bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Installation of a Subsea Completion In the Canadian Arctic Islands
Authors: Hood G.L. , Masterson D.M. , Watts J.S.
Published: March 2010

In April 1978, the world"s first Arctic subsea producing gas well was successfully completed and produced to shore by means of a wet tree and flowline bundle. This paper describes the unique design of a combination land and offshore drilling rig and air-transportable blowout preventer for drilling and completing subsea wells from a floating ice platform. The design, installation and connection of the flowline bundle and shore crossing protection system is described as an integral part ofthe over-all completion. The completion demonstrated the ability to develop the extensive gas reserves offshore in the Canadian Arctic Islands.

INTRODUCTION

In 1974, Panarctic Oils Ltd. developed a system to drill exploratory gas wells offshore between the Canadian Arctic Islands(1,2). Since 1974, exploratory drilling from ice platforms (Figure in full paper) has been successfully conducted, proving the existence of substantial natural gas deposits offshore in the Arctic Islands. As this system of exploratory drilling has been effective in water depths ranging from 60 to 365 m and up to 35 km from shore (Fig. 1), it is apparent that the system has wide application within the Arctic Islands. For this reason, in 1976 planning commenced to develop a system for drilling and completing an Arctic offshore gas well and for constructing and installing a marine flowline bundle to an onshore control facility using the thick ocean ice as a work platform. This project involved the design and construction of a new and larger ice-supported rig, a larger and more conventional subsea B.O.P. stack, a subsea tree and flowline connector, flowlines and contro lines to shore, and shore-based test facilities.

Project Location

In order to minimize the total cost of the project, a location was chosen to meet the following requirements:A minimum length of flowline.A well location in deep enough water to be free of ice scour.A relatively steep shore crossing to minimize the length of pipe requiring protection from sea ice.A suitable onshore area for pipe makeup.A reasonably level area of seabed in the vicinity of the wellhead where the flowline connection was to take place.

The location selected was Drake F-76 (Fig. 1), on the east side of Sabine Peninsula in the Drake Point gas field. The location was 1200 m offshore in 55 m of water.

Drilling and Completion Systems

A study was conducted in 1976 by Tri Ocean Engineering of Calgary to determine the most suitable means of drilling, completing and testing an offshore well, to demonstrate technology that can be used to develop offshore gas reserves in the Arctic Islands.

Design Criteria

Conceptual design criteria were based on four years of prior ice platform drilling experience.System components were to be designed to function in water depths to 460m.The drilling rig was to be a 3600-m-capacity land rig modified to enable drilling and completing offshore wells during the winter months and land wells during the summer months.
Technical Service Council — A Unique Placement Service
Authors: Agnew G.R.
Published: March 2010

THE CANADIAN job market today has been termed the worst in 25 years. Yet, as it did in the beginning, the Technical Service Council continues to provide a unique service to both the professional seeking employment and the Canadian employer in the recruitment process.

During a train trip to Peterborough, Ontario in 1927, Robert A. Bryce, a wealthy mining engineer, and Professor H.E. T. Haultain, the originator of the Professional Engineer's iron ring, became involved in a discussion about the then tremendous problem of the "brain drain ". In the 1920s, 20% - 30% of the engineering and science graduates were emigrating to the United States, due in part to lack of opportunities in Canada. But more discouraging was the absence of information on the availability of Canadian jobs. How could the professional seeking a new position really find out what was going on in Canada? Bryce and Haultain decided to do something about this problem. They enlisted the support of Canon Cody, then president of the University of Toronto, Sir Edward Kemp, and others to set up the Technical Service Council, with the objective of halting the "brain drain" and keeping talented professionals in Canada. As a practical means of doing so, the TSC decided to operate a non-profit placement service. Today, 55 years later, the Technical Service Council is still going strong, even through these difficult times, guided by a board of notable industrialists, under the direction of a president of long, distinguished service, Neil A. Macdougall.

After a study of placement operations in other countries, the Technical Service Council opened a Toronto office in 1927 to serve as a national clearing house for employers and job-seeking professionals. R. E. Smythe, a Taranto engineering graduate, was hired to launch this innovative concept. Initially, 30 Canadian businesses and industries agreed to cover the expenses. Currently, almost 700 Canadian companies and their 600 affiliated companies contribute to the membership of the TSC.

The Council had barely started when the 1929 Depression arrived, so survival (just like today!) was the keynote while attempting to place professionals in other than menial jobs. What opportunities there were, were concentrated in Ontario and Quebec. Special arrangements were therefore made to put graduates from Maritime and Western universities in touch with employers in Central Canada. In spite of the Depression, 111 men and women were placed in one year (1933) by the TSC's small staff of two. During World War II, it had regained its vigor so as to direct hundreds of professionals into important strategic assignments. The Technical Service Council was the only private placement service allowed to operate during the war period.

The post-war boom created new problems. Veterans made classes bulge. Canadian employers desired a "one-stop service ". The TSC met needs by expanding into placing executives, accountants, marketing, production and personnel staff. The TSC staff called on numerous small firms to persuade them to hire their first engineer.
Offshore Exploration: I
Authors: Branscombe Art
Published: March 2010

WHILE I was working with Imperial Oil in Alberta in 1962, my wife and I took a two-month trip to Europe. This, made us wonder what it might be like to live overseas. So, a year later, when I was offered a temporary assignment as senior drilling engineer to look after five onshore wells in England, I had the opportunity to find out first-hand what life in Europe was like.

My first posting was to London, and I must say that commuting to an office in the Haymarket could certainly not be considered a hardship post. Very early on, we realized that we could meet North Americans at home and so resolved to associate as much as possible with the locals, to study their culture and to see the countryside in many short trips. A love of exploring London and of taking advantage of visiting museums and art galleries of attending the opera at Covent Garden, and collecting antiques was always to remain with us and to have a lasting effect on' our family. Years later our daughter would return there to do six year's post-graduate work in music.

In 1965, Esso Exploration of New York offered me a permanent position overseas. The choice of becoming "permanent" or remaining with them on a temporary basis was not easy. With permanency, I would have the advantage of substantial financial bonuses, but would have to resign from Imperial Oil in Canada. Willis Gibson, then Assistant under Tip Moroney, advised: "why don't you take the permanent and if you don't like it, you can always come back with us."

My first permanent assignment was supposed to be Australia onshore. When I arrived at the Sydney office (managed by John Hamlin, now retired) in the spring of 1965, however, I was diverted to the Glomar No.3 drill ship which by then was drilling its second well in the Bass Stralt. It was this hole that found oil and was t.o be the first of many holes to produce the prolific reservoirs that were subsequently developed in Australia. Historically, this was the first fully floating vessel to operate outside the continental U.S. waters. Fullyfloating vessels with sub-sea blowout preventors had only been used in the States for a year, so, in a sense, we were still developing offshore drilling methods as we went along.

Soon I was to find that the drilling was the easier part of mastering offshore drilling. Contending with the sea was another matter. The weather was unpredictable and, in those days, there were no satellites or weather ships between the Bass Strait and the Antarctic. Normally, travelling ships report the weather as they proceed, but in this area there was a complete absence of shipping lines to do that. Storms, known as "southerly busters", blew up from the Antarctic and generated 40-foot waves and 200-foot swells which made operations difficult because the length of the drill ship was only 256 feet.
Taxes And Incentives - Moving Targets
Authors: Parsons Robert B.
Published: March 2010

For the fourth time in fifteen years, the oil patch is being forced to deal with a major reform of tax and incentive provisions. Following significant overhauls of the "rules of the game" in 1970, 1975, and 1980, the oil and gas industry is busy trying to sort out the latest series of changes announced in the Western Accord on March 27, 1985 and by the Province of Alberta on June 24.

Tax Topics seeks to set out a general overview of these latest changes, which will clearly have an important impact on many of the ways of doing business in Canada.

Introduction

The Canadian oil and gas industry might be well advised to be wary of the year 1990, considering the apparent trend for this country's law makers to overhaul the fiscal rules of the game every five years. In 1970, the full extent of tax reform was unveiled. Five years later in 1975, the federal and provincial capitals went mildly berserk and implemented dramatic changes to all of the oil and gas rules. In 1980, the now largely defunct NEP made its unwelcome appearance on the scene, with a whole host of new taxes and incentives. And, in 1985 we have witnessed the demise of the NEP, and, once again, new sets of tax rules at both the federal and provincial levels have been devised. The year 1990 might be a good time to be out of the country on sabbatical, if one believes in five-year cycles!

Executive Summary

This year, the first shoe fell on March 27 when the federal government and the three producing western provinces announced the signing of the Western Accord. That agreement dealt exclusively with changes to federal legislation, and tossed the ball to the producing provinces to make their own tax changes with a similar positive thrust.

The second shoe fell almost three months later on June 24 when the Province of Alberta announced changes to the province's royalty and incentive regimes.

Federal Changes

Very briefly, the Western Accord, in conjunction with Finance Minister Wilson's May 23, 1985 budget, announced the following changes to the fiscal regime facing the oil and gas industry.The Natural Gas and Gas Liquids Tax, the Incremental Oil Revenue Tax, the Canadian Ownership Special Charge, he Petroleum Compensation Charge, and export charges on both product and crude exports are to be repealed.The Petroleum Incentives Program (PIP) is to continue until March 31, 1986.The Petroleum and Gas Revenue Tax (PGRT) will be phased out from 1986 to 1989.Royalties and incentives applicable to operators in the Canada Lands are to be studied.
Contending With Corporate Tax Reform
Authors: Parsons R.B.
Published: March 2010

Canada's oil and gas industry could be adversely affected by corporate tax reform proposals actively being considered by the Department of Finance in Ottawa. When the next set of proposals for tax reform is released later this year as promised by Finance, the industry had better be prepared to take a hard look.

Introduction

As if the oil and gas industry did not have enough problems to contend with, the sector of corporate tax reform threatens to pose a not inconsequential disruption for oil and gas investors and producers. Two federal budgets ago, in May 1985, Finance Minister Wilson tabled budget papers that were more massive in terms of volume than most federal budgets. Buried in this mass of documentation is a discussion paper entitled "The Corporate Income Tax System — A Direction For Change ", When the discussion paper was tabled over a year ago, reaction from the business sector was almost non-existent. By and large, the paper was regarded as nothing more than one more federal publication of mild academic interest.

But, recent events suggest that this discussion paper for corporate tax reform could be the cornerstone for a series of changes to the tax laws which would have more profound and widespread effects for all sectors of the economy than any reform since 1971. No industry in Canada can afford to ignore the movement afoot in Ottawa for corporate tax reform.

The May 1985 discussion paper states unequivocally that the present corporate income tax system is in need of re-examination. There is a noticeable sentiment in Ottawa that the current tax system is "distorting of market driven business decisions ", and that a revised system "could lead to a more efficient allocation of resources ". The paper sets out an "illustrative proposal ", which would result in a significant reduction in statutory tax rates for all corporations, coupled with reductions in the most rapid rates of write-off and the elimination of investment tax credits.

The paper identifies four fundamental principles for corporate tax reform.Market efficiency — "The corporate tax system should interfere as little as possible with the market signals that form the basis of business decisions. "Certainty — "The corporate tax system should be stable over time, "Simplicity — "The corporate tax system should be as simple and certain in its application as possible. "Stability of tax revenues — "The corporate tax system should provide a predictable and stable revenue base for the federal and provincial governments. "

According to the paper, tax reform would not be designed to raise corporate tax revenues — it would be revenue neutral.

Present System

The paper provides a capsule analysis of the present tax system. In particular, a handful of rules are identified as being in need of further scrutiny, including:the fast rate of write-off for certain classes of capital cost allowance, including oil and gas production and refining machinery and equipment;the 100% write-off of research and development expenditures;
Improving Oilwell Stimulations With Compatible Oils
Authors: Hassen B.R. , Porter K.E. , McCorriston L.L.
Published: March 2010

Crude oils, diesels and similar distillates are often considered to be inert stimulation fluids for use in oil wells. In fact they may contain or create plugging materials which can reduce or destroy permeability. It is common knowledge chat produced crudes may contain clays, fines, sulphur, salt, organic debris, asphaltenes, as well as any chemicals added to assist production. Although crudes are still used to hydraulically fracture wells because of low cost, distilled oils are commonly used in an attempt to avoid the mentioned problems. However, clean fluids such as diesel and condensate are still incompatible with some crudes and particularly the asphaltic crudes common in western Canada. Special refining can produce oil which is very compatible with, crudes. One such oil is available at a cost comparable to diesel and has been used as a workover fluid, fracturing fluid, and acidizing spacer. Results of more than one year of field evaluation confirms that the fluid is practical to use and is meeting our expectations. Laboratory results and theoretical background are also provided.

Introduction

It is the intention of this paper to discuss some important aspects of the use of oils in well completions. Most ideas are relatively familiar to many readers, however, they will be reviewed in reference to a new product which has become available.

In the majority of cases oil is used because of concerns over formation damage. In such cases, oil is often regarded as relatively benign in comparison to water-based fluids. There are many good reasons to believe this. The main ones are listed as follows:—Fresh water in contact with any smectite clays in the formation will be absorbed into the clay structure and cause swelling. The swelling restricts the pore throat to reduce the permeability.—Kaolinite clays and other migratable fines which are water wet or are loosely attached to the pore surface will only move within the connate water phase. When water invades a formation with irreducible water saturation, the fines will then become movable and begin plugging the pore throats.—Water, being the most universal inorganic solvent known, can carry a variety of chemicals, cations and anions into the formation. Incompatible water, sometimes even with very low concentrations of contaminants, can cause a variety of precipitates, emulsions and sludges which can reduce or destroy the formation permeability.—Even a very low percentage of fines contained in water can easily plug perforations or the formation. This point can more easily be appreciated since very dirty water is recognizable with the naked eye. It should be kept in mind that occasionally clear water contains enough fines to do serious formation damage.

In contrast oils are perceived, although sometimes inaccurately, to have the following behavior:"Oil does not react with smectite clays to cause swelling. Further to this, oils are not expected to react with any clays present to produce detrimental results. ""Oil does not open the door for lines migration to begin. "
An Evaluation Of Survey Accuracy At Cold Lake
Authors: Gust D.A.
Published: March 2010

Directional survey accuracy has become increasingly important in many development drilling projects. Recently, Esso Resources Canada Limited conducted a three-part survey evaluation program in Cold Lake to de/ermine the most cost-effective method of surveying.

The first part of the program consisted of surveying 21 wells with a rate-integrating gyroscope. These wells had been drilled using magnetic single shot surveys. The gyroscope indicated that many of the high-angle wells oriented in an east-west direction were outside of acceptable target limits. A more accurate method of surveying these wells while drilling was required. The second part of the evaluation program consisted of drilling 43 wells using alternate survey methods including: Measurement While Drilling (MWD) on 26 wells: gyroscopes on 5 wells: and eleclronic single shot instruments on 12 wells. Electronic multi-shot tools were run in 16 wells prior to running casing providing multiple survey runs on some wells. A rate-integrating gyroscope was run in 18 cased wells to provide a comparison to the wells surveyed during the first part of the evaluation program. The third part of the program was the implementation of the use of a survey system based on recommendations from the second part of the program.

Introduction

Description of Cold Lake Production Project

Esso Resources Canada Limited started commercial development of the Cold Lake Held in October 1983. Each phase of the Cold Lake Production Project (CLPP) consists of 10 twenty well pads for a total of approximately 200 wells in each phase. The directional wells are designed to kick off at 25 m and build angle at a rate of 2.5 degrees per 30 m to an inclination of 9.5 degrees at 140 m measured depth (MD). Additional angle, if required, is built at rates of up to 4.5 degrees per 30 m. Maximum inclinations vary from 15 to 55 degrees with approximately 60% of the wells having inclinations greater than 35 degrees. Horizontal displacements vary from 55 m to 310 m with wells being drilled in all directions as shown in the pad layout in Figure 1. The average drilling time in Cold Lake is less than 2 days per well.

Importance of Accurate Surveys

Cold lake targets are defined by an 8 m by 13 m rectangle with the major axis oriented along the preferential steam path direction N30 °E ("on-trend ").

If the target is missed, inefficient sweep of the reservoir caused by early communication between wells, results in some heavy oil being left in the reservoir. The amount of oil left in place is estimated using a reservoir analysis model and is referred to as "lost recovery ". Figure 2 shows the value of lost recovery versus the distance between the well and target centre. Two lines are shown, one for the off-trend direction and the other for the on trend direction. With the development of the lost recovery model, and the subsequent increase in concern for hitting small targets, the need to evaluate survey accuracy and the cost of accurate surveying was identified.
Canada's Position In Petroleum R&D
Authors: Shaw David H.
Published: March 2010

Canada is richly endowed with petroleum resources. Conventional crude reserves are still substantial, although new discoveries are being made in increasingly inhospitable locations. Even more massive are the resources of natural gas, heavy crude, oil sands, and coal. These should easily meet Canada's energy needs for the next several hundred years. The role of research in Canada is to provide technology to unlock these resources for future generations of Canadians. The major Challenge is the economic production and conversion of these resources into fuels and specialty products. The economic constraint is severe, dictating that new technology makes maximum use of the existing infrastructure, which is geared to conventional crudes. This paper will briefly review the level and focus of petroleum research effort in Canada in both private and government laboratories. Advances in production research are briefly described. Greater emphasis will be given to advances in the upgrading of heavy crude to light transportation fuels. The evolution of conventional fuels, alternate fuels and lubricants will be discussed, and an outlook for the future will be presented.

Introduction

The petroleum industry in Canada has a high visibility with government, the media and the population at large. The average person is reminded of the petroleum industry on almost a weekly basis as they pull into a gas station to refuel, and find that the price of gasoline has changed. Gasoline price volatility is caused by market forces, tax changes, and especially crude oil price changes. This latter factor has a major impact on revenues for both industry and governments and so not surprisingly elicits dramatic action to try to restore financial stability.

What does this have to do with research in the petroleum industry? The answer is "a lot" as both companies and government look to research to provide options that will smooth the ride on the crude oil price roller-coaster. Strategies to develop these options can best be explained in the context of the supply-demand situation for fossil fuels. Table 1 shows that at present consumption rates conventional oil will be exhausted in about 11 years, whereas heavy oil, gas and coal will last from 27 to 530 years(1, 2).

These numbers do not take into account additional reserves that will undoubtedly be found, or changes in consumption patterns. Another representation of the Canadian fossil fuel energy picture (2, 3, 4) is shown in Table 2. Potential resources are the ultimate amounts predicted to be in place. Even though only a fraction of these resources is likely to be produced it is clear that Canada has the raw resources to meet its energy demands far into the future. In addition to the relative volumes of different raw materials it is interesting to compare their relative prices, Table 3. Clearly our high dependence on oil reflects the high efficiency with which we transport and transform it into useful forms compared to gas and coal. An additional factor impacting upon Canadian petroleum research is shown(5) in Figure 1.
Experience With Fireflooding In Countess 'B' Pool, Alberta Reservoir Aspects
Authors: Metwally M.
Published: March 2010

This paper discusses the reservoir aspects of the Countess ‘B’ Fireflood Pilot Project in southeastern Alberta. The Countess 'B J Pool is a Glauconitic channel sandstone and has been under waterflood since 1973. The fireflood pilot was initiated in 1983 and the operation is expected to continue until 1991. This 16 ha inverted five-spot includes one injector and four producers.

The pilot was designed to determine the level of incremental recovery that could be achieved from the process application and to obtain operating experience from a reservoir containing 28 ° API oil. An extensive program of well testing and fluid analysis has been conducted to identify and evaluate the pilot performance.

The Countess ‘B’ Fireflood Pilot has broken new ground in a number of ways. Results suggest that a waterflooded light oil reservoir can be fireflooded successfully. A mineralogical examination of a post-combustion core indicates that firefront temperature in this pool is 300 °C to 400 °C and oil is effectively displaced. To the end of 1988, the cumulative burned volume represented 20% of the pilot volume. To date the pilot has achieved most of its objectives and will likely achieve the remaining objectives prior to its termination in 1991.

Introduction

The Countess Upper Mannville ‘B’ Pool is located in Township 19, Range 16W4M, approximately 20 km west of the town of Brooks. Alberta (Fig. I). This pool is part of the Countess Latham trend and was discovered in 1965. The pool is operated by PanCanadian Petroleum Limited and jointly owned (50%) with LL&E Canada Ltd. The pool is currently in the later stages of waterflood.

Extensive engineering and laboratory studies conducted on the Countess ‘B’ Pool during the period 1978–80 concluded that fireflooding application is feasible. A pilot project commenced in January 1983 in Part II of the Countess ‘B’ Pool to evaluate the fireflood process and is expected to continue until 1991.

Reservoir

In the Countess ‘B’ Pool, oil production is from a series of southeast/northwest trending channel sands. These sands are elongate and narrow with a length of up to 5 km and a width ranging from 300 m to 1500 m. Thickness varies from 1 m to 12 m. Based on lithology and stratigraphic position, the sandstones of the Countess ‘B’ Pool are part of the "'Glauconitic" of the Upper Mannville Group. Part II of the Countess "B' Pool, as shown in Figure 2, is the largest of these sands.

Following are the average reservoir properties of Pan II:depth 1080mgross pay thickness 8 mporosity 25%permeability 800 mDinitial oil saturation78%initial reservoir pressure 9.6 MPareservoir temperature 38 °Coil gravity28 °C APIoil Viscosity @ reservoir conditions 6 cpinitial formation volume factor 1.124

The Glauconitic sandstones of the Countess ‘B’ Pool are generally fine- to medium-grained, moderately well sorted and composed of quartz and chert with minor feldspar and decrial clay. Cementation is mainly by authigenic clays, including kaolinite and to a lesser degree illite.
Effects Of A Thin Skin At The Front On Composite Reservoir Well Tests
Authors: Ambastha A.K. , Ramsey H.J.
Published: March 2010

A radial composite reservoir model is used to analyze well-tests from a variety of enhanced oil recovery projects, geothermal reservoirs, and acidization projects. A composite reservoir is made up of two or more regions. Each region has its own rock and fluid properties. Also, dynamic phenomena, such as phase changes and multi-phase 1ow effects in a region near the front, can cause a sharp pressure drop at the front. Such a sharp pressure drop is modelled as a thin skin at the front in this study. An analytical solution for the transient pressure behaviour of a well in a two-region composite reservoir with a skin at the front is obtained using the Laplace transformation.

Analysis shows that a thin skin at the front can explain a short duration pseudo-steady state corresponding to the inner swept volume for small mobility and storativity contrasts. The effects of is skin at the front are similar, to the effects of storativity ratio. Thus, neglecting a thin skin at the font can cause large errors in parameter estimation using a type-curve matching method. Also, graphical correlations are presented for the time to rile end of pseudo-steady state behaviour corresponding to the inner swept volume with a skin at the front. Such correlations should help in selecting a proper pseudo-steady Cartesian straight line for data analysis.

Introduction

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a two-region, radial composite reservoir. The inner and outer regions of a composite reservoir have different, but uniform rock and fluid properties, and are separated by a discontinuity. The distance R is the front (or discontinuity) radius, which is an important parameter sought from well tests in composite reservoirs. Eggenschwiler et al.(I) presented an analytical solution in Laplace space for the transient pressure behaviour of a well producing (or injecting) at a constant rate from (or into) a two-region, radial infinite composite reservoir. Horne et a(2) extended them Eggenschwiler et a, solution to finite composite reservoirs.

This study considers transient pressure derivative behaviour of a well in a two-region, composite reservoir with an infinitesimally thin skin at the front. The effects of a thin skin at the front on the transient pressure and pressure derivative behaviour of a well in a composite reservoir is considered important because a thin skin at the front may be a practical approach to model the following physical situations:vapourization at the discontinuity while injecting cold water in a hot geothermal reservoir;condensation at the steam front such as in steam injection projects;cases where a transition region is apparent. For in situ combustion cases, Onyekonwu(3) observed a transition region.Pressure profiles presented in Figures 6.8 and 6.11 of Reference 3 suggest that the system may be modeled as a two-region reservoir with a thin skin at the discontinuity; andsimulated CO2 flooding results show that from 600;0 or the over-all pressure- drop occurs in a small region around the front(4).
Medium-Radius Lateral Drilling Applications In Canada
Authors: Heaton Mark , Rotel Wayne
Published: March 2010

Citing recent case histories of lateral wells drilled in Canada, this paper describes the unique tools and planning methods employed In medium-radius lateral drilling. Included are operational and directional aspects related to BHA design and build-up rare (BUR).

Based on this review of field results obtained with medium radius methods in different locations and formations, the examples of problem-solving presented will illustrate that, in terms of the drilling system used, choice of hardware can determine the type of curve to be drilled as well as how it is planned and executed.

Introduction

During late 1987 and early 1988, three production wells were drilled in Canada in an effort to increase productivity from the oil-bearing formations through use of lateral drilling techniques.

The wells were drilled in three distinct areas, providing diversified data base upon which to base all evaluation or lateral drilling technology in different geological strata as well as to determine productivity changes in the varied target formations which included Swan Hilb and Jean Marie limestone, and Cardium sandstone.

While the three wells were drilled in different geographical area, target depth ranged only from l245 m to 2284 rn TVD. with lateral length~ from 450 m La 650 m measured depth planned.

To reach horizontal at their respective target depths, each well plan required an effective build-up rate (BUR) that would describe an are with a "medium-size" radius of 90 m to 95 m(1). Thus all were classified as "medium-radius" lateral wells as defined in common industry terminology and all used the same drilling technique's and equipment.

Background

For the first horizontal well in a given field, the most common medium-radius well profile is planned so that TVD and departure increase equally as the well bore However, the length of individual build sections (from 0 to 45 degrees and 45 to 90 degrees) may be adjusted to accommodate a given application by including an angle-holding tangent section in a "build-tangent-build" configuration (fig. 1).

In the case histories that follow, tangent section lengths were planned based on the proposed and minimum expected build rates. Any difference between proposed and "actual" BURs determines tangent length.

The difference in TVD at the end of an arc planned at 18 degree/30 m. but drilled at 15 degrees/30m, for example, determines how long (in measured depth) angle must be held at 45 degrees to ensure intersection of the target zone at the end of the final build (Fig 2).

For example, at a proposed BUR of 18 degrees/30 m, a radius of 95.5 m is described. At a minimum expected BUR of 15 degrees/30 m, the radius is 114.6 m, a difference of 19.1 m, which is reflected in a difference in TVD at the end of the arcs. A tangent of 27 m can be drilled at 45 degrees to compensate for the different BURs and the resulting difference in TVD. Proposed and actual build rate data for the three subject wells is presented in Table I.
Comments On "The Physical Chemistry Of The Hot Water Process", By K. Takamura And D. Wallace
Authors: Czarnecki Jan , Smith Russel
Published: March 2010

In the December 1988 issue of Tile Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, Koichi Takamura and Dean Wallace published a paper entitled "The physical chemistry of the hot water process"(1). The paper ‘describes a model for the hot water process based on the’ DLVO and lonizable Surface Group theories' 'that, according to the authors, can be used to maximize bitumen recovery from low grade oil sands.

On page 100 the authors claim that 'It is known* * that monodisperse panicles in an unstirred suspension will coagulate if the potential energy barrier to coagulation, Vscb, is less than 20 to 100 kT because the Brownian motion of the particle provides sufficient energy to overcome the repulsion between them. In a stirred reactor, hydrodynamic forces tend to drive the particles together and a higher energy barrier is required to keep them dispersed.' Both sentences above warrant a comment.In colloidal dispersion slow coagulation can be observed for the stability ratio W< 104(2). W is defined as the ratio of rapid to slow coagulation rate constants (kr and ks respectively) and is related to the height and shape of the energy barrier with the following formula:Equation (Available In Full Paper)where the total interaction energy Φ is a function of the separation between the centres of the particles r, and 2R is the radius of ‘sphere of interaction’, which in the simplest model is assumed to be twice the radius of monodispersed, spherical particles R. A stability ratio of about 104 (which means that the coagulation rate is 10 000 times slower than it would have been if no energy barrier was present), for a typical barrier shape, corresponds to the maximum barrier height Φmax of about 15 kT. A barrier of 20 kT or more would thus characterize a stable system.For fine solid particles suspended in liquids, inertia effects can be neglected for Reynolds number (set on particle dimension) Re < 1(3). Under typical industrial conditions, the Reynolds number based on the dimension of the vessel (typically of an order of metres) may be as high as 100 000. However, the Reynolds number based on the particle dimension (of an order of µm) is of about 0.1. The flow, as seen by particles of that size, fulfills the creeping flow conditions, and inertia effects for those particles can be neglected. Therefore, although stirring increases the number of collisions between the particles the hydrodynamic forces cannot ‘drive the particles together’ across the energy barrier. The barrier height necessary for stabilization of the system does not depend on whether the suspension of fines is agitated or not.

The barrier height of 400 kT units, assumed by the authors to be a critical value dividing stable from flocculating systems, is thus completely unrealistic. One can barely agree on a critical barrier height of 20 to 40 kT. Yet, even for a barrier of 40 kT, only one in 1017 particles has sufficiently high energy to pass across the barrier.
Obituary S.R.L. (Stan) Harding 1912 - 1996
Authors: Kerr Aubrey
Published: March 2010

Introduction

Born in 1912 to a family in straitened circumstances, Stan Harding grew up as a farm boy, spending summers with threshing crews. He recalled the stock market crash of 1929 when penurious pittances paid to the teachers were slashed. He also was a witness to the 1935 Regina riots.

Harding attended public school in Regina, not only excelling in his academic studies but also developing a special interest in gymnastics. He joined the YMCA and maintained an interest and association throughout his active life.

"... I went to Normal School in Regina ... and received a first class certificate to teach, in 1931." There then followed a number of assignments, his first one being a one-room school just east of Maple Creek for two years. He returned to Maple Creek where he taught for four more years, during which time he made many lifelong friendships.

Imperial Oil hired Stan upon graduation in 1941, and he reported to Dr. Sproule who put him in charge of catching samples on a seismic shot hole rig not far from his home town.

Stan returned to the University of Saskatchewan receiving his B.A. degree with honours in 1942. It was during this time that he married his school teacher friend, Jean Coutts.

"Dr. Mawdsley, who was at that time Head of the Geology Department, ... later Dean of Engineering ... always encouraged people to take geology through engineering (you could take your geology through arts or you could take it through engineering), and Dr. Mawdsley pushed people to take the geology through engineering. His reasoning was this: he said, ‘half of you fellows will never make geologists, so you might as well have an engineering degree.’" Mawdsley continued to advise Stan, ‘... well, you know, you are a pretty good student and you should continue.’ This involved going to McGill, the only school which could offer him an instructorship, under Dr. Tony Clark, plus a modest stipend.

Upon receiving his Master's Degree, Harding went on permanent staff, still under Sproule. He worked as a wellsite geologist for two years. At that time, Norcanols, a partly owned subsidiary of Imperial and a Calgary and Edmonton corporation, would drill a series of dry holes across the prairies.

By this time, Harding had become a father. He, his wife and baby lived in whatever accommodation was available, some of it quite primitive. On one occasion, he found living quarters in an abandoned stone house, a good part of a mile away from the rig, "and the company provided me with a truck ... " but when Cam Sproule found out about this "... he decided that transportation units were in short supply and that he could use my truck somewhere else-so he took my truck away ... there was a surveyor by the name of J.A. Armstrong who needed a unit, and J.A. Armstrong (later to be Imperial Oil's president) got my truck!" So Stan ended up walking to work every day.
Evolution of Production Practice And Reservoir Management of the Winter Field
Authors: El-Sayed S. , Beckie W.
Published: March 2010

Actual production data of Winter Field were examined for production rates, oil cut, cumulative oil produced and reserves per well in relation to well length. The log oil cut vs. cumulative oil production per well of groups of wells plots showed that the reserves at a 2% oil cut was the same despite the different lengths of these wells. Published data were next examined to establish the relationship between well length and reserves. It is obvious that the relation between reserves as a function of well length is not a linear relationship for the entire well length examined. This relation shows that as the well length increases from 200 m to roughly 500 m there is a linear increase in reserves. The slope of the line is less than one (0.7); as the length increases beyond 600 m there is very little increase in the reserves. This could explain why the Winter wells all have the same reserves. These groups of wells varied in length from 574 m to 1,110 m; that is, they are all in the length range (greater than 500 m) that gives the maximum reserves(1).

In order to verify this conclusion and utilize it to increase the reserve from existing and future wells a series of well workovers and treatment programs were carried out. Newly drilled wells were completed in such a way as to use the conclusions and recommendations of these programs.

Introduction

The Winter field (Figure 1) has been developed utilizing horizontal wells to produce heavy oil (13.7 API oil of 2,800 – 3,800 cp. viscosity) in a 12 m thick Cumming Sand underlain by a very strong aquifer. The oil cut vs. oil cum. per well plots for each phase (wells drilled in a specific year) are shown in Figure 2. It is obvious that the reserves per well at an economic oil cut of 2% are essentially the same for the different phases. It is interesting to notice that the average well length for the different phases ranges from 574 m to 1,111 m. Data for over 250 horizontal wells producing oil over water reservoir in Saskatchewan published in SEM publication were analysed and the reserves as a function of length are shown in Figure 3. This figure illustrates the non-linear nature of the relationship between reserves and well length. For example a well of 200 – 300 m length has a reserves of 9,000 m3 while a well of 1,000 – 1,100 m has a reserves of 15,000 m3; rather than the 30,000 – 40,000 m3 expected in a linear correlation. Detailed analysis of every well in the Winter Field was carried to identify potential reasons for better or worse performance. A series of water shut-off treatments and workovers were carried out. External casing packers were utilized for formation isolation and proved to be effective. Finally, the information gained from all of the above is being tested in some of the 1995 drilling program through a new completion practice targeting reserves maximization with minimum effect of initial rate.
Data Reduction In Centrifuge Capillary Pressure Experiments
Authors: Chen T.
Published: March 2010

The centrifuge method is commonly used to determine the capillary pressure of a core. The data obtained from such an experiment is the average saturation of the core at different centrifugal speeds. It is necessary to back out the capillary pressure saturation relation based on our understanding of the equilibrium distribution of two fluids in porous media. The governing set of equations was first presented by Hassler and Brunner in 1945, and was accepted by the industry in general. With the use of ultra centrifugation in recent years, the possibility of water de-saturation at the exit end became a concern. While there was experimental evidence that de-saturatation can occur, some theoretical calculations indicated that this could only happen at much higher speed. The motivation to do the present study was to address this concern. While going over the original formulation it was noted that the radial dependence of capillary pressure was given by the authors without any discussion. According to their formulation, capillary pressure, which was the difference in pressure of two fluids, was taken to be defined even in a single fluid region. There was no reason given for taking this physically unrealistic definition. The pressure drop across the interface at the exit end was also taken to be zero, this was contrary to our expectation of interfacial behaviour in a capillary system.

A re-formulation of the problem indicated that the error due to a wrong definition of capillary pressure was usually small, but that due to neglecting pressure drop at the exit end, must be evaluated by a separate experiment. This re-formulation also allowed us to derive a simple formula to estimate the centrifugal speed at which de-saturation of water at the exit end might occur.

Introduction

The measurement of capillary pressure saturation relation of a core by the centrifuge was proposed by Hassler and Brunner(1). They formulated the governing set of equations for the equilibrium distribution of two fluids under constant centrifugal acceleration and presented two approximation methods to calculate capillary pressure saturation relation from measured data. Since then there have been a large number of attempts to improve on these approximate solutions. Only four of these works(1–4) will be discussed in this study. Interested readers are referred to Ruth and Chen's(5) review article. The underlying theory as derived by Hassler and Brunner was accepted by all these authors.

With the use of higher powered centrifuges some authors(6–10) started to be concerned with the possibility of de-saturation of water at the exit end. If this happened then the assumptions used by Hassler and Brunner might not be valid. In particular according to the original formulation the capillary pressure should be zero at the exit end, and it was interpreted(6–10) as equivalent to water saturation being 100% there. When Wunderlich(6) found that it could be less than 100 at high centrifuge speeds, he considered it as an indication that the boundary condition was being violated there.
A Comparison Between the Effect of Emotional Certainty and Uncertainty on Coping Strategies
Authors: Cheng Yin-Hui , Kuan Fu-Yung , Li Chun-I , Ken Yun
Published: March 2010

It was proposed that any emotion associated with a feeling of certainty would promote problem-focused coping, whereas any emotion associated with a feeling of uncertainty would lead to more emotion-focused coping. An experiment with 180 undergraduate students and based on appraisal
questionnaires (Smith & Ellsworth, 1985) provided confirmation for the proposal by showing that participants in emotional states of uncertainty were more favorably disposed towards problem-focused coping than they were in states of emotional certainty; whereas participants in states of
emotional certainty engaged in more emotion-focused coping than in states of uncertainty emotional in a judgment context.
Teachers' Perceptions of Bullying in High Schools: A Turkish Study
Authors: Şahin Mustafa
Published: March 2010

The aim of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions about student-related violent events in Trabzon, Turkey in 2006-2007. A semistructured interview form was constructed and administered to 10 teachers. For the data analysis, the constant comparative method was used. Results
showed that teachers perceive bullying mostly as demanding rights through violence. The main factors which affect bullying were seen as students' socioeconomic status, their relationships with parents, visual media, and the Internet. It is suggested that teachers participate in projects which
are aimed at preventing bullying and the curriculum for teacher trainees be redesigned so that they are more effectively educated about bullying.