French Engineers Report on Petroleum Technology In the U.S.S.R.
Authors: Seve Bernard J. 
Published: December 2007

SEVE, BERNARD J. BUREAU DE RECHERCHES DE PETROLE; MEMBER AIME PARIS, FRANCE

Editor's Note: This article is the first in a series to be published in JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY dealing with Russian achievements in petroleum research, drilling and production operations. The original paper, first published in the Jan., 1962 issue of REVUE DE L'INSTITUT FRANCAIS DU PETROLE, stemmed from a series of visits to Russia made by three teams of French engineers in late 1960 and early 1961. It has been translated from the French for publication in JPT by T. V. Moore, petroleum consultant in Houston, Tex.The original French document required approximately 100 magazine pages for publication. While translating, therefore, Moore has worked with the JPT editors in an effort to logically divide the French paper into a series of shorter, self-contained articles suitable for publication in JPT.This first article in the series was written by Bernard J. Seve, head of the Production, Drilling and Equipment Dept. for the Bureau de Recherches de Petrole, Paris. He summarizes activities in the Russian producing industry and reviews the oil exploitation methods being employed in the Soviet Union at the beginning of 1961. In the April JPT, Seve describes his team's visit to three of the largest oil-producing fields in the U.S.S.R.Subsequent articles in the series will describe visits to three of the most important Russian scientific institutes - the Ufa Oil Scientific Research Institute, the Moscow Institute for Oil Production and the Moscow Scientific Institute of Petroleum Geology. At these last two, various research studies being carried out on oil reservoir exploitation and oil recovery are described, and laboratory data are presented to give an idea of the types of models being used, a field in which the Russian engineers have made interesting contributions.Finally, the Soviet drilling industry is examined in detail. The different drilling sites visited are described followed by an illustration of studies in applied research being conducted, particularly on drillability and electro-drilling.

If the "systemization of methods" were not the essential feature of Russian oil operations, it would be rash to discuss petroleum production in the U.S.S.R. after a stay of only 15 days. Because the various institutes of technology (principally the Moscow Institutes) plan all of the projects throughout the country, we were able to quickly get a picture of the types of field operations taking place in the Bashkir, Tatar, Stalingrad and Baku oil fields. Once the philosophies followed by these institutes are understood, one can quickly comprehend the field operations because these institutes plan all development projects and follow them during the course of exploitation. The role of the local trusts is reduced to the practical execution of these projects and to cost reduction.

Development of Reservoirs

When a positive test has been obtained on an exploration well, it appears that an estimate of probable reserves is made by the Geological Institute of Moscow; unfortunately, however, we have no details of the methods employed.The area is then surveyed with an extension drilling program, the make-up of which, though loose enough. appears to be the same for all fields. On the basis of the results of this campaign, the institute responsible undertakes the reservoir study, judges the producibility and establishes a definite plan for development, fixing the number of wells, the annual rate of production and the general method of exploitation (usually, water injection).Systematic development of the reservoir is then carried out; it is put on production, often bit by bit (as in the Romashkino field, Tatar Republic), according to the plan determined by the institute and approved by superior authorities.

This excellent study of the Russian petroleum Industry merits the reading of every conscientious petroleum engineer. The French engineers who wrote the material did a very fine job of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of petroleum engineering in Russia. Journal of Petroleum Technology and Mr. T. V. Moore are to he congratulated for their efforts in translating and publishing this series of articles.

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