bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neonatal outcome in meconium stained amniotic fluid: a hospital based study
Authors: Singh Gurmeet , Singh Onkar , Thapar Karuna
Published: January 2017

Background: Amniotic fluid surrounds the baby in utero and provides a protective and low resistance environment and acts as a cushion for the baby. It is secreted by amniotic membranes, foetal skin and fetal urine. The objectives of this study was to identify the incidence of meconium stained amniotic fluid, perinatal outcome and the risks during pregnancy leading to in utero passage of meconium.Methods: A prospective study conducted in Sri Guru Ram Das University, Amritsar, between 1st December 2014 to 1st June 2016. All live births with meconim stained amniotic fluid without congenital malformation, twin or multiple organ dysfunction were taken as subjects of this study. Maternal obstetric history and risk factors were asked and foetal parameters including gestational age, fetal presentation, mode of delivery, birth weight, sex, Apgar score, age at onset of respiratory distress, treatment and outcome were observed.Results: Out of 1121 admissions in NICU, 12% of inborn and 9.6% of outborn were with MSAF, out of which 34% developed MAS. Majority of neonates were observed to be males (73.6%), term neonates (67.2%), weight 2.5-3.5 kg (76.9%) with mean weight being 2.701 kg±0.558 kg and 16% mortality including 9 inborn and 11 outborn neonates. Mean age at onset of respiratory distress was 18.43 minutes±11.52 minutes. Neonatal outcome was significantly related to weight, APGAR score at 5 mins, and development of complications like MAS, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, necrotizing enterocolitis, acute renal failure and severe thrombocytopenia. Culture proven septicaemia was seen in 21.6% cases. Mean duration of stay in NICU was 6.48 days±0.54 days.Conclusions: MSAF has significant effect on perinatal outcome and close observation is required to prevent and treat complications thus reducing mortality.
The Trials and Tribulations of Testing Couples-Based Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Babcock Julia C. , Armenti Nicholas A. , Warford Patricia
Published: January 2017

This article considers the risks and benefits of couples’ interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). Because current batterers’ treatment programs have been shown to be largely ineffective in stopping recidivism, there is clearly a need to experiment with novel approaches to establish empirically supported treatments for IPV. Previous studies testing the efficacy of conjoint therapy for couples experiencing situational violence have demonstrated promising results. However, most states mandate prohibiting testing these couples’ interventions in court-mandated samples. In this article, we describe a randomized clinical trial of the Creating Healthy Relationships Program (Cleary Bradley, Friend, & Gottman, 2011) for situationally violent couples in a court-mandated sample and the difficulties in conducting such an experiment within an established coordinated community response.
Profil Oseanografi Biologi Laut Banda: Sebuah Tinjauan Kritis
Authors: Tapilatu Yosmina H
Published: January 2017

Informasi mengenai keragaan oseanografi biologi di Laut Banda sangat penting dalam rangka menunjangpembangunan kelautan dan perikanan di perairan yang kaya dengan sumber daya alam ini, baik hayatimaupun nir hayati. Makalah ini menyajikan tinjauan mengenai kajian oseanografi biologi Laut Bandasejak tahun 1970-an sampai dengan 2013, sebagai upaya untuk mengungkap karakteristik perairan ini,beserta perspektif penggunaannya dalam mendukung pembangunan kelautan dan perikanan di LautBanda yang beriorientasi kepada pemanfaatan yang berkesinambungan. Keywords: oseanografi biologi, perikanan, kelautan, Laut Banda
Distribusi Ukuran Spasial-Temporal dan Berdasarkan Tingkat Kematangan Gonad Rajungan (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus 1758) di Teluk Lasongko, Buton Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara
Authors: Hamid Abdul , Wardiatno Yusli , Batu Djamar T.F. Lumban , Riani Etty
Published: January 2017

The aim of the study was to reveal spatial-temporal distribution of the blue swimming crab(Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus 1758) in terms of size and gonad maturity stage of both male andfemale. Sampling of crab was conducted with a gill net from April 2013 until March 2014 inLasongko Bay. Of the whole population the mean size of male was smaller than that of females.Spatially smaller crabs (juveniles and young ones) inhabited mostly inner side of the bay, whilemedium size crabs occurred in the middle part of the bay. Big crabs were mostly found in theouter side of the bay. In terms of time, big sise of male and female crabs were collected inperiod of October to November and September to March, respectively. Small size of male andfemale occurred in February to September and in April, respectively. Related to gonad maturity,the sizes of both sexes with mature stages were variable. Ovigerous female (OF) was presencewidely in the bay, but the size of ovigerous females living in the shallow part of the bay wassmaller than those living in the deeper part. Keywords: blue swimming crab, size distribution, carapace width, spatial-temporal, gonadmaturity
Status Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Ikan Demersal Sekitar Pantai di Kabupaten Indramayu, Jawa Barat
Authors: Yulianto Gatot , Suwardi Kadarwan , Adrianto Luky , Machfud Machfud
Published: January 2017

The status of fish resources in management fisheries context is important to be known for settingresources policy in order to ensure continuity of fish stock and harvest. Estimating the level ofsustainable catches and economic rent by  using surplus production approach and Gordon-Schaeferbioeconomic analysis then comparing the actual condition, it will point to level of resource exploitationand level of resource degradation. The management of demersal fish around the beach in IndramayuRegency which is characterized by open access resource indicate the status of the fish resource in astate of overfishing and degraded. Therefore, it is important for designing fisheries managementpolicy by regulating the amount of fishing effort.Keywords: demersal fish, bioeconomic analysis, overfishing, degradation
Upwelling di Laut Banda dan Pesisir Selatan Jawa serta Hubungannya dengan ENSO dan IOD
Authors: Ratnawati Herlina Ika , Hidayat Rahmat , Bey Ahmad , June Tania
Published: January 2017

Upwelling events analysis in southern coast of Java and Banda sea were conducted. The events were identified by using satellite data i.e. wind surface, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and ocean color during period of 14 years (2002-2016) which calculated by Ekman pumping and Ekman transport. It’s found that Ekman pumping velocity in Banda Sea reached a maximum in June-July-August (JJA) by approximately 3,65x10 -6 . Comparing with Ekman transport, Ekman pumping makes an even greater contribution to the local upwelling in Banda Sea. Ekman pumping velocity in southern coast of Java reached a maximum in June-July-August (JJA) by approximately 4,9x10 -1 ms . Ekman pumping and Ekman transport makes an equal contribution to coastal upwelling in southern coast of Java. That’s related to highest clorophyll-a concentration apperars in JJA periode. Partial correlation analysis then was applied to identify a correlation between chlorophyll-a concentration and interannual climate variabilities such as ENSO and IOD. Partial Correlation between chlorophyll-a and Nino 3.4 and DMI-Dipole Mode Index (controlled) in Banda Sea is 0.18, and 0.05 in southercoast of Java. It’s represent ENSO (Elnino Southern Oscilation) has higher influences to Banda Sea than southern coast of Java. Partial correlation between chlorophyll-a and DMI and Nino 3.4 (controlled) is 0.55 in southern coast of Java, and 0.25 in Banda Sea. Its represent IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole) has higher influences to southern coast of Java than Banda Sea. Upwelling in Banda sea and along southern coast of Java dominantly occurs in southeast monsoon as a responds to regional wind driven motion associated with the monsoon climate. Various condition of chlorophyll-a booming also occured according to combination of ENSO and IOD events. -6 -1 msKeywords: upwelling, Banda sea, southern coast of Java, Ekman transport, Ekman pumping, IOD, ENSO
Managing Project Uncertainty: The Delphi Method
Authors: Saldin Lakshan , Healey Matthew , Parker Kate
Published: January 2017

Management

Decision making in uncertain environments is key to the successful delivery of oil and gas projects. By definition, however, uncertainty is ambiguous and unpredictable.

Uncertainty does not necessarily imply risk; the two are separate concepts. Economist Frank Knight made a clear distinction between the two as far back as 1921. Risk can be measured and quantified and is well suited to the analytical techniques used in project risk management; uncertainty defies quantitative expression. Items with the quality of uncertainty often surface during risk-assessment exercises but tend to be categorized as “issues” and are neither captured nor addressed by traditional risk-management processes.

Donald Rumsfeld’s infamous quote highlights the difficulty of articulating uncertainty. However, the statement is rooted in sound cognitive and sociological theory and makes an important point about the perils of taking our individual and shared perceptions for reality. The philosopher Slavoj Žižek (2006) suggests that there may also be a fourth category of “unknown knowns”—those things that we intentionally refuse to acknowledge due to, for example, the social stigma around dissent. While we may feel confident dealing with “known knowns” and “known unknowns,” how can we hope to discover the “unknown unknowns” and uncover the “unknown knowns”?

These problems can be effectively addressed using a Delphi-based workshop methodology. The process presented in this article discusses how to work collaboratively to develop a common understanding of a project and achieve alignment on issues and uncertainties. This allows managers to gain a better understanding of the critical uncertainties running through the project and implement appropriate strategies.

Delphi Methods

Delphi is a structured communication technique that was developed as part of the United States’ response to global uncertainty during the Cold War. Since then, the process has been used across many different industries worldwide (Linstone and Turoff 2002). Delphi-based methods are able to draw out the tacit knowledge held by project members and assess it in a structured manner.
An Improved Model for Predicting Hydraulic-Fracture-Height Migration
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 173335, “An Improved Equilibrium-Height Model for Predicting Hydraulic- Fracture-Height Migration in Multilayer Formations,” by Songxia Liu, SPE, and Peter P. Valko, SPE, Texas A&M University, prepared for the 2015 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 3–5 February. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

While many factors may influence fracture-height evolution in multilayer formations, the consensus is that the so-called “equilibrium height belonging to a certain treating pressure” provides an upper limit, at least for nonnaturally fractured media. The authors have revisited the “equilibrium-height problem,” and their theoretical and numerical investigations led to a new model that fully characterizes height evolution amid various formation properties.

Introduction

Solutions for the equilibrium-height problem have been known since the 1970s, and several models have been developed for calculating hydraulic-fracture height. However, because of the complexity of the algebra involved, the equations used in these early models were overly simplified and gave unreliable results.

The authors developed an improved, mathematically rigorous model that, for the first time, solves the equilibrium height under various formation-property conditions and fluid properties. The authors started from the definition of fracture toughness, incorporated the effects of hydrostatic pressure, and considered nonsymmetric variations of layered formation properties. The model was applied to the classic three-layer problem and then extended up to six layers.

With the new model, the effects of fracture toughness, in-situ stress, fluid density, and their interactive effects on fracture-height growth were investigated. The full height profile with very large top and bottom formation thicknesses showed the ultimate trend of fracture-height migration. Two three-layer pseudo problems were constructed to create an outer and inner height envelope for any multilayer-formation problem, to assess the potential effects of reservoir-parameter uncertainties on height profile. The occurrence of a second solution pair and its analytical solutions were presented, to avoid misleading results in the 3D models.
OTC Asia Highlights Industry Achievements
Authors: Whitfield Stephen , Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

Conference Review

More than 15,000 energy professionals representing 2,500 organizations and 60 countries gathered from 21 to 25 March in Kuala Lumpur for the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Asia. With the theme “Excellence in Asia,” the conference builds upon the highly successful inaugural OTC Asia held in Kuala Lumpur in 2014.

The conference reflects Asia’s position as a global provider of exploration and production (E&P) technology, in which cultural and geographical diversity foster collaboration and innovation.

Opening Session

The prime minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, gave the keynote address during the opening ceremony. Speaking about Malaysia’s role in both the Asian oil and gas industry and the global economic market, the prime minister said the country was in position to further develop a diverse economy and become a central figure in an industry undergoing volatile change.

Najib said the industry must have a realistic perspective on its immediate future. He said crude oil prices will likely remain low because of several external factors, including the continuing supply of shale oil in the US, Iran’s re-entry into the oil and gas market, and the intransigence of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in cutting production to limit supply.

Despite this immediate outlook, Najib said the Malaysian economy is in position to withstand the aftereffects of the low-price environment in large part because of his government’s push for greater economic liberalization during his 7 years in office. The prime minister cited his MYR- 67-billion stimulus package in 2009 as a significant driver of economic growth.

“Since I came in office, the [Malaysian] government has been making the necessary steps to have in place important measures to ensure that our economy remains resilient, to buffer our economy so as to weather any significant systemic shocks from domestic as well as external sources,” he said.
Methodology Evaluates Artificial-Lift Requirements Amid High Uncertainty
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 177436, “A Systematic, Integrated Approach To Evaluate Artificial-Lift Requirements While Dealing With High Uncertainty,” by S. Caicedo, C. Montoya, J. Abboud, and S. Tiar, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations, prepared for the 2015 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

When evaluating artificial-lift requirements, sometimes data present uncertainties at the initial planning stage. This is the case for a field that had 10 wells drilled but only four of them producing after 6 years, at which point operations were suspended. The high-level plan was to exploit and abandon the reservoir as soon as possible. This paper presents the integrated and structured methodology that was used to deal with the high-uncertainty conditions.

Introduction

ABC is a small field that has 10 wells, out of which only four produced from 1993 to 1999 while the remaining six were shut in after few months of production. Subsequently, the operations in ABC were suspended and the surface facilities were mothballed. Because of attractive remaining reserves along with high reservoir pressure, and considering that this field is in an urbanized area, a plan was requested that would deplete and abandon the reservoir as quickly as possible. Because of the adjusted time frame for the project, developing and planning this task required a preliminary analysis using the available data acquired during the 6 years of operation and some complementary reservoir studies. Because ABC is a complex reservoir with natural fractures and varying condensate composition, the reservoir-model uncertainties were difficult to minimize with data from only four wells and 6 years of history.

Typically, artificial-lift evaluation comes after the reservoir has a good model and a defined exploitation scheme. In this case, the selection of the artificial-lift method dealt with high data uncertainty associated with reservoir pressure, gas/oil ratio (GOR), and water-cut profiles because of the reservoir’s complexity and pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) properties. To overcome the uncertainty and advance the study concurrently with an ongoing reservoir- simulation study, the following approach was adopted:

Understand and demonstrate how uncertainty in ABC affects artificial-lift selection.

Perform a preliminary artificial-lift- method screening for a matrix covering a range of reservoir pressures, GORs, water cuts, and wellhead pressures in order to discard some methods and focus on possible solutions.

Build a matrix to determine the conditions under which the wells flow naturally and those under which artificial lift is required.

Determine the probability of the scenarios in relation to the results of reservoir-simulation work.
3D Printing in the Oil Field Kicks Into Production Mode
Authors: Jacobs Trent
Published: January 2017

The biggest oilfield service companies in the world are using 3D printers to make metal components for a growing number of tools and equipment.

This is a significant development. It shows how far the needle has moved since these companies first embraced 3D printing more than a decade ago for the rapid prototyping of plastic models. Though the early work is being done on a small scale it gives us the first look at the future of manufacturing in this industry.

“Like any technology that evolves quite rapidly, it has tremendous potential,” said Rustom Mody, the vice president of technical excellence at Baker Hughes. “It not only reduces the cost, it accelerates the innovation process, and at the same time it gives you more functionality.”

The ability to deliver that trifecta—cheaper, quicker, better—has made the trillion-dollar oil and gas industry the fastest growing user of 3D printing according to some market analysts.

In metallic 3D printing, powderized stainless steel and other alloys are melded together with high-precision lasers. Each layer is usually built from the bottom up, hence why many of the technology’s truest advocates prefer the synonymous term additive manufacturing to describe the process of 3D printing.

Those working in this field are understandably excited about its capabilities but they are also quick to point out a number of limitations that must be addressed before production-mode 3D printing becomes a more widespread practice.

This unfinished business is one reason not a single SPE paper has been written about the topic. As companies climb the steepest part of the learning curve they tend to treat their progress as a trade secret. But the ice is beginning to thaw as more 3D printed components head out into the field.

For now those parts are small—less than a cubic foot in volume. They cannot be structural or safety-critical, and companies have had precious little time to evaluate the long-term performance of the materials for things such as corrosion or high temperatures. Additionally, there are no industry-defined standards for printed metal.
Drilling Automation Saves Rig Time and Safeguards Against Human Error
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 177825, “Breakthrough in Drilling Automation Saves Rig Time and Safeguards Against Human Error,” by Egill Abrahamsen, SPE, and Ronny Bergerud, Sekal, and Roald Kluge and Matthew King, Statoil, prepared for the 2015 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

This paper shows how automation reduces invisible lost time and allows drillers to focus on other activities while repetitive tasks are controlled by software. An automated drilling-control system using advanced modeling of well conditions in the North Sea helped the rig save up to 10% of rig time per well through safeguarding and optimizing manual operations and automating repetitive activities such as tripping, pipe filling, connections, and pump startup.

Introduction

To explain why the real-time model-based automated system deployed on the rig was capable of saving up to 10% of rig time, the following factors must be considered:

The effect that time and temperature have on drilling-fluid properties and thereby why conventional operations must be kept at a conservative level compared with automated operations tuned to current downhole conditions

The reduction of invisible lost time and the realization of faster, smoother drilling operations with fewer unplanned drilling events, obtained through shorter connection times, automated pump startups and shutdowns, automated friction tests, and active (automated) safeguards and safety triggers that assist drillers during manual operations

The human factors and team efforts to optimize operations further wherever possible

Drilling Fluid

Some of the main functions of the drilling fluid are to cool the drill bit; transport drill cuttings out of the wellbore; and maintain downhole pressures to avoid fluid influx or formation collapse, prevent fluid losses, and avoid formation fracturing.
Guest Editorial: Risk Management at NASA and Its Applicability to the Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Kaplan David
Published: January 2017

Guest editorial

On initial consideration, one might reasonably ask: What can the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contribute to the oil and gas industry?

About 3 years ago, a senior principal at Deloitte Advisory’s Energy & Resources Operational Risk Group reached out to NASA to better understand the safety culture at NASA with the intent of understanding how that culture might translate to oil and gas operations. Very quickly, the conversation expanded to the realm of risk management.

Working with Deloitte, NASA came to appreciate the remarkable similarities between an offshore deepwater facility and the International Space Station. Both exist in extremely hostile environments. Both function in remote locations where movement of crew and supplies must be carefully choreographed. Both are extremely complex engineering structures where human reliability plays a critical role in mission success, and both have a deep commitment to personal and process safety.

It also should be noted that both have dedicated teams—the onboard crew and the onshore support experts—that live by the mentality that “failure is not an option” because of the consequences to life and the environment should a catastrophic mishap occur.

At NASA, we use qualitative techniques— such as fault trees, failure modes and effects analyses, hazard assessments, etc.—to understand risk based on statistics, experience, or possibilities that our engineers can anticipate. Similarly, upstream oil and gas exploration and production uses qualitative techniques—such as process safety methods, barrier analyses, bowtie charts, hazard identification, hazard and operability studies, etc.—to assess risk. At NASA, these qualitative approaches are augmented by a quantitative risk-assessment technique called probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to uncover and mitigate low-probability sequences of events that can lead to high-consequence outcomes.

Why PRA?

The technique of PRA was developed by the nuclear power industry and initially published in mid-1975, though not widely publicized. However, the investigation of the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 revealed that the PRA had documented the sequence of low-probability events (both of hardware failures and human errors) that led to the high-consequence near-meltdown of the nuclear core. As a result, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has required a facility-specific PRA for every nuclear power plant in the United States.
The Reason to Expect Prolonged USD 30–60/bbl Oil
Authors: Schulz Rodney
Published: January 2017

Management

Since 1982, the year oil prices were deregulated in the US, the import oil price to the US has averaged USD 52/bbl in 2015 dollars. It is volatile, having a monthly standard deviation of 9%, although volatility ebbs and flows. The global oil price, like the price of any commodity or security in a free and open market, incorporates all available information almost instantaneously and follows a random walk pattern.

With the above factors in mind, what can today’s oil and gas professional expect for the near- to mid-term oil price? Although the answer may not be welcome, a fairly stable set of conditions coalesce to make a strong reason to expect the oil price to generally range between USD 30/bbl and USD 60/bbl for the foreseeable future.

The Global Macro Situation

To understand the situation, it is helpful to first look at two global macro factors. First, the world consumes approximately 90 million bbl of oil every day. And second, three countries, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the US, are the largest suppliers, with each producing between 9 and 11 million BOPD (Table 1). Beyond these three countries, production drops precipitously.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) produces approximately 30 million BOPD. Although OPEC may attempt to collude and control oil prices, world history has repeatedly proved that global cartels generally cannot control markets for any sustained period of time.

This article is not about geopolitical forces, but one can quickly see that OPEC members have distinct cultures, governments, customers, and priorities, as well as different production and reserve replacement costs. Hence, it is unlikely, and perhaps even unrealistic, for OPEC members to uniformly agree on production quotas and then expect each member country to behave accordingly. Therefore, it is probably a good assumption that global oil prices will submit to global market forces; i.e., oil prices will likely continue to depend on the supply and demand equation of competing producers and consumers.
Improving Megaproject Economics Through the Use of Early Production
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 177729, “Improving Megaproject Economics Through the Use of Early Production,” by James A. Volker and Adam J. Bond, Zakum Development Company, prepared for the 2015 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

A key aspect of the project discussed in this paper is the use of minimal initial-production facilities to achieve significant early production from each of four preconstructed artificial islands. The initial-production facilities leverage the use of spare processing capacity on existing adjacent satellite platforms to allow for production from each of the islands during the 4-year period between completion of the first wells and completion and startup of the permanent production facilities.

Introduction

The project is approximately 80 km offshore in the Persian Gulf and consists of four artificial islands. The objective of the initial production phase is to provide early and sustained production from wells drilled on the islands as soon as they are available, thereby achieving advanced revenue generation and improved project economics while the permanent production facilities are under construction.

Initial startup was achieved from the first island in November 2014, followed by initial startup of the second island in April 2015. This is the first phase of the plan to increase production from the field by approximately 40%. The project is segmented into an initial- production phase and permanent production buildup phases. The initial-production phase will continue until completion of the first permanent production buildup phase in 2018.

The project achieved startup of initial production within 4 years of conceptual design in 2010 and a minimum of 4 years before completion of the permanent production facilities, thereby achieving the goal of capturing the benefits of the initial-production strategy.

Benefits and Challenges

The initial production strategy evolved and was optimized from conceptual design through front-end engineering and detailed design, resulting in the fit-for-purpose initial-production facilities for the first three islands. Given the short operating duration of the initial-production facilities, cost efficiency was the key driver in decision making. To ensure implementation of only the most cost-effective fit-for- purpose facilities, the early operating experience from the first island was used to simplify further the design of the initial-production facilities on the fourth island.
Use of Microseismic Monitoring To Compare Completion Designs
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 174955, “Comparing Openhole-Packer Systems With Cemented-Liner Completions in the Northern Montney Gas Resource Play: Results From Microseismic Monitoring and Production,” by James Reimer, Matthew Ng, and Bryan Dusterhoft, Painted Pony Petroleum; Brad Birkelo, Spectraseis; and Barry Hildek, Packers Plus Energy Services, prepared for the 2015 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 28–30 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

This study compares the performance of openhole-packer completion systems with that of cemented-liner completion systems in the northern Montney gas resource play. The authors’ data demonstrate that the benefits of openhole completions include an increase in initial production (30-day average) (IP30) rates, an increase in expected ultimate raw gas recovery per well, and a decrease in stimulation-period costs, all on an unadjusted basis. When adjusted for total proppant placed or total fluid pumped on average per completion, the relative benefit of openhole systems ranges from 6 to 31%, depending on the test metric selected.

Introduction

Recovery optimization from the Montney presents a unique development challenge because of the play’s extensive thickness and corresponding multilayer extraction potential. In the Blair/Town Block study area, it has been observed that openhole completions consistently outperform cemented-liner completions when considering standard metrics of production and cost.

Completion-liner systems for horizontal wells are designed to isolate hydraulic-fracture treatments to minimize stimulation pumping interference between successive stages. At present, two basic liner designs enjoy widespread use:

Openhole multistage (OHMS) liners, wherein annular isolation is provided by external packers.

Cemented-liner perforate-and-plug (CLPP) systems, wherein cement provides mechanical isolation along the liner annulus. These two liner designs are discussed in further detail in the complete paper.

This paper investigates the superior performance of openhole stimulations by use of microseismic monitoring to evaluate comparative stimulation response during one openhole and one cemented-liner completion.

Microseismic assessments of stimulation patterns typically involve qualitative inspection of event-cloud maps. While useful for visualizing stimulated reservoir volumes (SRVs), these assessments typically do not offer practical insights into actual rock failure. In this study, a new method of microseismic analysis is applied to conduct a more-rigorous appraisal of rock failure on the basis of an in-depth assessment of individual-event focal mechanisms.
More Oil, More Water: How Produced Water Will Create Big Cost Problems for Shale Operators
Authors: Jacobs Trent
Published: January 2017

If crude prices, rig counts, and tight oil production demonstrate a stronger upward trend in the months to come, US shale operators may find themselves with more produced water than they bargained for.

The concern is that a surge of produced water could eat into profit margins even as oil prices improve by driving up costs for hauling and disposal. Many shale producers can ill afford a significant spending hike on such services when, according to IHS Markit, produced water management can represent half of a shale well’s operating expenses.

The severity of this issue will depend on how aggressively shale producers seek to rebound from the downturn by drilling new wells. It also will depend on how quickly they activate the estimated 4,000 oil-rich, drilled-but-uncompleted wells (DUCs) that have amassed over the past 2 years as both a cost-cutting and a production management maneuver.

“If you get a lot of new completions in a short amount of time, that means you are going to get a whole bunch of water too, and this is something that the industry needs to be thinking about and planning for,” said Piers Wells, co-founder and chief executive officer of Digital H2O, a company that uses analytics-based models to forecast oilfield water resources.

Because it is the most active and prolific shale play, the Permian Basin of Texas is already under pressure. As shown by Digital H2O’s model, the recent uptick in drilling there and in the adjacent Delaware Basin is yielding produced water volumes that are approaching what many of the disposal wells can take away.

“While they may not be at full pressure utilization today, many are getting close and, in a higher-price environment, you will see many more areas shifting into high utilization,” Wells said. “The thing that people need to be aware of is that this could all happen really, really fast.”

With far less drilling activity happening, North Dakota’s Bakken and Texas’ Eagle Ford shales are not facing quite the same situation as the Permian currently is. However, higher prices would start to change that, and there are also more than 2,000 DUCs in those two plays that if brought on line in quick succession have the potential to drive water-handling costs higher.

Produced water management is complex and expensive for shale producers partly because they have fewer options than their conventional counterparts on what to do with it. One major disadvantage is their inability to reinject into unconventional reservoirs, underscoring that disposal wells will always play an outsized role in shale developments.
Tapping the Value From Big Data Analytics
Authors: Mehta Amit
Published: January 2017

Management

In a recent GE/Accenture report, surveys show that 81% of senior executives believe that big data analytics is one of the top three corporate priorities for the oil and gas industry through 2018. A striking finding was the sense of urgency felt by respondents about implementing data analytics solutions. This trend is driven primarily by current market conditions that are pushing companies to find new ways to become more efficient in exploration and production.

In the quest by operators to become more efficient, many new initiatives are currently under way within organizations. Driven primarily by central excellence teams, objectives are to leverage both low- and high-resolution data (high-resolution data defined as data collected in seconds/minutes) to make better decisions quickly vs. a traditional approach of evaluating trends over a 12- or 24-hour period or after the fact using old reporting methods. Decision makers are convinced that if other industries such as airlines and consumer Internet players such as Amazon and Expedia can leverage big data to drive efficiency and growth, the same should and can apply to the oil and gas industry.

Actionable Insights and Lower Costs

If their assumptions are correct, leveraging hidden insights from mining data can help enterprise users make better, smarter decisions and reduce operational costs. However, as the industry pays closer attention to these initiatives, it is getting exposed to some harsh realities, including big data being uncharted territory for information technology (IT) and a company’s business side. Efforts to improve may actually lead to worse instead of better decision making if conducted using the wrong approaches.

Further complicating the data analytics issue, most IT organizations are traditionally more familiar with process automation projects where business needs are known and stable. In contrast, data needs are context-dependent, dynamic, and may be unarticulated or even unknown sometimes. Solving this challenge requires anthropological skills that are in short supply in today’s IT world. Unfortunately, traditional requirements gathering fails when assessing data needs since the needs are fast-changing and diverse. Additionally, today’s machine data quality (especially on historical data) lacks accuracy, precision, completeness, and consistency for real-time analytics. As a practical matter, less than 50% of today’s enterprise users find information from corporate sources to be in a usable format. This problem will only get worse as the number of information sources, uses, and users continues to increase.
Fit-for-Purpose Treatment of Produced Water for Hydraulic Fracturing in the Permian Basin
Authors: Wilson Adam
Published: January 2017

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper IPTC 18340, “Fit-for-Purpose Treatment of Produced Water for Hydraulic Fracturing—A Permian Basin Experience,” by Ramesh Sharma, SPE, Kristie McLin, SPE, Kevin Bjornen, SPE, Austin Shields, SPE, Zakir Hirani, and Samer Adham, SPE, ConocoPhillips, prepared for the 2015 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar, 7–9 December. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2015 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.

Sourcing water for large multifracture stimulations in west Texas is a well-known constraint on oil and gas activities in the area. A 6-month pilot operation demonstrated that produced-water reuse is technically feasible and can be a cost-effective solution. A fit-for-purpose treatment scheme was created to remove free oil, suspended solids, hydrogen sulfide, and iron and to render microorganisms inactive. The technical approach developed allowed for the use of salty produced water for completion activities using a new type of friction reducer.

Introduction

The oil and gas industry has identified water management as one of the top challenges for energy extraction from unconventional resources. In the Permian Basin, surface water and groundwater resources are scarce and large multifracture stimulations regularly require more than 100,000 bbl of water per well. The Texas Railroad Commission also employs a geologist to assess seismicity at water-disposal facilities. Because of these challenges, many operators in the Permian Basin have begun to investigate and implement produced-water reuse.

Produced-water-reuse initiatives executed in early 2014 paved the way for full-field produced-water-reuse implementation. The water- management team identified that produced- water reuse could significantly reduce effects to the limited water resources in the Permian Basin and help achieve sustainable- development objectives for the company. Several wells were identified as suitable candidates for the pilot because they were designed to be stimulated with a slickwater/crosslink base fluid. Additionally, these new wells were being developed in the proximity of existing producing wells, so the produced water from the existing wells can be treated easily and used to complete the new wells. The team selected multiple wells from conventional and unconventional assets to qualify water-treatment and stimulation chemistry technologies for produced-water reuse.
Genetic Analysis of the Floury Race of Maize Avati Morotî
Authors: Noldin Orlando , Revilla Pedro , Ordás Bernardo
Published: January 2017

Floury maize (Zea mays L.) is widely used across America as a staple food. A single racial complex of floury maize predominates in South America. One of the most representative races of this complex is Avati Morotî, which is used by the Guarani people as a basic food supply; however, the richness of this race has not been capitalized upon in advanced breeding programs. As a first step to profit from the potential of this race for breeding programs, we performed a genetic analysis of a core collection of the Avati Morotî race from Paraguay. The varieties were crossed in three diallels of seven, seven, and six varieties selected at random from the 20 varieties. The crosses and parents of the three diallels were evaluated in three diverse locations of Paraguay during 2 yr. Differences among varietal effects were significant for all traits; heterosis and its components were often significant. Therefore, a program for development of hybrids would be feasible if the uniformity of grain at harvest is a priority. We identified crosses with significant specific heterosis, such as PAZM2035 × PARA119 or PAZM7097 × PARA117, which are appropriate for a breeding program. Alternatively, Avati Morotî could be improved by intrapopulation recurrent selection, given that the performance of the best varieties (such as PAZM14084 or PAZM9044) was not significantly worse than the best hybrids. Genotype × environment interactions were often significant, including the interactions of heterosis components × environment, suggesting that the selection of varieties or crosses for improvement should be checked for diverse environments.
An Overview of Molecular Advances in Zoysiagrass
Authors: Chandra Ambika , Milla‐Lewis Susana , Yu Qingyi
Published: January 2017

Zoysiagrass (Zoysiaspp. Willd.) is a perennial warm‐season grass adapted to the tropical and southern temperate regions of the world. Species ofZoysiaand their interspecific hybrids are recognized for their low cultural requirements and tolerance to a wide array of biotic and abiotic stresses, and are widely used as turfgrass on golf courses, athletic fields, home lawns, and other recreational sites. Plant breeders predominantly use conventional breeding methods involving hybridization and phenotypic selection to make genetic improvements in zoysiagrass.Zoysiaspp. are cross compatible, limiting phenotype‐based classification and identification. Zoysiagrass is also an open‐pollinated and polyploid species, which makes it a difficult molecular target. However, the recent influx of powerful molecular biology tools, genome sequencing, and genetic transformation will enable breeders to make more efficient, accurate, and targeted improvements. Compared with major agricultural crops such as wheat (Triticumspp. L.), rice (Oryza sativaL.), and maize (Zea maysL.), as well as cool‐season turf or forage grasses such as ryegrass (Loliumspp. L.) and fescues (Festucaspp. L.), slow but recognizable molecular advancements have been made in zoysiagrasses, which will be covered in this article. Commitment by public and private sector to increased funding for molecular and genomic research in turfgrasses will enable researchers to take advantage of these new technologies to make more targeted and efficient genetic improvements in a reasonable period of time.
TPACK in Elementary and High School Teachers’ Self-reported Classroom Practices with the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) | Connaissances abordées dans les pratiques déclarées d’enseignants du primaire et du secondaire qui exploitent le tableau numérique interactif (TNI) en classe
Authors: Lefebvre Sonia , Samson Ghislain , Gareau Alexandre , Brouillette Nancy
Published: January 2017

The interactive whiteboard (IWB) is increasingly used for teaching and learning in the classroom. Nevertheless, the ways that teachers incorporate this tool within their teaching practices remain poorly understood. This paper examines elementary and high school teachers’ self-reported practices with the IWB. The conceptual framework centers on teachers’ self-reported practices as well as the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, a framework for successful integration of technology into teaching. Data were collected from discussion groups with 30 teachers. Overall, the results show a predominance of technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and technological knowledge (TK) regardless of grade level, gender, or years of teaching experience.Le recours au tableau numérique interactif (TNI) à des fins d’enseignement et d’apprentissage à l’école est de plus en plus fréquent. Cependant, les pratiques des enseignants qui exploitent l’outil sont encore mal connues. L’objectif de cette recherche est de rendre compte des connaissances que des enseignants du primaire et du secondaire mobilisent dans leurs pratiques déclarées au regard du TNI. Le cadre conceptuel repose sur des pratiques enseignantes déclarées et des connaissances (modèle TPaCK) à déployer pour assurer une intégration réussie des outils technologiques. Les données ont été recueillies auprès de 30 enseignants participant à des groupes de discussion et traitées selon une analyse de contenu. Globalement, les résultats montrent une prédominance de connaissances technopédagogiques (TP) et technologiques (T) chez les participants, peu importe l’ordre d’enseignement, le genre de l’enseignant ou l’expérience en enseignement.
Embodiment as First Affordance: Tinkering, Tuning, Tracking
Authors: Spatz Ben
Published: January 2017

This article begins from a discussion of philosophical realism and the turn towards close analysis of skilled material practices that characterizes many recent critical interventions. I examine the roots of this turn and suggest that skilled practice is a privileged site for the enactment and testing of realist ontologies. However, I question the extent to which realist thinkers have emphasized practices in which materials outside the human body are central over those in which embodiment itself is the primary medium of practice. Thinkers of realist ontology, I argue, have neglected embodiment as the primary site of an engagement with the fine-grained detail of the world. In contrast, I propose that realist ontologies developed through reference to technological engagements not only apply equally well to embodied practices but actually find their original and primary manifestation there. The body itself is the ‘first affordance’ and the site at which questions of realism and objectivity are first encountered and resolved in practice. I illustrate this point by considering how three modes of material engagement — tinkering, tuning, and tracking — manifest in embodied practices ranging from dance and sport to those of everyday life. I conclude by emphasizing the continuing political importance of embodiment as first affordance and its crucial place as a ‘fragile junction’ between ecology and technology.