E&P Notes (November 2015)
Authors: Jacobs Trent , Rassenfoss Stephen , Henni Abdelghani 
Published: October 2016

E&P Notes

Digitizing Core Scans Brings Old Methods into 21st Century

Trent Jacobs, JPT Senior Technology Writer

In the search for oil and gas, one of the first investments that companies make is in the analysis of core samples. Pulled directly from the reservoir rock, core samples provide critical data used to determine how an exploration program should move forward, or if at all.

However, compared with the high-tech methods found in so many other arenas of the oil and gas industry, the conventional methods used to examine core samples seem quite antiquated.

Petroleum geologists are usually given the first look at the samples to measure key rock features such as natural fractures and to estimate the size of the rock grains. And among the tools most often used to make these measurements and provide a detailed description of the core are a magnifying hand lens, a ruler, and a pad of paper.

As tried and true as these analog technologies have proven to be for much of the industry’s history, there is an ongoing transition to bring the process of core description into the digital age.

Treating Damaged Subsea Lines With a Light Electrical Touch

Stephen Rassenfoss, JPT Emerging Technology Senior Editor

As subsea electric lines age, they are prone to cracks that allow seawater in, reducing their effectiveness, and if the leaks are bad enough, they can shut down operations.

A British subsea engineering and equipment company is selling a novel repair option that can be installed without ever going into the water.

Viper Subsea’s solution comes in the form of a box sending out specially programmed electrical signals. It has installed units on 17 umbilicals and subsea cables and it worked in all but two cases, said Max Nodder, business development director and cofounder of Viper, during a presentation at SPE Offshore Europe.

For anyone whose mental image of insulation is a hard plastic shell isolating wires from the elements, Viper’s method may seem farfetched. But the conventional alternative is not easy to accept either, given the time and money required to replace subsea lines that can run for miles.

Three Offshore Blocks Awarded in Mexico’s Second Auction

Trent Jacobs, JPT Senior Technology Writer

Mexico’s second oil and gas lease auction has been deemed a success after three out of five shallow-water blocks were awarded in September. The awarded areas contain an estimated 236 million bbl of oil and 190 Bcf of gas. The government expects the auction to result in a USD 3 billion investment and up to 90,000 B/D in production by the start of the next decade.

The auction’s outcome was warmly welcomed by Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission, known by its Spanish-language acronym CNH, which has been working for more than a year to organize the historic opening of the country’s exploration and production sector.

“We believe that our mandate of obtaining the best conditions for the Mexican state was achieved,” said Edgar Rangel-German, a CNH commissioner.

Halliburton Reveals Refracturing Strategy

Trent Jacobs, JPT Senior Technology Writer

Although refracturing is a topic that has gained a lot of interest, many shale producers have been sitting on the sidelines because early results did not justify the spending. Halliburton has now joined other service companies in announcing that its results prove the technology is ready for prime time.

The company’s encouraging numbers show that on average, it is seeing ultimate recovery increases of 80% and a two-thirds reduction in the cost per incremental barrel of oil from a refractured well compared with each barrel from a new well.

Priyesh Ranjan, a senior manager of global business development at Halliburton, presented the details of the company’s new Activate Refracturing Service in September. Speaking before an audience of oil and gas company representatives in Houston, Ranjan tried to dispel the notion that the majority of refracturing candidates are primarily vintage wells because of the improvements made in completion technologies and fracture designs in recent years.

Middle East NOCs To Boost Collaboration in Joint Projects

Abdelghani Henni, JPT Middle East Editor

National oil companies (NOCs) in the Middle East plan to boost their collaboration efforts in technology applications through a global industry trade organization’s initiative.

For the first time, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members of the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) held a summit in Abu Dhabi. They agreed to take forward three technology challenges with the aim of defining a call for proposals for collaborative joint industry projects (JIPs) later this year. The summit was attended by representatives from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Kuwait Oil Company, and Petroleum Development Oman, three of the six GCC members.