bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Development of an Artificial Neural Network as a Pressure Transient Analysis Tool for Applications in Double-Porosity Reservoirs
Authors: Alajmi M. , Ertekin T.
Published: December 2007

Naturally fractured reservoirs have been studied extensively in the past decades. These reservoirs consist of two distinct porous media: the macropores and the micropores. Several analytical models have been suggested to characterize such reservoirs. In this work, one of the proposed double-porosity pressure transient models is adopted in the description of the naturally fractured reservoirs. The forward solution component of the analytical model is used to generate the pressure transient data, given the characteristic parameters of the double-porosity reservoirs. The double-porosity systems are characterized by a pressure transient signature which is composed of two semi-log straight lines connected by a transitional curve. The pressure transient responses obtained by the analytical forward solution are subjected to a polynomial fit algorithm so that the aforementioned double-porosity signature can be represented by five polynomial coefficients. These coefficients, the known properties of the double-porosity reservoir, and the reservoir fluid and well parameters constitute the principal input given to the artificial neural network (ANN) during the training phase. The ANN, then, inversely predicts the desired unknown properties of the double-porosity system, namely the permeability of the fracture, the porosity of the matrix, the porosity of the fracture, and the permeability of the matrix. This final development of the ANN is achieved by utilizing this inverse protocol in gradually increasing levels of complexity. The complexity of the problem is elevated by increasing the number of unknown characteristics of the double-porosity system. This research demonstrates the efficiency of the ANN utilization in obtaining the desired properties of the double-porosity reservoirs.
Development of a Security Process To Meet the Requirements of Oil and Gas Companies in the Asia Pacific Region
Authors: Quin Matthew
Published: December 2007

Security risks are behind some of the most pressing risk management concerns of oil and gas companies in the Asia Pacific region. However, the effective management of security risks is generally not well understood by business managers at all levels.

There is a strong requirement to develop a standard process that allows oil and gas companies to both manage security risks and meet their business requirements in the various countries in which thy operate. The process, once developed, needs to be integrated into all relevant aspects of the business.

This paper will explain how this modern Security Process is developed.

The Security Process should be developed as a core feature of a company’s operations management system, allowing all levels of the organization to understand how the management of security fits into the business structure.

This provides legitimacy of the security process throughout the company and promotes its integration with other relevant aspects of the business, thus providing critical links with other core functions such as safety and crisis management.

Having a Security Process as an integral part of a company’s management system leads to greater accountability and awareness of security at all levels of management. This in turn leads to a more cost effective allocation of resources, greater accountability of the security function and a better overall understanding of how to protect the company’s people and assets.
Integrated Quality, Occupational Health, Safety, and Environment Management System in ONGC—A Pursuit for Excellence
Authors: Roy Badal
Published: December 2007

Effective Management of Quality, Occupational Health, Safety, and Environment (QHSE) is not only a regulatory and ethical issue; there are also sound economic reasons for it. ONGC is a company involved in the complete chain of hydrocarbon business from exploration to marketing. As a major player in the global competitive market, ONGC has always recognized its responsibility towards effective management of QHSE in the organization.

In the year 2002, Neelam & Heera Asset in the Western Offshore field came up with a unique innovation. They realized that the control of all three aspects is done principally by the same management principles and integration of these aspects in an overall management system could be highly efficient and effective and may lead to synergy. Moreover, acquiring simultaneous certifications will also result in a substantial saving in time, effort and money. Based on this conviction, an integrated QHSE management system was developed and adopted for the first time by the Asset. The commitment of ONGC management to get the organization to the level of the best in the industry spurred it to take a significant decision. It was decided that all the operations of ONGC would acquire certification for integrated QHSE management system by March, 2005. The task was daunting but the success would catapult the organization in the midst of the best in business, as no organization had attempted such a move till then.

More than 400 installations spread all over India both offshore and onshore were taken up for certification. It was decided to use in house expertise instead of external consultants for the job as it was felt that persons with knowledge and experience about the organization’s working can save on time. By 31st March, 2005 more than 98% of the total work centers of ONGC succeeded in getting certified for integrated QHSE management system. The commitment of the employees from all over the organization to the new system was underlined with all the certified work centers successfully going through the surveillance audit in the following year.

Implementation of the integrated QHSE management system in totality is a major step by ONGC towards an era of safe, responsible and quality work culture. This will make all the individuals aware about their responsibility towards themselves, the organization and the society at large and benefit the organization enormously in business and social acceptance.
Integration of Hearts and Minds Concept and Road Safety Enforcement for Accident Reduction
Authors: Igbuku Augustine Omoefe
Published: December 2007

Road transport is recognized as a high risk mode of transport. The World Health Organization estimated that every year road accidents account for 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries worldwide. Road collisions have been implicated as the main cause of death of those aged 45 years and below. The total socio-economic cost of road crashes is around £17 billion per year. More people are killed on the road than by any other forms of transportation.

In Shell, road accident is the single largest cause of fatalities. A large proportion of these crashes were preceded by one or more traffic offences. These offences are mostly behavioral and not system or situation induced.

On an aggregate level, traffic offences are the major contributory factor to road crashes and injuries. Yet, in comparison with other types of road safety activity, relatively insufficient effort is being put on behavioral safety to prevent road users from committing offences. In view of the many other pressing problems facing the average road user, the concept of ‘state of mind’ becomes a key issue in enforcing compliance to traffic rules.

In most countries, road traffic regulation enforcement typically has low priority. While traffic levels continue to rise, several countries appear to be devoting fewer resources to traffic rules enforcement than they were several years ago. Traffic rules and regulation enforcement are poorly budgeted for and mostly slaughtered on the alter of so called more expedient national issues. Yet, we do know that nothing could be more expedient than attending to the un-abating carnage on our roads, which is progressively decimating the future by the death of the young and able.

Much of the knowledge that has been gained through enforcement experiments and demonstration projects carried out over the years has not yet been translated generally into strategies that effectively change road behavior, reduce crash risk or reduce injury severity. Any such strategy would only succeed to the extent to which it affects and positively influences the thought process of the individual road user. This is the link between hearts and minds and road traffic rules enforcement. This link guarantees that a very substantial safety benefit would be achieved if road users were to be deterred from committing traffic law offences.
Application of Acoustic Waves for Reservoir Stimulation
Authors: Cidoncha Jose Gil
Published: December 2007

Research related to weak elastic wave stimulation of oil reservoirs started in the late 1950's. Activity peaked in the 1970's and 1980's in the US and in the Soviet Union. However in recent years there has been a resurgent interest and research. This interest derives form observations made in some fields near areas affected by earthquakes and, even heavy traffic, where changes in water level and oil production have been observed. For example, some variations in oil production were noticed in Kern County during the Southern California earthquake of July 1952. However, mechanism associated with earthquakes are very complex and variations in oil production or water level could be consequences not only of seismic vibrations, but also of rock fracturing and other effects associated with earthquakes.

Two different types of waves are usually distinguished: high power frequency (around 20 kHz) and low power frequency waves (e.g. 40 Hz).

High power frequency waves have a local effect in the reservoir and are mainly applied for wellbore stimulation. Their effects are limited to a region close to source due to higher sound absorption in the porous medium at higher frequencies.

Low frequency acoustic waves effects can cover a larger region and are consequently used for reservoir, rather than well stimulation. They are generally applied by using surface vibrators, but there are also example of downhole applications.

This paper is primarily focused on waves used for reservoir stimulation, as opposed to well stimulation. It aimed at understanding the main mechanisms associated with the application of vibrational energy in porous media, and assessing laboratory and field studies.

In this paper, together with potential mechanisms, laboratory and field trials are discussed.
E-Learning : A Complimentary Approach for Employee's Health Education
Authors: Guibert Philippe , Bisits Bullen Piroska
Published: December 2007

Educating employees on health risks and related behavior has always been a company’s challenge. Convincing them to adopt the company’s health strategies is long, difficult and culturally sensitive. As some health risks are emerging or re-emerging, such as pandemics, vector borne diseases or HIV, fortunately employee self-education has never been as much a trend as shown by the frantic use of wikis, blogs or Google®. Some companies have understood that new web-based technology allow them to develop tools to raise employees awareness of risk exposure and management.

In the context of a pandemic, a company's ability to limit infections within the workplace would depend on the cooperation of all staff and their adherence to plans. Similarly, employees working in malaria endemic areas would need to understand the rationale for chemoprophylaxis and mosquito bite prevention. This basically all relies upon the understanding of the risk and the personal feeling of responsibility.

We present how Employee Education and Awareness Packages allow companies to meet their duty of care by ensuring that every targeted / exposed group has benefited from the same health education commitments quickly and effectively.

Online Learning Courses are accessible via the web or the company HSE intranet. Some are used as a stand-alone campaign or integrated into a regular schedule of staff training. They usually consist of several lessons, downloadable summaries, and test questions. An online manager can achieve traceability of training through the administration of courses.

The purpose of this paper is to review the effectiveness and the benefits of this promising type of interventions in the field of pandemic preparedness and malaria education. The objective is to see how it can fit into a holistic learning environment among other traditional employee education strategies.
Preventing Lost Circulation Requires Planning Ahead
Authors: Whitfill Donald L. , Wang Max , Jamison Dale , Angove-Rogers Adrian
Published: December 2007

"Pay now, or pay later" fits in many industries and circumstances. In well construction, ideally the operator wishes to be in a position to decide which of these alternatives is the most economic. Engineered solutions, designed to improve wellbore strength and reduce drilling non-productive time due to lost circulation, are directed at managing wellbore stresses (WSM). This fully engineered approach should include means to help prevent lost circulation as well as stop losses. Prevention of lost circulation by improving the wellbore strength is accomplished by designing and applying borehole stress treatments that increase the hoop stress around the wellbore.

The technology development within the industry that led to the applications of these concepts will be discussed. Proprietary hydraulic design software (HDS) can predict the equivalent circulating density (ECD) over an interval in one module, calculate the width of a fracture that may be initiated, and select and design a proper material and particle size distribution that can efficiently prop and plug that fracture in a second module. A third module then predicts the change in rheology resulting from the addition of the specialized lost circulation materials, which then is cycled full circle back to update the ECD calculations.

Contingency chemical sealant (CS) treatment applications are systems designed to react with the drilling fluid itself to create highly viscous and cohesive sealants in the wellbore that are displaced into the lost circulation fractures. Drilling-fluid-reactive systems are not dependent on temperature or pressure, thus removing a significant amount of placement uncertainty present with cross-linked systems.

This combination of planning and application tools allows the operator to make decisions ahead of time during the "drilling the well on paper" phase as to which approach is the most economic – prevention (pay now) or remediation (pay later).
The Viability of Ultrasonic Detector for Hydrocarbon Gas Leak Detection
Authors: Gregory N. , Mads K. , Teerapong N. , Mike R. , Peter B.
Published: December 2007

Conventional gas detectors are widely used and accepted as the standard gas leak detection throughout the oil and gas industry. This detection method uses technology which requires gas to enter a fixed point gas or pass through the path of a linear detector. As it requires either direct physical contact between the detector sensor and the gas or a disruption of a reflected beam path, it can be unreliable in open areas e.g. due to wind direction, beam block or stratification of the gas. Consequently, there is an increasing use of ultrasonic detection technology to ‘listen’ for gas leaks. This ultrasonic detection detects releases from pressurized gas systems by sensing the airborne ultrasounds produced by the gas escaping.

Following a significant hydrocarbon gas release in a platform processing area, which the existing detection system had failed to pick up PTTEP, Thailand’s major oil and gas exploration and production company, initiated evaluation of the ultrasonic leak detection technology as a method increase risk mitigation and the overall effectiveness of existing fire and gas systems. The field trial of ultrasonic leak detection was done in cooperation with Denmark based Gassonic A/S, the leading manufacturer of fixed ultrasonic gas leak detectors.

The trial result was that the ultrasonic leak detector, the Gassonic Observer, performed well emphasizing its ability to pick up ultrasonic noise in the frequency ranges it is supposed to. Through out the trial period, there were no cases of false alarms. Though no gas release incidents occurred in the vicinity of the detector during the trial period, the detector did detect ultrasonic noise from operations, such as choke valve adjustment or wireline operations. Proper detector settings could reduce such influences from operational sources, and increase release detection viability.

In conclusion, PTTEP will implement ultrasonic gas leak detection as a supplementary gas leak detection system in order to compliment and improve the existing fire and gas system in the Bongkot field.
The Use of Approved Surface Cleaners as Part of an Effective Response
Authors: Bly Robert , Colcomb Kevin , Reynolds Kelly
Published: December 2007

Previous trials have been carried out using dispersants to clean surfaces along shorelines. Those trials showed that dispersants were effective at removing weathered oil from a variety of surfaces. However alternative cleaning agents are available to remove contamination from impacted substrates, this paper details trials carried out on an approved product in the UK.

In the UK the use of dispersants is a regulated activity, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) oversees that regulation and maintains a list of products which may be used in oil spill response in UK waters. There is one surface cleaning product which has been approved for use by Defra. While dispersants are used to disperse surface oil into the water columnsurface cleanersare designed to aid the removal of oil from surfaces for recovery using standard skimming devices. The product is an organic solvent partly formed from citrus oil extracts.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency sponsored a series of trials to identify the most appropriate and effective techniques for the use of the surface cleaning agent. The trials were carried out using several different oil types, oil state, substrate and cleaning techniques. This paper describesl the findings of these trials and the means for developing best practice for the use of surface cleaners

The use of surface cleaners is not a new response technique and they have been used during several major incidents including the Exxon Valdez and the Prestige.
Performance of a Heavy to Light Crude Oil Upgrading Process
Authors: Veith Edwin J.
Published: December 2007

Ivanhoe Energy's proprietary heavy oil to light oil (HTL) upgrading technology is designed to cost effectively process heavy oil in the field and provide a stable, significantly upgraded synthetic oil product along with by-product energy which can be used to generate steam or electricity. Analysis shows that HTL can virtually eliminate cost exposure to natural gas and diluent and capture the majority of the heavy to light price differential for oil producers. HTL accomplishes this at a much smaller scale and at reduced per barrel capital costs compared with established competing technologies.

The HTL petroleum processing represents the application of a commercially proven technology to a new feedstock. Ensyn Group, Inc. initially developed the technology in the early 1980s and has applied it commercially for over 15 years in the biomass (wood) industry. Seven commercial Ensyn biomass processing facilities are in operation in the United States and Canada, with a major expansion recently completed in Canada. Ensyn initiated petroleum processing in 1997.

A petroleum pilot plant built in 1998 has been used for testing crude oil from around the world. In December, 2004, Ensyn initiated operations at a 1,000-barrel-per-day commercial demonstration plant in the San Joaquin Valley in southern California.

Ivanhoe and Ensyn merged on April 15, 2005, and Ivanhoe gained full ownership of the petroleum upgrading technology for the development of heavy oil reserves around the world. Ensyn Group spun off its existing biomass processing business, Ensyn Renewables Inc., to its shareholders prior to the closing of this transaction.

Since the commissioning of its commercial demonstration facility (CDF) for upgrading heavy oil in early 2005, Ivanhoe Energy has tested a number of crude oils and vacuum tower bottoms feedstocks. Analysis of CDF performance shows that the HTL process is capable of delivering high yields of significantly upgraded product. The HTL process significantly reduces or eliminates most contaminants and the product typically meets pipeline specifications without further treatment. CDF run analysis validates data obtained in over 90 pilot scale experiments. Results of CDF runs, including plant performance data, CDF feedstock and synthetic product properties are presented.
Inflow Control Devices: Application and Value Quantification of a Developing Technology
Authors: Al-Khelaiwi F. T. , Davies D. R.
Published: December 2007

Horizontal and multilateral completions are a proven, superior development option compared to conventional solutions in many reservoir situations. However, they are still susceptible to coning toward the heel of the well despite their maximizing of reservoir contact. This is due to frictional pressure drop and/or permeability variations along the well. Annular flow, leading to severe erosion "hot-spots" and plugging of screens is another challenge. Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) were proposed as a solution to these difficulties in the early ‘90s. ICDs have recently gained popularity and are being increasingly applied to a wider range of field types. Their efficacy to control the well inflow profile has been confirmed by a variety of field monitoring techniques.

An ICD is a choking device installed as part of the sandface completion hardware. It aims to balance the horizontal well's inflow profile and minimize the annular flow at the cost of a limited, extra pressure drop. Fractured and more heterogeneous formations require, in addition, the installation of annular isolation. The new technologies of Swell Packers and Constrictors can provide this annular isolation in an operationally simple manner.

This paper describes the history of ICD development with an emphasis on the designs available and their areas of application. These technical criteria will be illustrated using published field examples. The ICD's flexibility will be shown by its integration with other conventional and advanced production technologies e.g. Stand-Alone-Screens, annular isolation, artificial lift, gravel packs and intelligent completions in both horizontal and multilateral wells.

It will be shown how the value of such well-construction options can be quantified using commercially available, modelling simulators. Simple, but reliable, guidelines on how to model the performance of ICDs over the well's life will be provided. This technique can thus be used as part of the value quantification process for both the evaluation of completion options and for their detailed design.
New Insights and Applications of Soft Computing on Analysis of Water Production From Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Sheremetov Leonid , Cosultchi Ana , Batyrshin Ildar , Martínez-Muñoz Jorge , Berumen Sergio
Published: December 2007

During the development of reserves of oil fields high water production is not uncommon problem. However, the practice of Oil &Gas production has witnessed many cases with poor field results and low efficiency of operational efforts to mitigate the water production problem. One of the most common reasons is a lack of a precise diagnosis to identify the problem that considers the analysis of well and reservoir integrated information. That is why the key factor in the success of a water control treatment relies in a reliable and precise diagnostics identifying the origin of the water production problem. This leads to select an adequate treatment to effectively mitigate the problem.

This paper describes a new methodology of water shut-off (WSO). This methodology is implemented through a new generation computerized tool, SMART-Agua, which uses soft computing techniques (fuzzy expert systems and perceptual data mining). The system was designed to manage the diagnosis of 14 potential problems commonly found both at wells and reservoirs. The solution analysis phase offers a technical and an economic analysis of the different chemical or mechanical applications and evaluates the potential for additional productivity if the water cut is reduced. Additional modules for solution design (gels, mechanical solutions and surface separation facilities) generate the parameters of the most efficient solutions instead of selecting a particular product from the vendor. Applications of this new methodology to several oil field cases were used to validate the methodology, and results of two such cases are discussed in the paper. These cases are focused on a carbonate fractured oil reservoir and a carbonate reservoir under waterflooding.
A Review on Microbial EOR With Special Reference to Marginal and/or Mature Assets
Authors: Zahid S. , Zahoor M. K. , Khan H. A.
Published: December 2007

Oil and natural gas are vital for any economy and the importance of these resources in determining the social stability and economic viability of a nation is enormous. As the search for petroleum continues, recovery of known reserves must be improved if the goal of avoiding shortages is to be met. In today's energy sector, the high oil prices have driven the oil companies to recover the maximum amount of oil with the lowest production costs. Thus, economic production of oil and gas resources requires carefully engineered recovery projects of increasing technical complexity and sophistication.

One of the promising recovery methods is the microbiological enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). MEOR technology has the potential to be one of the reliable technologies that suits best the economic constraints of the current oil markets. The technology is a potential alternative to other EOR/ IOR methods, as it is being implementing in most parts of the world with satisfactory results not only form economics point of view but also from having lesser environmental impact.

The paper provides a review on MEOR technology and discusses it with special reference to marginal and/or uneconomical reserves. The goal of cost reduction, which is a major objective in any recovery methods, can be met by using MEOR technology which involves injecting a small amount of a solution containing microorganisms to spread through the reservoir and consequently produce desirable chemicals and gases that will enhance oil recovery and therefore profit. The paper also outlines the strategies to identify and meet the challenge of recovering large proportions of oil using MEOR techniques which could be very helpful in closing the energy gap by draining large proportions of oil which is left behind and minimizing the supply and demand difference in today's "energy hungry world".
Application of Massive Hydraulic Fracturing in C Field Middle Gharif Formation—Case Study
Authors: Maamari K. , Hajri S. , Clark J. , van Dorp J.
Published: December 2007

Massive Hydraulic fracturing technique is widely used to enhance well productivity especially in low permeability reservoirs. Even though MHF is becoming a practice for most of the gas reservoirs operated by PDO (Oman) due to their very low permeability, this technique was not yet applied to the oil reservoirs.

Many wells penetrate the Middle Gharif reservoir in the C field, but low oil rates were tested and this zone remained undeveloped. Production tests on five wells were carried out without achieving sustainable oil rates. The poor production of this formation is due to the low permeability of the poorly sorted alluvial sheet sands. Those sands which would constitute net reservoir are thin (1-2m) and sparsely scattered through a sandy but marginal reservoir sequence.

This paper presents a case study of implementing the massive hydraulic fracturing technique in this reservoir. It describes the candidate well selection process, the fracture design, and the pump schedule. It also discusses the application of a single well dynamic simulation model to optimize the fracture parameters. Finally, it shows the wells performance after the fracture stimulation, and analysis carried out to calculate the fracture parameters and the economics.

The success of this technique assisted in unlocking a large STOIIP in this field for production potential. Other fields in PDO have used this technique successfully as well to increase well productivities
Optimized Fracture Designs with RPM to Control Water Cut in Ust Vakh Field in Western Siberia
Authors: Guerra R. , Maritchev V. , Gaponov M. , Gorovetz E. , Velazquez J. C.
Published: December 2007

As an effort to increase Russian oil production, major companies are developing areas that were previously relegated to low production and/or high water cut. One such area is the Ust Vakh field located in the middle of Western Siberia – approximately 20 km northeast of Nizhnevartovk and opposite the giant Samotlor oil field. Hydraulic fracturing stimulation is the primary method of enabling commercial production. However, this field is especially affected by high water cuts, which lead to uneconomical production when standard fracturing fluids are used. In order to reduce production of formation water, most jobs are now pumped with 1% of Relative Permeability Modifiers (RPMs) (conformance fracturing). The fracture treatment designs have been modified since their inception in September 2005. As a result of those modifications, the oil production has increased and in some wells, the water cut has been reduced from an average of about 80% to about 40%. These results have secured enough operator confidence to continue production operations in this area, which were nearly abandoned due to the increasing water production problem. As of June 2006, conformance fracturing treatments had been performed in 20 wells (18 production and 2 to be converted into injection). In the past year (June/06 to July/07) another 28 jobs were done, confirming the treatments' success. Case histories are included in the paper.

Job designs varied from crosslinked gel fracturing treatments to linear gel treatments and finally a combination of linear gel with crosslinked polymer gel pumped at low rate and moderate proppant concentration to prevent proppant settling in the near-wellbore formation zone. Core test analysis supports the results obtained.

The combination of field practices for fracture height growth control and proppant placement (including low-viscosity fracture fluid, low injection rates, slow changes in rates, and small pad size) has proven to be the right combination for water control stimulation.
Building the Field Development Plan for a new gas field, located in Algeria, Reggane Trend
Authors: Vilela Martin , Marin Pedro , Rodrigo Maria , Limeres Ana , Medina Angel , Djettou Farid
Published: December 2007

One of the most critical stages after a field discovery is to define the Field Development Plan (FDP) for the new field; usually with limited information, managers must define the marketability of a prospect by taking as input the Hydrocarbon In Place (HIP), Hydrocarbons Rate of Production (HRP), Number of Wells (NW) and Drainage Location (DL), Plateau, Well Completion, Surfaces Facilities (SF) including pipelines and separation/compression systems; all these elements have to be economically evaluated and finally a decision must be taken based on most probable production scenario and economic optimization.

In the last five years the importance of hydrocarbons gas has increased due to the increase in oil prices, the limited number of new big oil fields discoveries, the environmental contamination due to oil combustion and the development of new technologies to use gas as a competitive energy source.

In this paper we implement a methodology to build an FDP for a gas field, Reggane, located in the South-West of Algeria. Reggane concession is a structural trend including Azrafil, Reggane, Sali, Tiouliline and Tif-Taf fields. Some of these fields have been tested in Devonian, Ordovician and Carboniferous formations with mixed results. Here we will focus on Devonian formation, Azrafil and Reggane fields, which has been tested in 5 wells and shown remarkable results.

The methodology uses an Integrated Asset Management (IAM) approach, linking geological with reservoir information to model hydrocarbon flow going from the reservoir to wells, wellbore, through the pipeline network and the compressor system up to the point of delivery based on defined HIP, HRP and plateau; uncertainties associated with these parameters were identified and ranked to be included in the FDP. As a conclusion, the FDP shows that around 30 wells must be drilled during the life cycle with a plateau of about 8.5 MM3/D of production gas for more than 10 years.
Risk Management for Controlled Pressured Drillings in Asia Pacific
Authors: Xu Daniel , Sarasto Utomo , Holt Calvin , Fisher Kevin , Houlbrook Adrian
Published: December 2007

For the purpose of this paper Controlled Pressure Drilling (CPD) here is referred to as underbalanced reservoir drilling, managed pressured drilling or performance drilling. Since the operations differ between underbalanced drilling and traditional overbalanced drilling, risk management plays a key role in ensuring drilling operations are processed safely to protect people, the environment and assets.

Firstly, this paper gives a brief introduction of controlled pressure drilling. Secondly, the paper discusses the key risk management techniques applied in one organisation, such as the risk matrix, SURE, Job Safety Analysis (JSA), Hazard Identification Studies (HAZID), Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), Bow-tie type risk analysis, etc. Thirdly the paper discusses the necessary HSE documentation required to integrate risk management techniques into a CPD project as a road map to a successful project. Lastly, using one project completed in Asia Pacific to elaborate the risk management process and the challenges faced over the years.
HIV/AIDS – A Company Perspective
Authors: Khantong Aran
Published: December 2007

HIV infection is one of the most health concerns worldwide. It has been estimated that about 46 million (2005) was infected with HIV with the yearly increase of 5.5 million new cases. Working age group is mostly affected.

It’s a substantial threat with enormous human impact and social, economic and risks that directly affect the employees as well as the business.

The effective and proper strategy should be planned for the business to cope with this challenge. The measures should extend from prevention to treatment with the preservation of individual’s confidentiality and acceptance of diversity to ensure that the workforce are well protected, educated and would receive the adequate medical care if needed.

This paper will describe the measures and experience in implementing the HIV/AIDS program in Chevron Thailand
Risk Assessment (Hazard Management) Process Is a Continual Process, Not a One-Off
Authors: McDermott S.
Published: December 2007

Over the last 5 years, experience on seismic, pipeline and major E&P construction projects with international contractors has shown that the application and integration of a ‘life of project’ risk assessment process can lead to a clear reduction in risks and a subsequent reduction in accidents.

It is the experience of the author that too many companies are treating the risk assessment process as a one-off requirement and are relying on standard procedures and experience of its work force to avoid accidents.

Risk assessments are seen as the responsibility of the Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) specialist; there is lack of ownership, lack of accountability, lack of knowledge of its purpose and uses and, more troubling, lack of implementation.

The paper will describe the Risk Assessment processes used on a project, how they fit in the HSE Management System (HSE-MS), the training needs, clear ownership and accountability, linkage between risk assessments and safe working procedures or method statements, the involvement of all workers in the process, involving the risk assessment in other HSE-MS processes and the involvement of vendors and sub-contractors.

The main theme will be to show that risk assessment is the most efficient proactive system to identify hazards and their associated risks and to control them so as to eliminate accidents and ensure ‘we are doing the best we can’
Development of a Post-Graduate Qualification Course in Telemedicine and Telepharmacy for Physicians in Offshore Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Mika F. , Amenta F. , De Sanctis S. , Nicosia V. , Tayebati K. , Tomassi D.
Published: December 2007

Diagnosis, control and treatment of diseases in offshore oil and gas (O&G) industry represents an important challenge for medicine and occupational health. More and more the operations, particularly in the Up stream sector, are carried out in remote and frontier areas. Working in O&G industry environment may be risky for the occurrence of acute medical events, and local medical structure are often either difficult to reach or their standards are not at the level that guaranty the efficiency requested by the Industry. This is why the training of medical personnel working in remote locations represents a crucial point for the best health protection of workers in these areas. More over, the medical personnel that work in our environment are requested to be all-ologist (Medical Officer, Hygienist, Occupational Health Specialist, General Practitioner, Gynaecologist, Paediatrician, Traumatologist, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Specialist, Medical Emergency Specialist, Medical Educator etc..). Unfortunately, there are no specific university courses in this area that would guaranty the adequate qualification. The same stays for dedicated applications of e-health courses, this last one becoming more and more important for guaranteeing high level of medical assistance in O&G industry.

Saipem, a company of Eni S.p.A., one of the biggest contractors in Oil and Gas industry, has more than 32.000 employees working both off and on shore, within its organisation, as part of the QHSE Department, the company has developed the in-house medical department. Presently this one is formed by 290 medical doctors and nurses, coming form 34 different nationalities, working at 119 operating sites. It is obvious that these health care professionals are coming with, and are working in, different cultural, educational, professional back grounds.

An important opportunity for improving and uniforming health care of people working and living in offshore O&G industry facilities is offered by telemedicine. The interest in applications of communication technologies in medical interventions (e-health and telemedicine) is growing world-wide and the use of these technologies in oil and gas industry may contribute to offer the best level of health care. Practitioners working in the field of O&G, although located in remote areas, via telemedicine can have access to second and third level specialist advice and can have a continuous update of their medical knowledge.
Pipeline Stream Crossings – International Industry Best Practices for Russia/CIS
Authors: Aronson John G. , Raykin Viktor , Skopets Mikhail
Published: December 2007

Many new large-scale pipeline projects are being planned and constructed in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The construction of large linear pipeline projects in the Russian Far East, including such interesting locations as Sakhalin Island, poses many challenges for oil and gas developments throughout the region. This poster explores modern approaches for effective management of pipeline crossings, especially where high quality salmonid fisheries may be involved, and recommends that a watershed approach be taken for more effective management and control. Russian regulations concerning elevation of background total suspended sediment concentrations from construction in and near watercourses are examined, especially with respect to the hydraulics and river mechanics, and natural background concentrations. Some promising modern erosion and sediment control strategies and practices are offered in poster session, along with case history examples. Rapid winter construction practices that result in short downstream sediment transport events are reviewed with respect to their potential impact to short-term and long-term salmon spawning success. Stabilization and revegetation of crossings, approaches, and adjacent disturbed watershed areas is a key element for effective long-term impact mitigation, and can be used to offset the short-term impacts of pipeline construction.
Advanced Well Completions Result in Enhanced Well Productivity and Recovery in Saudi Aramco's Offshore Fields
Authors: Hembling D. , Sunbul A. H. , Salerno G.
Published: December 2007

The offshore sandstone reservoirs in Saudi Arabia are characterized by high production potential due to the nature of the reservoir, consisting of clean coarse sand with an active bottom water aquifer and in some areas, a gas cap as a drive mechanism.

In recent years, horizontal wells have replaced conventional wells in Saudi Aramco due to their improved deliverability and recovery efficiency. The initial completion method selected by Saudi Aramco was open hole for horizontal wells completed in carbonate reservoirs and cased hole cemented with selective perforation strategy for horizontal wells completed in sandstone reservoirs. This completion method was troubled by nonuniform flow profiles resulting in less than optimal well performance.

The main driver for advanced well completions (AWC) has been the increased demand for better performance from horizontal and MRC wells. In addition to Saudi Aramco strategy to minimize water and associated gas production, key performance indices (KPIs) such as: BBL oil per day (BOPD)/rig day, $/BOPD, and net to gross ratio are used to obtain an ultimate goal of reducing the unit development cost ($/BBL) and sustaining well deliverability. Selection criteria for AWC is linked to an integrated team approach where completion forums for new increments are used to review development requirements, KPIs and determine if AWC's can enhance well performance and reduce development costs.

This paper will describe an innovative AWC strategy that has increased well productivity and recovery compared to previous horizontal well completion methods. The paper will show the evolution of AWC's in Saudi Aramco starting with the use of passive Inflow Control Devices (ICD) allowing production optimization by delivering uniform inflow along the entire horizontal section and active intelligent completion technology for lateral inflow control in MRC wells. The paper continues to discuss the benefits associated with the integration of AWC technologies such as mechanical and swell packers for zonal isolation, off-bottom cementing for sidetracks, combining active and passive inflow control in the same well, and the future use of adaptive ICD's for water and gas shut-off and advanced downhole monitoring systems with distributive temperature to allow real time production logging capabilities. Actual field data will be presented to validate findings and support conclusions.
Managing Contractor HSE in Shell E&P Asia Pacific
Authors: Suntai Numpang , Bala Krishna
Published: December 2007

Starting in 2005, Shell worldwide E&P operations decided to adopt a common global standard in managing contractor HSE. The standard draws on the ‘Stoplight’ process which has been important in improving contractor HSE performance in Shell US E&P operations. It has also been successfully implemented in Shell Expro, UK and Shell Canada and in a pilot trial in Shell Malaysia. The paper will provide an overview of the key elements of the Contractor HSE Management and provide insights into implementation challenges based on Shell E&P Asia Pacific with specifics on Shell E&P Malaysia's experiences.
Changing the Role of the Modern Security Function—Helping Organizations Take Risks, Not Eliminate Risks
Authors: Chaiyarugs Narong
Published: December 2007

The role of security in Thailand has traditionally been one of a "Guard". Its responsibility has targeted prevention of company loss, and thus has not truly played any significant role in company management. Not only has security played a small and unimportant role in company operations, but it also has often been implemented by departments that comprised few, if any, security professionals, e.g., HR and Facility Service Departments. As the result, security has frequently overlooked and haphazardly implemented, even though it is critical to ensure safe and responsible company operations.

After the 9/11 event in USA, and a number of significant security incidents happened worldwide, such as in London, Spain, Indonesia, India, it is clear that security threats have been become an international concern. They could happen anywhere and anytime. In today’s world security has become increasingly important to organizations or companies in running their businesses amid an environment of multiple threats, especially, terrorist activities, which exist everywhere. Companies must learn how to survive and live with them; otherwise, business can simply not proceed. Terrorism and other types of threats can not be eliminated or ignored, particularly in the high risk countries to which companies need to expand their business, i.e. countries in the Middle East.

1 Aligning security with the business, therefore, does not merely make companies safer-it is one of the most important sources of competitive advantage in the twenty-first century.

Charlie Edwards, Rachel Briggs "The business of Resilience, Corporate security for the 21st century" 2006

The modern security function must play an important part of company operations. Security strategic planning and management must be integrated into a company’s business plan in order to assist in achieving their goals and maintaining their competitive advantage. Included should be: clear and practicable policy, security risk assessment, mitigation measures, security awareness promotion, traveling guidelines, and information networking. Notably important as well is getting cooperation from everyone in the organization wide up/down and across, especially at senior management levels because it will then cascade down to line management, the skeleton of any organization