bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The specifics of security in territorial units of the Slovak Republic
Authors: Pavlenko Tomas , Mitasova Veronika , Havko Jan
Published: April 2017

The development of society is being affected by a range of potential risks and threats. The very existence of these threats negatively influences the level of safety as well as the sustainable development of society. Given that security is one of the fundamental building blocks of civilization for citizens, social groups, states and the overall international community, it is vital to eliminate such threats. This paper focuses on the specifics of security in the territorial units of the Slovak Republic. Regional safety is affected by several factors and activities carried out within a region. A spatial plan is developed for the purpose of permanent harmonization of ongoing activities in a region. This plan, being the fundamental strategic document of an area, does not sufficiently incorporate the issue of security or its improvement; thus, it does not include preventive measures in it. Bearing the above-stated in mind, this paper first points out developing tendencies in the area of security within the Slovak Republic and further identifies the potential and real risks and threats directly affecting the citizens living in the regions. The principal focus of the paper is to describe and define the concept of the activities needed to design territorial planning documents, while at the same time maintaining an active role in minimizing the threats and risks in a selected territorial unit. 

 

Keywords: security, territorial units, spatial plan, preventive measures;
Why Study on a MOOC? The Motives of Students and Professionals
Authors: Milligan Colin , Littlejohn Allison
Published: April 2017

Massive Open Online Courses have emerged as a popular mechanism for independent learners to acquire new knowledge and skills; however, the challenge of learning online without dedicated tutor support requires learners to self-motivate. This study explores the primary motivations reported by participants in two MOOCs: Fundamentals of Clinical Trials and Introduction to Data Science (n=970). Each MOOC drew a diverse cohort of participants ranging from professionals working in the field to students preparing to enter it. Across both MOOCs, a similar profile of primary motivations emerged, with respondents identifying the potential benefits to their current role, or future career, alongside more general responses reflecting casual interest in the topic or a simple desire to learn. Professionals were primarily motivated by current needs, describing how the course could fill gaps in their formal knowledge, broaden their skillset to increase their effectiveness at work, or enable them to innovate. Professionals also saw the benefit of MOOC study in preparing them for new roles and career progression. Students, meanwhile, used MOOC study to complement their other learning. It is clear that MOOC study represents a popular mechanism for professionals to address both current and future learning needs.
ASPECTOS SOBRE O ESTADO DA ARTE DE ESTUDOS DA ZONA DE ESPRAIAMENTO
Authors: Junior Cicero Vicente , Pereira Pedro de Souza
Published: April 2017

Dentro do ambiente praial, a zona de espraiamento pode ser considerada como o sub-região mais dinâmico da zona costeira. Muito disso se deve ao fato do espraiamento representar as respostas dos processos hidrodinâmicos externos na região subaérea do perfil praial. Assim, o clima de ondas e a amplitude da maré são variáveis indispensáveis nos estudos que tem buscado cada vez mais a quantificação destes fenômenos. Os métodos utilizados nestes estudos acompanham a evolução tecnológica dos dias atuais empregando desde de ferramentas de medição in situ, sinais acústicos, sensoriamento remoto, e outros que utilizam técnicas sofisticadas de lasers e scanners. Com isso, é possível a obtenção de uma gama de dados suficientes para que sejam aplicadas abordagens multidisciplinares com enfoque nos processos físicos da interpretação dos resultados. São considerados processos como o transporte de sedimentos e suas implicações, infiltração/exfiltração no terreno de face praial, assim como a saturação por água, influência do gradiente praial, componentes e feições morfológicas, além do equilíbrio praial são focalizados nestes estudos. Desse modo, foi comprovado que a depender do estágio praial, determinado movimento no ciclo do espraiamento irá influenciar de maneira mais direta a evolução morfológica, como também o desenvolvimento de feições características. Todos estes resultados buscam compreender a relação existente entre a evolução de um determinado processo e as variações dentro da zona de espraiamento. Com a avaliação dos estudos, observa-se a importância desta faixa para o desenvolvimento morfológico da região subaérea praial, uma vez que esta faixa determina toda variação que ocorrerá no perfil. Os trabalhos também direcionam novos rumos para as pesquisas relacionadas ao espraiamento, sendo necessárias abordagens cada vez mais precisas e detalhadas deste ambiente, considerando inovações tecnológicas e estudos que envolvam modelagem numérica. Ainda apontam a necessidade do acompanhamento desta faixa em diferentes tipos de costa, para conhecimento mais amplo acerca do assunto.
“Red-Yellow-Green”
Authors: Okike Kanu , Pollak Rachael , O’Toole Robert V. , Pollak Andrew N.
Published: April 2017

Background:

Orthopaedic procedures are expensive, and devices account for a large proportion of the overall costs. Hospitals have employed a variety of strategies to decrease implant costs, but many center on restricting surgeon choice. At our institution, we developed an implant selection tool that guides surgeons toward more cost-effective implants, while minimally restricting choice. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of this tool on preferred implant usage rates, vendor attitudes toward pricing structure, and hospital implant expenditures.

Methods:

For 6 commonly used orthopaedic trauma devices, similar constructs were created for the 4 vendors used at our hospital, and the costs were determined. On the basis of these costs, the available options for each device type were categorized as “green” (preferred vendor), “yellow” (midrange), or “red” (used for patient-specific requirements). The “Red-Yellow-Green” chart was posted on the wall of each orthopaedic trauma operating room. To assess the effect of the tool, we compared implant usage patterns before and after implementation of the implant selection tool. We also assessed changes in vendor contract prices, as well as overall savings to our institution.

Results:

Implant usage changed significantly from 30% “red,” 56% “yellow,” and 14% “green” prior to the intervention, to 9% “red,” 21% “yellow,” and 70% “green” after the intervention (p < 0.0001). As a result of price renegotiation with vendors following implementation, we observed average price decreases that ranged from 1.1% to 22.4%. Average expenditures on these 6 implants decreased 20% during the study period, which represented a savings of $216,495 per year.

Conclusions:

At our institution, we designed and implemented “Red-Yellow-Green,” a simple tool that guides surgeons toward the selection of lower-cost implants without violating vendor confidentiality clauses, limiting the implants from which surgeons can choose, or requiring surgeons to discern the prices of complex constructs. Following implementation, hospital implant expenditures decreased as a result of a combination of increased preferred vendor usage by surgeons, as well as increased competition among vendors, which resulted in lower overall prices.
Comments: Turning a Corner
Authors: Donnelly John
Published: April 2017

Editor's column

The 2-year downturn in oil prices has been a challenge for operators and service companies alike, but operators appear to have turned a corner, going by the most recent fourth-quarter earnings. For the larger service providers, it may take longer to gain solid financial footing, but the chief executives of these firms are sounding more optimistic.

After months of cost cutting and reassessment of projects, earnings for the larger majors were positive. More stable oil prices and OPEC’s recent production agreement point to a brighter year in 2017. Total boasted a USD 548 million profit for the quarter, compared with a USD 1.6 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2016. The company announced that it was ready to embark on new projects, possible acquisition, and increased production. BP eked out a USD 72 million profit compared with a USD 2.2 billion loss in the year-ago period. Shell also reported profits, although net revenue was down from the previous year’s quarter. Shell said it had “turned a corner” after paying down debt and absorbing BG. Chevron posted its second straight quarterly profit and sees production growth this year amid cautious spending and cost control. ExxonMobil, meanwhile, recorded its lowest earnings in 2 decades and took a huge writedown on the value of some of its upstream assets.

Smaller operators, particularly those involved in shale plays in west Texas, New Mexico, and other promising areas, plan more aggressive upstream spending this year. While many larger international plays still seem risky, activity in places such as the Permian Basin is soaring. 

Service companies are also seeing a better year compared with the previous two, particularly for those involved in North American operations, but still face some challenges. Many service providers have begun renegotiating prices with clients, after slashing prices the past 2 years because of the steep fall in oil prices. “The direction [service companies] all need to go is that we need to recover some of the pricing concessions that we’ve given,” Schlumberger Chief Executive Officer Paal Kibsgaard told the Wall Street Journal during an earnings presentation.
E&P Notes (March 2017)
Authors: Jacobs Trent , Parshall Joel
Published: April 2017

E&P Notes

Industry Finding Solutions Through Use of Data Analytics

Trent Jacobs, JPT Digital Editor

As big data analytics becomes more intertwined with the operations of some of the biggest names in upstream, this tech space is beginning to deliver the industry some compelling applications. The most recent data were highlighted in a discussion led by Satyam Priyadarshy, Halliburton’s chief data scientist, who declared that big data analytics “will transform the industry.”

That transformation is to be realized by using analytics to identify and eliminate hidden inefficiencies. According to Priyadarshy, that means that solving known problems is not enough; to achieve a higher order of innovation, oil and gas companies must discover and answer problems they never knew about in the first place.

 

Renewable Energy Tech is Now Priced To Reduce Upstream Spending

Trent Jacobs, JPT Digital Editor

Could it be that the upstream industry has an unlikely ally in renewable energy? The two sectors are often framed as being at odds—one is supposed to eventually replace the other, after all. But in the meantime, the falling price of renewable technologies has opened the door for oil and gas companies to reduce the cost of electrifying their fields, according to one US energy expert.

“In many locations, solar and wind are now cost-competitive with other forms of electricity generation, so it just makes economic sense to be incorporating them into your industrial operations.” said Jill Engel-Cox, the deputy director of the US Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA).

 

Fossil Fuels Importance To Rise Under New US Administration

Joel Parshall, JPT Features Editor

Fossil fuels will probably be at the fore-front of energy and environmental policy under the new Trump Administration, said Charles D. McConnell, executive director of Rice University’s Energy and Environment Initiative, in a recent talk hosted by the Norwegian Consulate General in Houston.

McConnell served 2 years as an assistant Secretary of Energy in the Obama Administration before taking his current position. He has spent 35 years in the energy industry, which includes a 31-year career at Praxair followed by serving as a vice president at Battelle Energy Technology.
Succeeding in the Shale Business With a Lean Well Manufacturing Management System
Authors: Bossi Carlos
Published: April 2017

Management

The current oil and gas commodity prices have posed several challenges to oil and gas companies operating in shale plays trying to generate revenue or even becoming cash neutral. Shale drilling, as opposed to conventional drilling, requires many more wells to produce similar volumes of oil or gas due to the significantly smaller wellbore drainage area and the tight nature of the reservoir. For these projects to be economically viable, a high volume of low-cost and quickly drilled and completed wells is required, which cannot be achieved with a conventional oil and gas mindset.

By implementing a Lean Well Manufacturing Management System and by having a dedicated Productivity Improvement team embedded in the operations driving changes, BHP Billiton was able to reduce drilling and completion (D&C) costs by 49% in the Eagle Ford Basin and 50% in the Permian Basin over an 18-month period (Fig. 1). These results are similar to those reported by other operators in similar plays that also incorporated lean management principles to their operations.

A Lean Well Manufacturing Management System can be defined as a system to drill and complete a large number of wells per year in a factory-like setting using a lean manufacturing mind-set. The performance of the “factory” is measured by the ability to deliver wells at low capital costs while still performing safely, reliably, and meeting local regulatory requirements.

To be successful, this model requires predictable and repeatable performance using highly dependable and fit-for-purpose equipment that is easy to operate and maintain. Value is maximized by addressing the technical specifications from the customer and optimizing the use of existing and new technology to realize the lowest achievable well cost. In turn, this translates into reduction of the unit development costs, increase in short-term production, and more efficient resource utilization.

Waste can be encountered in many areas in the well delivery process, which can increase D&C costs, jeopardizing the project economics. For this reason, the key objective for a lean organization is to identify areas where waste needs to be reduced and eliminated without compromising safety, quality, and performance using the resources (people), processes, and technology available.
Key Learnings From First 2 Years of a Full-Field CSS Development in Oman
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: April 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 179833, “Key Learnings From First 2 Years of a Full-Field CSS Development in Oman,” by Solenn Bettembourg, Steve Holyoak, Abdullah Alwazeer, Mohammed Manhali, Mohammed Rawahi, and Amur Habsi, Petroleum Development Oman, prepared for the 2016 SPE EOR Conference at Oil and Gas West Asia, Muscat, Oman, 21–23 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

The A East Haradh formation contains a 200-m-thick oil column of highly viscous oil, with viscosity ranging from 200 to 400,000 cp. Because of the high viscosity, first production was considered possible only by the use of thermal enhanced-oil-recovery techniques, starting with cyclic steam stimulation (CSS). This paper presents key learnings derived during this initial-operations phase of CSS in the A East Field, including key trial results on different well completions and artificial-lift systems.

Overview of Field Startup

In light of the results of a new geochemical characterization study of the crude extracted from a core, cold production was deemed feasible in the crestal area of the field. Viscosities at the top of the Haradh were estimated at 200 cp, lower than previously thought, and progressing cavity pumps (PCPs) were installed in 32 wells to start a cold-production phase.

Cold production started in March 2013 and lasted until the end of 2014, when all wells in the field were converted to CSS. The cold-production period allowed early depletion of the reservoir and later improvement in steam injection. A pressure drop of up to 20 bar was observed, and fluid-level measurement in the wells and PCP performance suggested good pressure communication between the wells.

Despite some early challenges, first CSS production was promising and, within a few months, was ramped up to 70% of the targeted CSS field peak oil rates.

Overview of CSS Performance

A typical CSS cycle in an A East well is shown in Fig. 1, using the wellhead temperature sensor as an indicator. The cycle starts with the injection phase for several weeks (initially 4 to 6). After that, the well is closed for a soaking period of a few days and then opened for free flow, which lasts for up to 3 weeks. The well is intervened with a flush-by unit (FBU) to prepare for production, followed by starting the beam pump. At the end of the production cycle, the well is stopped on the basis of end-of-cycle criteria and intervened again to prepare the well for steam injection for the subsequent cycle. The overall cycle duration is typically between 100 and 300 days and is dependent on the performance of the well with respect to preset operating envelopes.
Hybrid EOR Technology: Carbonated Water-Smart Water Flood Improved Recovery in Oil Wet Carbonate Formation: Part-II
Authors: Kilybay Alibi , Ghosh Bisweswar , Thomas Nithin Chacko , Sulemana Nuhu Turosung
Published: April 2017

Search for an alternative, cheap and environmental friendly EOR method has resulted in the development and subsequent field implementation of Smart Water Injection (SWI) and CO2 injection (COI). Though miscible COI has multi-fold advantages, carbonated water injection (CWI) may surpass COI in terms of volume requirement and efficiency. This research work is intended to investigate the advantages of combined application of SWI & CWI in terms of reduced residual saturations in oil wet carbonate formation.

In order to measure the recovery efficiency, core flooding experiments are conducted with SWI as tertiary recovery following sea water as secondary recovery mode. This is followed by quaternary recovery using carbonated smart water (CSWI), i.e. smart water saturated with CO2. Three high potential smart water compositions are screened and the best one is chosen for the recovery studies. Produced water samples are analyzed using ICP-MS. The higher recovery efficiency of CSWI are analyzed in support of the NMR porosity distribution, interfacial tension and zeta-potential studies. The underlying physical processes and the pore-scale mechanisms of fluid-fluid and fluid-solid interactions during SWI-CWI are explained in terms of surface potential, electrical double layer, oil swelling factor, droplet coalescence, wettability alteration and flow diversion due to fluid redistribution within the pore network. Core flooding results showed that tertiary recovery with SWI resulted in 4.8 - 9.5% recovery, whereas the quaternary recovery with CSWI resulted in 5.7 % to 13.6% additional oil.

From this study it is established that CSWI could be a promising EOR technique among the latest EOR methods. CSWI has an advantage over COI due to the fact that it exists as a dissolved gas instead of free phase. It reduces the requirement for high pressure injection system, the problems of gravity segregation and poor sweep efficiency. A hybrid of CWI with SWI can make it an effective EOR solution with significant cost advantage, higher oil recovery in addition to the environmental benefits of CO2 sequestration.
Isolation and Characterization of Biopolymer Producing Omani Aureobasidium Pullulans Strains and Its Potential Applications in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery
Authors: Elshafie A. , Joshi S. J. , Al-Wahaibi Y. M. , Al-Bahry S. N. , Al-Bemani A. S. , Al-Hashmi A. , Al-Mandhari M. S.
Published: April 2017

Worldwide partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides (HPAM) are preferentially used for polymer-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, due to cost-competiveness. However in recent past several reports suggested that there are certain issues associated with treatment of produced water – post HPAM applications such as, oil-water separation due to emulsions and toxicity associated with degradation products of HPAM, such as acrylamides. Biopolymers are biodegradable and environmental friendly alternative to chemical polymers used for EOR applications. In present work we studied the biopolymer-pullulan production by fungal isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans, isolated from Oman, partial structural characterization and potential applications in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR).

Different production media containing carbohydrate based carbon sources were screened for better biopolymer production. During the course of experiments we studied fungal growth profile and biopolymer production under different conditions, and rheological properties of biopolymer, chemical characterization and application of biopolymer in enhancing oil recovery using Berea sandstone cores.

The observed growth and production temperature was up to 35 °C and optimum was at 30 °C for Omani A. pullulans isolates. The better growth was observed under shaking conditions. A. pullulans strains are reported to produce a type of biopolymer – pullulan. Thus samples were analyzed from Omani isolates for biopolymer production using rheological studies for any changes in viscosities with respect to time. The cell-free broth showed increase in viscosity from 1-4 cP of the abiotic control production media (without biopolymer) to 28-59.9 cP of the cell free broth at 25 °C. The initial yield of crude extracted biopolymer was ≥12.68 g/L. The biopolymer was extracted in crude form and partially identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which showed similarity in chemical structure with reference standard pullulan from Sigma, USA. When this biopolymer-pullulan was used for MEOR studies using Berea core-plugs in core-flooding experiments, it recovered additional 9.4% oil over residual oil saturation (Sor).
Frac Characterization of Indian Cambay Shale through Hydraulic Fracturing in First Cambay Basin Shale Well
Authors: Jha Ajay Kumar , Mahawar Dheeraj , Kumar Rajesh , Das Santanu , Rajendra KWS
Published: April 2017

Traversing the tight unconventional shale reservoirs is an Engineering challenge. The paradigm shift from conventional to unconventional reservoir resource exploitation was endured upon with Well CS#A, the shale gas/oil Well in Cambay Basin. The domain expertise in conventional reservoirs was manoeuvred, redesigned and translated into successful Hydraulic fracturing execution in CS#A. Frac data was further analysed and assimilated to draw the characteristic frac behaviour of Indian Cambay Shale. Cambay shale is the main source rock, thermally well matured and falls within the oil window but have never been explored for production before.

Triaxial Compressive Strength Test with Acoustic Velocities and various lab tests were performed to determine shale rock mechanics and a suite of petrophysical properties. CBL-VDL-GR-CCL logs ensured good cementation. Specialised 3D model Simulator was used with the best input parameters to conceive the best and specific design for Cambay shale. Initially, slick water was used for Step Rate Test (SRT). MF analysis carried out to ascertain key informations and subsequently, changes were incorporated in Main frac design simulation. The frac fluid was exclusively designed and optimised through tests in Laboratories to give best results and to check the compatibility with Cambay Shale & post job flow back recovery. Closure analysis was done by the most reliable G Function time BHP analysis and the same was verified with Square root time plot. The real time pressure graph trend showed net pressure increase during proppant packing suggesting better frac behaviour and fracturing prospects. Post Job, the real time Net-Pressure match facilitated simulation of real time data to know the actual frac dimesions created after job, the frac profile, validate the permeability and stress, check the conductivity gain etc.

The extensive and exhaustive research, planning and execution of hydraulic fracturing job in CS#A proved the producibility and potentiality of Cambay Shale as the Well has produced Oil. The Geological data, the log data combined with the experience gained and data inferred by exploitation of this Cambay shale gas/oil Well "CS#A" through Hydraulic fracturing will be a boon for the E&P of Unconventional Shale in India.
Use of Side Wall Core as a Tool for In-Situ Combustion Monitoring
Authors: Pareek Ramesh C. , Velmurugan Guru Prasanna , Goyal Mayank
Published: April 2017

Objective / Scope

This paper deals with the use of Side Wall Cores as a tool to monitor In-Situ Combustion (ISC) process performance in Balol field of ONGC where ISC process is being applied on commercial scale since 1997.

Methods, Procedures, Process

Balol field is about 13 km in length from south to north & 1 km wide. It is an unconsolidated sandstone reservoir having pay thickness is in the range of 6 to 20 m and oil viscosity in the range of 150 to 1000 cP at reservoir conditions and increasing from south to north. The process is successful in enhancing the oil recovery from envisaged 13 % of OIIP to 19 % of OIIP. However, the performance of the process was different in different sector depending on the pay thickness & the oil viscosities. The oil recovery is 54 % of OIIP in southern part of the field where thickness and oil viscosity are moderate as compared to the oil recovery of 5 % of OIIP in northern part where thickness and viscosity are high. Various attempts viz. reduction in spacing between injectors and producers through infill drilling and drilling of horizontal wells were made to improve the ISC performance in this sector but there was not much success.

To understand the reasons for poor process performance in northern part of the field conventional coring along with Side Wall Core (SWC) were carried out in a replacement air injector which was just 13 m away from the old air injector. The results of conventional core and side wall cores were correlated. As the conventional coring is cost intensive and involves complication, only SWC was carried out in another replacement air injector falling in southern part of the field which is 80 m away from the old air injector.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

The conventional core & SWC of the well from northern part indicated that in thick pays the burning is taking place only in top few meters of the pay and major part of the pay is unaffected by the process. The SWC analysis in the southern part well having moderate pay thickness indicated that the entire pay participated in the burning. This indicated very good vertical sweep and oil displacement.

Novel/Additive Information

Air injection design is based upon the oil characteristics, fuel deposition, pay thickness, porosity etc. The core analysis indicated that in thin reservoirs vertical sweep efficiency is very high as compared to thick reservoirs. In thick reservoirs burning occurs in top few meters and any increase in air injection rate result into the early flue gas breakthrough and subsequent loss in oil production. The core data & the process performance of the various sectors of Balol field confirms that ISC process is more effective in terms of volumetric sweep and oil recovery in moderately thin reservoirs as compared to thick reservoirs and application of the process in thick reservoirs need relook while designing of the process.
Novel Idea for Optimization of a Progressive Cavity Pump PCP System at Different Stages of Coal Bed Methane CBM Well Life
Authors: Vora Jinen , Singh Rahul , Saxena Shivam
Published: April 2017

This paper provides the design and operating considerations for Progressive Cavity Pumping (PCP) systems in Coal Bed Methane (CBM) wells based on field experience and illustrates their optimization with case studies of C-Fer software simulation and field trial. The challenge is to effectively lift water throughout the CBM well life with the same PCP system while accommodating pressure head increments and flow rate decrements with time. This paper presents a novel idea to optimize PCP system at different stages of CBM well life with minimal cost implications to the company.

The major inputs for artificial lift design are seam depth and well productivity, while PCP head and flow rate, down-hole string sizing and motor sizing are the required outputs. To take a case study of PCP system optimization, we have Well – A, where the bottom perforation is at 600 m and the water production is expected to start with a peak of 150 m3/day at 100 m water level and reach 100 m3/day at 600 m water level in about 10 months. The authors chose a system with flow capacity of 76 CMD at 100 RPM and lift capacity greater than 800 m. Tubing size of 2.875″ is chosen and sucker rod size of 1″ is chosen. The surface motor of 22 kW is selected based on the maximum power required by the PCP system at the maximum lift condition. The process of selection is depicted clearly in this paper.

Although, the PCP system is designed as per the design considerations, the maximum RPM in the initial CBM well life may be limited by the pulley ratio (driven pulley diameter: driving pulley diameter) while the torque imparting capability of the motor at later stages may be limited by the motor frequency at the later stages of the well life. Hence, simulations for different run scenarios (water levels and flow rates) were done in C-Fer PC-Pump software for two cases taking Pulley Ratio as 4.74 and 6.22. The authors have presented trends comparing important parameters namely Fluid Level-Surface Motor loading, Fluid Level-Maximum Rod Torque and Fluid Flow Rate-Pump Speed. Based on the interpretation of these results, it was decided to experiment with two different driving pulleys for changing the pulley ratio during the well life to optimize the PCP system instead of upsizing the motor. This field trial was successfully conducted in Well – B and the parameters and the results are clearly depicted in the paper. Changing the pulley ratio over CBM well life will fulfill the torque and power requirements at the required pump RPM with significant cost savings by eliminating the need to install a new motor.
Energy Efficiency and Cost Optimization Assessments in Mangala Processing Terminal.
Authors: Kukadiya K. N. , Gajendran B.
Published: April 2017

This paper presents a remarkable insight on energy efficiency and cost optimization executed in Mangala Processing Terminal (MPT), an oil field block of Cairn India Limited (CIL) in Rajasthan. The process of optimization involves data analysis and mass balance prudently analyzing the bottle necks and addressing the issues with recommended outcomes. The optimization technique, thus implemented, caused overall operational cost reduction and energy saving as the consequences in its initial phase of implementation. Energy import reduced by about 50% and operational cost was cut down by approximately $350K/mnth.
Radial Jet Drilling in Mature Fields of Oil India Limited- An Experimental Approach
Authors: Jain Deepak , Maut Pratha Protim , Saharia Pranjal , Dutta Ranjit , Yomdo Saloma , Hatchell Ian , Mukherjee Aditya
Published: April 2017

Radial jet drilling was applied recently on an experimental basis in Oil India Limited (OIL) to retrieve production from some locked up potential in reservoirs with low permeability and near well bore formation damage, through enhanced exposure, with an ultimate objective of maximizing the total long-term hydrocarbon recovery from the reservoirs.

Radial drilling is a Frac-Less well stimulation technique used worldwide by Exploration and Production (E&P) companies to enhance production from depleted/damaged reservoirs. This well intervention technique involves milling of a 22 mm hole in the production casing of the mother well and then creating holes of approximately 50 mm OD with a maximum length of 100 m in the reservoir by removal of material from the formation using high hydraulic jetting pressure. Radial drilling is a proven technique to bypass the damage near wellbore zones.

The Paper depicts the successful completion of radial drilling operations in Four (4) nos. of pilot wells (3 oil well & 1 gas well) in four (4) different reservoirs of Oil India Limited, a post job production analysis and technical learning's from the Project.

The depth of the target zones varied from 2407 m to a record depth of around 3226 m (deepest well in India where Radial Drilling has been implemented). The first pilot well was completed with 3 laterals (length 29.5 m-100 m) with 900 phasing. The second well had 5 laterals (length 30 m-100 m) with 900 phasing in two different reservoir depths. The third well was completed with 4 laterals (length 97 m- 100 m) while the fourth pilot well was successfully completed with 8 laterals of length 50 m each at two different reservoir depths.

Post radial drilling production performance of the wells have been analysed and covered in the Paper. Significant increase in production was observed in the first three (3) wells, however no improvement in production could be achieved from the fourth pilot which was a gas well.

Mechanically, the application of this technology has been a complete success with all laterals drilled in the selected mother wells.

The technical experience and knowledge gathered from the pilot radial drilling campaign certainly presents an opportunity to unlock untapped potential for incremental production for future similar wellbore and reservoir conditions in Oil India Limited (OIL) as well as in other Exploration and Production (E&P) operators worldwide.
Maximizing Profits in a Tight Gas Volcanic Reservoir with a SIMOPS Multistage Fracturing Campaign
Authors: Sidharth Punj , Tiwari Shobhit , Anand Saurabh , Goyal Rajat , Agarwal Aman , Sharma Amit , Singh Mukund , Aggarwal Vishal
Published: April 2017

This paper presents success story of a SIMOPS multistage fracturing campaign peformed in Raageshwari Deep Gas field of India to produce from tight retrograde gas producing reservoir. Usually hydraulic fracturing in India is performed on a few selected candidate wells of a field with treatment frequencies ranging anywhere between 1-20 hydraulic fracturing treatments per year for a field. This is a well centric approach where individual services such as Eline perforations, CTU clean out, Well Testing etc operate in silos. The focus in this well centric approach is on optimizing each individual operation. On the other hand SIMOPS multistage fracturing campaign adopts an integrated approach and various services operate simultaneously on adjacent wells of same well pad. The focus in SIMOPS is on optimizing overall operations and can be considered a field centric approach. Accordingly average well completions cost and time is lower for integrated operations approach as compared to single well centric approach. CAPEX on the other hand is higher for SIMOPS approach since the number of wells being completed is higher and the scale of operations is much bigger than that of a single well approach. SIMOPS approach is more suited for tight reservoirs where economic production cannot be achieved without hydraulic fracturing. Raageshwari is a laminated tight retrograde gas producing reservoir and wells in this field do not produce economically without hydraulic fracturing (Gupta 2015). Each hydraulic fracturing treatment targeted multiple clusters of perforations and multiple such hydraulic fracturing treatments were required on each well to achieve full pay zone coverage of gross thickness ~ 700m on each well. The number of clusters completed in each treatment varied from 2-6 and number of treatments performed on a well varied from 5-10. High fracturing treatment frequency and a need to reduce average well completions cost paved way for the first SIMOPS multistage fracturing campaign in India.
Fractured Basement Reservoir Characterization in Barmer Basin
Authors: Singh Nepal
Published: April 2017

Weathered and fractured crystalline Basement emerged as the important unconventional play in the Barmer Basin. Natural fractures play a very significant role in the migration and hydrocarbon storage in crystalline fractured and weathered crystalline Basement reservoirs. Complexity and heterogeneity of the fracture network in the basement is a challenge to the geoscientist. This requires precise fracture characterization which is very significant for estimating the hydrocarbon potential as well as development of these reservoirs. A novel approach of integrating the seismic geometrical and stratigraphic attributes, with the borehole image logs and core data were found to be useful to characterize fractured and weathered crystalline basement reservoir in the Saraswati Field located in the eastern margin of Barmer basin. Seismic data derived Ant track volume calibrated with the core and bore hole image data has predicted NNW-SSE and NE-SW trending natural fractures information. Acoustic impedance and RMS seismic amplitude attributes identified the zones of intense fractured and weathered Basement. Assessment of the natural fracture network helped for appraising the Basement discovery as well as for designing the optimal well path for intersecting the maximum number of fractures for better reservoir performance.
Comprehensive Field Development Design for a Tight Gas Chalk-Reservoir in North Sea: A Capstone Design Project
Authors: Ansari Arsalan Arshad , Ghosh Bisweswar , Alklih Mohamed Yousef , Najy Anas K. , Nagah Adnan , Shafik Mohamed Mohsen
Published: April 2017

The petroleum industry is faced with a number of enormous challenges resulting from the declining oil prices such as high abandonment and new wells construction costs, low sweep efficiency, harsh environments etc. These challenges can be met by designing a long term field development plan of a petroleum prospect, ensuring maximum recovery without sacrificing the safety standards. This work describes a multicomponent and strategic development plan designed for a tight gas reservoir, starting from formation evaluation to drilling-completion and economic analysis in addition to the environmental issues that must be considered in advance.

The authors also acknowledge the support of:

The field is principally a gas condensate field, where the reservoir is mainly Chalk with an average porosity of 27% and average permeability of 0.1mD with 65% water saturation. The reservoir pressure (5960 psia) and dew point (5940 psia) being very close, the reservoir is close to saturation pressure and gas condensate is expected to form immediately on commencing production. PVT studies indicated that the critical condensate saturation will not be reached which in turn means that it will never be mobile or recoverable with reservoir pressure decline. Given the fact that the water drive is rather weak, pressure maintenance methods will be needed to avoid the condensation of gas within the reservoir.

Based on petro-physical evaluation, our team was able to construct a static reservoir model using Petrel Software and the team suggested three different development scenarios consisting of horizontal and multilateral wells of various configurations. Based on the development strategies, a dynamic model is constructed for each scenario to compare the techno-economic feasibility and selection of the most optimum strategy. It was found that the field would be economically viable to produce for a time period of 50 years and the simulation results indicate that an ultimate recovery of 69-76% was achieved if water injection is applied from year-1 onwards. Moreover, the highest recovery factor of 76% is achieved with scenario-B as it has a five spot pattern with 8 vertical injection and 3 multilateral production wells. In addition, the most delayed water breakthrough is achieved in this scenario that occurs after 2.5 years. Moreover, it was also observed that the pressure maintenance was 100% effective in scenario-C as the reservoir pressure increased as a result of increasing the water injection rate rather than increasing the sweep efficiency. However, for the other scenarios, the reservoir pressure drops but not below the critical value.

Finally, a cumulative gas production of 389-424 MMMSCF was observed along with a gas production rate of 8.61-24.7MMSCF/day giving a cumulative net present value of $890,000 with a payback period of 5 years, indicating that the project is economically viable after 50 years.
Ultra-Light Weight Proppant and Pumping Design Lead to Greater Conductive Fracture Area in Unconventional Reservoirs
Authors: Bestaoui-Spurr Naima , Hudson Harold
Published: April 2017

The oil and gas industry has been relying on hydraulic fracturing techniques to proliferate production from low permeability reservoirs. Despite significant advancements in tools and chemicals used in the fracturing processes, maximized production and recovery of hydrocarbons is still unattainable due to challenges with proppant placement and settling.

Even when heavy gelation fluids are used, proppants suspensions are subject to particles settling in the presence of vibration, and/or due to fracturing fluids breaking before the fracture close. Furthermore, the fractures are typically vertical; in this case the proppant has a tendency to settle in the lower portion of the fractures while the upper portions close in the absence of proppant. This can lead to impairment in the geometry of the fracture and well productivity.

This paper describe a new ultra-lightweight proppant having a low specific gravity (1.06) that can withstand stresses up to 8,000 psi at a temperature of 275°F. Such proppant is easier to transport and due to its buoyancy will stay suspended in low viscosity fluids leading to fractures that are much better propped.

This new material has been fully characterized for its properties including mechanical and thermal properties. It applicability to far field applications has been validated through conductivity testing in a partial monolayer mode as a function of loading and temperature. The Modeling was used to establish its application in mixtures with conventional proppant for vertical coverage of the fracture.

Experimental evaluation of the proppant show that its conductivity decreases as the stress and temperature increase due to the nature of the material. The results show that this proppant can be used up to 8,000 psi at 275°F in a partial monolayer mode. Placing the proppant in a partial monolayer application is required due to the flexibility of the proppant material and to maximize conductivity through the proppant.
Design and Implementation of the Well Delivery Project Gate System
Authors: Al-Salem Mohammad , Al-Shehab Nawaf , Decena Jose
Published: April 2017

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) launched a Project Gate System (PGS) program in 2010, which resulted in the development of the KOC PGS Process. The PGS Process was implemented in 2012, and has been applied to surface facility capital projects only. However, subsurface projects were excluded from the PGS, at that time.

In order to also improve the drilling of wells and facilitate the attainment of forecasted production targets efficiently and on time, a study of the development and implementation of a similar PGS Process for the delivery of wells was requested, in 2013. The study concluded that a parallel Well Delivery PGS (WD PGS) Process should be developed based on IOCs' and NOCs' best practices for well delivery, KOC's experience with the PGS Process, and the fit-for-purpose requirements of the concerned KOC stakeholders in all business Directorates.

In this paper, we will start by describing the way well delivery projects were handled in KOC prior to implementing the new system. Next, we will explain how the fit-for-purpose KOC WD PGS was developed and the "change management" efforts that took place to overcome the existing practices and to instill the new process. Finally, we will showcase the KOC WD PGS, as the output functional process. It is assumed that the reader possesses general understanding of the stage gate system for project management.
A novel freeze protection strategy for shallow buried sewer pipes: temperature modelling and field investigation
Authors: Pericault Youen , Risberg Mikael , Vesterlund Mattias , Viklander Maria , Hedström Annelie
Published: April 2017

The burial of sewer and water pipes below the maximum ground frost depth can be very costly and laborious in regions with cold winters. If a freeze protection measure is applied, the utility lines can be installed in a shallower trench to reduce the excavation needs. One freeze protection measure, so called heat tracing, consists of supplying heat along the pipes. In this work, the use of 4th generation district heating as a heat tracing solution was investigated at a pilot site in Kiruna, Sweden. The influence of the system on sewer and water pipe temperatures was studied at a snow-free and snow-covered cross section. To this end, five heat tracing temperatures were tested and the corresponding sewer and water pipe temperatures were measured. The field experiment was also simulated with a two dimensional finite volume model. The study showed that, under the climatic conditions of the experiment, a heat tracing temperature of 25 °C allowed prevention of freezing of the pipes while keeping drinking water pipes in a safe temperature range at both cross sections. The other main result was that the developed finite volume model of the sections showed a good fitting to the experimental data.
Fabricación de puntas de fibras de carbono para microscopía de sonda de barrido
Authors: Villegas Kevin , Gutarra Abel
Published: April 2017

Los microscopios de Fuerza Atómica (AFM) con sonda diapasón requieren puntas muy agudas y livianas para obtener imágenes topográficas de gran resolución. Por otro lado, los microscopios de Efecto Túnel (STM) necesitan puntas agudas y conductoras. Ambos requerimientos pueden ser obtenidos usando fibras de carbono como material base para la fabricación de las puntas, con la ventaja adicional de ser un material con bajo nivel de oxidación. En este trabajo se presentan algunos resultados iniciales de la técnica de disolución anódica que ha permitido obtener puntas de carbono de rango nanométrico. La celda electroquímica consistió en la fibra de carbono como ánodo (7m de diámetro), un anillo de platino de 2mm de diámetro como cátodo y KOH como electrolito. Una gota del electrolito se suspendió del anillo de platino para posteriormente introducir la fibra dentro de la gota. La polarización de la celda se obtuvo por medio de una interfase electroquímica en el modo de crono-amperómetro, el cual permitió registrar las curvas corriente-tiempo para diferentes voltajes escalón. Se encontraron correlaciones entre la forma final de la punta y la molaridad del electrolito, voltaje anódico, tiempo de disolución y profundidad de inmersión de la punta en el electrolito. Por medio de microscopía electrónica de barrido se observó que se pueden obtener puntas con diámetros menores a 70 nm de manera reproducible.