bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinico-etiological profile and outcome of hyponatremia in hospitalised adult patients
Authors: Baji Parijat P. , Borkar Suresh S.
Published: November 2015

Background: Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte abnormality in hospitalised patients. Incidence varies from 1% to 40%. It is common in the elderly, mainly owing to impaired water and electrolyte balance in response to diet, drugs and environmental changes. This study is to evaluate clinical features, aetiologies and outcome in patients with hyponatremia (Sr. Na <120 mmol/L at the time of admission).

Methods: An observational study was conducted in 76 patients admitted in Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital, Aurangabad from August 2013 to August 2014. All patients having their serum sodium concentration less than 120 mmol/L were included in the study. History, examination and relevant details were taken. Outcome was noted. Student’s t-test, chi square test and Fisher’s exact test were applied for statistical analysis.

Results: In the present study, mean age of the patients was 59.4% years. 43% patients were euvolemic, 38% hypervolemic and 19% hypovolemic. Nausea (54%) was most common gastrointestinal while drowsiness (42%) was the most common neurological symptom. Etiology of hyponatremia was multifactorial in 76% cases. Use of diuretics (53%) was the most common etiological factor. SIADH was suspected in nine patients. Mortality was 21%. Most common comorbid conditions were hypertension (51%) and diabetes mellitus (42%).

Conclusions: Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte abnormality in hospitalised patients. There is an increasing tendency for it to occur with increasing age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and use of drugs (diuretics). Nausea, vomiting and drowsiness are the commonest symptoms. Mortality is high, though not directly related to serum sodium levels. Hyponatremia acts as a poor prognostic marker of primary disease.
Caracterização numérica de antenaplanar para aplicação no sistema de comunicação móvel 4G utilizando a técnica de inserção de fendas
Authors: Silva Jefferson Costa e , Evangelista Thamyris Da Silva
Published: December 2015

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma antena com pequenas dimensões que atue na faixa de frequência utilizada pelo sistema de quarta geração de telefonia móvel (4G) – 2,5 GHz a 2,69 GHz. As simulações foram realizadas utilizando o software comercial Ansoft Designer. A estrutura escolhida para a simulação foi uma antena planar, que devido a algumas de suas características – tais como baixo perfil, pequenas dimensões e custo reduzido –, é importante para sistemas que demandam conectividade aliada à mobilidade, como é o caso do sistema 4G.
Contextualizando a temática gases no Ensino Médio sob uma perspectiva dialogada e experimental
Authors: Figueirêdo Alessandra Marcone Tavares Alves de , Nascimento Mayzza Márcia Araújo do , Lima Luís Victor dos Santos , Sales Flávia Rhuana Pereira , Araújo Rafael De Carvalho , Souza Niely Silva de
Published: December 2015

O presente trabalho vem expor resultados da aplicação de uma sequência de atividades, que incluiu uso de ferramentas metodológicas diversas, proposta ao conteúdo “Gases e suas Transformações”. A aplicação foi realizada numa turma do 2º ano do Ensino Médio, do período noturno, da Escola Estadual Maria de Lourdes Araújo, localizada na cidade de Santa Rita-PB. Partindo de uma perspectiva contextualizada, a experimentação foi uma das principais estratégias adotadas com o intuito de fortalecer o processo de ensino-aprendizagem destes estudantes, uma vez que se coadunou a teoria com a prática. Foram aplicados experimentos sucintos de forma a trabalhar a temática de maneira contextualizada, assim como a exposição de vídeos visando a fortalecer o processo de aprendizagem. Durante toda a aplicação, percebemos a participação ativa e envolvimento dos alunos, proporcionando um ambiente em que os mesmos compartilharam de seus conhecimentos do senso comum a respeito do conteúdo, a fim de construir, conjuntamente, conceitos sobre o tema, contribuindo para uma aprendizagem significativa.
A indisciplina e o regulamento disciplinar: percepções de estudantes de cursos técnicos integrados
Authors: Rodrigues Icaro Arcênio de Alencar
Published: December 2015

O regulamento disciplinar de uma instituição de ensino é ferramenta de normatização do convívio no ambiente escolar. Com base nisso, esta pesquisa de campo, explicativa, transversal e qualiquantitativa busca investigar o conhecimento que os estudantes dos primeiros anos do ano letivo de 2014 dos Cursos Técnicos Integrados ao Ensino Médio do IFPB – Campus Campina Grande possuem acerca do Regulamento Disciplinar desta Instituição bem como sua função, além de registrar as sugestões dos alunos para a elaboração do referido documento. Foram entrevistados 38 estudantes, por meio de questionário, seguindo os critérios de ética em pesquisa. Observou-se que a maior parte dos discentes conhece o Regulamento Disciplinar, o identifica com a função de normatizar a convivência escolar, e não apresenta sugestões ou críticas à elaboração do Regulamento. Este trabalho abre novos campos de investigação sobre os impactos da apresentação do Regulamento aos discentes novatos realizada pelas Coordenações Pedagógica e de Assistência ao Estudante.
Avaliação de Manchas de Pele Usando Processamento de Imagens
Authors: Adonias Geoflly De Lima , Regis Carlos Danilo Miranda
Published: December 2015

Doenças de pele podem ser classificadas em inúmeras patologias. A variedade destas com características similares dificultam o processo do diagnóstico precoce, comprometendo o tratamento eficaz do paciente. Uma dessas patologias é o vitiligo cuja incidência varia entre 0,1% e 2% da população mundial, atingindo pessoas de qualquer sexo ou tipo de pele e é causada pela ausência de melanina, cuja função é conferir pigmentação à pele. Este trabalho propõe uma avaliação de manchas de pele usando métodos de segmentação e descrição de imagens e apresenta os resultados para uma análise entre manchas de pele hipopigmentadas e manchas de intensidade mais escura.
Modified atmosphere packaging maintains physico-chemical properties of custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) fruits
Authors: Patil R. A. , Rao D. V. Sudhakar , Manasa B.
Published: December 2015

Custard apple, a tropical fruit, is underutilized because of its poor storability. Researchers have worked on various aspects for improving the storage life of fruits; still its storage life is limited to few days. So to counteract this, an experiment was conducted to study the effect of modified atmosphere packaging using three different kinds of films along with low temperature storage at 8, 12 and 15 °C and observations were recorded at weekly interval. The study indicated an increasing trend in the respiration rate and ethylene production rate as well, and the rate increased with increase in storage temperature and duration. The physiological loss in weight in packed fruits showed a drastic reduction. Titratable acidity increased as storage duration while ascorbic acid shown exact reverse trend. There was significant increase in reducing sugar and total sugar as duration increased but rate was low in 8° C fruits.
An empirical study of yield gap in seed cotton production in Tamil Nadu state, India
Authors: Elum Zelda A. , Sekar C.
Published: December 2015

A study was carried out in Tamil Nadu to examine the extent of yield gap in seed cotton. The study used data from 180 farmers in the State. The purpose of the study was to implement a framework that measures the relative yield of seed cotton produced in the study area. A multiple regression model was used to analyse the determinants of yield gap and the results showed that potash gap had a statistically significant but negative effect on yield while nitrogen had a statistically significant and positive effect. Total yield gap in Bt cotton (1658 kg/ha) was significantly higher than that of conventional cotton (594 kg/ha). Thus, there was considerable scope for improvement in the use of Bt technology since the farmers were yet to fully harness the proposed benefits of this genetically modified crop. Further analysis showed that the yield gap in various districts of the state were significantly different. It was inferred from the results that increased application of nitrogen increased yield but increased usage of potash had diminishing effects, while the applying of more labour and insecticides increased yield. It is suggested that there should be intensified effort on the sensitization of farmers about the detrimental effects of using inputs in excess.
Long-Acting Hormonal Contraception
Authors: Benagiano Giuseppe , Gabelnick Henry , Brosens Ivo
Published: December 2015

Today, a new category of fertility-regulating agents has been created: long-acting, reversible hormonal contraceptives; they minimize compliance, while maximize effectiveness. They comprise subdermal implants and intrauterine devices. Other long-acting agents exist, such as Depo Provera and Noristerat. Use of Depo Provera and Noristerat carries great effectiveness, good clinical safety and usefulness in developing countries. They cause no significant increase in breast cancer risk, but they may carry an increased risk of HIV. Subcutaneous delivery systems have two common features: prolongation of effect is obtained by a drug reservoir and for most of their duration of action they provide a continuous, sustained release of the active hormone. Finally, the intrauterine system Mirena represents both a very effective contraceptive and a specific treatment for menorrhagia.
Study on biodiesel heat transfer through self-temperature limit injector during vehicle cold start
Authors: Wang Jun , Kang Yan , Yang Lin , Li Xiaolu , Yan Tianhong
Published: December 2015

A type of Self-Temperature Limit-Injector (STL- injector) is proposed to
reduce the biodiesel consumption and emission in vehicle cold start process.
The STL-injector is capable of fast raising fuel temperature, which helps
improve the quality of diesel spray and its combustion efficiency. A
STL-injector model is established with consideration of electro-mechanic
coupling and fluid-structure interaction. A transient simulation is
conducted using dynamic grid technology. The results show that STL-injector
can effectively raise biodiesel temperature to 350K from 300K in 32 seconds.
That is to say, adding STL-injector to existing biodiesel combustion system
is an environment-friendly solution due to improving atomization and spray
quality quickly.
Aspects of the bioethanol use at the turbocharged spark ignition engine
Authors: Obeid Zuhair , Cernat Alexandru , Pana Constantin , Negurescu Niculae
Published: December 2015

In the actual content of pollution regulations for the automotives, the use
of alternative fuels becomes a priority of the thermal engine scientific
research domain. From this point of view bioethanol can represents a viable
alternative fuel for spark ignition engines offering the perspective of
pollutant emissions reduction and combustion improvement. The paper presents
results of the experimental investigations of a turbo-supercharged spark
ignition engine (developed from a natural admission spark ignition engine
fuelled with gasoline) fuelled with bioethanol-gasoline blends. The engine is
equipped with a turbocharger for low pressure supercharging, up till 1.4 bar.
An correlation between air supercharging pressure-compression
ratio-dosage-spark ignition timing-brake power is establish to avoid
knocking phenomena at the engine operate regime of full load and 3000 min-1.
The influences of the bioethanol on pollutant emissions level are presented.
Determination of the potential energy surfaces of refrigerant mixtures and their gas transport coefficients
Authors: Song Bo , Wang Xiaopo , Liu Zhigang
Published: December 2015

In this work, the inversion scheme was used to determine the potential energy surfaces of five polar refrigerant mixtures. The systems studied here are R123-R134a, R123-R142b, R123-R152a, R142b-R134a, and R142b-R152a. The low density transport coefficients of the refrigerant mixtures were calculated from the new invert potentials by the classical kinetic theory. The viscosity coefficient, binary diffusion coefficient, and thermal diffusion factor were computed for the temperature range from 313.15-973.15 K. The agreement with the NIST viscosity data demonstrates that the present calculated values are accurate enough to supplement experimental data over an extended temperature range. Correlations of the transport properties were also provided for the refrigerant mixtures at equimolar ratios.
Review of investigations in eco-friendly thermoacoustic refrigeration system
Authors: Raut Ashish , Wankhede Uday
Published: December 2015

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, internationally research and development is intended to improve the performance of conventional refrigeration system also growth of new-fangled refrigeration technology of potentially much lesser ecological impact. This paper gives brief review of research and development in thermoacoustic refrigeration also the existing situation of thermoacoustic refrigeration system. Thermoacoustic refrigerator is a novel sort of energy conversion equipment which converts acoustic power into heat energy by thermoacoustic effect. Thermoacoustic refrigeration is an emergent refrigeration technology in which there are no moving elements or any environmentally injurious refrigerants during its working. The concept of thermoacoustic refrigeration system is explained, the growth of thermoacoustic refrigeration, various investigations into thermoacoustic refrigeration system, various optimization techniques to improve coefficient of performance, different stacks and resonator tube designs to improve heat transfer rate, various gases, and other parameters like sound generation have been reviewed.
On heat transfer of weakly compressible power-law flows
Authors: Li Botong , Zhu Liangliang , Zheng Liancun , Zhang Wei
Published: December 2015

This paper completes a numerical research on steady momentum and heat transfer in power-law fluids in a channel. Weakly compressible laminar fluids are studied with no slip at the walls and uniform wall temperatures. The full governing equations are solved by continuous finite element method. Three thermal conductivity models are adopted in this paper, that is, constant thermal conductivity model, thermal conductivity varying as a function of temperature gradient, and a modified temperature-gradient-dependent thermal conductivity model. The results are compared with each other and the physical characteristics for values of parameters are also discussed in details. It is shown that the velocity curve from the solution becomes straight at higher power-law index. The effects of Reynolds numbers on the dilatant fluid and the pseudo-plastic look similar to each other and their trends can be easily predicted. Furthermore, for different models, the temperature curves also present pseudo-plastic and dilatant properties.
Energy efficiency of different bus subsystems in Belgrade public transport
Authors: Misanovic Slobodan , Zivanovic Zlatomir , Tica Slaven
Published: December 2015

Research in this paper comprised experimental determination of energy
efficiency of different bus subsystems (diesel bus, trolleybus and fully
electric bus) on chosen public transport route in Belgrade. Experimental
measuring of energy efficiency of each bus type has been done based on the
analysis of parameters of vehicle driving cycles between stops. Results of
this analysis were basis for development of theoretical simulation model of
energy efficiency. The model was latter compared with the results of
simulation done by "Solaris bus & Coach" company for the chosen electric bus
route. Based on demonstrated simulation, characteristics of electric bus
batteries were defined, the method and dynamic of their recharge was
suggested, as well as choice for other aggregates for drive system and
technical characteristics for the electric buses were suggested.
Energy-efficient Renovation of a Real Estate in AUSTRIA
Authors: Korjenic Azra , Vašková Anna
Published: December 2015

An action have cities worldwide, due to urbanization. More than 70 percent of people in Europe live in cities, where 70 percent of the energy consumed. Without adequate measures, a rapidly growing city is at risk in by overloading the infrastructure, threats to water, energy, pollution, logistical bottlenecks and lack of housing. This paper describes an energy-efficient renovation or expansion planning a real estate in Vorarlberg, Austria. The settlement was analysed in more detail here, it involves the city Dornbirn- part Shor. The study investigated how to extend this settlement energy efficient and what feed for factors in the assessment.
Reducing Computational Space by an Adaptive Moving Boundary for Convective Dominated Flow
Authors: Sheoran K. S. , Al Kobaisi M. S.
Published: December 2015

This work presents a computationally efficient method utilizing a flood front tracking technique "moving boundary" for simulating convective dominated flow problems. The method segregates the reservoir into two regions, active and inactive; the active region forms the curtailed system whose boundary conditions represent the inactive region. These regions adaptively change with the advancement of the floodfront until they eventually merge to cover the entire reservoir model.

In essence and as the name hints, the method reduces the computational size of the reservoir by virtue of artificial, or virtual, boundaries. The technique correctly identifies regions of the reservoir undergoing rapid saturation changes and introduces either Neumann or Dirichlet boundary conditions at some downstream distance from the flood front. The collocations of points where the boundary conditions are applied constitute the moving virtual boundary. Once the flood front comes in the vicinity of a virtual boundary, the boundary is shifted to the next appropriate position, hence giving the method its name Moving Boundary.

The method is akin to streamline simulation whereby streamlines, traced from a pressure gradient surface, are frozen for extended temporal lengths; whereas here we freeze some boundary conditions enabling us to effectively reduce the computational requirements. As in streamline simulation, our method is best suited for convective dominated flow problems.

Two dimensional, highly heterogeneous, reservoir simulation runs utilizing the moving boundary method are presented and compared to those results obtained from conventional full model runs. The results indicate an excellent match along with the added computational efficiency.
Impact of Wellbore Completion Type on Fracture Initiation Pressure in Maximum Tensile Stress Criterion Model for Tight Gas Field in the Sultanate of Oman
Authors: Andreas Briner , Juan Chavez Florez , Sergey Nadezhdin , Nihat Gurmen , Olga Alekseenko , Sergey Cherny , Dmitry Kuranakov , Vasily Lapin
Published: December 2015

A detailed geomechanical study has been performed for a tight field in the Sultanate of Oman. This study included computation of fracture initiation pressure (FIP) applying the boundary element method (BEM) and maximal tensile stress (MTS) criterion using 3D numerical modeling. The goal of the present work is to numerically simulate the effects of wellbore completion type on FIP with arbitrary wellbore position and finding the conditions that correspond to the lowest FIP. The model is based on the BEM. Since the equations and correlations are not empirical and not field-specific, the model is applicable to a wide range of conditions. The data used for this project were from different zones and blocks of a tight gas-bearing sandstone field in the Sultanate of Oman. The amount and quality of available data allowed comprehensive model development. The model is built for the four blocks of the main field, but can be applied to the other blocks and fields. Two horizontal wells parallel to each other 400 m apart have been recently completed with different completion types, which allowed reasonable comparison of actual and modeled breakdown pressures for open and cased holes. Two vertical wells in different blocks have been completed with openhole sections with subsequent placement of hydraulic fractures. Discussion on the effectiveness of this completion type over the typically used cased and cemented completions in regards to breakdown pressure and overall well efficiency is provided. Some practical applications of the study include input for the decision on the completion type in vertical and horizontal wells.
Responses and Field Tests from an LWD Microimaging Tool Using Discrete Energy Pulsing
Authors: Chen Jiefu , Haramboure Carlos , Pate Lance , Martin Jay , Barnett Craig
Published: December 2015

An innovative microimaging sensor using discrete energy pulsing is designed to generate high resolution borehole images while drilling. Theoretical studies, laboratory experiments, and field tests in various reservoirs are given to show that this new Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) microimaging sensor can deliver wireline quality logs.

Rather than emitting a continuous sinusoidal electrical signal from the tool into the formation, the new microimaging sensor uses discrete energy pulsing. By pulsing the discrete signal, the tool’s measurement interval time is brief, which leads to less power consumption. The pulsing method has shown to increase image resolution as well as reduce image degradation resulting from stick–slip or other rapid tool movements. To further improve image quality, two different sized electrodes were used to extend the measurement range.

The tool responses of the new sensor were numerically modeled and thoroughly tested using lab mock-ups, and compared with wireline logs to demonstrate image quality. Tool eccentricity and standoff, both large factors in LWD microimaging log quality, were corrected using numerical tool models. The modeling also provides proper depth of investigation for dip calculation. Integrating the modeling results, calculations, and corrections into the new sensor design provides high quality images. Field testing was performed in various environments from depleted sand-shale sequences to low-resistivity pay zones and provided important feedback on electrode size resolution in regard to borehole feature details, eccentricity, and standoff.

The microimaging sensor using discrete energy pulsing is capable of detecting formation bedding planes, and faults as well as highly detailed features such as vugs and fractures. Integrating this sensor into an LWD tool provides high resolution imaging while drilling, and facilitates real-time geosteering and early evaluation of key formation characteristics such as frequency and orientation of natural fractures, which can aid in completion and stimulation designs for both conventional and unconventional reservoirs.
High Availability Corrosion Inhibition and Online Monitoring For Wet Sour Gas Pipelines
Authors: Daher E. , Laycock N. , deReus J. A. M. , Hendriksen E.
Published: December 2015

This paper describes the approach taken and the lessons learned from a recent project, which required both corrosion and hydrate inhibition for subsea pipelines from normally unmanned offshore platforms to an onshore processing plant. Issues addressed include the corrosion control strategy, chemical injection system design and the challenges of ensuring robust corrosion monitoring in sour gas systems.
The Great Crew Change
Authors: Mew Kuan Wong
Published: December 2015

90% of Oil & Gas executives acknowledge that talent shortage is a major issue in the industry. 50% of the industry workforce is set to retire in the next 5 to 7 years. It is estimated that for every 2 employees who retire, there is only 1 new employee who enters the workforce. All these are signs of an imminent problem for the Oil & Gas industry – The Great Crew Change.
Proactive Well Integrity Management Through the Estimation of Residual Well Life
Authors: D'Alesio P. , Caramanico L.
Published: December 2015

Among the strategic issues of the Oil & Gas Industry, management of well integrity currently plays a key role, since it allows to simultaneously achieve two major objectives: minimize risk of uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons and extend the life of wells, thus getting the most from reservoirs.

Well integrity is about maintaining at least two independent well barriers at all times. This prevents reservoir fluids from being unintentionally and uncontrollably released at surface, and from migrating to other underground layers. However, degradation over time may weaken the elements comprising well barrier envelopes, and therefore impair well integrity if not taken into due consideration.

This paper describes an innovative approach to well integrity, which effectively puts the concept of "proactive management" into practice: the aim is not only to ensure that wells operate safely today, but also to be reasonably confident that they will properly work in the future in order to achieve an extended production life and optimize operational expenditures.

The subject approach complies with the ISO TS 16530-2 "Well Integrity for the Operational Phase", and uses both a failure mode analysis and a risk assessment technique to estimate the residual well life, on the basis of the expected degradation rate of well barrier elements.

The described approach enables to: Evaluate the current well integrity status through a risk-based perspectiveAnticipate future well integrity issuesElaborate a suitable risk reduction action planIdentify proper monitoring and maintenance requirements.

A dedicated software has been developed to effectively support the analysis of the current well integrity status and the identification of the well barrier elements that are expected to become critical in the future. The main characteristics of the software are also described.
RasGas Well Integrity Solution - Evolved, Engineered and Looking Beyond…
Authors: Kandaswamy Saravanan , Bugti Mehboob A.
Published: December 2015

This paper describes the development and deployment of a customised, on-line well integrity management system that has resulted in a major improvement in the effective and timely identification, diagnosis and remediation of well integrity issues in RasGas operations.

The system, which was built in-house on a web portal, is a business-driven, interactive and collaborative solution that integrates well integrity surveillance data (annuli surveys, integrity tests, corrosion log results, etc.) with maintenance schedules, and provides timely reporting of potential or observed integrity problems and harvesting of historical well data. This enables RasGas engineers and operations personnel to make informed and timely decisions on well integrity to ensure continued safe operation and a high level of well reliability and availability.

Key features of the system include effective visualisation of safety-critical elements and operating parameters from the field, effective tracking of integrity testing and preventive maintenance activities, use of "surveillance-by-exception" principle under which the system sends out a notification to all key personnel if any integrity-critical parameter on any well falls outside pre-established limits. The paper will illustrate the effectiveness of the system with actual field examples. Planned enhancements such as incorporating well failure models and individual well risk rating system will also be described.

While there are a number of packaged well integrity management tools available in the market, the uniqueness of RasGas system lies in its in-house development which has resulted in seamless integration with the existing data telemetry and processing workflows, flexibility in incorporating customised solutions and ease of scalability to accommodate increasing well count. The paper describes the key factors that contributed to the successful development and deployment of the system, including buy-in from all stakeholders, continuous feedback from field personnel and timely familiarisation and training of the end users.
The value of the Common Operating Picture for Emergency Response
Authors: Siermann J. , Hulshof B. , Slack D.
Published: December 2015

Managing the effect of a serious incident requires access and understanding of many types of information. For an effective and coordinated response to an incident a shared, common picture of the situation is essential. A common picture of reality is required by various organizations that look with different lenses to the incident so they all can collectively respond to it, in order to safe lives, environment and reputation.

A Common Operating Picture (COP) is a computing platform based on Geographical Information System (GIS) technology that provides this single source of data and information for situational awareness, coordination and communication to support emergency management and response personnel and other stakeholders involved in or affected by an incident.

The situational awareness provided by a COP is fundamental in the understanding of the relevant social, economic, environmental and logistic aspects of the (potential) incident. This paper explains how Shell is currently implementing a COP for all its major operations.
Developing Safety Leadership Skills at all Levels in an Organisation Drives Goal Zero Performance
Authors: Bralee Abigail , Peacock Mark , Norton Steve , Johnson Stephen
Published: December 2015

Despite a strong safety performance during construction, commissioning and early operations, in 2012 the Pearl GTL community embarked on a safety leadership development journey. Following a culture sensing survey the Site Leaders acknowledged that the safety culture at the plant was not what they perceived it to be. A period of discovery was undertaken to fully examine and understand the current safety culture; this was done through listening and enquiry deep into the organization with a deliberate intention to not react to the insights with actions until a full picture emerged. Only after this period of discovery and reflection did the leadership team start to envisage and articulate the desired safety culture for their community. It was recognized that doing more of what we knew, such as enhancing the management system and implementing short term campaigns would not sustainably lead us to Goal Zero.

The leaders took a bold decision to empower a group of high capacity individuals from across the organization to work with them to develop a long term improvement plan. This team - consisting of Engineers, Production Specialists, HSSE professionals, HR and Business Improvement personnel - worked for 18months in partnership with Site Leaders. The focus of the effort was on developing safety leadership at all levels by designing unique engagements, developing innovative tools, building capability and implementing new skills and today the improvement plan is making significant progress.

It is recognised that no single group in an organization, be it the senior leaders, supervisors nor the front line can impact the culture on its own and it takes a cross business, multi-level approach with consistent steer and commitment for the long term to be able to affect and develop the desired safety culture. In this paper, case studies and the positive Business impact at various levels in the organization will be discussed. The case studies will focus on the design of a unique programme for front line safety leadership development and how this evolved to include supervisors, how developing a cadre of Safety Leadership Coaches is affecting senior leaders and the importance of incorporating all the site programmes and initiatives within the culture of safety leadership.

It is over 2 ½ years since the last Lost Time Injury at Pearl GTL and visitors to the site tell us that there is a sense of community and workforce engagement that they rarely experience elsewhere, particularly for a plant with a short operational history. The same visitors are energized by what they see and reflect how they can envisage elements of the safety culture improvement plan at Pearl GTL being implemented in their own organisations.
SHE&S Improvement of a Major Subcontractor on the Barzan Onshore Project
Authors: DeHart Robert E. , Brand Johnny , Khan Khurshid
Published: December 2015

This paper illustrates how significant improvements were implemented for SHE&S (Safety, Health, Environment and Security) performance by Descon; a site Subcontractor organisation on the RasGas executed Barzan Onshore Project. Under contract to JGC, the project's primary EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor, Descon's work scope was to construct the Common Process South and Offsite facilities which have been completed.

At the outset of the project, Descon aligned their SHE&S (Safety, Health, Environment and Security) Management System with JGC's SHE&S management system, which is based on the EPC SHE&S contractual requirements provided by RasGas. However, in the early days of the project, Descon was incurring incidents at a frequency greater than the other seven subcontractors and also experienced the project's first Lost Time Incident (LTI) in July 2012. The paper evaluates the management system tools and practical actions that drove and sustained improvement of Descon's SHE&S management.

In response to incidents which had occurred, in the second half of 2012, Descon management made significant changes to their programme - including improvements to: SHE&S and craft training programmes; the site organisation; site SHE&S campaigns; enforcement of site SHE&S policies and procedures; and worker recognition. The improvements were also driven by various IIF (Incident and Injury Free) activities for ongoing engagement with the workers at the worksite and in the camps including: IIF site walks; social camp visits and management lunches with the workers; various camp sports; and educational and cultural activities. The improvement actions were captured within action plans, and key indicators were selected to monitor and measure the success of the programme. Since the July 2012 LTI and SHE&S programme overhaul, Descon established and sustained a positive safety culture with the workers and supervisors; worked 31 million man-hours without any additional LTIs; and clearly demonstrated leadership and innovation for SHE&S improvement on the project. This paper addresses how these improvements were accomplished and the actions that made these SHE&S programme improvements sustainable.

In summary, positive initiatives and actions taken by Descon ensured that the fundamentals of a SHE&S Management System were executed consistently and sustainably, with strong management commitment and buy-in by the workers and supervisors.
A High-Density Wide Azimuth 3D Survey in Oman
Authors: Tellier Nicolas , Denis Michel , Jacques Frank
Published: December 2015

A large high-density, wide azimuth, broadband 3D seismic project was recently acquired in an oil producing area of the Sultanate of Oman. The project aimed to outmatch legacy project results to accurately image a challenging geology, with strong time and budget constraints. This case study presents the key design, operations, and organizational points that enabled achieving the project successfully and record high-quality data.

To provide a clear understanding of the project stakes and fulfillments, the following features will be reviewed:

Local geology and geophysical objectives

Design of a high-density wide azimuth 3D survey

Project acquisition and productivity optimization

Crew organization, intensive logistics, HSE commitment, integrated QC chain

The proper imaging of the complex geology – including geological faults, traps, and thin beds - led to the choice of a high-fold full-azimuth geometry with a density of almost 10 million traces per square kilometer. Such a trace density, far above the average for desert projects worldwide, confirms an ever-growing trend and industry requirement, especially in the Middle East. The large block was acquired using the Distance Separated Simultaneous Sweeping (DSSS) technique combined with slip-sweep. With VPs being acquired single source, single point, and the use of super-heavy vibrators (90,000 lbf), the project produced very high quality data, even for the deep targets. Crew organization was paramount to achieve the acquisition on time and within budget. Almost 10,000 shot points were recorded on average daily with extensive HSE commitment.

An excellent dataset with a wide range of offsets and azimuths was acquired, outmatching the previous projects. Currently being processed, this dataset confirms the single-sweep single-source shooting strategy, and promises a new and thorough level of interpretation and understanding of the area that should lead to new productive prospects.
Optimal Learning of Field Operation and Well Placement in the Presence of Uncertainty
Authors: Klie Hector , Agreda Aquiles , Likanapaisal Pipat
Published: December 2015

We propose a novel learning optimization approach to find nearly optimal field solutions with a high probability and at a relatively low computational expense. Key attributes of the approach include capabilities to handle non-linear constraints in a dynamic fashion, automatic control of search directions; use of machine learning-based proxies; real time control of the optimization execution flow and, risk management decisions. The resulting algorithm retains the attractive property that the number of simulations is independent of the number of decision parameters as it progressively improves its rate of convergence as more information becomes available. We illustrate the new approach to determine multiple well locations and operation strategies to optimize field production on deep water and unconventional resource applications.
Research on Evaluation of Formation Water Salinity and Origin of Its Big Variation in Ultra-Low Permeability Clastic Reservoir
Authors: Feng Cheng , Mao Zhiqiang , Fu Jinhua , Shi Yujiang , Cheng Yumei , Li Gaoren
Published: December 2015

For big variation of formation water salinity in Chang 8 stratum, Triassic, northwestern Ordos Basin, China, low resistivity contrast exists between oil layers and water layers. In order to increase the accuracy of log interpretation, accurate formation water salinity is a vital part. Based on the petrophysical theory, this paper summarizes and improves two methods to estimate formation water salinity. Firstly, reservoir resistivity-porosity cross plot method is introduced for oil-water layers and water layers. To be specific, resistivity and porosity log values of target reservoir are added to the cross plot. Data points, which are closest to the origin of coordinates, are selected as water layer ones. Then, formation water salinity is calculated by Archie formula. Secondly, shale water salinity is approximately regarded as formation water salinity. Because shale water salinity estimation is a nonlinear problem with small sample sets and there is no theoretical equation, Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) is used for shale water salinity prediction. 9 parameters are extracted from lithology, resistivity and porosity log curves, among which, 5 are optimized as sensitive parameters by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The effectiveness and reliability of resistivity-porosity cross plot and improved SVM method are tested by 23 formation water chemical analysis data. The average relative error of the former method is 19.79%, while that of the latter 27.57%. In addition, formation water salinity of another 50 wells are calculated by the two methods. Based on them, a salinity plane distribution map is drawn by Geomap software. In high salinity area, producing wells gather. Thus, one possible origin of formation water salinity variation is proposed. High salinity water moves into reservoirs with oil from source rock, which leads to high water salinity. In ultra-low permeability clastic reservoir with near source accumulation, formation water salinity probably varies significantly because of oil migration and accumulation. Furthermore, layers with oil often have higher formation water salinity, which is the main cause of low resistivity oil layers. Thus, the accurate formation water salinity calculated by the improved methods, will play an important role in the evaluation of low resistivity contrast oil layers and water layers.
Subsurface Standards for Process Safety
Authors: Dean Michael C. , Goeyenbier Hans
Published: December 2015

Extended Abstract

Several major safety incidents in the Petroleum Industry combined with the global nature of media interest have resulted in the focus on our industry rising to an all-time high. HSSE incidents impact the license to operate of not only individual companies, but also the entire industry. As such, the objective of this paper is to share one approach to formalizing standards around key Petroleum Engineering (Geology & Geophysics, Petrophysics, Reservoir Engineering, and Petroleum Technology) activities that have an impact on process safety, with the primary focus on well activities. Engineering standards with an impact on Process Safety are common within the Petroleum Industry however subsurface prediction standards have not generally been formalized in a similar manner, in part because subsurface prediction carries with it significant uncertainty which is higher than the uncertainty related to engineering design and calcualations. This project has helped to formalize technical standards for subsurface prediction within the Shell Health, Safety, Security, Environmental and Social Performance (HSSE & SP) Control Framework in the same manner that engineering standards are formalized.
Adapting the Caspian Factor for the Installation of PETRONAS’ First Gravity Based Structure
Authors: Rashdi Khairil Raezwan , Md Yusoff Md Nabil , Achong Omar
Published: December 2015

This paper presents the steps taken by PETRONAS Carigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn. Bhd., in undertaking the complex installation of a Gravity Based platform in the Caspian Sea. Its Gravity Based Structure (GBS) posed numerous installation challenges on top of the difficult and delicate constraints of the Caspian Sea – a combination that demanded creative solutions, design changes and tough decisions to realise this mega project.

Due to the scarcity of readily available resources in the Caspian Sea, the platform was designed to be self-installed without requiring a derrick barge. This was also one of the driving factors for the design of the substructure and superstructure. Hence, an ingenious design concept was opted for the platform - a self-installing 7,500 MT steel GBS with a conventional floatover topside. The GBS installation operation can be divided into several phases, namely Loadout, Dry Tow, Floatoff, Wet Tow, Lowering and Ballasting, Touchdown, Self-Penetration and Suction Penetration.

There are only a handful of steel GBS that have been successfully installed globally and this project, being the first GBS for PETRONAS, was by default a technical and operational challenge. The complexity increased as the GBS design especially its installation concept is unique and a first. With no prior experience of GBS installation in PETRONAS, this was indeed an unchartered territory for PETRONAS and more so for the project team. Through hard work, dedication, strategic decisions and sacrifices, PETRONAS is able to successfully deliver and install this one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art offshore facilities despite encountering numerous problems that challenge the very philosophy of the GBS installation concept.

The concept of self-installing GBS requires an innovative method for its offshore installation operation. Designed to be self-installed, the GBS’ installation philosophy undergone significant changes during the detail engineering, installation engineering and operation stages – changes deemed necessary to improve its installability and to suit onsite conditions. These changes include the enhancement through automation and barge mating, and Caspian winter sea state adaptability. Details of the changes and its reasoning will be highlighted in this paper.
Shop Testing of Major Turbomachinery in Oil & Gas EPC Projects - Cost Savings & Schedule Impact
Authors: Bustos Emmanuel , Mossolly Mounir
Published: December 2015

Turbomachinery for oil and gas EPC projects are shop tested to minimize the plant start-up risks and assure a trouble-free operation. However the extent of testing of turbomachinery vary with each project, though the minimum requirements dictated by the international codes and standards shall be met. In fact testing activities for turbomachinery are expensive, and specifying additional tests on top of the minimum requirements; which are narrated in this paper for major turbomachinery, need to be technically and commercially justified. Defining the extent of testing depends on several key factors which are listed and illustrated in this article. The Owner; in collaboration with the Contractor, is responsible to approve the required tests for a certain equipment based on critical analysis and a trade-off between risk, cost and schedule. However manufacturers' testing capacities do not always meet the testing requirements, this needs to be considered when specifying tests, else a test bed upgrade is necessary if the Owner is ready to contribute to the cost. This article surfs through the topic of shop testing for turbomachinery presenting best practices and lessons learnt from recent oil & gas EPC projects.
Use of Remote Sensing Techniques to Survey Detect and Interpret Hydrocarbon Seeps and Spills
Authors: Miegebielle Véronique , Dubucq Dominique
Published: December 2015

The objective of this paper is to present Remote Sensing technologies and methodologies developed within Total to detect Oil Slicks and to ensure spill response in the offshore domain. –In the case of incidents occurring on surface/subsurface facilities operated by Total or nearby facilities operated by others.–For regular monitoring of offshore production facilities.–Research concerning new emerging technologies in the remote sensing area is also dicussed.

Several actual field cases are presented (seeps, spills, boat sewages).

In the offshore domain, the majority of satellite data used for hydrocarbon detection consists of radar (SAR – Synthetic aperture radar) images. Because of constraints essentially due to meteorological conditions (important cloud cover….), the programming of radar data, from medium to low resolution, is favored to optical data, especially as the existence of radar constellations offers the opportunity to acquire an images everyday anywhere in the world. The ‘critical' point still remains the programming delay, which is the elapsed time before the collection of the first image acquired on the zone of interest. This delay is fixed by the technical specificities of each SAR satellite, the orbits trajectories, the localization of the area of interest (there are more daily acquisition opportunities at the poles than at the equator), the radar systems depointing capabilities (angles of shots…)