bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal Clustering-Based Formulation Aids Multiscale Modeling
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 195329, “A General Spatiotemporal Clustering-Based Nonlocal Formulation for Multiscale Modeling of Compartmentalized Reservoirs,” by Soheil Esmaeilzadeh, Stanford University, and Amir Salehi and Gill Hetz, Quantum Reservoir Impact, et al., prepared for the 2019 SPE Western Regional Meeting, San Jose, California, 23-26 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
In the complete paper, a novel hybrid approach is presented in which a physics-based nonlocal modeling framework is coupled with data-driven clustering techniques to provide a fast and accurate multiscale modeling of compartmentalized reservoirs. The research adds to the literature by presenting a comprehensive work on spatiotemporal clustering for reservoir-studies applications that considers the clustering complexities, the intrinsic sparse and noisy nature of the data, and the interpretability of the outcome.
Introduction
History matching is the most time-consuming phase in any reservoir-simulation study. As a means of accelerating reservoir simulations, a 2018 study proposed an approach in which a reservoir is treated as a combination of multiple interconnected compartments that, under a range of uncertainty, can capture the reservoir’s response during a recovery process. In this work, the authors extend that approach to represent a reservoir in a multiscale form consisting of multiple interconnected segments. To identify segments of the reservoir, spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal unsupervised data-mining clustering techniques are used. Then, a novel nonlocal formulation for flow in porous media is presented in which the reservoir is represented by an adjacency matrix describing the neighbor and non-neighbor connections of comprising compartments. The reservoir is divided automatically into distinct compartments in which direction-dependent multiphase-flow communication is a function of nonlocal phase potential differences. With the segmented reservoir and the uncertain parameters, a robust history-matching technique is used to reproduce the reservoir’s historical response. Finally, for the segmented and history-matched reservoir, forecasting is performed. The complete paper first describes the spatiotemporal clustering framework, followed by an overview of the compartmentalized reservoir simulation framework, in which multitank history material balance and multi tank predictive material balance are explained. Next, the history-matching approach is described. These sections are not included in the current synopsis. The complete paper concludes with results of clustering, multitank material balance, and history matching for a real-world reservoir.
Future of Nonmetallic Composite Materials in Downhole Applications
Authors: Feder Judy 
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Judy Feder, contains highlights of paper SPE 198572, “The Future of Nonmetallic Composite Materials in Upstream Applications,” by Wael Badeghaish, SPE, Mohamed Noui-Mehidi, SPE, and Oscar Salazar, Saudi Aramco, prepared for the 2019 SPE Gas and Oil Technology Showcase and Conference, Dubai, 21-23 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Nonmetallic (NM) composite-based materials offer distinct advantages in overcoming the effects of corrosion, scale, and friction on carbon steel to minimize frequent workovers and extend the life cycle of critical downhole products. However, high initial cost and technical-skills limitations pose challenges to more-widespread development and deployment of these materials downhole, particularly in extended-reach drilling and other challenging wells. The complete paper highlights examples of nonmetallic materials selection and qualification for upstream water-injection and producer and hydrocarbon wells and presents suggestions for future progress.
Introduction
Carbon steel (CS) is the material of choice for downhole applications because of its advantages over other materials in terms of cost, temperature and pressure ratings, and field-construction-support services. The downsides of CS include corrosion, scale, and friction that can result in high repair and workover costs and limitations of equipment life. Corrosive fluids are handled generally by chemically inhibited CS and corrosion-resistant alloys (CRAs). However, CRAs can increase project cost and complexity significantly. NM composite materials have been introduced for drilling and completions in high-risk, corrosive environments to minimize the effect of corrosion, scale, and friction in CS tubulars and extend the well life cycle. The new proposed materials are lightweight, high-strength, and offer superior fatigue and corrosion resistance.
Economic analysis shows that using NM tubulars and internal linings will yield substantial life-cycle cost savings per well, mainly from the elimination of workover operations. However, composite materials pose several challenges. In downhole environments, the materials are subjected to a more-complex set of dynamic stress conditions under variable multiphase fluids and temperatures. Forces such as burst, collapse, tension, and axial compression play a significant role in NM downhole tubular performance. In deep-well operations, service tools are required to perform at high pressures and temperatures. Currently, the industry has explored the opportunity to deploy NM materials in standard applications while pursuing research and development (R&D) to expand the operating envelope to target high-pressure/high- temperature applications.
Technology Focus: CO2 (July 2020)
Authors: Kokal Sunil 
Published: August 2020

During the past 12 months, CO2 has taken center stage in global political debates and climate-change dialogues. Countries and companies are coming under intense pressure to find sustainable solutions to address the issue of carbon footprint by reducing CO2 emissions.
In May of last year, 2019 SPE President Sami Alnuaim wrote a JPT article on the circular economy. The essence was on sustainability through efficiency, conservation, recycling, and reusing to minimize our impacts. While he was addressing the broader picture, I want to focus this article on the circular carbon economy. The circular carbon economy, which is not new, is a framework in which emissions of carbon from all sectors of the economy (including oil and gas) can be addressed through the four R pillars: reduce, recycle, reuse, and remove.
We in the oil and gas industry can work collaboratively with governments, companies, academia, and other organizations on these four pillars. For example, energy efficiency can be improved across the entire chain of operations, flaring can be reduced to near zero, and investments can be made into high-efficiency technologies that reduce the carbon footprint.
For the recycle and reduce pillars, CO2 can be converted into useful products such as methanol or used for well stimulation or conformance control, for example. And the biggest impact can be made with the removal of CO2 permanently from the atmosphere by capturing and storing it. Two examples are storage in subterranean formations and mineralization in cements, rocks, or other materials. We need to look for (or create) appropriate business opportunities that will reduce our impact on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint and intensity.
The papers that follow are examples of these four R pillars. One describes some promising pathways to lower atmospheric carbon through a practical and holistic approach. Another is the harvesting of energy from waste heat (improving efficiency) during oil and gas operations using supercritical CO2. The third is an example of using CO2 in place of water for fracturing operations. Many other opportunities can be adopted, and a business case can be made for them. What the industry needs at this stage is a willingness to work together, share best practices, conduct innovative research, and focus on technologies that lower cost of capture and make our operations more sustainable.
Cybersecurity: Preventing Infection in a Body of Data
Authors: Flowers Lynnmarie P. 
Published: August 2020

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. That’s an adage that often alerts us to the dangers of knowing - and yet not mitigating - the repercussions of risk. And with the resurgence of cyberattacks globally, it’s also a wakeup call to cyber readiness.
The oil and gas industry faces particular risk - though it’s not necessarily ready (Fig 1).
Sixty-one percent of oil and gas professionals who are responsible for cyber risk said their organization fell short last year in protecting and securing its industrial control systems (ICS). Sixty-eight percent surveyed said their organization had experienced at least one cyber compromise in the past year, resulting in OT disruption or the loss of confidential information (Ponemon 2017).
And perhaps most alarming: They did not have a clear strategy to address it.
This is an industry where the opportunities for infiltration are nearly limitless. A typical large oil and gas company uses half a million processors just for reservoir simulation; it generates, transmits, and stores petabytes (each equal to 1,015 bytes) of sensitive field data; and it operates thousands of drilling and production control systems in diverse locations, with numerous fields, vendors, service providers, and partners (Mittal et al. 2015).
ICS are used to control assets spanning thousands of square miles - such as the 2.6 million miles of oil and gas pipeline in the US alone (PHMSA). ICS may be as simple as a few panel-mounted controllers or as complex as interconnected and interactive distributed control systems with thousands of field connections. At the same time, cloud-based internet of things (IoT) technology, wireless communications networks, and analytical and automated tools are connecting operations in real time, with new data-based links between rigs, refineries, and headquarters.
And as these connections multiply exponentially, the exposure - and thus the threats - increase.
“The industry is increasingly becoming a target, with attacks growing in frequency, sophistication, and impact. Data is becoming more valuable, perhaps the most valuable commodity in the world right now, and oil and gas companies are oozing with data,” Ben Dickinson, global cybersecurity lead for ABB’s oil, gas, and chemicals unit, said at the 2019 SPE Offshore Europe conference.
Head of Chevron Technology Ventures on the Realities of Investing Amid a Pandemic
Authors: Jacobs Trent 
Published: August 2020

Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) has been involved in the emerging technology space for more than 20 years, making it the largest and most experienced corporate investment arm in the oil and gas business.
But like every other organization in the industry today, it is facing new realities as a result of a global pandemic that is suppressing energy demand and forcing key business operations to be done remotely.
Barbara Burger, the president of CTV, offered fresh perspectives in an interview on SPE Live on how the pandemic and the resulting industry downturn has impacted the industry’s startup eco-system, which she emphasized remains “vibrant” and “needed.”
Along these lines, Burger said the fundamentals of CTV’s investing philosophy have not changed, nor its key interest areas. New technologies that can bring clear value to Chevron by improving its understanding of the subsurface, drive efficiencies in drilling, or ensure asset integrity all have a chance of earning a coveted spot within the supermajor’s investment portfolio.
However, the sudden southward movement of market conditions has raised the bar on which startups will receive new funding. “We’re having to prioritize more, which means by definition some folks don’t make the list,” said Burger, who summed up that the impact of the pandemic and ensuing downturn “has not been a positive message” for the startup community.
As activity levels drop across the board, Burger said downhole and hardware technologies will have fewer opportunities for trials, at least in the short term. And while CTV and most of the industry’s other venture groups remain active in their pursuit of new companies, she said some have curtailed their activity.
For the companies already in CTV’s basket of investments, the pandemic spurred each of them to reassess their operations and business plans in preparation for a tighter marketplace. Burger added that a number of the youngest technology developers still courting venture groups for investments have adapted to the situation by lowering their valuations.
“That’s always good as an investor,” she quipped before noting that the new normal represents a mixed bag for the funding side of the equation. “We’re having to do due diligence and our early engagement with startups in a different way,” she said. “We always want to go and see them - kind of see what’s there and kick the tires.” But for now, because of the need for social distancing and travel restrictions, all of those highly valued meet and greets must be done virtually.
Similar to its commitment to keep building its upstream and downstream investment portfolio, CTV remains undeterred in its pursuit of technologies that can lower emissions or provide entry into other forms of energy generation - a refrain echoed by most of the international majors in recent months.
“We know that the energy mix is going to be more diverse as we go forward,” said Burger as she cited various reports that estimate oil and gas will make up only about 50% of the world’s primary energy demand by 2040.
Using a Digital Twin in Predictive Maintenance
Authors: Rao Samvith Vasudeva 
Published: August 2020

The oil and gas industry is facing unprecedented and brutal market conditions. While the industry was already in the midst of digitalization, the oil price crash has instilled a fresh impetus on its adoption to cut costs through innovation and new technologies. One such technology is predictive maintenance. When equipment on a rig breaks down, the resulting problem often is not that of replacement but the forced downtime in production or drilling. Therefore, predicting when equipment or a system is going to fail and determining the root cause of failure unlocks significant value.
Predictive maintenance has rapidly gained in popularity, spurred by well publicized advances in high-performing computing and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Some companies are experiencing the benefits of predictive maintenance firsthand. For example, engineers at Baker Hughes implemented predictive maintenance on the company’s fleet of fracturing trucks. They collected nearly a terabyte of data from pumps on these trucks and then used signal-processing techniques to identify the relevant sensors. Finally, they applied machine-learning techniques to distinguish a healthy pump from an unhealthy one and reduced overall costs by $10 million (MathWorks 2019). This success story and others like it have made pursuing predictive maintenance projects a priority among both oilfield operators and services firms.
Developing Technologies Can Lower Subsea Tieback Cost
Authors: Feder Judy 
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Judy Feder, contains highlights of paper OTC 30667, “How Technology Enables a Lower Cost for Subsea Tiebacks,” by Fabrice Bacati, Giorgio Arcangeletti, SPE, Bruno Breuskin, Saipem, et al., prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Houston, 4-7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.
The traditional subsea tieback model is evolving, supported by advances in flow assurance that allow tiebacks over much longer distances and by the introduction of new technologies that increase overall cost effectiveness. Paper OTC 30667 discusses several of these technologies, their maturity status, and how they can be integrated economically.
Introduction
During the past 15 years, operating companies have relied increasingly on effective subsea field-development solutions to eliminate the need for traditional platforms or vessels with topside processing facilities, particularly in geographically remote areas and small-pool developments of maturing brownfield areas. Technical and economic challenges include flow assurance and the cost of the umbilical and flowlines, which increase with length. These aspects, together with others independent of length, such as power and space availability, affect project economics significantly.
Technologies developed recently or in their final stage of qualification can help not only in solving technical challenges but also in finding cost-effective configurations, either through reduction or re-apportioning of capital and operational expenditures, extension of reserves recoverability, or reduction of associated risks.
The complete paper outlines several configurations, beginning with those enabled by conventional technologies, and compares them to those enabled by the new technologies. Each section of the complete paper discusses the subject technology’s composition, application, maturity, and impact on cost effectiveness.
Subsea Boosting
Subsea boosting systems that ensure pressure to enable production flow for the life of the field have matured during the last 10 years. Boosting can reduce backpressure at wellheads, and also can transport the production fluid at higher pressure to minimize flowline diameter and control possible instability issues. For gas fields, recovery can be increased by allowing the reservoir to deplete and then using compression to produce the field over a longer time. Currently, several boosting systems operate internationally.
The type of pump technology used depends on the fluid to be boosted and the performance required. Single-phase pumps are used for water injection and oil boosting up to 15% of gas/volume fraction (GVF). Hybrid pumps are used for GVF up to 30%, and multiphase pumps for up to 95%. Subsea compressors are used for higher GVF.
Public/Private Partnership Improves Healthcare Outcomes in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: August 2020

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 199373, “A Public/Private Partnership To Improve Healthcare Outcomes in Papua New Guinea,” by Henry Welch, Texas Children’s Hospital, Nirven Kumar, ExxonMobil, and Michael Mizwa, Texas Children’s Hospital, et al., prepared for the 2020 SPE International Conference and Exhibition on Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainability, originally scheduled to be held in Bogota, Colombia, 28-30 July. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) ranks 157th out of 187 countries on the United Nations (UN) Human Development Index, with extremely high under-5 mortality (5.4% of children will die before the age of 5). In 2013, ExxonMobil PNG (EMPNG) facilitated a public/private partnership (PPP) to improve healthcare education at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and clinical management in child health at Port Moresby General Hospital and other PNG facilities, as well as strengthen public health capacity. The complete paper reviews the aspects and results of this program.
Introduction
PNG is one of the more diverse countries in the world, geographically, biologically, linguistically, and culturally. Communicable diseases are a recognized problem in PNG, with pneumonia, diarrhea, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, newborn infections, and other communicable diseases being responsible for 62% of deaths nationwide. Malnutrition remains a significant contributor to morbidity, mortality, and national economic loss. PNG has the fourth highest rate of stunting in the world because of chronic malnutrition - 48% of children experience this deficiency. Malnutrition also contributes to nearly 30% of hospital deaths of children.
In recent years, TB, including drug-resistant TB, has emerged as a public health crisis in PNG. With 432 cases per 100,000 population annually, PNG has the sixth highest incidence rate of TB cases worldwide. Twenty-six percent of these TB cases occur in children, which represents the highest such percentage in the world.
An adequate number of well-trained healthcare workers is essential to address these issues as well as other health priorities in PNG. The country suffers from a severe shortage of doctors, with 0.05 physicians per 1,000 population. By comparison, neighboring Australia has 3.52 doctors per 1,000 population. Additionally, while the national government is recommending at least 300 new doctors to be trained per year, only one medical school, The University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine and Health Sciences (UPNG-SMHS) exists; it produces approximately 50 doctors per year.
To build healthcare capacity, a needs assessment was conducted. Historically short-term expatriate secondments of faculty to UPNG were 1-3 months and, while beneficial, were unable to provide consistent teaching rotations. Barriers to long-term secondments to UPNG included locating suitable candidates, logistical and safety issues, isolationism, and an extremely high cost of living for expatriates in Port Moresby.