bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of Site Entry Protocol for HNS Spill Response
Authors: Koh C. , Tan F.
Published: December 2007

Anticipating the entry into force of the OPRC-HNS Protocol (Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to pollution incidents by Hazardous Noxious Substances) in June 2007, Oil Spill Response & East Asia Response Limited (OSRL/EARL) initiated a HNS study (focusing mainly on petrochemical floaters), exploring the issues involved in providing an effective HNS spill response. This paper aims to discuss the development of a novel site entry protocol for responders.

Health and safety of personnel is always of the utmost priority during a spill response. Due to the vast range of chemicals and their associated behaviours, numerous considerations have to be taken into account, especially when more than one substance is involved: Some chemicals can react with each other or with sea water, creating a more hazardous environment (fire, explosion, toxic fumes, etc) and the behaviour of the numerous products transported by sea can greatly differ when they are spilled into the marine environment. It is therefore essential to make an appropriate assessment, having integrated safety protocols and well trained response teams before proceeding to the site of the incident.

In addressing the safety aspect of a HNS response, OSRL/EARL has developed a site entry protocol based on the "Controlling Compound" methodology. The approach of this protocol is to set all gas monitoring devices based on the most hazardous compound when there is a mixture of chemicals spilled. The rationale for this is that the identity of the vapours in the air following a "cocktail" spill is often unknown. Even if they are known, the composition ratio of the gas mixture is definitely not constant in an open environment. As a result, the conventional method of setting alarms in a Photo-Ionisation Detector (PID) is not applicable. This method is not widely practiced and this paper proposes to explain the approach, advantages and limitations of this protocol for responding to HNS spills.
Produced Water Management Alternatives for Offshore Environmental Stewardship
Authors: Sahni Akshay , Kovacevich Steven T.
Published: December 2007

As the hydrocarbon production in the Gulf of Thailand has matured, managing associated produced water has become a focus of attention. Produced water management in an offshore environment requires innovation, both from surface facilities and from subsurface. Produced water can be disposed in oil sands (water floods), aquifer or wet sands and in depleted hydrocarbon sands. This paper provides insights into the subsurface alternatives of produced water management using examples from Chevron Thailand’s greater B8/32 operating area.
Contractor Forum: Improve Client/Contractor Relationship for Better Safety Performance
Authors: Pholphairojn S. , Charusalaipong P.
Published: December 2007

Despite good intentions and goodwill from both sides, the contractor and client relationship often acts as a obstruction to targeted improvement in safety performance. Removing this obstruction will result in an excellent opportunity to achieve a safety goal and increase work performance. Both client and contractor have their own safety standards. How then, do we enhance this client-contractor relationship to create a common understanding among the different companies in an operation in order to meet the set safety requirement?

A Contractor Forum is held annually to discuss each contractor’s initiation plan and KPI, whilst the client or company discloses to contractors its safety objective and requests contractor for cooperation in order to fulfil this obligation.

A new approach to reduce the client-contractor stumbling block is to look for and analyse the real problems and jointly formulate a solution to improve the overall safety performance. A survey questionnaire of what the obstacles are and how the client can assist to overcome these obstacles was given out. The workshop was conducted based on the findings. The positive feedback from these questionnaires has been valuable and practical in enhancing the client-contractor relationship, creating mutual ‘ownership’ and responsibility of safety goals, which ultimately lead to a significant improvement in safety performance.
Reservoir Fluid Characterization using Downhole Fluid Analysis In Northern Kalimantan, Indonesia
Authors: Halim Andry , Orban Nicolas , Haryanto Elin , Ayan Cosan
Published: December 2007

Fluid identification is an important objective to resolve key uncertainties of a complex reservoir prior to perforation in the developed fields of Eastern Kalimantan. This paper explains how using a formation tester equipped with two downhole fluid analyzer modules helped understand reservoir fluid characteristics, identify production zones and optimize perforation zone selection.

Relying only on open hole log data and performing correlations among nearby wells may be inconclusive since the channel sands under study have limited lateral extent and hard to correlate. Several layers are potential pay zones and may contain oil or gas. However, water zones and secondary gas cap formation in a few layers are also common. Nonetheless, unexpected fluid production, such as water or excessive gas is an undesirable outcome.

A formation tester equipped with an extra large diameter probe and two downhole fluid analyzer modules was used to identify reservoir fluids in newly drilled wells. Two fluid analyzers were placed above and below the downhole pump module. The fluid analyzers monitored downhole oil based mud filtrate contamination, free gas presence, water or oil flow at selected depths. The surveys identified the downhole fluids and clarified oil, gas and water bearing zones. Some zones were identified to have gas and possible oil presence. Few stations, which were clearly identified as oil were perforated and produced oil/dry oil with natural flow. The survey helped optimize perforation zone selection, avoided unwanted fluid production and helped the operator to find and produce oil in a complex setup.
Integrity Management and Life Extension of Flexible Pipe
Authors: Saunders Chris , O'Sullivan Tim
Published: December 2007

During 2002, UKOOA issued a guidance note titled: "Monitoring Methods & Integrity Assurance for Unbonded Flexible Pipe". Since 2002 a number of lessons have been learnt by the industry in terms of the management and ongoing operation of flexible pipes. Based on practical / field experience and lessons learnt in providing integrity management to a number of worldwide operators, this paper presents an update to the UKOOA document and shows through examples these learnings and key points for consideration.

This paper discusses the monitoring requirements for flexible pipe, including consideration of the value offered by conventional GVI inspection techniques. Examples of alternative technologies which have been developed are discussed, presenting how they can reduce the requirement for GVI when supplemented with an integrated integrity management strategy.

Further, given the advances in flexible pipe analysis, some of which were developed under the RealLife JIP, the paper demonstrates that through proper asset management, flexible pipe technology service life can be extended beyond the original design criteria. Similarly, flexible pipe that had previously been considered damaged and requiring early replacement can be justified for extension to beyond the original design life.

Consideration has also been given to the potential for the re-use / redeployment of flexible pipework and the hazards which can arise from this activity including recovery, storage, testing and installation. The key stages required to manage this process safely have been outlined.
Understanding a Teenager: Surveillance of the Draugen Field
Authors: Langaas K. , Grant A. D. , Horvei N. A. , Cook A. , Klokk H. M. , Flatval K. B.
Published: December 2007

Production from Draugen started in 1993. In its 14th year Draugen faces declining oil and increasing water production and is around halfway in its production life. The field development with water injection and relatively few wells has proved to be very successful. This paper shows how well and reservoir surveillance has been set-up in the Draugen field. Interesting features of this set-up are Structured and automatic data integration. Information providers for the important subsurface risks and uncertainties have been mapped, which has resulted in a better understanding of the value of surveillance activities. Integration of laboratory data, production well test results and model-based-rates are enablers for improved production allocation to individual wells. "Data-to-information" work processes have been mapped and automated as a natural part of the collaborative work environment between the platform and the offices.Use of time-lapse seismic. Draugen acquired seismic of excellent quality in 1998, 2001 and 2004. The data has been a key enabler to understand the water flood and to manage the reservoir. This paper shows how visualisation methods and discipline integration have maximized the information of the 4D surveys, and how this has been used to improve the reservoir simulation model.

The paper provides clear examples of how surveillance is supporting reservoir management and production optimisation in the field.
Interference Testing with Horizontal Wells in Layered Reservoir
Authors: Faizal Syed Abu , Al-Hashim Hasan S.
Published: December 2007

Interference testing with horizontal wells has become a valuable tool for characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs. However, the current methods of analysis of interference tests with horizontal wells in layered system use single-layer homogeneous model. This can result in significant errors in the estimated average reservoir properties.

This paper presents the results of a study carried out to investigate the effect of layering on the pressure response at the observation well in horizontal well interference testing in a two-layer reservoir.

A numerical approach is employed to study the effect of parameters like omega, kappa, vertical permeability and distance between the horizontal wells on observation well pressure response in an interference testing with horizontal wells in a two-layer reservoir.

The results of the study show that the observation well pressure response form interference testing in two-layer system deviates from the equivalent single-layer system response. This deviation depends on the contrast in transmissibility and storage between the two layers. The deviation is found more pronounced when Omega is small and Kappa is large. It was also found that, as the distance between the active and observation wells increases, the deviation of the observation well response from the equivalent single-layer system response decreases. Vertical permeability has considerable effect on the observation well response when the contrast in transmissibility and storage between the layers is large.
Lessons Learnt From Managing and Engineering an Integrity Project
Authors: Rodgers Mike , Windle Dave , Wilson John , Duinhoven Jan
Published: December 2007

Shell Exploration & Production in Europe is currently implementing the "Upgrade Project" to ensure the integrity of safety critical equipment on all of its older platforms in the North Sea for their remaining life. The project scope addresses remedial work on around 40 platforms in the Dutch, UK and Norwegian sectors.

The project was initiated by carrying out an audit of safety critical equipment. From this, emerged seven key areas or "themes" for remedial action: Sub-structure, topside structure, Piping, HVAC, electrical, fire & gas & process. Looking at total scope on a theme basis, enabled consistency and lateral learning between platforms.

Learnings from the Upgrade Project about brownfield integrity restoration have included: Strike the right balance between useful detail and duration/cost when specifying survey and inspection work.Don't carry out inspection as a separate project activity. Integrate with the asset inspection team to ensure buy in and a legacy of quality data.Get the balance right between fixing the most critical areas– to optimise spend vs. time-and efficient packaging of work.Work contingency planning is harder when dealing with older installations with limited access, such as NUI's.

Within the project a clear Continuous Improvement mindset has been introduced to ensure the safe and efficient execution of the project. Each of the Themes has shown improvement in design, procurement and installation. The improvements vary by Theme and some, like handrails and gratings, have produced improvements every time they have gone through the ‘review and improve’ loop.

Keys to successful continuous improvement are: Management drive and commitmentCommercial alignment for the different stakeholders with the continuous improvement driveA dedicated team to help enable improvement, but the responsibility for improvement always remains with the line

Team buy in

The challenge for the remaining part of the project is to continue with the Continuous Improvement and to share the learnings with the wider organisation, making sure the improvements are sustainable within the Engineering and Maintenance organisation.
Transport of CO2 for Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK
Authors: Downie Martin , Race Julia , Seevam Patricia
Published: December 2007

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been receiving increasing recognition as a short to medium term measure for closing the energy gap whilst a portfolio of carbon neutral technologies is developed to provide power for the UK. This has been accompanied by an increasing political will and a developing policy framework to achieve it. If the UK is serious in its intentions, the necessary economic drivers will also be put in place. It remains to identify and resolve the technical issues that apply peculiarly to the UK. In recent years the capture technology has developed to the point of viability and storage has been accepted to be safe and ecologically sound, but relatively little work has been carried out on CO2 transport. In the US naturally occurring CO2 is routinely transported considerable distances overland through mostly sparsely populated regions for the purpose of enhanced oil recovery. There is also some limited transport of anthropogenic CO2. In the UK a number of suitable offshore CO2 sinks have been identified in the North and Irish Seas for EOR or simply for storage. It has been commonly assumed that the transport of CO2 from UK sources to offshore sinks is straightforward, and may even be able to make widespread use of existing infrastructure. However, there are significant differences between the US experience and the UK transport requirements. The UK will be dealing with anthropogenic CO2, mostly from power plant, which will impose constraints on the hydraulics that have not yet been fully explored. Considerable proportions of the transport system will be subsea, of which there is as yet virtually no experience. There are questions as to the suitability of much of the existing infrastructure and the desirability of using it. There is little experience with multi-source transport systems through densely populated regions.

This paper will address some of the technical issues that need to be considered for the development of a UK CO2 transport infrastructure, in the post demonstration phase of carbon capture and storage, capable of mitigating the emission of green house gases whilst allowing the continued use of fossil fuels.
An Innovative Approach for Long Term Zonal Isolation in HT/HP Gas Wells
Authors: Al-Yami A. S. , Nasr-El-Din H. A. , Al-Saleh S. H. , Al-Humaidi A. , Al-Arfaj M. K. , Al-Shehri D. A.
Published: December 2007

Cementing a string in one stage is a challenging task, especially in the presence of weak formations. Cement slurry losses during placement is highly possible if the equivalent circulating density (ECD) exceeds 11 lb/gal during placement. A conventional method to overcome this challenge is to use multi-stage cementing by setting the stage tool above the loss circulation zone. However, field data indicate that the tool can fail, thus causing serious delay and economic loss. In addition, stage tools are considered weak point and not good for long term seal. A second method for zonal isolation is to use low density cement.

In this study, we considered cementing the intermediate and production casings in HP/HT BJD (dolomite) formation in a single stage using a lower density cement based on hollow microspheres at 9.35 lb/gal. The objective of this work was to compare hollow microspheres cements to bentonite cement which are used in multistage cementing. The tests included shrinkage, compressive strength, porosity, gas and brine permeability. There are potential hole problems that are faced while drilling for the casing point in BJD. These problems such as water flow which might have H2S require good cement durability to provide zonal isolation.

The total vertical depth (TVD) of the casing point in BJD is ± 10,000 ft and the mud density is ± 9.09 lb/gal. Testing conditions were temperature of 260 ºF, crushing pressure of 5,000 psi, and confining pressure of 3000 psi. No work was done before to investigate hollow microspheres cements at these conditions. The testing was performed in Saudi Aramco facilities to improve current cementing practices in oil and gas fields.

Data generated during three months supported the use of the hollow microspheres to cement casings at the conditions tested. The compressive strength did not change significantly with an average of 1400 psi; neither shrinkage nor liquid permeability was observed during the three months of testing. The use of the hollow microspheres cement will help to bring cement to surface in one stage which will save time and cost to current drilling operations in Saudi Arabia.
The Largest Acid Stimulation in a Dual Lateral Power Water Injector in Saudi Aramco
Authors: AL-Rufaie Y. A. , Al-Buali M. H. , Al-Otaibi M. A. , AL-Mulhim A. K.
Published: December 2007

This paper will discuss the largest coiled tubing acid stimulation operation completed on a water injection well in Saudi Arabia. Stimulation design, field execution and the well performance before and after the treatment as well as massive planning, logistics and coordination are the key elements of this discussion. Furthermore, the authors would like to briefly review the future plans for other long/ multilateral wells in the area.

This job was conducted on a dual lateral horizontal power water injector. The objective of this job was to stimulate the formation of both laterals by pumping 20% hydrochloric acid (HCL) and 20% strength diesel-emulsified acid and diverting it with 20% viscoelastic surfactant based acid on using Coiled Tubing (CT) and a Multilateral Tool (MLT). A total of 10,335 ft horizontal interval was successfully stimulated with 362,700 gallons of treatment fluid in 27 stages using 2 3/8" CT. On this job the MLT was successful in locating each lateral. The post-acid injection rate has been increased by more than double, higher than initial expectations. Consequently, the injectivity index has been increased drastically above the field average.

Based on success of this stimulation job, the concept of designing and treating other Maximum Reservoir Contact (MRC) injectors using this technique becomes a recommended intervention process. The key to enhance future jobs lies on the ability to effectively capture and use the lessons learned from this massive operation. The continuous success of these jobs will help to improve the water injection system in Ghawar field and will enhance oil recovery.
Extending ERP to Wells For Various Techno-commercial Analysis: An Innovative Application of ERP
Authors: Adhikari Debdulal , Chaudhury Partha Pratim , Kumar Sanjiv
Published: December 2007

Description:

A major upstream company of India implemented ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) in its entire business portfolio, applying various ERP modules. One of the modules was PP-PI (Production Planning- Process Industries), primarily aimed for processing plants. This module was customized to capture production from CTF (Central Tank Farm). In this process, GGSs (Group Gathering Stations) and the oil Fields were configured as ‘storage locations’. In next step, ‘Z-Table (Customized Tables developed on the adopted ERP platform)’ developments were done to capture Well test data, Well flow-hour data and Well no-flow hour data of each well. Critical testing parameters like ‘Variable Separator Pressure’ and ‘Shrinkage Factors’ were also addressed in the program algorithm.

Application:

The development was applied at various onshore and offshore installations of the company at two different stages with slight variations in the design (final allocation program was different for onshore and Offshore, because of some differences in data capturing). Few parameters, like Sand data, Field data were introduced at later stages for some more specific analysis.

Observations and Result:

For the expected results, interlinking of MM and PS (ERP logistics modules for Material Management and Project System) had to be done. After rigorous testing and calibrations, the design was implemented at onshore and offshore locations of the company. The data, normally uploaded at the installation level, could be accessed for various analysis at any level. Regional as well as Corporate Planning departments are using the data for analyzing various field problems, variations in production performance, status of flowing and non-flowing wells, the reasons of no-flow etc. enabling better and efficient decision making. This application of IT in oil and gas production fields coupled with SCADA (could be an interesting development for real time monitoring of oil-field.

Significance of the Subject matter:

This is an innovative application of ERP, a business application tool, for the techno-commercial analysis of wells and oilfields.
Practical Considerations in Ensuring Cost Minimization in the Design and Operation of Sulfate-Removal Systems
Authors: Davis Roy A. , Southwell George
Published: December 2007

The removal of sulfate from injected seawater for waterflood and pressure maintenance operations has become widely accepted for reservoirs with sulfate scaling potential. The technology has been found to be exceptionally useful in deep water and subsea operations where scale controls using scale inhibition squeeze treatments become prohibitively costly. Twenty five sulfate removal facilities are now operating or being built off the cost of West Africa, Brazil, and in the North Sea. Experience with these existing facilities has identified methods to minimize the size of the sulfate removal facility with accompanying weight and space savings which often exceed the capital cost of sulfate removal system itself. Similar savings and trends have been identified by the availability and successs of auxiliary pre-filtration equipment. Operation cost reduction and improved reliability have been achieved by selecting raw seawater intake reduction and improved reliability have been achieved by selecting raw seawater intake locations, the re-design of sulfate removal system. The careful selection and evaluation of sulfate removal system components, including fine filtration and deaerators, have resulted in significant savings by extending membrane life up to twice the warranty period and by reducing operation costs of 25% than originally projected.
Indonesia Deepwater Field Development Technical, Contracting, and Execution Challenges
Authors: Korloo Jafar
Published: December 2007

The Oil and gas industry has gone through major transformation over the last six years from relatively quiet to extremely dynamic market conditions. The dynamic market condition has introduced new challenges for Operators in terms of field development cost estimates, biding strategy and cycles, project schedule, execution, shortage of equipment, material, and personnel. The same market conditions have also created challenges for contractors in coping with volume of the work and staff turnover.

Determination of the best concept for a deepwater field is not always a clear and an easy task. The final development recommendation is often strongly influenced by non-technical considerations such as the market conditions, maximization of local content, and transfer of technology.

Offshore East Kalimantan, Kutai basin in Makassar Strait is a major oil and gas region. The conditions in the area are unique, offering opportunities and challenges in development of new fields. The water depth in the deep section of the basin extends to approximately 1900m. The environmental conditions in the area are benign with exception of strong persistent currents.

This paper discusses the following topics: Typical deepwater development options and opportunitiesTechnical issues unique to the areaProject sanction challengesContracting issues and market conditionsProject execution challenges from the FEED stage to Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation stagesSchedule related challenges and issues.
Gas-to-Hydrate Technology, an Alternative Energy for Low-Level Communities in Indonesia
Authors: Bawono Adam Nur
Published: December 2007

The Low-Level Communities in Indonesia use kerosene as their source of energy for their daily cooking. They use it mainly because the price of kerosene is cheaper than the other source of energy. The price of kerosene is still being subsidized by the Government but due to the increasing world oil price, the Government has decided to cut out the subsidy by replacing kerosene into other source of energy.

One of the alternatives is natural gas. Actually natural gas has been used in the household sector through a distribution pipeline. However, due to the difficulties in developing the infrastructure, the experts try to modify the form of natural gas into a more transportable manner. They invented that natural gas can be transformed into its hydrate form which is solid and easy to be transported. This form is called Synthetic Natural gas Hydrate (SNGH).

SNGH is the hydrate form of natural gas. It is formed by reacting natural gas and water in moderate pressure, 30–50 barg in a small tubular-bubble reactor and then cooled to −25 °C in a refrigeration storage. The product then is depressurized and packed in a plastic bag and after that put into a cold box for keeping the temperature below −10 °C to prevent the hydrate melt. The hydrate is transported via truck to the users. The user can use it by simply placing the hydrate in a storage and let the hydrate dissociate.

The selling price of SNGH has to be set around US $ 8/MMBTU in order to compete with other alternative energy such as LPG and CNG. The production cost is roughly the same as LPG and CNG but the transportation cost can be reduced significantly.
Capturing Remaining Oil in a Giant Mature Carbonate Waterflood Field in Oman
Authors: Al-Sharji Hamed , Behairy Hassan , Van Houwelingen Jacob , Male Peter , Al-Lawati Hassan
Published: December 2007

This paper presents the ongoing development planning, by semi-vertical short-radius extensions (a.k.a fishbones) and infill drilling of a mature waterflooded carbonate reservoir in Oman.

Given 35 years of production and water injection into the reservoir, a key focus in the development philosophy is maximizing reserves recovery from existing wells.

Many of these wells have reservoir zones with significant oil saturation behind pipe. Two development options were considered attractive for the existing horizontal well stock: adding perforations and creating vertical fishbones targeting the by-passed and attic oil. A total of 52 wells have been identified for additional perforations and 25 wells as fishbone candidates. Additionally, by-passed oil targets have been identified for infill drilling.

Infill drilling of the by-passed oil targets proved very successful. Ten out of the eleven opportunity areas where infill drilling was completed encountered economic by-passed oil. The single failure still highlights the remaining challenges in tapping the by-passed oil targets in this giant waterflood oil field.

In particular, this paper discusses the results of the past three years of tapping undeveloped reserves using fishbone extensions and infill drilling. Sector modeling and analytical analysis methods supported by surveillance data high-graded 8 opportunities targeting attic oil. Following the initial poor success, mainly due to operations related problems, subsequent improvement in setting and retrieving whipstock has significantly improved the success rate. Liner integrity has been found to be the main setback of this development option.
New Wireline Sampling Technique Enables ZERO Contamination Sampling: A Case Study in a Challenging Sampling Environment
Authors: Kundu Dibyatanu , Kumar Sanjay , Joshi Sameer
Published: December 2007

Cairn Energy India Pty. Ltd (CEIL) discovered Bhagyam field in RJ-ON-90/1 Block in July, 2004. With objectives to provide better bore hole stability and to determine accurate Sw (water saturation) from the cores collected while drilling, CEIL used Oil Based Mud to drill wells in this field. The sandstone formations in Bhagyam are characterized by high permeability both in vertical and radial directions. There is a high degree of variation in the properties of formation fluid as one progresses from the oil water contact to the crest of the structure. The formation fluid is very high in wax content.

Sampling of formation fluid using traditional wireline formation testers becomes very complicated in view of these factors. In fact, 20 samples were acquired from this region and the laboratory deemed all of them non-representative. The OBM contamination levels in all these samples were more than 15%. It was thought that a focused sampling concept could be applied under such circumstances.

Quicksilver* probe, which enables focused sampling, was used for acquiring representative formation fluid samples in two wells in Bhagyam field. A total of 18 samples were acquired in these two wells. Out of these 18 samples, 6 were contamination free and most of the samples were suitable for carrying out further PVT analysis.

This sampling technique is one of the very first to be used in India and in fact results delivered by this technique are one of the very best as compared to other sampling techniques employed world wide. This paper deals with the operational and interpretational aspects of the Quicksilver* tool. It also brings out the comparison between contamination results obtained from SOCM (Synthetic OBM Contamination Monitoring method) and actual laboratory data.
Planning for Regional EOR Pilot for Baram Delta, Offshore Sarawak, Malaysia: Case Study, Lesson Learnt and Way Forward
Authors: Sudirman Sharizan B , Samsudin Yuzairy B , Darman Nasir Haji
Published: December 2007

The BDO EOR feasibility study conducted in 2004 by PETRONAS and Sarawak Shell Berhad (SSB) identified a potential incremental recovery of over 250 MMstb from the Baram Delta Operation (BDO) fields1. This incremental oil can be realized from CO2 injection under miscible and immiscible conditions. On average, this represents an additional 12% incremental recovery above the base case of water flooding.

The regional CO2 injection covering nine (9) fields requires a very significant investment of new CO2 infrastructures and injection facilities. To mitigate the risk involved and to prove the commercial viability of the project, a regional pilot was proposed. The pilot, which will be implemented in Baronia RV2 reservoirs, will serve as a basis to formulate the way forward for CO2 injection in the whole BDO region.

Several extensive evaluations were carried out to come up with an optimized pilot design. This includes building full field compositional fluid flow simulation model for CO2 miscible flood predictions and sensitivities, streamlines analysis to identify suitable well pairing, and MMP / interfacial tension measurements in the laboratory. The proposed observation pilot were specifically designed to address several issues such as determination of current oil saturation, waterflood residual oil saturation, residual oil saturation after gas flooding and evaluation of the vertical sweep efficiency. The pilot will also serve as an opportunity to acquire additional data through extensive coring, logging, and fluid sampling programs.

This paper outlines the methodology used in the developing the most cost-effective pilot at Baronia RV2 reservoirs that could potentially lead to economic maturation of new reserves in the whole of the BDO area as well as formulating the most comprehensive monitoring and evaluation techniques of the pilot.
Development of Highly Contaminated Gas and Oil Fields, Breakthrough CO2/H2S Separation Technologies
Authors: Klaver Theo
Published: December 2007

Description

Shell Global Solutions International B.V ("Shell")1 has been involved for many years in the development of new technologies to separate CO2 and H2S from highly contaminated natural gas streams. This program has been significantly accelerated in recent years and major milestones have been achieved. The program focuses on technology solutions that are critical to develop (stranded) contaminated hydrocarbon gas and oil fields.

Several key technical challenges in the development of highly contaminated gas & oil fields have been overcome with new technologies developed by Shell. These challenges include: contaminant separation at minimal energy consumption and losses at minimum capital investment.

This paper will present these challenges and introduce new technologies that can help to reduce project development cost by as much as 40% compared to conventional technologies

Application

External studies (Steiner, 2005) estimate a global (recoverable) resource of some 500 B boe ( = 3000 tcf), as per bar chart figure 3 below, of gas that is ‘contaminated’ by the previously defined levels H2S and/or CO2. These resources will require specific technologies to develop these fields economically. The bulk of these resources are in the Middle East, Canada, CIS, Asia and Australia. In general, one could say that the predominantly H2S contaminated fields can be found in the northern Americas (Canada), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar), and the Caspian regions (Kazakhstan, Russia). The indicated size exclude resources that could be accessed via H2S / CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).

The application of the newly developed technologies will be in the area of contaminated gas fields. With new technologies highly, contaminated gas fields can be economically developed to remove the contaminants from the hydrocarbon gas and re-injection of the contaminants. Since conventional technologies become less economic at increasing percentages of contaminant, the new technologies are specifically targeted at high concentrations of contaminants (>30%). The new technologies aim for efficiencies above 85 %, where efficiency is expressed as a percentage of hydrocarbon sales gas divided by the hydrocarbon feed stream. (Losses are due to fuel gas and hydrocarbons left in the contaminant stream)
The Changing Face of the Oilfield Worker: Preparing for Generation Y
Authors: Rajan Surya
Published: December 2007

In the mid-eighties Generation X was just starting to trickle into the workforce. Concurrently, the oil industry was starting to enter another cyclical downturn. Fairly impossible to discern at the time, that synchronicity led to profound, far-reaching consequences.

Generation X, roughly defined as those born between 1965 and before 1980, presented a dilemma to businesses at large. Departing significantly from prevailing norms, they pursued work-life balance, flexibility, and independence. The most noteworthy aspect, though, was what they did not have: sufficient numbers to replace equivalent age demographics that they would eventually replace. Coupled with the economic downturns in the oil industry at the time, this posed double jeopardy: not only did we present a bleak and unattractive image, but we were also unable to open our doors to very many aspiring entrants. Resulting hiring deficits in the oil industry lasted for over a decade, and manifests now as the "Big Crew Change" as experts have called it. A challenge to the industry as a whole, it also translates into an unprecedented set of exciting opportunities for the latest incumbents, Generation Y.

Roughly classified as the age demographic born between 1980 and 1999, Generation Y is being looked upon as the "bridge material" to not only fill the gaps in the workforce caused by the Generation X population deficit, but to also act as the conduit for transfer of knowledge and experience as Traditionalists and Baby Boomers continue to retire or approach retirement. Success in this transition is a strategic imperative for the industry today. There are many aspects of potential change that must be examined to ensure sustainable influx and retention of Generation Y workers. This analysis explores key opportunities for change in the industry, along with the pivotal role that Generation X can play in this evolution of the oilfield workforce.
Risk-Based Candidate Selection Workflow Improve Acid Stimulation Success Ratio in Mature Field
Authors: Kartoatmodjo G. , Caretta F. , Flew S. , Jadid M.
Published: December 2007

In mature, multi layered reservoirs with commingled, dual string, and gravel packed completions, selecting reliable acid stimulation candidates has always been a challenge. Achieving a high success ratio under these conditions requires a risk-based selection process, supported by reservoir understanding and characterization.

As the traditional workflow, acid stimulation candidate selection starts with a thorough production performance review. Production history is provided on a string-by-string basis, and nodal analysis modeled based on production performance. Perforation and completions are evaluated to identify any damage. Logs are then reviewed to evaluate mineralogy and petrophysics. In this workflow, candidate selection is refined by reservoir modeling to predict the production gain in field level and production decline prediction. A decision and risk analysis is conducted with a strong emphasis on range of probability evaluates all possible outcomes associated with success and failure ratio. An economic analysis is evaluated based on risk analysis. This workflow is developed and tested in Bokor field, off the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia.

After acid stimulation campaigns spanning over 6 reservoirs, the results have yielded to 40% oil production gain. Six strings showed an increment in oil rate, a reduction in water cut and an increase in productivity. Overall, the fine tuned acid job design combined with visco-elastic surfactant diversion technique proved to be effective.

This paper presents the comprehensive workflow developed and implemented by the Bokor Project Management Team (BPMT) encompassing all the components necessary to deliver a risk based decision and therefore the optimum results.
Anomalous diffusion behavior of CO2 in the macromolecular network structure of coal and its significance for CO2 sequestration
Authors: Mazumder Saikat , Bruining Johannes
Published: December 2007

This paper gives an analysis of the Thomas and Windle model, which is also proposed to describe anomalous diffusion of CO2 in coal and its relation to matrix swelling. Anomalous (case II, super-) diffusion, which incorporates the swelling of coal matrix by the sorption of CO2, occurs due to coupling of diffusion and relaxation mechanisms. The relaxation process is related to the transition of coal from glassy to a rubbery state, i.e., to swelled coal. For reasons of easy reference we present a shortened derivation of the Thomas and Windle model, which was originally derived to describe diffusion in polymers. Analysis of the model equation shows that super-diffusion is only a transitional effect. i.e., there is (1) an initial phase in which the relaxation process dominates, (2) a transition phase that exhibits anomalous diffusion and (3) a long time phase that shows the typical square root of time behavior of an ordinary diffusion process. The significance of the transition phase depends on the parameters, in particular the size of the coal particles between the cleats.
A Case Study: Using Wireline Pressure Measurements to Improve Reservoir Characterization in Tight Formation Gas—Wamsutter Field, Wyoming
Authors: Schrooten R. A. , Boratko E. C. , Singh H. , Hallford D. L. , McKay J.
Published: December 2007

Improving recovery in tight gas reservoirs typically mandates infill drilling programs. Characterization of reservoir pressure depletion and sand body continuity are fundamental to determining the economic viability of these projects. An elusive challenge has been to gather fit for purpose pressure data in these tight formations due to the nature of the rock and the granularity of the data necessary. This case study summarizes results for a wireline pressure data collection campaign on twenty wells where more than 120 pressure measurements were taken in the Wamsutter Field, Wyoming.

The observations presented in this case study serve as a model for what can be achieved in similar fields using these techniques. The conditions and limits of pressure data applicability in this environment are set forth.

In tight gas reservoirs new generation wireline tools which employ extremely precise pretest mechanisms can achieve the required data acquisition objectives more efficiently than long-established methods. However, wellbore conditions and data acquisition procedures can greatly influence the quality and limits of data application. A field description, operational lessons learned, data quality observations and conclusions are presented.

This case study represents a statistically significant collection of detailed pressure data in a partially developed, complex, tight formation gas field collected with new generation wireline technology. Operational, interpretation and application recommendations for wireline pressure measurements in the tight gas environment are included.
Bioremediation of Oil Contaminated Soil at South Santhal CTF, Mehsana, India: A Case Study
Authors: Mandal Ajoy Kumar , Sarma Priyangshu Manab , Dwivedi Manish , Swaleh Abu , Lal Banwari , Agnihotri A. , Hazra U. S. , Doraiah A. , Patidar S. S.
Published: December 2007

Description of the material:

The petroleum industry effluents, oily sludge and oil spills cause a serious threat to the environment as their constituent compounds have toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. With the stringent regulatory norms and environmental obligations, safe disposal of these hazardous wastes is a serious problem. Various conventional methods are available for disposal of the same, but all of them are having one or more disadvantages. Biological methods have been well reviewed and acknowledged for reclamation and remediation of environments contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The paper describes a field case study on the bioremediation of oil contaminated soil at an installation of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC), India.

Application:

A bacterial consortium was developed by assemble of four species of bacteria which could effectively biodegrade different fractions of total petroleum hydrocarbon. Using this bacterial consortium huge quantity of oily sludge and large area of land contaminated with oil spills can be treated for safe disposal.

Results, Observations and Conclusions:

In the present study, total 1500 tonnes of oil-contaminated soil was undertaken for treatment by bioremediation techniques at three sites of South Santhal central tank farm area (CTF), Mehsana Asset, ONGC, India. Within 135 days of treatment, the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) of the oil contaminated soil was degraded by 90.98%, 92.08% and 91.47% at Site – I (Well no. 1), Site – II (Well no. 205) and Site – III (Well no. 206) respectively. Whereas at the control site, without treatment by bioremediation techniques, the degradation of TPH was negligible. Hence biodegradation technique has been proved to be an effective method for treatment of oil contamination.

Significance of Subject Matter:

This study has helped the ONGC authorities to identify an environment friendly method for disposal of oily waste. The bioremediation study of oil-contaminated soil by applying microbial consortium is an ongoing investigation and the results are highly encouraging.
Importance of Economic and Risk Analysis on Today's Petroleum Engineering Education
Authors: Cunha J. C.
Published: December 2007

Graduate students in a master or PhD program tend to naturally concentrate their efforts on the understanding of theoretical issues related to their main research area of interest. This will frequently lead to a cultural shock when they, after concluding their program, enter or return to the job market.

Commonly these professionals are asked to analyze, develop and/or implement projects based not only on technical premises but also on solid and very well supported economical feasibility studies. Frequently the common graduate academic background does not prepare students for those tasks.

The importance of a thorough understanding of economic issues and associated risks is even more noticeable in the oil industry, where uncertainties related to oil and gas reserves, prices and government regulations make any long term project extremely risky.

Based on the abovementioned factors, a graduate course was designed and implemented in order to prepare the students to deal with the main economic issues and challenges faced by the industry. Besides the basics on economic engineering, the course covers advanced material related to budgeting, scheduling and corporate planning.

Monte Carlo simulation, economic decision tools, risk analysis for oil industry projects, investment risk and simulation, economic analysis of operations, production forecasts and its associated costs and expected profits are also studied.

Furthermore, the students are also required to prepare a project where actual challenges from the industry are analyzed under the perspective of the risks and uncertainties involved. In the project, associated costs and economic results also have to be determined and scrutinized. All projects are presented in a seminar at the end of the course. In addition, a "Newsletter" analyzing current problems, challenges and industry development is produced weekly by the group during the duration of the course.

These two tools, the project and the Newsletter, have raised in participants a great deal of interest for economic matters related to each one's individual area of expertise.

The paper details the course experience providing examples of main projects developed as well as participants’ feedback.