bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Processo Decisório no Supremo Tribunal Federal: aprofundando o diagnóstico das onze ilhas
Authors: Klafke Guilherme Forma , Pretzel Bruna Romano
Published: February 2016

A metáfora das “onze ilhas” é frequentemente utilizada para criticar processo decisório do Supremo Tribunal Federal. O artigo explora essa crítica. Ele procura explicá-la sob a perspectiva da apresentação das razões de decidir do tribunal, buscando apresentar elementos empíricos para que o diagnóstico das “onze ilhas” seja repensado ou aprofundado. Presumimos que os votos apenas registrados em ata (não anexados ao acórdão) possuem carga argumentativa neutra. Trabalhamos com a hipótese de que a fundamentação dos acórdãos pode ser concentrada em um ou poucos votos ou dispersa entre vários votos, o que caracteriza o processo decisório do STF como bastante flexível em termos de apresentação dos fundamentos: ora se aproxima de uma corte com opinião única, ora tende ao pluralismo. Apresentamos dados que mostram que, em um número relevante de acórdãos no âmbito do controle concentrado de constitucionalidade, o STF se pronuncia com uma ratio decidendi facilmente identificável, que frequentemente coincide com a opinião do ministro relator. Assim, a crítica das «onze ilhas», ao menos no sentido da apresentação das razões de decidir, não se aplica sem restrições. O artigo, então, propõe que as seguintes questões sejam consideradas: o que faz os juízes do STF evitarem anexar seus votos ao documento final em cada caso, levando a uma concentração da ratio decidendi em poucos votos? Este fenômeno é causado por uma tendência ao consenso entre os juízes ou, ao contrário, por um padrão de comportamento excessivamente individualista?
A Epistemologia da Pesquisa Qualitativa
Authors: Becker Howard S.
Published: February 2016

Este artigo discute questões relevantes à epistemologia da pesquisa qualitativa. Para tanto, discute-se e questiona-se a suposta dicotomia entre a pesquisa qualitativa e a quantitativa. Sustenta-se aqui que as semelhanças entre tais métodos são mais relevantes do que suas diferenças. Ambos os métodos procuram descrever a realidade social e têm a mesma base epistemológica, ainda que com ênfase em questões diferentes. Para esclarecer a origem de tal dicotomia, menciona-se a origem da epistemologia como disciplina e seu caráter filosófico. Finalmente, as especificidades e vantagens da pesquisa qualitativa, especialmente a etnografia e a pesquisa de campo, são discutidas por meio da análise de alguns aspectos de tais formas de observação da realidade social: o ponto de vista do ator, a observação do mundo cotidiano e a descrição completa e densa.
Aspectos práticos da pesquisa empírica em direito: uma discussão a partir da experiência etnográfica no Tribunal do Júri
Authors: Almeida Fábio Ferraz de
Published: February 2016

Neste artigo, estou fundamentalmente interessado em discutir os aspectos práticos da pesquisa de campo em instituições jurídicas, a partir da experiência etnográfica no Tribunal do Júri em Juiz de Fora/MG. Primeiramente, explico como se deu a definição do objeto e a construção do problema de pesquisa. Em seguida, faço uma apresentação da pesquisa de campo, mostrando o que me guiou e em que direção. Nesta parte, procuro abordar os principais obstáculos à pesquisa encontrados ao longo do percurso. Conjuntamente, tento comentar como surgiu a ideia das entrevistas, como as realizei, quais foram as inquietações e como tratei os dados dessa natureza. O que proponho é, portanto, discutir a pesquisa empírica não a partir dos seus resultados, mas do processo pela qual ela foi construída.
Racismo ou não? A percepção de estudiosos do direito sobre casos com conteúdos racistas
Authors: Santos Gislene Aparecida dos , Noguti Helton Hissao , Matos Camila T. M. B.
Published: February 2016

Este artigo apresenta os resultados de pesquisa sobre as percepções de estudantes e profissionais do Direito sobre casos que continham insultos raciais e que foram julgados e arquivados pelo Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo. Discutimos o significado do racismo perante a lei e para a sociologia. Em seguida, apresentamos os nossos métodos de investigação, incluindo o questionário, os nossos métodos de amostragem, e nossos achados. Com uma amostra de 112 questionários preenchidos, podemos concluir que os estudantes e profissionais do Direito não têm nenhum critério fácil para orientar as suas respostas. Tudo depende da intrepretação de quem lê os casos, e há uma enorme margem para subjetividade resultante da dificuldade de interpretar insultos raciais e crimes raciais através do direito penal brasileiro. Argumentamos que esconder essa subjetividade sob os pressupostos do direito positivo é o que permite que ideias sobre negros e racismo presentes no imaginário social continuem a contribuir para o não-reconhecimento de casos de discriminação racial.
Pesquisa empírica em direito contratual: possibilidades e problemas
Authors: Korobkin Russell
Published: February 2016

Esse artigo analisa a pesquisa empírica em direito contratual nos últimos quinze anos com o objetivo de explicitar como a pesquisa empírica pode ser aplicada à área do direito contratual, bem como melhorar os estudos sobre o tema. Depois de definir os parâmetros do estudo, o autor classifica a pesquisa empírica em direito contratual pela fonte dos dados ou pelo principal propósito da investigação. Em seguida, o autor descreve e analisa três tipos de críticas que podem ser feitas à pesquisa empírica, explica como essas críticas se ligam à pesquisa em direito contratual e reflete sobre como os pesquisadores podem minimizar o impacto dessas críticas.
De que lugar falamos? Retomando um velho papo sobre o Direito e a Sociologia
Authors: Capeller Wanda
Published: February 2016

Os juristas que pretendem realizar estudos sócio-jurídicos devem enfrentar as mutações e os desafios da sociedade globalizada. O ensino jurídico, destituído de uma visão sociológica, não fornece os instrumentos teóricos necessários para uma reflexão sobre o mundo social que ultrapasse as lógicas formais normativas. Este artigo denuncia essas dificuldades ao abordar as relações conflituais entre o Direito e a Sociologia do Direito, consequência da ironia epistemológica que constituiu a adoção pelos juristas do positivismo filosófico. Se as Ciências Sociais tendem a ignorar o Direito como elemento fundador das práticas sociais, diversos paradigmas sociológicos mobilizaram o Direito como um fio condutor para a explicação dos fatos e das mudanças sociais. De todos os modos, os pesquisadores desta área devem atentar para a questão da importação de modelos, utilizando de maneira crítica as teses produzidas pelas sociedades centrais.
La economía política del conocimiento jurídico
Authors: Bonilla Daniel
Published: February 2016

La producción, intercambio y uso del conocimiento jurídico están sometidos a una economía política. Estos procesos están regidos por una serie de reglas y principios que determinan las condiciones de posibilidad para la creación, comercio y consumo de teoría, dogmática y prácticas jurídicas. Esta economía política, consecuentemente, no es neutral. Construye un sujeto de conocimiento específico que actúa dentro de un espacio y un tiempo particulares. Este escrito, por tanto, tiene un doble objetivo. Por un lado, busca describir y analizar el modelo de economía política que domina la imaginación jurídica contemporánea. En esta medida, busca examinar la estructura conceptual de lo que quisiera llamar el modelo del libre mercado de las ideas jurídicas. Por el otro lado, busca describir y analizar un modelo de economía política alternativo y periférico que explicaría de mejor manera las dinámicas reales que regulan la generación, tráfico y uso del conocimiento jurídico. Para conseguir este objetivo, el escrito hace explícitas las estructuras conceptuales que conforman el que quisiera llamar el modelo colonial de producción de conocimiento jurídico. El artículo, por ende, tiene como fin hacer explícitos los tipos de sujeto de producción de conocimiento jurídico al que los modelos dan lugar, así como la manera como imaginan el tiempo y el espacio en el que estos sujeto se sitúan. De igual forma, busca hacer explícitas las reglas y principios más precisos que determinan la manera como estos modelos imaginan la producción, intercambio y uso del saber legal.
Perceptions about compliance with law and vulnerable groups in Brazil
Authors: Cunha Luciana Gross , Bueno Rodrigo de Losso da Silveira , Sampaio Joelson , Ramos Luciana de Oliveira
Published: February 2016

This paper investigates the degree of effectiveness of the rule of law in Brazil by analyzing how some vulnerable social groups, such as women and black people, deals with the compliance with law and with some authorities’ orders in Brazil. We created the Bra- zilian Confidence in Justice Index (BCJI) as a validate argument for our confidence measure and the Brazil Perception of Compliance with Law Index” (BPCLI) that measure perceptions, attitudes and habits of Brazilians concerning compliance to law. We identi- fied some reasons that could explain the perceptions of these specific social groups. We found that there is a positive and significant relationship between the Brazilian Confidence in Justice Index (BCJI) and Per- ception of Compliance with Law Index (BPCLI). This paper innovates when it shows some patterns regard- ing two vulnerable groups analyzed here: women and blacks believe that there are few reasons for a person like them obey the laws. In addition, we concluded that women have a higher level of BPCLI than men, which means, women comply with the law more than men; and blacks have a worst perception of the com- pliance with law comparing with whites, since they understand that Brazilian society seldomly comply with law. We also found a positive relationship of BP- CLI with variable age and income.
Racismo ou injúria racial? Como o Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais se posiciona diante dos conflitos raciais
Authors: Franco Lima e Silva Andrea , Mendonça Lopes Ribeiro Ludmila
Published: February 2016

Neste trabalho, apresentaremos uma análise dos acórdãos do Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais sobre os processos que tenham, como ponto central, práticas identificadas como racismo, discriminação ou preconceito de raça ou de cor. Com isso, buscamos responder às seguintes questões: que tipos de conflitos envolvendo raça ou cor são julgados, em segunda instância, pelo Tribunal; que atos, palavras e expressões estão presentes nesses casos; e quais são os argumentos utilizados e as estratégias discursivas empregadas pelos réus, pelos autores e pelos juízes na administração do conflito. Nossos resultados indicam que o sistema jurídico mineiro tende a descontextualizar expressões historicamente racistas, negando que a origem do conflito seja o preconceito racial, o que mantém a desigualdade característica de nossa sociedade.
A lei contra a tortura no Brasil, a construção do conceito de “crime de lesa-humanidade” e os paradoxos da punição criminal
Authors: Thorstensen Possas Mariana
Published: February 2016

Este artigo trata da construção e utilização da distinção entre crimes contra a humanidade e crimes ordinários para fazer referência a duas “categorias” ou “tipos” de crimes, segundo os entrevistados da pesquisa: os crimes contra a humanidade seriam aqueles que violam diretamente ou de uma maneira especialmente agressiva os direitos humanos e os crimes ordinários ou comuns seriam todos os que não agridem diretamente os direitos humanos.  O conteúdo do texto foi extraído de tese de doutorado, realizada no Canadá, na Universidade de Ottawa, cujo tema de pesquisa é a criação legislativa em matéria criminal, especificamente a criação da lei contra a tortura no Brasil (Lei nº 9.455/97). Do ponto de vista empírico, o artigo se concentra na análise das entrevistas realizadas com políticos e militantes de direitos humanos que participaram direta ou indiretamente da produção da lei.
A Straightforward Detection of HIT Type II via QCM-D
Authors: Munawar Hussain  , Frank K. Gehring  , Stefan Sinn  , Hinnak Northoff
Published: February 2016

Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an undesired antibody based immune reaction against complexes of platelet factor 4 and heparin. HIT occurs in patients receiving heparin as anticoagulant over several days and is connected to the risk of life threatening thrombosis through intravasal platelet aggregation. HIT antibodies are routinely detected by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). However, not all antibodies lead to platelet aggregation and therefore, to clinical problems. The clinical relevance of a HIT ELISA positive serum can be confirmed by functional tests for platelet activation, like the heparin induced platelet activation (HIPA) test. However, these tests are tedious and cumbersome. Therefore, we present a straightforward approach by applying quartz crystal microbalance technology for functional assays for diagnosis of HIT type II. We utilized the qCell T (quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D)) platform of 3T analytik, Tuttlingen, Germany to demonstrate platelet aggregation measurements induced by clinically relevant HIT positive type II sera of patients. During the measurements changes in frequency and dissipation were recorded. This revealed statistically significant differences between high and low dose measurements in both, PRP and washed platelets. Platelet adhesion to the sensor surfaces was visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). QCM-D data was in good accordance to SEM images. The results presented here promising that in the future specially adapted QCM-D sensors could be a serious straight forward alternative to currently used functional HIT assays.
A Review of Polymorphism and the Amorphous State in the Formulation Strategy of Medicines and Marketed Drugs
Authors: Mahmoud Omar  , Patrick Makary  , Michal Wlodarski
Published: February 2016

The different sold physical form of a medicine can affect its formulation and biological activity greatly. For such reasons, modern pharmaceuticals need to pass through extensive solid-state   evaluation. Within the recent year, pharmaceutical research became more and more aware with different solid-state as amorphous form, polymorphic salts and co crystals.  This review is the short outline for the different solid states giving specific examples for different marketed pharmaceutical products that had to pass through solid-state perforation.
Pharmacist Cognitive Service and Pharmaceutical Care: Today and Tomorrow Outlook
Authors: Mauro Luisetto  , Francesca Carini  , Giovanni Bologna  , Behzad Nili-Ahmadabadi
Published: February 2016

The aim of this work was to ask more use of clinical pharmacists in medical team .The application of pharmaceutical care principle in practice settings can improve clinical outcomes, reducing therapy errors and containment cost. An opportunity to use pharmacist’s expertise in assisting physician’s drug and medical devices specialists. Isn’t time for the medical community to get aid of the clinical pharmacists to work side by side and assist the physicians, in order to give a better care, protect and safeguard patients. The rationale of this focus article was to invite pharmacists to take a much more active role and to help physicians using their expertise in order to complete the therapeutic work in a more rational way. Pharmacists need to get out of their private stores, sharing their expertise and knowledge, by making active presence in the very infrastructure of clinical centers, such as hospitals and ambulatory.Physicians alone cannot cover every aspect of the  pharmacological treatment,  for example in the field of  drug therapy  monitoring, interactions, adverse drug reaction (ADR), toxicology, novel delivery systems, immunoglobuline-based therapeutics and other innovative drugs   and medical devices systems, which have their pharmaceutical specific worlds.

For over 80 years the only role's pharmacists played were compounding and consulting for over the counter drugs. By the year 2025, the innovative polymer and nano drug delivery systems, genomes, immunoglobuline-based therapeutics and stem cells and other innovation will add or substitute to the ordinary local, enteral, or parenteral dosage forms. That era is now rapidly changing, and the all nations  pharmacists need to come out of their convenient type of stores to the aid of the physicians in their actual duties, taking role in that missing  rescuing the patients which in many occasions, their health and even lives can be  at risk (Drug  allergy  undetected ).

Observing some actual university courses of clinical pharmacy in different countries and some old and new studies involving clinical pharmacists taking part of wards’ medical teams, we have noticed that the pharmaceutical care service given by a pharmacist has an undeniable positive impact on, and improves  the clinical outcome in the pharmacological therapies (Pharmaceutical treatments, on therapeutic levels).
Evaluation of In-Vivo Anti-inflammatory activity of leaves extract of Carissa spinarum on Formalin Induced Paw Edema in Albino Rats
Authors: Neeli Rose Beck  , Kamta Prasad Namdeo
Published: February 2016

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the leave extracts of Carissa spinarum. In ancient literature the medicinal values of Carrissa spinarum and it is useful in treatment of rheumatism, purgative and snake repellent. Dried pulverized leaves of C.spinarum were extracted with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and distilled water by using soxhlet apparatus separately. Formalin induced rat hind paw edema method was used for determination of anti-inflammatory activity. Group I was taken as normal control and the group II as formalin control.  Group III was treated with the standard drug analgin. The petroleum ether extract, chloroform extract, alcoholic extract and aqueous extract of C. spinarum leaves 200 mg/kg were feed to group IV, V, VI and VII respectively. All extracts exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity, but aqueous extract produces maximum activity compared to other extracts of C. spinarum. It has been concluded that aqueous extract of C. spinarum leaves having good anti-inflammatory activity against formalin induced rat paw edema.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Authors: Meehan Nathan
Published: February 2016

SPE President's Column

The English punk rock band, The Clash, posed this question musically in 1982. It is unlikely they intended it as a starting point for a discussion on careers in petroleum engineering. Yet, this was the topic of a SPE young professionals (YPs) meeting at the Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition I attended where, like everywhere else, YPs were concerned about the downturn in oil and gas prices and the resulting impact on their career choices.

Interestingly, the title of the session was “Ridin the Storm Out,” another 1980s hit by REO Speedwagon. This title implies a temporary drop in the industry, perhaps like the 2008 Asian financial crisis. In that “storm,” oil prices dropped from more than USD 140/bbl to less than USD 40/bbl; North American rig count dropped from more than 2,000 to fewer than 900.

Mapping rig activity over industry downturns since 1998 shows that the three prior storms were all relatively brief. In each of these downturns, rig activity in the US reached 80% of its prior peak activity within 2 years of the fall. Until late August last year, the current downturn had more or less tracked the previous decline in 2008. Will we recover in 2–3 years as in prior downturns, or will this be like the 1980s? What does that portend for young engineers in our industry? I do not have a magic ball, but I can share some statistics and thoughts.

During the 1980s, rig count dropped from a peak of 4,469 active rigs in November 1981 to 686 rigs in June 1986. The US rig count stayed below 1,300 from 1 March 1986 to 1 February 2005, reaching a low point of 502 rigs in February 1999. This marked the lowest rig count since Baker Hughes began reporting rig counts in the 1940s. This was not a storm. It was an ice age.

Here are a few questions you are probably pondering. Will there be jobs available? What will it be like to work in an environment of constant focus on costs and efficiency? Is this the industry in which I want to spend my career? Wherever I go, students and professionals share this concern.
Conquering Change: Lessons From the Past
Authors: Stafford Mike
Published: February 2016

Academia

If there was one thing that I could tell you, just one thing, it would be this - you have got to stay plugged in somehow. I have seen three busts in my career so far. None of those was expected, anticipated, or planned for. I wish I could say that it was all a carefully thought-out plan and I made it happen but that is not true. It was all a result of the changes that happened in the industry and how I chose to react to them.

I started out as a reservoir engineer at City Service Oil & Gas Company (1980) when the boom was on. I liked my role, although it was the drilling engineers who were the most sought after since drilling activity was at its peak. Then one day, one of the vice presidents just walked in my office and said, “We have to get you some drilling experience; we need drilling engineers. Are you interested?” I said yes. And that is the rule in the industry: If you get an offer, a promotion, or a transfer, you need to take it whether you want to or not. Because if you do not, you will never get another job offer.

However, when the downturn hit in the mid-1980s, a lot of drilling engineers got laid off. I had to switch my specialization, again, and move into production. I rose through the ranks but then the company got bought by another firm. It was not a move that I particularly liked but that is what happens in difficult times: mergers, acquisitions, takeovers. People do whatever it takes to survive and stick around for the times to improve again. Like a surfboard on a wave, you just keep riding. Do not get in a rut; learn everything you can. The more you can learn, the more you can do and the more opportunities open up to you.
Planning Your Career Path: Is There a Magic Formula to Career Success in Oil and Gas?
Authors: Faraguna John
Published: February 2016

Economist’s Corner

Given my experience in the recruitment and oil and gas industries, people often ask me about career progression. Often, the assumption is that jumping from company to company is the most rewarding and lucrative path. My response has been that this is not usually the case: There are certainly times where a change will progress you further and faster, but too much movement can become a liability on your résumé that will take years to correct.

According to the Global Salary Guide 2015 by Hays Oil and Gas, 25.6% of the 45,000 survey respondents indicated they had worked for their current company for 3–5 years, and 16.3% for 6 years or more. As a rule of thumb, employers like to see signs of commitment and deep skill development, which typically means staying in a job for 5 years or more.

There is no clear-cut path that will guarantee a more successful career or one that pays more. Your worth is really determined by what value you bring to the role.

Contract Worker: Enjoy the Flexibility

Traditionally, contractors command a higher rate per unit hour or project as the employer does not have to pay the same overhead as a full-time worker, and benefits from having greater workforce flexibility. Choosing specific contracts can help you develop your expertise, creating demand for your skill set based on your specialty area. For example, niche expertise can help you demand competitive pay rates, particularly in areas where there are skills shortages. However, before committing to this path, there are a few things to consider to ensure your career progresses in a manner and at a rate that is going to help you achieve your career goals.
Training Plays an Essential Role in Delivering Practical Knowledge
Authors: Apodaca Martha
Published: February 2016

Tech 101

Practical knowledge can be defined as “knowledge attained through action” while theoretical knowledge is “knowledge attained through established facts or thoughts.” One of my favorite quotes on this matter is from the recently deceased Yogi Berra, an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach. Yogi was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. In addition, he was famous for his paradoxical quotes.

We are living in exponential times and knowledge is at the center of it. By the time you graduate, the skills you learned in college will be outdated and it does not stop there. Before you even feel like you have mastered your current job, you will probably transition to a new job or even a new career. The typical person changes jobs 10 to 15 times during his or her working career. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 11.7 jobs from ages 18 to 51. Training will be your constant companion, and your ability to learn, apply, and relearn will be your most important skill.

Knowledge Begins as Practical Experience

The first lesson in practical knowledge is that you must make room for it. As we attain theoretical knowledge through formal education, we can get caught up in a false sense of thinking that our learning is complete. Do not fall into that trap. You will really understand that the first time you go out to the field you are side-by-side with your colleagues who are pushing the boundaries. They tackle obstacles and challenges every day. It becomes part of their nature; it becomes natural and instinctive. That is what you want to learn from them. It is important to remember that “openness and humility” are the real signs of intelligence. People will not share their valuable knowledge and experience with you otherwise.
Three Strategies To Make Your Next Career Move the Best Ever
Authors: Furbee Nancy
Published: February 2016

HR Discussion

It is time to polish those dress shoes and update your résumé. It is time to move on from your current organization and find a place that appreciates you more. After all, you have dreams. You have aspirations. You have a career path you have been following since you graduated high school. It is time for action. But wait! Before you pull up Word to start editing your outdated résumé, follow these three “must do” strategies to ensure success.

1) Core Personality Review

Take an honest look at your core personality and what really makes you tick. And, no, I do not mean falling back on your desire to be a chief executive officer, technical expert, or high-powered salesperson. You need to spend some introspective time finding out what role is going to be a good fit for your core personality. Start with some online personality assessments such as DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Predictive Index, and many others. Find one that appeals to you, take the time to go through the assessment, and spend quality time with the results.

Personally, I am a fan of the DiSC personality assessment, where the letters stand for D–Dominant, i–influence, S–Steadiness, or C– Conscientiousness. It is simple: You will find you are either a D, i, S, or C style. Once you have your results, you will have a better understanding of “why” you like certain work situations and avoid or dislike other situations.

To take this step to the next level, I encourage you to do some additional research to find a career coach in your local area, or someone who can work with you remotely. Employing a career coach will give you someone with whom you can discuss your next career move and the results of your personality assessment. My coaching clients who have taken this extra step have been incredibly happy with their subsequent career move, even if it meant staying in their current role with a new mind-set.
The Six Minds of a Whole New Engineer
Authors: Goldberg David E.
Published: February 2016

Guest Editorial

Early engineers of the 19th century were rock stars of their times, much like famous dot-com entrepreneurs of our times. Petroleum engineering got its start after this early “generalist” phase of the profession when the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) formed a standing committee on oil and gas in 1913.

The first petroleum engineering degree followed suit at the University of Pittsburgh in 1915, and today SPE represents more than 140,000 professional and student members around the globe. From that early formative period of petroleum engineering, technical specialization increased and continued into the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, but more recently, engineering has faced pressures to change.

Mark Somerville, a professor of electrical engineering and physics at Olin College, and I have written about this in our book, A Whole New Engineer: The Coming Revolution in Engineering Education. In particular, we spell out the six minds that all of today’s engineers need to embody to reach their full potential. They are the

Analytical mind

Design mind

Linguistic mind

People mind

Body mind

Mindful mind

Analytical Mind

Most engineers will have no trouble identifying with what we call the analytical mind. They know (and have survived) the drill of “applying” mathematics and science, so let’s move to the others.

Design Mind

When we talk about design mind, we are probably still within most engineers’ comfort zone. However, maximizing our design capabilities has had some ups and downs over the years. A report called the Grinter Report in 1955 ultimately led to (a) raising the math/science content of the engineering curriculum, and (b) reducing the design and practical content. Meetings in the 1960s helped redress some of the perceived harm of the Grinter changes by establishing capstone senior design courses at a number of schools, and increasing design content has been an important trend ever since.

Today, these design education efforts are going further. Companies such as IDEO integrate industrial design, engineering design, and applied anthropology so that design thinking connects human usage and conceptual design directly. A required second-year class called User-Oriented Design at Olin College has students working in teams with groups of individuals (firemen, soup kitchen operators, flight instructors, bicycle messengers, to name a few) over the course of the semester. The goal of the course is to create a conceptual design of technology that will improve the work lives of the group studied.
Technology Update: New Microbial Method Shows Promise in EOR
Authors: Havemann G.D. , Clement B.G. , Kozicki K.M. , Meling T. , Beeder J. , Sunde E.
Published: February 2016

Technology Update

Tertiary oil recovery technologies can extend the economic life of maturing waterflooded reservoirs. This article describes the results from a biologically based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology that has improved waterflood efficiency by increasing oil production and decreasing the decline rates, thereby significantly increasing the recovery factor.

Traditional tertiary recovery processes such as thermal methods, CO2 flooding, and chemical flooding require significant changes to field infrastructure and usually involve relatively high operating expenditures of up to USD 50 per incremental barrel of oil produced.

Called Activated Environment for the Recovery of Oil (AERO), the technology used in this project represents a breakthrough in biologically based EOR by using a continuous injection of inorganic nutrients to stimulate indigenous microbes. The use of continuous injection (water and nutrients), which differentiates AERO from most previously attempted microbial EOR methods, prevents production disruptions and makes it easier to accurately measure, assess, and document the production benefits.

The key advantages of this method are

Decreased decline rates, enabling significant reserve gains

Increased oil production

Low capital expenditures

Low operating costs

Rapid response

Biological EOR uses inorganic nutrients to activate indigenous microbes, those native to the field. Because no organic carbon is introduced, the microbial growth is restricted to the interface between the injection water and the oil, the carbon source for growing the microbes. The use of indigenous microbes is advantageous because they are perfectly suited to the local conditions and, unlike externally originated organisms, are neither costly to produce nor prone to rapid death in the reservoir and are thus in need of replacement. In addition, the concentrations of the nutrients required are relatively low, a major reason for the feasibility of continuous injection and stimulation.

The technology is among the most inexpensive tertiary recovery methods available and requires only minimal changes to waterflood facilities for deployment. It can likewise be used with relatively minor modifications in fields without an operating waterflood, such as fields with a natural waterdrive or very mature fields where waterflooding has ceased.

The biological EOR technology is producing a growing body of positive results, such as the following example from Canada.
Technology Update: Rethinking Gas Lift Intervention
Authors: Mitchell Donald
Published: February 2016

Technology Update

Gas lift is an artificial lift technique used in wells in which the natural reservoir pressure is insufficient to deliver fluids to the surface in the initial production stage or has depleted to the point of being incapable of bringing fluids to the surface.

Gas is delivered from surface-based compressors by way of the annulus between the casing and production tubing to a series of gas lift mandrels (conduits), which are positioned at strategic points within the production tubing string. When a predetermined gas pressure is reached, valves that are set within the mandrels open, causing gas to be “injected” into the production tubing, thus reducing the density of produced fluid and enabling flowback to the surface.

Various types of valves are used in gas lift mandrels, depending on the need of the well. These valves are typically preinstalled and deployed with the production tubing string during well completion and may need replacement later in the life of the well. This will require an intervention.

When designing a gas lift completion, engineers must consider a range of factors such as the availability of gas and the infrastructure on surface to process and deliver the gas into the well. Placement of the mandrel within the completion string is also critical when planning for production optimization and future intervention strategy.

The industry remains cautious when designing gas lift completions, tending to place gas lift mandrels in areas of the well that are considered accessible when using standard slickline techniques. Most operators, if possible, place mandrels at no more than a 60° deviation within the completion string. However, this approach can lead to a suboptimal gas lift completion, with the benefit of optimizing production rates, by placing mandrels at greater true vertical depth, sacrificed for ensuring the ease of intervention access.

Effective gas lift remediation has been a major challenge for the well intervention service industry and has not advanced significantly in terms of technique or operational efficiency. Slickline tools and methods are generally the same as those used when gas lift was introduced to the market about 40 years ago.

Kickover tools deployed by slickline are used to undertake the vast majority of gas lift valve maintenance. The kickover tool is attached to the bottom of a standard tool string, which includes stem (mass) and mechanical jars that are positioned just above the tool. The mechanical jars deliver a critical upward and downward shock load during valve setting and retrieval. The tool string may also include power jars to deliver a significant upward jarring force when retrieving valves, if required.
Paying Mind to Lift Systems in Mature Fields Yields Profit
Authors: Jacobs Trent
Published: February 2016

Artificial Lift

Case studies from around the world prove that big rewards await companies that optimize the artificial lift systems keeping their mature fields alive. The success stories involve a mix of monitoring, automation, and performance tracking. Through upfront sacrifices of time and money, companies that have taken the initiative are now enjoying the benefits of better production and reduced operation costs.

For Australian production company Santos, the off-the-shelf technologies it adopted for mature fields went from “nice to have” to “must have” after its operating costs on more than 200 wells were dramatically reduced. Such improvements are even more important amid today’s low oil prices.

“Your dollars per barrel is only going one direction right now, so we need to be smart about it,” said Blair Gardner, a production optimization engineer at Santos, who led the effort to automate his company’s lift systems.

On a grander scale, the world’s largest supermajor, ExxonMobil, overhauled its artificial lift operations on approximately 1,000 oil wells in Africa with monitoring and automation

systems and gained 10,000 B/D in added production.

But by and large, these are the exceptions. Some industry experts say the status quo remains that in most mature fields, lift systems break down long before reaching the end of their expected run life. Shauna Noonan, completion technology manager and artificial lift expert at ConocoPhillips, said the technology is not to blame.

“To make a long story short, when it gets to mature fields, it is not the fact that the lift systems will not work. It is that we really need them to be reliable,” she said. “If you want the reliability, you have to be willing to pay for it and put the time into it.”

Of all the factors involved with the problem, Noonan said most of the time it comes down to a preventable human error, which she explained might be made by the manufacturer, distributor, installation crew, or the operator.
Navigating in Deep Water: Greater Rewards Through Narrower Focus
Authors: Seitz Thomas , Yanosek Kassia
Published: February 2016

Management

The deepwater oil sector is at a crossroads. Deepwater production (defined as oil produced in water depths of greater than 450 m) has had a spectacular run over the past decade as major oil companies broadened their portfolios worldwide. Global investment soared from USD 16 billion in 2003 to more than USD 70 billion in 2013, and production has more than doubled over the past 10 years to almost 6 million B/D, or 7% of the world’s total oil supply.

The major oil companies have seen deep water as an attractive business that can deliver large volumes at high margins, more than offsetting its handicap of tying up immense amounts of capital and technical challenges. They have doubled down, betting on deep water across the globe: the average number of countries in which the supermajors participate, including investments made by BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Statoil, and Total, in deepwater projects has increased from three to seven over the past decade.

In the past 12 months, however, deep water has come under new scrutiny. Even before the recent drop in oil prices, many big oil companies have been coming under pressure from investors to rein in their capital investment. Deepwater projects typically cost billions of dollars—the average cost of the 10 most recent deepwater projects in the US Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is USD 12 billion— and have been seeing sharp cost inflation in recent years, prompting companies to review them more critically, as onshore unconventional oil and other projects now appear to offer more capital efficiency.

The heightened scrutiny is coming at a bad time for deepwater operations. Setting aside the inherent volatility of oil prices, a number of well-recognized trends are now in place that could seriously affect the value-creation potential of deep water over the next decade compared to its historical performance. First, costs have been increasing rapidly, and project delays are recurrent. Not only are shortages endemic for certain types of equipment, but also supply-chain constraints in certain basins are causing steep cost inflation. Second, deepwater players know from experience that pushing the frontiers of exploration into more challenging geological areas at evergreater depths farther from shore slows development and incurs higher costs: rigs need to be hired for more days to drill each well and require more support vessels.

Third, oil companies also know that government requirements across the major basins are increasing and these requirements will be determining factors in the financial prospects of future projects. While the precise nature of the government requirements varies in different basins—whether it be degrees of operatorship control, local content requirements, new environmental regulations, or the share of revenue taken by governments—they all tend to reduce margins.
When Is Induced Fracture Complexity Necessary for Unconventionals Stimulation?
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: February 2016

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 168976, “Induced Fracture Complexity—When Is It Really Required in Unconventional Reservoir Stimulation?” by Leopoldo Sierra, SPE, and Mike Mayerhofer, SPE, Pinnacle—A Halliburton Service, prepared for the 2014 SPE Unconventional Resources Conference—USA, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 1–3 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Induced-fracture-complexity maximization in addition to the primary hydraulic fractures has been accepted and fully implemented to improve recovery efficiency or productivity in unconventional reservoirs. This paper aims to develop criteria for identifying situations in which induced fracture complexity and sustained conductivity are or are not required. The results show that the fracture complexity and sustained conductivity are generally important for reservoir permeabilities lower than 100 nd for gas production and 500 nd for liquid production.

Introduction

The industry-implemented completion strategy for unconventional gas- or liquid- producing reservoirs considers increased reservoir contact to maximize productivity and hydrocarbon recovery through the following methods:

Drilling long horizontal wellbores

Optimizing the horizontal-wellbore placement to maximize the vertical coverage of the prospective formation

Placing multiple transverse fractures by perforating the most-brittle and -prospective areas to generate complex fractures

Alternating fractures in parent horizontal wellbores to induce stress interference that could result in more-complex fractures

Engineering stimulation fluids to help induce complex fractures

Although the existing completion strategy for each shale play has been optimized or is in the optimization process, a correlation between production and the perceived fracture surface area was not observed in some cases. Assuming the stimulation process is adequate and properly implemented in the field, the observed production behavior might be related to the combination of unknown reservoir permeability and induced fracture complexity.

This paper investigates the benefits of induced fracture complexity in the stimulation of unconventional gas-or liquid-producing reservoirs for a wide range of reservoir permeabilities (10 nd to 0.001 md) and with a variable stimulation efficiency. Ultimately, this paper aims to answer the question of when induced fracture complexity is really necessary.
Finding Optimal Hydraulic-Fracture Angles in Productivity-Maximized Shale Well Design
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: February 2016

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 170965, “Optimal Hydraulic-Fracture Angle in Productivity-Maximized Shale Well Design,” by Nadav Sorek, SPE, Jose A. Moreno, Ryan Rice, Guofan Luo, and Christine Ehlig-Economides, SPE, Texas A&M University, prepared for the 2014 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, 27–29 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

In general, hydraulic fractures propagate perpendicular to the horizontal-well axis whenever drilling is parallel to the minimum principal-stress plane. However, operators frequently drill horizontal wells parallel to lease boundaries, resulting in slanted hydraulic-fracture planes at angles less than 90° from the well axis. This study provides a model for the inclined fracture case. It applies and further extends the unified-fracture-design approach for rectangular drainage areas, relating the dimensionless proppant number to the maximum productivity index in pseudosteady-state conditions.

Introduction

Industry experience suggests that horizontal shale-gas development is enhanced by drilling in the direction parallel to the local minimum principal horizontal stress. Because US mineral leases frequently are rectangular areas with north/south and east/west boundaries, operators often drill parallel to the lease boundaries, prioritizing well saturation over optimum fracture-length propagation. This practice leads to the creation of hydraulic-fracture planes that are slanted at an angle less than 90° with respect to the well axis.

Extensive research has investigated the effects of angled fractures on well productivity. Theoretical and empirical data have been used to address the effect of wellbore azimuth on well performance in the Marcellus shale. Results showed that, for each degree a well was suboptimal to minimum horizontal stress, the estimated ultimate recovery decreased by 7.25 Mscf per foot of effective lateral length.

Unified-fracture-design methodology indicates the hydraulic- fracturing treatment design that maximizes well productivity for any set of reservoir and proppant properties and a given injected-proppant mass. This methodology introduces the concept of proppant number, which describes the weighted ratio of propped-fracture volume to a square reservoir volume.

This study applies and further extends the unified-fracture-design approach to show that, for any given set of reservoir and proppant properties along with a given proppant mass, as long as the created fractures define the same stimulated rock volume, there exists a well direction resulting in maximized well productivity that is not parallel to the minimum-stress direction. First, a correlation is established between the proppant number and the optimum drainage-area aspect ratio. Then, this correlation is used to express what the optimum fracture angle is for a specific proppant number.