bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective Workflow to Clean-Up Oil Spill Using Ferromagnetic Nano-Particles
Authors: Kakade R. , Bagga P. S. , Kamble P. D. , Patwardhan S. D.
Published: November 2016

Permanent environmental damage cannot be compensated in terms of money. Unfortunately, oil spills contaminate water, restraining marine species of their habitat and food supply. Despite the numerous methods available today to clean up the water body by separation of oil and water, none have restored water to its previous quality or saved marine animals from its deleterious effects to the full extent. The biggest hurdle to this cause is the sunken oil; the oil which may have either sunken mixed with sand and mud or by dispersion due to weathering. Mechanical containment with recovery and use of dispersants will always be the most widely used response option for surface clean up due to its capability to directly remove oil from environment till today. Another spill response tool is In situ burning which is under study from several decades. Efforts are being made to enhance In situ burning such as Aerial Ignition System (AIS) and Chemical Herders. Although it is expected that this oil will float right up due to the density difference and cleaning will hence be easy, this is not always the case.

The authors suggest the most effective workflow to clean up surface oil in marine oil spills as well as a way to tackle the sunken oil droplets. Choosing of an effective clean up method should always start with determining the amount of oil, density of oil, type of oil (crude or refined), salinity of water and the weather conditions. The authors thus propose an arrangement for real time tracking and mapping of an oil spill and then using most effective modern cleanup methods like booms, in situ burning, dispersants and skimmers followed by the use of polymer coated ferromagnetic nano particles to clean up sunken oil droplets. Magnetic nanoparticles are non-toxic nano sized sponges that sink deep inside the water body, absorb 10 times their weight of oil and float back up on the surface. Experiments with two samples of oil were conducted to check the effectiveness of ferrous nanoparticles in attracting oil out of water in various concentrations of nanoparticles to find the optimum level.
Sandstorm Contingency for Logging with Coiled Tubing: Coiled Tubing Cut, Site Evacuation and Safe Recovery - Success Story from Middle East Field
Authors: Subaihi M. H. , Benanjaya A. , Al Bloushi M. A. , Gali A. R. , Hashmi U. I. , Madi H.
Published: November 2016

Objectives/Scope: Operations in onshore fields at UAE are affected during the months of March through June by the weather, as sand storms are created and attack the area, there is always a need to plan abandonments to avoid harm to any personnel, environment and minimize damage to facilities.

In March 2016, while executing a logging with coiled tubing operation on a well at one of ADCO fields with 1.75'' coiled tubing (CT), a message from the field's safety team was communicated to terminate all operations and lower all cranes due to a severe storm approaching the area. It was required to evacuate the area within two hours. A team was formed at the base communicating with the in-charge engineer onsite to safely secure the CT string at surface, which would allow for abandonment while maintaining well control (WC).

Methods, Procedures, Process: During this process three options were analyzed: the first option was to add additional support to the injector head (IH) and leave the coiled tubing package rigged up; this option was rejected because it would not guarantee WC in the event that the storm takes down the crane along with IH. The second option was to secure the CT with lower Blow out Preventers (BOP), Combi type, then shear it and rig down the IH. This approach provided WC, but it created additional risk and limitations when resuming the retrieval operations after the storm. The third option was to secure the CT utilizing the upper BOP, Quad type, and keep the pipe held with the lower BOP while secured by the upper BOP. The removal of the IH would leave the section of pipe along with the logging tools held while the well is secured using the BOP provided WC. Furthermore, a cap was installed at the top of BOP and a pressure gauge was set to monitor pressure during retrieval of the pipe.

Results, Observations, Conclusions: After analyzing available options, the third alternative was selected by the team; as this option addressed WC and allowed safe recovery by rigging down the top BOP, reconnecting the pipe through double end connector into the IH, and rigging up the required equipment to proceed with the pipe recovery operation.

Novel/ Additive Information: Availability of two BOPs reduced the complexity of pipe recovery in addition of maintaining WC at all stages of the operation. Logging with CT is one of the most complicated rigless operations in terms of rig up and rig down, utilizing two BOPs provided the option of securing the well at any point of the operation with reduction in difficulties of pipe recovery. This paper illustrates contingency procedure for CT cut and recovery in abnormal situations through a certain rig up setup.
Energy Conservation and Equipment Reliability Improvement by Operations Excellence
Authors: Arif M. , Humayun N.A.
Published: November 2016

After successful commissioning of Full Field Development (FFD) project of an oil field in Southeast of Abu Dhabi in 2013, operations excellence played its role to optimize resources. Particularly, a number of initiatives were taken to optimize energy, conserve environment and to increase equipment reliability. As a result of numerous initiatives taken, a total of energy 2.85 MW saving, reduction of 37 tons CO2 per day emission along with other benefits like running machines at best efficiency point (BEP), reducing maintenance cost and increasing life of equipment achieved. Initiatives taken include provision of back pressure control valve for spiking gas compressor at final discharge; offline one of the three phase production separator; use of variable frequency drives (VFDs) instead of conventional fixed frequency switch boards; wide opening of chokes for wells having VFDs and reduction in operating frequencies; operation of spiking gas compressor at 75% capacity and stopping of over design vapor recovery compressor (VRC). The objective of this paper is to share successful optimization strategy to conserve energy and to enhance equipment reliability by running the machines nearer to best efficiency point. Team work and people involvement remained the key to success for all initiatives taken.
Cathodic Protection Rehabilitation for Buried Vessel
Authors: Kadikar Ratnakar
Published: November 2016

The purpose of this paper is to provide brief summary on rehabilitation work done for cathodic protection (CP) of seven buried vessel which were un protective due to CP system failure.

This paper addresses the design consideration, modification and refurbishment strategy implemented by Dolphin Energy to address the challenges associated with buried vessel. The information highlighted here may be helpful to other operators to evaluate their capabilities and protect their system in the same way.

This paper provides the insights for the reason of CP system failure and addresses the innovative solution to rehabilitate buried vessel CP system without isolating from the production facility and performing rehabilitation on live vessel, safely.

At Dolphin Energy, an Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) system is used to protect against soli side corrosion for buried vessels, piping and tank bottoms. For buried vessels, Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) anode loops are used around the vessel to achieve uniform protection. A routine survey revealed seven buried vessels unprotected needing CP refurbishment to protect and maintain the integrity of these vessels.

A bi-annual CP survey revealed out of various (two, three or four) MMO anode loops, initially one loop became non-functional followed by other loops which lead to zero current. However, applied voltage was normal.

Based on the survey and initial screening, it was understood that the CP system failure could either be due to anode deterioration, cathode cable damage, DC fuse failure or anode cable failure. However, detailed investigation and excavation revealed out of these four probabilities, anode cable failure at anode to cable splicing joint was the reason for CP system failure.

Given that all the buried vessels on-site are enclosed within a concrete pit and covered with a concrete lid, direct replacement of anode loops is impractical and unsafe. Hence, an alternative CP retrofit system was introduced for the seven buried vessels where, canistered MMO anodes were placed at diagonally opposite corners and other strategic locations around the vessel to achieve uniform protection. During rehabilitation, existing pit, junction boxes and transformer rectifiers were used which were in good condition, meeting the design requirement.
Enhancing Zakum Field’s Marine Safety To The Highest HSE Standards& Best Practices
Authors: Fahmy Ibrahim , Macaulay James , Benmebarek Samir , Al-shehhi Ahmed
Published: November 2016

Entry Overview

ZADCO Senior Management along with ADMA Initiated Project of Enhancing Zakum Field’s Marine Safety to the highest HSE Standards/best practices as a step forward in Risk Management by investigating all root causes of previous incidents, setting and implementing the recommendations to close the gap and strengthen the safety barriers.
Best Practices in Integrity Management of Safety Critical Systems
Authors: Pillai Sreejith
Published: November 2016

Process Safety assurance is built on the premise that all Safety Critical Elements [SCEs] / HSE Critical Equipment & systems [HSECESs] are operated and maintained so that they are functionally available on demand to prevent / mitigate / control process safety incidents. This means that, HSECES management is fundamental to process safety assurance, which is the essence of ADNOC COPV6-01, Verification of Technical Integrity. GASCO Technical Integrity or HSECES Assurance Management process is being continuously improved or optimized to make the process robust and practical incorporating the lessons learnt.

GASCO embarked on a journey to build assure management of HSECES into the day-to-day operations at all of its operational sites almost seven years ago and is sharing the best practices to hazardous industries through ADIPEC, the world's largest oil & gas conference.

This paper highlights the operationalization of HSECES management for operating plants in an integrated manner, in compliance with ADNOC COP6-01. The clear value-adding differentiators of this model includes the Technical Authority process, HSECES performance test report automation and maintenance of this model for new projects and changes to existing plants.

This pragmatic and optimized model brings in an integrated Technical Integrity approach to the region.
A Modern Touch Enabled Well Exception Analysis Interface with Trend and Prediction Analytics for Improved Field Management Including a Real Time Nodal Analysis Engine To Be Used in High Well Count Scenarios
Authors: Brown Ian , Gokdemir Metin , Stoddard Trevor , Said Saad A. , Kirkman Matthew A.
Published: November 2016

Traditional DOF solutions use a web portal or intranet dashboard as the primary means of data access and collaboration. For an engineer these portals are useful to help identify field problems, reduce the amount of time spent looking for data and enable quicker analysis of issues. However, these platforms do not offer the rich two-way communication environment that could enable real-time interaction between engineers, systems, and support functions. Web portals are generally loosely coupled to modelling and visualization solutions which together can adversely affect performance of the solution. This paper presents how a new approach was tried, tested and proven to offer a transformation in the way we interact with well production, model based analytics and collaborate with others. This paper provides a case study documenting how a foundational Digital Oilfield (DOF) platform was extended to include model based workflows and multi channel mobile device integration.
Pressure Equipment and Piping Integrity Management Systems in Digitalized World
Authors: Costa Francisco
Published: November 2016

Best results in professional communication are achieved with short and simple words as well as practical examples that may be enriched with photographs, drawings and now in our digitalized world era by 3D representations. "One Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words"

This paper focus in demonstrating how to ease and gain advantage of advanced digital technologies to add value to key subjects related to Mechanical Integrity of Pressure Equipment and Piping Systems in the Oil and Gas Plants, Refineries and Petrochemical industries while handling the following matters: Recording, Searching and Retrieval of a variety of Inspection Data, Asset History Verification, Reporting, Analysis, Tracking, Planning, preparation of Scope of Works and Budgets.Understanding of Design, Operational and Technical Integrity for Mechanical Integrity Risk Analysis, Risk Based Inspection (RBI) studies, identification and prioritization of different areas of concern requiring further attention and Engineering Support based on their criticality and classification.Enabling visualization in precise and detailed 3D representations for Searching and Grouping of Piping Systems by Material, Rate, Size, Degradation Mechanism, Repairs, Replacements, Upgrades, Insulated, non-Insulated, etc. the criteria is ours.

Adding a customized 3D software shall be able to strengthen and further improve the Integrity Management Systemfor Static Pressure Equipment and Critical Piping Systems with focus on Small Bore Piping, to enrich Inspection Record Keeping Systems and therefore enhancing our ability to manage the overall Inspection and Corrosion Business Process.
Moving the Oil and Gas Sector into the Video Age: Vision Assisted Well Interventions Reduce Cost and Add Value
Authors: Tymons Tobben , Moloney Susan
Published: November 2016

Economic challenges, within the oil and gas industry, make the optimization of production from existing wells more important than ever. Increasing the number of active wells and maximizing their production can be achieved through integrity-restoring and production-enhancing well intervention projects. The challenge faced by well operators under today’s economic conditions is achieving cost effective, high efficiency operations to maximize return on their investment. Through the presentation of case studies, this paper will demonstrate how the application of innovative downhole camera technologies enabled well operators to bring wells back on-line that had previously been shut in.

High definition, battery powered, memory cameras were deployed on slickline to provide cost effective operations without compromise to image quality. Full color video was downloaded and analyzed after each run to enable well site decision making regarding specific well issues, including tubing to annulus communication, a failed safety valve and diagnosing the results of multiple failed fishing attempts over several years. By providing fast-response, high-clarity visual information, an engineered solution would be tailored to suit the specific well conditions to maximize the effectiveness of remediation and increase the efficiency of restoration of production.

Results from the camera surveys immediately revealed clear evidence of the wellbore status in each case. Conclusive images of parted tubing, the position and condition of a fish and the top of a completion string provided valuable inputs into the decision making process for subsequent remedial work. As a direct result, fishing operations could be tailored to suit the specific situation and a work-over could be conclusively decided upon or avoided, providing significant time and cost saving as a result. In one case, a well, previously shut-in for several years, was brought back to life with a significant uplift in oil production.

Traditionally downhole cameras have been regarded as emergency tools to address immediate, unexpected problems. However, with advances in image clarity and data density, combined with carefully planned interventions, camera technologies provide highly intuitive and accurate diagnostic and surveillance information that reduces uncertainty and increases the effectiveness of resulting remedial work. Efficiency is now enhanced further through the integration of quantitative logging data with the camera in a single run to offer a truly robust interpretation answer and effectively provide vision to downhole data. The Oil and Gas sector has truly moved into the video age.
Sedimentology and Diagenesis of the Dense Zones Above and Below a Limestone Reservoir of the Kharaib Formation Lower Cretaceous, Abu Dhabi
Authors: Wu Q. , Ehrenberg S.N.
Published: November 2016

The "dense zones" (intervals of very low porosity) separating Lower Cretaceous reservoir zones have been studied in cores from a giant onshore oilfield. The topics addressed in this paper include the nature of gamma ray (GR) activity in the dense zones, lithofacies, the nature of bedding and depositional cycles, lateral variation in thickness and porosity within the field studied, the timing of porosity loss, and the causes of the very low porosity of the dense zones.
Acoustic Firing for Intelligent Reservoir Perforation
Authors: Shumakov Y. , Munro J. , Hollaender F. , Giordano P.
Published: November 2016

Firing heads are a widely used term for the initiation device of perforating gun systems and other pyrotechnical devices deployed on wireline and tubing-conveyed perforating (TCP) operations. The perforating systems have improved dramatically since the first successful commercial TCP job was performed in 1970 using a mechanically initiating firing head. Over the last several decades, the technological development of the TCP firing systems have rendered perforating systems more robust, safer, and operationally flexible.

Recently, perforating firing heads have been mainly designed on the basis of hydraulic and mechanical operation, which typically requires the shearing of pins through pressure activation or use a drop bar to create mechanical impact. Features, such as firing delay or multiple pressure-cycle operation, have been developed, with additional complexity. Such mechanical systems are not always precise in operation due to tolerances and can be influenced by variations in downhole conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and duration.

The electronic firing heads introduced over two decades ago provided immunity to variations of downhole conditions, offered improved accuracy and control, and eliminated the need for high-pressure pulses normally required to activate a hydraulic firing head. Communication relied upon a coded low-pressure command sequence of pulses. This introduced a safer, more efficient, and economical method for a wide range of downhole explosive operations.

The most recent advancements in the electronic firing head have been enabled by wireless acoustic telemetry. This evolution step provides a perforating firing head combinable with drill stem testing assemblies. The wireless technology-enabled electronic firing head is the integration of two proven technologies: the electronic intelligent low-pressure firing head and the wireless acoustic telemetry system. The electronic firing head enabled by wireless acoustic telemetry system allows multizone drill stem testing (DST), independently or selectively with comingled reservoir, providing the ability to initiate guns where pressure activation is not possible.

We describe the evolution of the firing system and operation of this newly developed and advanced acoustically actuated electronic firing head. Two case studies summarize the benefits and capabilities of the firing head enabled by the wireless acoustic telemetry system.
Seismic Reservoir Characterization of Carbonate Reservoirs The Case Study of Mishrif Formation Zubair Field, Iraq
Authors: Rodrigues J. M. , Fervari M. , Luoni F. , Monte A. Amato , Miraglia S. , Banoori S.
Published: November 2016

The objective of the work was to characterize the pore system of the Mishrif carbonates of the Zubair Field (onshore Iraq), using the Simultaneous Seismic Inversion results, geostatistical information (extracted from wells and seismic data) and rock physics modeling, which allowed to robustly transform impedance to porosity and additionally, to implement the internal Eni approach CaSRC (Carbonate Seismic Reservoir Characterization), including the Frame Flexibility Factor (FFF) to discriminate reservoir quality facies in terms of hydrocarbons productivity.

A seismic inversion was performed to produce elastic properties from seismic data. These property volumes were used to describe the lateral distribution of petrophysical parameters, while well data provided information about the vertical distribution of porosity and its relationships with the elastic properties. These data were then quantitatively integrated by applying a geostatistical approach to generate a porosity volume that honors all the available data and to compute a Seismic Facies volume, as additional property related to FFF, according to the estimated relationships between elastic and gross rock frame. Finally, an optimal average velocity volume was built by integrating structural information and inverted velocities, to properly locate the delivered seismic properties in a calibrated depth domain, suitable for reservoir modeling activities.

The analysis of seismically derived properties within the Mishrif Formation was carried out by vertically dividing the carbonate sequence in three units and estimating at each level the porosity distribution through an appropriate property mapping. The results highlighted a different lateral distribution for each layer. The upper one shows better porosities in the northwestern field sector, while the middle interval confirms an improvement of reservoir quality moving to the central-southwestern part. The lower interval shows globally poor porosity values along the field. As well as porosity, the seismic facies volume (driven by FFF) was analyzed separately layer by layer and mode maps were extracted. These maps shown that the lateral distribution of the best quality rocks is different among the intervals and change laterally inside of them. Furthermore, they shown that the main facies distribution trends, even though correlated to the predicted porosity, can provide additional information in terms of gross rock frame, where porosity type and mineral distribution represent key elements in assessing reservoir quality and, ultimately, suitable new well locations.

The interpretation of property maps using geological keys allowed to improve the robustness of recognized depositional trends, successfully used with the delivered volumes as driver for facies and property population within the generalized reservoir modeling workflow.
Leak Detection System in Pipeline Gas Distribution; Requirements and Considerations
Authors: Mookonil Vijay , Bauzon Joel
Published: November 2016

Introduction

GASCO pipeline network is a vast distribution network for transporting various products such as NGL, Sales Gas, and Condensate etc. across the emirate to various customers and beyond. There is no shutdown of the pipeline normally considered as they are networked and needs to be deliver uninterrupted supply of Gas to consumers. The leakage of hydrocarbon products from a pipeline not only represents the loss of natural resources but is also a serious and dangerous environmental pollution and also could lead to potential fire and explosion.

In-order to safeguard the overall integrity of the network & to avoid environmental/protection loss, protection against minor or major leak is of prime importance. The PLDS technology plays an important role in identification, detection and localization of a leak for a pipeline, to prevent (environmental and production) loss.

The objective of the paper is to highlight and emphasis the importance of PLDS system as a preventive maintenance tool and present the viable technologies with comparative analysis of its performance and limitations (considerations, design, implementation etc.). The paper shall also brief on the recent implementation of LDS technology in GASCO pipeline network via various ongoing projects.
Better Decisions Using Advanced Modelling Tools in Seismic Acquisition and Processing Workflow Design
Authors: Poole Anastasia , van Baaren Peter
Published: November 2016

This paper describes how forward modelling of the seismic experiment can be used to test different integrated acquisition and processing strategies, as a single, holistic, system, in an iterative manner. Data processing technology often receives insufficient attention during survey design, in part because the cost of data acquisition dominates the overall budget, and in part because the survey designer assumes standard ‘legacy’ processing will be applied. Some dangers of treating acquisition and processing as separate sequential steps are that the implications of the latest developments in data processing are not fully taken into account, and the designer may also rely on various legacy ‘rules of thumb’ related to assumptions on general data processing requirements. This can lead to an unbalanced design, where the modern contribution of data processing is underestimated, leading to overemphasis on conservative acquisition parameters, which are expensive, and in turn impact the final design.

For example, common practice established in 2D and the early years of 3D seismic was not to have more than 2 adjacent dead traces. This precaution was perfectly valid for low channel count acquisition systems where sparse receiver point spacing could result in 100 to 200 m gaps in the data, which could not be addressed by processing algorithms at the time. Modern high channel count 3D surveys typically have much denser point sampling (12.5 to 25 m). This, combined with recent developments in 5D interpolation techniques, means that not only are these gaps becoming physically smaller but also they can be addressed effectively later on in the data processing. Application of the legacy acquisition rule for modern high channel count acquisition systems, with simultaneous shooting implemented for efficiency, can prove costly as it significantly limits the productivity of the crew.

Many established rules/beliefs/perceptions in the industry have their foundations in acquisition and processing practices and capabilities now many years out of date. Modelling can assist us in the process of change and, to make better decisions in designing an optimum integrated acquisition and processing strategy consistent with state-of-the-art technical capability.
Subsea Pipeline Corrosion Rate and Acceleration Determination Based on Features Matching for 3 in Line Inspections
Authors: Trojette Mohamed Zouheir , Hammadi Mohamed Abdul
Published: November 2016

In line inspection is an effective technology to determine the conditions of the pipelines. Oil and Gas operators usually focus on corrosion which is the main threat to pipeline integrity. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of corrosion acceleration which can be used with corrosion rate to determine pipeline condition and predict future status when 3 Inline Inspections are available.

Corrosion features from the first two inspections are matched, and a corrosion rate is associated with each feature. The matching is carried out based on girth welds and relative distance as reported by the In Line Inspection. Similarly features from the second and third inspections are correlated and results in a second corrosion rate.

Now that we have two Corrosion rates for the same feature between first two inspections, and between last two inspection, then we can measure the rate of change in the CR or what would be the new concept of corrosion acceleration. It is basically the difference in the CR over time between last two inspections and would be measured in mm/yr2 just like acceleration is measured in m/sec 2 for movement. An analogy will be made between the concepts of motion, velocity and acceleration and feature depth, corrosion rate, and acceleration.

This approach will result in each corrosion feature being associated not only with a corrosion rate, but also with a corrosion acceleration. The acceleration is actually a method to determine if the mitigation activities in place are being effective or not (chemical treatment, maintenance pigging, etc.) Clearly if the acceleration is null or negative, then corrosion is being well controlled and not allowed to increase. If the acceleration is positive, then corrosion is not only being active but is increasing at a higher rate.

This new concept shall be further studied and data from multiple inline inspections should be collected and analyzed to understand corrosion acceleration. This concept can be incorporated in Oil and Gas operators integrity management plans as a new technique to measure the performance of the corrosion mitigation activities for pipelines.

Corrosion acceleration is a new concept to determine the rate of change of the corrosion rate for ILI reported corrosion features. It is therefore a novel approach to measure the effectiveness of the corrosion management activities between first two and last two ILI inspections
Resin Sealant System Solved Liner Hanger Assembly Leakage and Restored Well Integrity: Case History from Western Desert
Authors: Ali Ahmed , Morsy Ahmed , Bhaisora Devesh , Ahmed Mahmoud
Published: November 2016

Resin is a solid-free fluid that can penetrate tight narrow annuli, cracks, or fissures previously inaccessible to conventional or fine cement slurries. Furthermore, this resin system can transition from a liquid to a solid phase through crosslinking reactions consisting of stages of low-viscosity liquid, high-viscosity liquid, viscoelastic solid, and finally forming a solid crosslinked three-dimensional (3D) polymer network. The resin continues to transmit hydrostatic pressure to the formation until an impermeable barrier of cured resin creates a highly ductile material that provides resistance to liquid or gas penetration.

During the completion of a well in Western Desert, Egypt, pressure tests revealed a leak with a 1-bbl/min leakoff rate at 1,600 psi in the 4.5-in. liner hanger assembly, which was caused by liner top packer failure. This issue required fast remediation to maintain the economic value of the well. After careful evaluation, the resin sealant system was determined to be the best solution. The resin was tailored to meet the well requirements for placement across the leakage area by applying a squeeze method, successfully stopping the leak. A 4,000-psi pressure test proved the integrity of the well after the resin placement. This paper discusses other solutions considered during this case study and provides details about the process of elimination of each, as compared to resin.

The resin sealant system provided a dependable barrier and enabled operations to continue without issue. This intervention enabled the well to successfully meet its original objective
High Level Security System Against Unauthorized Access to Master Stations
Authors: Baldereschi Ugo
Published: November 2016

The phenomenon Cyber Attacks is undoubtedly on the rise. The need for connectivity and availability of data on multiple devices grows exponentially, creating an increasing number of opportunities of infiltration by malicious. The attempt to curb the problem has led to the emergence of sophisticated firewall and information protection systems that raises the complexity of the systems. The direct consequence, in the industrial field, is the growth of the number of employees dedicated to managing and protecting communications. But the increase in vulnerability due to the continuous strenuous connectivity demand does not seem to be sufficiently compensated by strengthening of the resource.

It is complex enough to reconstruct all of the violations that have occurred at the hands of cyber criminals. Not least because no industrial enterprise is going to make it known that their data systems have been violated, thus admitting that it cannot guarantee the protection of what is now universally recognized as the most valuable asset: the integrity and confidentiality of its database.

However, studies conducted by authoritative observers show that, from 2010 to 2015, the growth of data traffic violation phenomena has been a significant trend, and that industrial espionage is a phenomenon to be considered a priority in view of potential threats.
Nanotechnology for Oilfield Applications: Challenges and Impact
Authors: Lau Hon Chung , Yu Meng , Nguyen Quoc P.
Published: November 2016

Nanotechnology is the design and application of engineered or naturally occurring nanoparticles with at least one dimension of the order of 1 to 100 nm to accomplish specific purposes. Nanoparticles possess three unique properties. First, their small size enables nanoparticles to be transported into formation pores not accessible to larger particles. Second, at nanoscale, material properties are sized dependent because of the large surface area to volume ratio. Therefore nanoparticles can be engineered to contain specific optical, magnetic, interfacial, electrical or chemical properties to perform specific functions. Combined together, these unique properties allow nanoparticles to be used for many purposes in the oilfield. The objective of this paper is to conduct a critical review of the recent literature to determine the status of research and development and field application of nanotechnology to the oilfield.

Most of the proposed applications of nanotechnology in the oilfield can be classified into the following six areas: (1) sensing or imaging, (2) enhanced oil recovery, (3) gas mobility control, (4) drilling and completion, (5) produced fluid treatment, and (6) tight reservoir application. Our review shows that much of the current research is focused on the performance of nanoparticles in the reservoir. Some work is done of the propagation of nanoparticles and very little work is done on the delivery and recovery of nanoparticles. Lack of well-defined health, safety and environmental protocols for safe delivery and recovery of nanoparticles can be a showstopper and more focused research is needed in this area. Our work also shows that affordability of nanoparticles is another showstopper due to the large quantity needed for oilfield applications and the current lack of vendors. As a remedy, we propose focused research and development on the use of naturally-occurring and industrial waste nanoparticles for oilfield applications. Of the six applications areas, we rank imaging, drilling through unstable zones and tight reservoir applications as having the biggest potential impact. Using nanoparticles to detect hydrocarbon saturation in a reservoir can significantly impact how we plan field development, such as well placement. Similarly, using nano-enhanced drilling fluid to stabilize and drill through unstable zones can increase rate of penetration, reduce drilling cost and minimize environmental impact. Furthermore, using specially-designed nanoparticles to image and prop up induced and naturally occurring fractures in tight reservoirs can lead to sweet spot identification and more prolific wells.
Personal Exposure Monitoring of Hazardous Chemicals
Authors: Shah Tejas , Jawas Jassim , Mohd Hasan , Al Farisi A. Karam , Banluta Jordan Chester
Published: November 2016

We all know that ‘Prevention is always better than cure’, In-fact Occupational Health is actually a Preventive Science. Hazardous Chemical Exposure Assessment through Air sampling (personal monitoring) mainly focusing on Hazardous Chemicals which are Highly Toxic and/or Carcinogen in nature.

We identified the ‘Similar Exposure Groups’ (SEG) and Based on SEG segment, Air Sampling- Personal Sampling strategy planned. In-line with ADNOC CoP V3-08 and other international standards (i.e. OSHA, ACGIH), we are conducting full-shift personal monitoring to gauge the exposure profile of employee.

Different types of industrial hygiene sampling media, such as: PVC Cassette, MCE Filters, Passive Badges, Adsorbent tubes etc. are used in Active and Passive Sampling. While deciding sampling time and frequency; we are focusing on prime work load and exposure pattern, so that our sampling results are "representative" in nature.

To maintain the sample confidentiality and operation integrity we give utmost attention to sample coding system. All the samples are collected & labelled in-house by our occupational health team. Once we give our unified identity number on sampling media, the samples are sent to third party Laboratory. (UKAS & AIHA Accredited). Based on the Sampling result and exposure evaluation, we decide the control striges to mitigate chemical hazard at ALARP level. We have collected samples for 1.) Welding Fumes 2) BTEX 3)TVOC 4) Wood Dust 5) Heavy Metal 6) Di-isocyanides 7) Methyl Mercaptan 8)Sulphur dust and 9) MTBE on the identified group of people such as operators, Shift supervisors, lab technicians, sample men, workshop staff and maintenance personnel.

All the results of the monitoring and sampling are well below the values stipulated by ADNOC COP and ACGIH TLV’s. This basically means that the personal exposure to the hazardous chemicals included in this survey is below TLV level so any work related medical illness is most unlikely to occur. Also, low personal exposure readings mean that the controls are in place (such as Engineering and Administrative controls), efficient and should be maintained. It is also worth mentioning that even though the exposure levels are low; this does not mean that Chemical Hazards are absent the Occupational Health Team still advises the use of appropriate PPE’s when handling Hazardous Chemicals to guarantee that exposure of the workforce is kept to ALARP Levels
A Predictive Model for the H2S Distribution in Kuwait
Authors: Al-Khamiss A. , Al-Hajeri M. , Al-Ali S. , Rita Andriany , Hussain Akbar , Hofmann A. , Rigollet C. , Nederlof P. , Ravestein J. , Malekzadeh R. , van Strien W.
Published: November 2016

KOC and SGS performed a regional scale study to assess and forecast the H2S risk in the onshore sector of Kuwait. Based on KOC's comprehensive data base of H2S measurements, fluid chemistry, geochemical and lithological data, the H2S concentrations in the various hydrocarbon systems in Kuwait were mapped. The origin of the H2S in the Mesozoic reservoirs were analyzed and four major H2S systems were identified. The origin of the H2S in the Lower Jurassic is the TSR process with a pronounced regional trend of H2S concentrations increasing from 0.5% in the south up to 40% towards the north. The H2S encountered in the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous reservoirs originates from the cracking of sulfur in the Najmah source rock occurring during the early maturation process. The maximum H2S concentrations recorded in these systems does not exceed 5% and no regional trend of the concentrations is observed. The exceptions are overpressured carbonate stringers in the Upper Jurassic Gotnia and Hith formation which have local occurrences of more than 10% H2S. The Upper Cretaceous reservoirs in several oil fields show distinct H2S anomalies up to 5 %. Some of the anomalies possibly are related to field operation activities (e.g. injection) but also evidence for H2S migrated from deeper strata was found. Also indications for H2S scavenging in the Upper Cretaceous reservoirs was observed but could not be quantified. Some of the Tertiary heavy oil accumulations in the north which show high H2S concentrations could be related to the BSR process, however not all heavy oil reservoirs seem to be affected. A forecast of the future development of the H2S concentrations of each H2S system was performed.
Fracture Modeling for Optimum Wellbore Integrity Enhancement
Authors: Kostov Nikolay , Gosavi Shekhar V. , Kulkarni Kaustubh , Dasari Ganeswara
Published: November 2016

We present a method for modeling the transient growth of drilling-induced fractures through a porous medium in the near wellbore region. Understanding the early time fracture growth behavior, and related near wellbore stress state, can provide an effective tool to improve the treatment selection through parameters such as particle size distribution and ideal drilling fluid rheology. Also, it will help with field diagnostics for various lost circulation treatments and lost return events.

ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and SIMULIA® co-developed fully-coupled hydraulic fracturing modeling capabilities. The model was benchmarked with known solutions to analytical fracture growth regimes and validated with a laboratory scale experimental setup of hydraulic fracturing. The model allows for fluid leak-off from the wellbore and fracture faces into the porous medium for an arbitrary injection schedule.

The time-dependent fracture growth and interaction between the stress concentration region near the fracture tip and the wellbore result in a non-linear behavior of the near-wellbore stress state during early time fracture propagation, which was not possible to capture with static models. This analysis allows for recommendation of an optimum fracture width for maximum increase in wellbore integrity in the target formation. This is done by selecting the fracture width at the mouth, at which the desired increase in the near-wellbore tangential stresses has been achieved as to prevent initialization of further fractures. The model was applied to a field scale example and the predicted integrity gain from fracture plugging agrees well with observations.
WAG Management with Foams: Influence of Injected Gas Properties and Surfactant Adsorption
Authors: Batôt G. , Delaplace Ph. , Bourbiaux B. , Pedroni L. G. , Nabzar L. , Douarche F. , Chabert M.
Published: November 2016

In reservoir applications, due to their ability to restrict gas flow, foams are among the most promising and cost-effective means to alleviate the drawbacks associated with gas-based EOR processes. In porous media they can be seen as finely-textured bubbles of gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or/and methane, dispersed within a brine containing surfactants. The objective of this work is to probe the impact of the gas properties on foam efficiency and oil displacement.

Coreflood experiments were conducted on Fontainebleau and Clashach sandstones. The injected gases were mixtures in which CO2 fraction was changed from 12% to 100%. Different pressures were applied to evaluate the influence of gas density. Thus, the impact of oil saturation on foam efficiency could be assessed under both immiscible and miscible conditions. Simulations were performed to compare oil production improvement between Simultaneous Water And Gas injection (SWAG) and Foam-Assisted SWAG processes. A 1D horizontal model was adopted to evaluate the impact of gas mobility reduction, and a 2D vertical model to assess the impact of gravity override.

In the absence of oil and for each injected gas mixture, the impact of pressure on the steady state gas relative permeability in presence of foam, i.e. Krgf=vgμgas/(K∇Pfoam), revealed a unified behavior for the whole range of foam qualities. Regarding the effects of gas composition, Krgf was found to increase with the CO2 fraction. At the lab scale, the measured oil recovery factor does not take into account field scale heterogeneities. Thus, coreflood-calibrated simulations are essential to predict additional recovery at the reservoir scale. The numerical study provides helpful indications that may serve for selecting/designing a foam recovery process. It turns out that SWAG should be preferred to foam in reservoirs with low thickness and tilt, and/or with low vertical permeability. On the opposite, a foam process can be more efficient than SWAG in reservoirs that are subject to strong gas gravity segregation. In this situation, the economic success will essentially depend on the ability to minimize the surfactant adsorption.
The Origin of H2S in the Arab Reservoirs in Abu Dhabi
Authors: Nederlof Peter , Kaczorowski Norman , Lawrence David
Published: November 2016

Two different sources of H2S have been identified in the ultra-sour gases in the Arab Formation in Abu Dhabi, based on sulfur isotope measurements of both anhydrites and H2S. In the Upper Arab reservoirs, H2S appears to be generated in-situ from intra-Arab anhydrites, leading to variable, but relatively low H2S concentrations. Sulphur isotopes suggest that the Lower Arab reservoirs receive H2S from anhydrites in the Hanifa or possibly even deeper Formations. The different sources of H2S clarify the highly variable fluid compositions in the Upper Arab reservoirs, while active migration of H2S from deep sources would explain the observed compositional gradient in the Lower Arab reservoirs. The in- situ generated H2S in the Upper Arab reservoirs is unlikely to increase during the production lifetime of the field; the externally generated H2S could increase when depleting reservoir pressures (re)-activate the faults that form the migration pathway of the H2S. The extent of the TSR reaction, and thus the H2S concentrations in the gas, can be estimated by measuring molecular proxies that can be thermally extracted from core and cuttings samples. This study is the first to document the successful use of molecular proxies to accurately estimate H2S concentrations in the gas contained in individual, isolated reservoirs.
Seismic Wave Attenuation: Promising Attribute for Fluids, Fractures and Tar Mats Characterization in Abu Dhabi Oilfields
Authors: Bouchaala Fateh , Ali Mohammed Y , Matsushima Jun
Published: November 2016

Seismic wave attenuation can be used to enhance geophysical interpretation in the reservoir zones, this has great benefit for oil and gas industry. Getting accurate attenuation profiles is prominent to get correct geophysical interpretation, however this is not an easy task since the methodology is not enough mature yet. The difficulty is higher for complex media like those composed carbonate rocks, such media are known to be highly heterogeneous. The subsurface of Abu Dhabi region is known to be mainly composed of carbonate rocks.

We developed a new method to estimate the intrinsic attenuation and scattering separately, from downgoing waves of VSP data. This new method is based on seismic interferometry technique and it is less sensitive to upgoing waves compared to classical methods. We estimated attenuation from sonic waveforms by using new method well adapted for such type of data, this method was successfully applied in previous studies.

We got accurate and high-resolution scattering and intrinsic attenuation profiles from five wells belonging to five oilfields located in Abu Dhabi region. Compared to previous studies carried out in siliciclastic media, the attenuation shows high variation over the depth, and the scattering shows significant contribution on the total attenuation. We explain this by the high heterogeneity characteristic of carbonate rocks.

We found very interesting correlation between the attenuation profiles and the other petrophysical logs, such as the sonic and oil saturation logs. The scattering shows a good correlation with the fractures, and intrinsic attenuation shows a good sensitivity to the fluid existence. So the combination between the scattering and the intrinsic attenuation is a promising and can be very useful for the petroleum exploration, especially in the case of Abu Dhabi reservoirs known to be highly fractured.