are isolated in moldic pores and may not be contacted by electrical currents of resistivity logging tools, making it difficult to consistently identify saturation. This can lead to erroneous hydrocarbon saturation estimates from wireline logs. Micro-CT analysis of the conductivity, cementation exponent, and formation resistivity factor provided constraints for the petrophysical input parameters of hydrocarbon saturation analysis. The micro-CT analysis of ten carbonate core plug samples resulted in an improved conductivity model that took into account electrical properties of the rock with isolated porosity. This provided a better match between oil saturation calculations from wireline logs and well tests/production data. Comparison of existing standard log analysis results with modified log-derived saturations from micro-CT analysis gave a more reliable estimate of hydrocarbon saturation.
Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR) Methods and Production Enhancement Techniques for Shale & Tight Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Hasan Muhammad , Eliebid Mohammed , Mahmoud Mohamed , Elkatatny Salaheldin , Shawabkeh Reyad
Published: June 2017

Natural gas is one of the primary sources of energy. With conventional resources depleting and rising energy demands, the world is swiftly moving towards exploiting the indigenous unconventional resources. Unconventional resources refer to ultralow permeability reservoirs that include shale and tight gas systems. Tight gas systems may include sandstone and carbonate rocks which possess low permeability but shale systems possess permebailities in the order of nano-darcies. Challenges presented by these unconventional resources led to various production enhancement techniques and enhanced gas recovery (EGR) methods that have enabled an efficient and economic recovery from such resources.

This paper discusses the production enhancement techniques for shale and tight gas reservoirs such as hydraulic fracturing, CO2, sequestration, magnetic nano-particle technology for optimum fracture propagation, fracturing with dynamic loading or pneumatic fracturing, thermal (cryogenic) fracturing, mechanical cutting of the shale formation, enhanced bacterial methanogenesis and heating of the rock mass.

Further, CO2 Sequestration as an EGR method is discussed in detail as it is mutually beneficial for the enhancement of hydrocarbon production as well as environment to sequester CO2 reducing its harmful impact and contribution to global warming. A comparison of re-fracturing strategy with CO2 Sequestration has also been presented and thus a suitable strategy for the application of CO2 Sequestration is presented. An experimental analysis is also presented in the end to show the affinity of shales to methane, CO2 etc. Further, the validity of Langmuir's isotherm to model gas desorption phenomenon is also discussed with experimental investigation of CH4, CO2 and 10%CO2-90%CH4 mixture at 100°C and pressure up to 44 bar. The results showed that CO2 adsorption is 3.7 times CH4 adsorption.
Predicting the Flow ID of Water Injectors Identified with Obstruction in the Horizontal Section
Authors: Al-Ajmi Mohammed D. , Al-Nuaim Sami A. , Al-Hajri Nasser M. , Al-Hajri Muhammad A. , Al-Shammari Nayef S.
Published: June 2017

This paper presents an automatic well performance method and advanced algorithm to estimate the size of any obstruction identified in the wellbore or in the horizontal wellbore section of injection wells. The advantageous feature of this analytical method is the ability to predict the size of obstruction without costly well intervention or injection shutdown. The method includes the determination of a calibrated well performance model with a simulated obstruction, using inflow performance and outflow performance relationships. The method calls for building the following two calibrated inflow performance models: a constant injectivity index model and a steady state Jushi model to take into account reservoir flow attributes such as permeability, anisotropy, and skin damage factor. On the other hand, the outflow performance model was constructed considering both gravitational and frictional pressure changes. Continuous surface flow measurements using Solar Flow Meter data were used to validate and calibrate the overall well performance model.

An iterative algorithm was developed to estimate the obstruction size and generate its performance curve using surface injection data and single-phase choke flow equation. This has enabled the simulation of downhole obstruction effect on well injectivity. This method was used in determining the obstruction size within the horizontal section. The algorithm and the process were validated using actual case study with horizontal water injection well known with obstruction and palnned for well intervention.
Consideration to Batch Mixing Time Improves API Recommendation for Testing Cement Slurries and Prevents Cement Failures: Lab Testing and Field Application
Authors: Al-Yami Abdullah S. , Wagle Vikrant , Mukherjee Tushar S. , Al-Badran Mohammad , Aljubran Mohammad
Published: June 2017

Batch mixing of cement slurries is a common exercise in the drilling operations. To simulate cement pump-ability of the cement API procedure are followed for thickening time. However, API Procedure does not consider batch mixing time in thickening time tests which can cause catastrophic results ending with cement failures. The objective of this paper is to show the importance of adding adequate time to mix the cement slurry with no pressure and temperature simulating batch mixing to the API thickening time tests. To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first study to investigate batch mixing time effect on cement thickening time.

Laboratory testing invariably follows the API procedure for thickening time and, although this may be adequate in most cases, it cannot universally predict field behavior. Recently, several gas well cementing operations did not perform successfully causing expensive remedial operations due to immature cement setting. Initial lab testing in cement labs has shown acceptable thickening time using API procedure prior to the job and after the failure. Including batch mixing time to the cement with no temperature and pressure shorten the thickening time from 7 hours to less than 3 hours. This is due to the sensitivity of some high temperature retarders to shear rate used in cementing gas wells. The short thickening time was also observed when using these chemicals with tap water which rules out any possible contamination or bacterial effect.

It is concluded from this study that adapting the batch mixing time into the API cementing procedure for all future wells will mitigate future cement failures. Future plan also will be to communicate with API committee to consider batch mixing time in cementing best practices.
Successful Coiled Tubing Milling Operation with Real Time Fiber Optic Downhole Pressure Monitoring and CCL Correlation: Case History
Authors: Ashby Scott , Hansen Jon , Alabdulmuhsin Ali , Al-Kulaib Hamad , Al-Atwi Mohammed , Shammari Nayef , Khan Faisal , Bastisya Muhammad Gusti , Cruickshank Doran
Published: June 2017

This paper describes a coiled tubing milling operation using fiber optic enabled coiled tubing and downhole tools for real time depth control and downhole monitoring of critical parameters. A description of the technology used, the job design, tool selection and execution of the job, the challenges encountered during the operation and the successful outcome are presented and discussed in the paper. The case history presented in this paper marks the first time that this particular fiber optic technology had been applied during a milling job worldwide.

Coiled tubing milling operations can be challenging when precise depth measurement is critical. For the case history discussed in this paper the operator needed access to the production liner below the end of tubing with a BHA with a larger outside diameter than the inside diameter of the nipple installed in the tail pipe of the tubing. It was necessary to mill out this nipple profile while ensuring that other completion accessories above the nipple, including the production packer, were not inadvertently milled or damaged. Therefore, accurate depth control during the milling process was essential.

Depth control was obtained with the real-time fiber optic CCL measurements. In addition, real-time pressure and temperature measurements were available from the fiber optic enabled BHA to monitor the milling parameters.

The latest fiber-optic technology for coiled tubing including modules for CCL, temperature and pressure was used for the first time during a milling job. The data recorded, transmitted and integrated with the data acquisition software, created the ability to customize and optimize well intervention in realtime, and ensured that the required depth control precision was obtained, with precise control on the downhole milling parameters to optimize the milling operation.
Shale Gas Reservoir Development Strategies using Complex Specified Bottom-hole Pressure Well Architectures
Authors: Alqahtani Mari H. , Ertekin Turgay
Published: June 2017

The principal objective of this paper is to develop an artificial expert system capable of instantaneously and accurately predicting complex wells (CW) performance, proposing CW designs, and predicting average reservoir properties, for shale gas wells operating under specified bottom-hole pressure.

Artificial neural networks (ANN) provide the backbone of the expert system. Other methods, such as traditional well-testing, numerical reservoir simulation, and decline curve analysis, have inherent limitations or require significant time and effort expended. ANN methodology has the ability to recognize patterns between various parameters in the presence of large databases and is a powerful tool especially when the existing relationships between the dependent and independent parameters are vague or are not well understood. Thus, it is capable of instantly solving problems that do not have known analytical or numerical solutions. CW are scarce in shale gas reservoirs, thus utilizing real data in ANN training is not possible most of the time. Accordingly, numerical reservoir simulation is used to generate the database necessary for training the expert system.

The expert system developed in this research instantly and accurately performs the tasks below for shale gas CW operating under constant bottom-hole pressure conditions and they are capable of:

Predicting production rates for a given CW design from a given shale gas reservoir. Proposing a robust CW design capable of producing a given production profile from a given set of reservoir properties. Predicting unconventional reservoir rock properties corresponding to a given gas production profile from a given CW design.

In addition, results prove that a well-trained ANN is capable of making instantaneous and accurate predictions. Results also increase our confidence in utilizing ANN to solve complex problems in the oil and gas industry. To increase accuracy of the expert system, reintroduction of data combinations as functional links helps reducing prediction error.

CW consume lower amount of water and have a controlled exposure to reservoir, making them an attractive alternative to the common massively hydraulically fractured horizontal wells (MHFHW). Field testing shale gas CW allows us to utilize real data in calibrating and testing the expert system.
Olhares sobre a educação de crianças surdas: Sala de Aprendizagem Bilíngue e Projeto BIOLIBRAS
Authors: Fernandez Thaís Almeida Cardoso
Published: June 2017

O trabalho tem como objetivo descrever e analisar as ações do projeto de extensão BIOLIBRAS na educação de crianças surdas, na Sala de Aprendizagem Bilíngue (SAB), e na formação em LIBRAS de suas famílias. Para tal, foram utilizados a sistematização das observações diretas participantes, os diários de campo dos membros do projeto e os levantamentos realizados nos diagnósticos participativos. A análise dos dados se deu por meio da Análise de Prosa. Identificou-se a partir das ações do projeto a valorização da LIBRAS pelas famílias, favorecendo a comunicação no ambiente familiar. Com relação aos estudantes surdos, a atuação do projeto proporcionou tanto o desenvolvimento da LIBRAS, quanto a significação de conceitos científicos, fundamentais no processo de inclusão escolar. Além disso, os ambientes bilíngues e socioafetivos da SAB proporcionaram a construção da identidade surda dos estudantes e o sentimento de pertencimento ao grupo.
Esquete teatral interativo como alternativa metodológica para divulgação científica de temas relacionados ao ensino de Química
Authors: Benedetti Filho Edemar , Santos Júnior João Batista , Cardoso Bruna Antunes , Mantoanelli Jessica Oliveira Fontoni , Souza Thais Mota , Cavagis Alexandre Donizeti Martins
Published: June 2017

O presente artigo descreve o emprego de um esquete teatral interativo na divulgação científica e formação inicial de professores de Química. As atividades foram desenvolvidas em uma escola pública da cidade de Itapetininga (SP), por estudantes de licenciatura em Química da Universidade Federal de São Carlos. A apresentação do esquete propiciou um grande envolvimento dos alunos do Ensino Médio em uma metodologia alternativa de ensino, que também foi importante para aprimorar as habilidades dos licenciandos em Química na ministração de aulas, especialmente no que diz respeito ao planejamento de atividades lúdicas alternativas, confrontando-os com uma situação real de ensino e aprendizagem na qual puderam aprimorar sua desenvoltura para apresentações em público.
Defining a Dryland Grain Sorghum Production Function for the Central Great Plains
Authors: Nielsen David C. , Vigil Merle F.
Published: June 2017

Core Ideas

Grain sorghum water use/yield production function has a slope of 30.2 kg ha−1 mm−1.

Slope is greater than most other previously reported, but typical of C4 species.

Production function can be used with precip record to estimate yield probability.

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a drought‐tolerant C4 species capable of making use of limited available water supplies and is suitable for dryland crop rotations in the central Great Plains. In order for farmers to assess the production risk encountered when utilizing sorghum in rotations, a water use–yield production function would be useful. Previously published production functions vary widely in reported slope of the relationship between water use and grain yield, with many of those slopes being much less than expected for a C4 species. The objectives of this experiment were to determine a water use–yield production function applicable to grain sorghum grown in the central Great Plains and to use that production function with a long‐term precipitation record to assess production risk. Sorghum water use and yield data were collected from 2006 to 2016 at Akron, CO, and a production function was determined by linear regression to be yield (kg ha−1) = 30.2 × (water use [mm] – 259). A grain yield of at least 4000 kg ha−1 would be expected to occur 16% of the time if plant available soil water at planting was 111 mm and 92% of the time if 259 mm was available. Both the production function and the probability exceedance graphs will be useful to farmers in assessing production risk as they consider incorporating grain sorghum into dryland crop rotations in the central Great Plains.
Evaluation of performance and environmental benefits of a full-scale pump as turbine system in Antalya water distribution network
Authors: Muhammetoglu Ayse , Nursen Cezmi , Karadirek I. Ethem , Muhammetoglu Habib
Published: June 2017

In recent years, pumps used in turbine mode (pump as turbine, PAT) have started to appear as a viable option to reduce pressure in water distribution networks in addition to energy production at micro scale. In this study, evaluation of performance of a recently installed PAT system in Antalya City, Turkey, is presented for the first operational period of approximately 5 months. This full-scale PAT system was implemented in a parallel pipeline with a pressure reducing valve. The operation of the installed PAT system was continuously monitored online for flow rate, power and pressure. The installed PAT system, being in operation since 26 January 2016, works efficiently in a wide range of inflows (130–300 m3/h) and the produced energy varies between 0.7 and 8.4 kWh for a reduction of approximately one bar pressure head with an average efficiency of 60%. Based on the initial 5 months of operational data, environmental benefits of green energy production, reduction in physical water losses and carbon dioxide emissions were evaluated. Based on the implementation cost of the PAT system and the revenues from the environmental benefits, payback period of this specific full-scale PAT application was computed as 53 days or 1.8 months.
Suscetibilidade dos concretos com ar incorporado ao avanço da carbonatação
Authors: Resende Matheus Borges de , Peruzzi Antônio de Paulo , Santos Antônio Carlos dos , Delalibera Rodrigo Gustavo
Published: June 2017

No Brasil, um dos processos construtivos considerado “não convencional” utilizado na construção de moradia econômica é o composto por paredes maciças de concreto armado que, basicamente, é a montagem de fôrmas que são preenchidas com concreto com ar incorporado tendo já embutidas as instalações, nas quais a vedação e a estrutura são compostas por um único elemento. A incorporação de ar aos concretos, embora diminua a resistência à compressão, representa ganhos perante os concretos convencionais, pois, a redução da massa específica representa um menor custo na fundação e um melhor isolamento térmico e acústico. Porém, o ar incorporado pode representar riscos à durabilidade da estrutura. Com isso, deve ser estudada a suscetibilidade desse tipo de concreto frente aos agentes deletérios, entre eles a carbonatação. O objetivo deste trabalho verificar o avanço da frente de carbonatação que é um indicativo da suscetibilidade da estrutura de concreto armado em relação à durabilidade.
A democracia que vem do “outro”
Authors: Semeraro Giovanni
Published: June 2017

A democracia pensada e implantada até hoje pelo capitalismo não consegue dar mais conta das pressões que surgem por toda parte e se articulam de diversas formas no mundo de hoje. A demanda por participação política e socialização do poder represada nas periferias está explodindo também no coração dos países centrais. A repressão e os paliativos são ineficazes. Torna-se cada vez mais imprescindível e inadiável recriar o mundo atual sobre bases efetivamente democráticas que possam realmente universalizar direitos e socializar o poder material e simbólico. A surpreendente insurgência de novas subjetividades políticas, mais destemidas e determinadas que as tradicionais organizações sociopolíticas, aponta para uma pedagogia alternativa que prepare “dirigentes” em condições de realizar uma democracia popular no mundo globalizado. Palavras-chave: democracia; política; educação.
Por que gestão democrática? A democracia da gestão escolar. A quem interessa a gestão democrática e de que democracia se está falando?
Authors: Torres Artemis
Published: June 2017

O conteúdo deste artigo se refere aos princípios da gestão democrática. Aborda os seus conceitos basilares, identificando as suas inter-relações: o sentido da democracia e as suas possibilidades na escola pública; a importância da participação social ampliada; a qualidade da educação como resultado da democracia. Em síntese, democracia, participação e qualidade são conceitos que retratam o sentido da reforma proposta no campo da gestão escolar e, por isso, servem como pauta de avaliação dos descaminhos dessa política. Palavras-chave: gestão democrática; escola pública; democracia e participação; educação de qualidade.
Influence of welding modes on weldability of structural steel lap joints in laser welding
Authors: Salminen Antti , Baskutis Saulius , Petronis Egidijus
Published: June 2017

This study considers the development and analysis of various welding parameters on the weldability of structural steel lap joints. The specimens of structural steel S355 were welded at different welding speeds, focal point positions, laser powers, and heat inputs. Welding was performed with a 10 kW IPG fiber laser. The predicted conditions for keyhole stability as well as the microstructure of joints, penetration depth, and microhardness distribution on the cross-section of the welded joints are analyzed. The mechanical properties of lap joints in different welding modes are also reported. The results of the hardness measurements show that the hardness level of the fusion zone is up to 1.5 times higher than the base metal hardness. By the analysis of the double welded lap joints, it is revealed that due to preheating during the first weld, second weld has deeper penetration, lower weld hardness, and minimized formation of solidification cracks in the weld. In addition, the importance of the focal point position in the lap joint quality is also reported.
Epidemiological Survey of Multiple Sclerosis in East-Azerbaijan Province, Iran, 2014
Authors: Yousefi Behzad , Shams Vahdati Samad , Mazouchian Hossein , Dehghan Hesari Reza
Published: June 2017

Abstract:Introduction and background: MS as a chronic CNS disease is very prevalent in all around the world. Its epidemiology is different region by region and most of geographical and environmental factors may play a role in its incidence. To analyze demographic characteristics of the disease we designed this study.Methods and Materials: This Survey has been conducted in East-Azerbaijan province, North-West of Iran. Prevalence of the disease has been measured using data of Committee for diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis in 2014. Age, gender and type of the disease also been investigated in this research. Independent T Test, Chi square, Pearson and Fisher exact test used to analyze data.Results: We had 2774 MS patients in 2014. 726 were male (26%) and 2003 were female (73%). Mean age of males was 38±9 and mean age of females was 37.09±9. Mean age in male patients was more than in females significantly (P=0.001). We measured 73.26 prevalence per 100000 populations in East-Azerbaijan.Conclusion: Prevalence of the disease showed significant increase in 5 years compared to previous studies. Because of disease's disabilatating entity more interventional investigations are recommended to perform in preventing disease incidence or improving quality of life of sufferers and increasing their life expectancy.