bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pressure Relief Valves Fugitive Emissions Testing
Authors: Tezzo D. Emile , Gado Amr , Deng Calvin 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Fugitive emissions, which are unintended emissions of gases or vapors from pressurized plant components, have been a key concern for operators of oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical plants as well as regulators for a long time. Fugitive emissions could be hazardous, contribute to atmospheric pollution, and could represent an economic loss for the plant. As the number of potential leak sources at large industrial facilities can be numerous and difficult to identify, controlling fugitive emissions is particularly challenging.
One particularly challenging possible source of fugitive emissions is valves in general, (see Figure 1). Particularly, pressure relief valves are not exempt from fugitive emissions. Bolted and threaded components and features that constitute pressure relief valve designs suffer the same fate. Unlike manual valves, pressure relief valves are not designed with packing (or stuffing boxes) to minimize or control emissions. Another source of challenge is that, traditionally, an industry-wide acceptable standard for testing PRVs for fugitive emissions has not been established and adopted.
Emerson Automation Solutions teamed up with a leading oil and gas producer and a third-party testing laboratory to embark on an industry-leading, first-of-its-kind fugitive emissions testing program for pressure relief valves. The valves that were subjected to this test program are the Anderson Greenwood pilot-operated pressure relief valves (Figure 2, left) and Crosby direct spring-operated pressure relief valves (Figure 2, right) and OMNI portable thermal relief valves.
High Strength Steel for HP/HT Riser Applications and Cost Benefits
Authors: Karunakaran Daniel , Jones Richard , Thurel Elina , Linne Cedric 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
HP/HT applications in conventional steel grades require large wall thickness for the pipeline and risers. Design of risers with large wall thickness, especially in deep waters and ultra-deep waters, pose great challenges due to: large payloads on the floater, welding of large wall thickness, fatigue at hang-off and touch down point for Steel Catenary Risers (SCR) and Steel Lazy Wave Risers (SLWR).
Application of high strength steel for HP/HT application as riser material is an attractive alternative. High strength steel reduces the wall thickness and thereby reduces payloads on floaters. Further, risers with reduced wall thickness have other added cost saving due to reduced buoyancy requirement for SLWR or hybrid riser solutions which can be significant depending on the application. Furthermore, reduced wall thickness improves weldability.
The paper addresses the engineering assessment and cost benefits of using high strength steel. Furthermore the paper will present the recent qualification programmes, carried out in collaboration with Vallourec, aimed at validating seamless Grade X80 linepipe material and welding solutions for reel-lay installation.
The results clearly highlight the technical and cost benefits of applying high strength steel for HP/HT riser application. Preliminary fatigue test results demonstrate that high fatigue performance can be sustained with established girth welding procedures with appropriate control of pipe fit up tolerances and weld soundness.
Horizontal Well Placement in a Thin Heterogeneous Carbonate Reservoir, Utilizing Azimuthal Sonic and Resistivity Measurements, a Case Study from Offshore Abu Dhabi
Authors: Serry Amr M. , Al-Hassani Sultan , Al-Tamimi Ibrahim , Khan Owais A. , Naseem Shafiq , Mostafa Hassan , El Kholy Mohamed , Bassiony Aly 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Proper Well Placement in a thin carbonate reservoir could be challenging due to high geological uncertainty. Using radioactive sources to evaluate porosity & formation dipping is effective, but localized geological and structural uncertainty resulted in a decision to not use radioactive sources in the well.
This paper is a case study illustrating utilizing absolutely sourceless BHA including combination of azimuthal sonic with azimuthal resistivity distance to boundary technology as a highly effective alternative sourceless geosteering method & adds extra formation evaluation values.
Azimuthal resistivity was used for larger scale geosteering, landing the well within the reservoir, and positioning it close to the target zone, while azimuthal sonic was used for smaller scale precision placement within the target zone itself, with steering decisions being based on porosity.
A standard LWD sonic tool would have provided an average response to the formation within the zone of measurement, with the transit time for both compressional and shear effectively corresponding to the fastest route from transmitter to receiver.
The azimuthal sonic tool however, measures the transit time for both compressional and shear slowness in 16 sectors around the borehole. As the drill string rotates, waveform data is acquired in 16 fixed-orientation azimuthal bins. The waveforms are processed to yield azimuthally oriented compressional and reflected shear slowness values, with associated porosity values derived from the compressional data. It is these porosity values that were compared and contrasted to ensure positioning of the wellbore within the narrow high porosity zone.
Borehole images constructed from both compressional and shear slowness data provided clear indication of intersecting beds. Compressional data compared well with conventional images from LWD azimuthal gamma and density tools, and was used to identify formation dip and stratigraphic position of the wellbore.
Opportunities and Challenges of Remote Operating a ROV Embarked on a USV
Authors: Lachaud Emilie , Monbeig Yodrick , Nolleau Pierre , Hardy Antoine , Thompson Matthew , Lardeux Mathieu 
Published: April 2018

An Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) deploying a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) has the potential to replace a conventional manned vessel for various operations from field installation to operational support (including inspection, maintenance, repair and drilling support) and decommissioning. The USV deploying ROV (also written as USV+ROV) is already emerging in the oil and gas industry with maturing technology developments and increasing capacities and performance of autonomous vehicles and remotely operated systems. Beyond the safety improvement generated by the absence of personnel onboard the USV, this solution intends to significantly reduce the subsea intervention costs while improving the intervention (planning) flexibility. One of the advantages of the technology is that the operator is located offshore on another vessel or onshore while maintaining a real-time control with the USV+ROV. Threfore, communication link between the operator and the USV+ROV system is critical.
To mitigate limitations (latency and bandwidth) of the communication link, an obvious solution is to evolve disruptively towards autonomous system. However, incremental autonomy approach with immediate return on investment could be made possible with careful mission's analysis and thorough analysis of communications limitations on operation efficiency.
This paper will present only a methodology that attempts to develop a deep understanding of the communication physical effects and their consequences on performance of targeted remote operations. The impact of latency and bandwidth are studied using interactive simulations associated to future offshore trials. At the time of writing, the simulator has been commissioned and a proof of concept trials has been prepared.
Developing Weld Defect Acceptance Criteria for a Swaged Pipe-in-Pipe System
Authors: Zhou D. , Sriskandarajah T. , Bamane M. , Tews P. , Dugat S. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Swaged pipe in pipe construction has been increasingly used for offshore pipeline system. Double joint pieces of swaged pipe-in-pipe are typically welded together on a J-lay/S-lay vessel. The swaged end joint is fabricated through a cold deformation process to the outer pipe that is then welded to the inner pipe. The pipe-in-pipe system has excellent thermal insulation characteristics. However, the integrity assessment of pipe-in-pipe swage weld is outside the range of validity of existing engineering critical assessment (ECA) codes, and this presents challenges in developing welding defect acceptance criteria, associated welding qualification and automatic ultrasonic testing (AUT).
This paper highlights the assessment and inspection challenges faced and efficient solutions developed for the swage weld system. Comprehensive 3D finite element (FE) analyses were developed to consider mixed mode fracture for defects at the swage weld. Representative fracture testing was carried out as part of welding qualifications.
The methodology was deployed to derive and optimise weld defect acceptance criteria specific to flowline and pipeline end termination (PLET) special joints, considering laydown, initiation and normal lay installation scenarios. The welding defect acceptance criteria were applied to the swage weld through a newly developed AUT system which can fit in small diameter pipelines.
The developed assessment solutions will greatly benefit the future pipe-in-pipe swage weld system assessment and potentially bring significant cost savings to the industry.
On Extreme Surface and Sub-Surface Currents Driven by North Brazil Current Rings Offshore Suriname
Authors: Schiller Rafael V. , Smith Rosemary B. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
North Brazil Current Rings (NBCRs) are mesoscale oceanic vortexes (100-500km in diameter) that significantly affect current conditions offshore Suriname and other countries in the Western Equatorial Atlantic. NBCRs propagate in deep water from the Brazilian Amazon region towards the Lower Antilles at a rate of about 8-9 rings per year. With maximum surface velocities easily reaching more than 1m/s, NBCRs can represent a major metocean hazard to the offshore O&G Industry. Hence, the metocean characterization of NBCRs is key for safe asset design and operations. This paper presents novel findings of NBCRs extreme surface and sub-surface currents based on recent long-term mooring-based current measurements. The measurements consisted of 14 months of full-water column current records at three locations in deepwater offshore Suriname. Throughout the measurement period, the three locations were impacted by 8 NBCRs; 5 were surface-intensified (maximum currents near the surface and ring restricted to the upper 250m), 2 were deep-reaching (maximum currents near the surface but strong currents reaching down to ~800m) and 1 was subsurface-intensified (maximum currents at ~250m below the surface, weak surface current signature). All surface rings presented maximum currents well above 1m/s while one ring peaked at 1.65 m/s. The subsurface ring was unique in nature as near-surface currents peaked at ~0.6m/s while the sub-surface currents peaked at ~1.2m/s. The impact of some rings lasted for as long as 1 month. Our findings expanded on the complexity of deep water currents in offshore Suriname and how they represent unique operational and design challenges.
Gullfaks Subsea Compression: Early Operational Experience from the World's First Subsea Wet Gas Compression System
Authors: Bøe Caroline , Hjelmeland Mads , Torkildsen Bernt Helge 
Published: April 2018

Subsea boosting has today achieved a significant track record and it has been recognized by major oil companies as an important part of enhanced drainage strategies. For gas fields compression is the only viable means of artificial lift and subsea compressions offers many advantages over conventional topside compression such as increased ultimate recovery. The advantages of subsea compression increase with increasing tie-back distance.
Particular features and benefits of subsea multiphase or wet gas compression are discussed in general and the particular experience with a subsea wet gas compression system now in operation at the Gullfaks field on the Norwegian continental shelf is presented.
Commissioning of the Gullfaks Subsea Wet Gas Compression System started in 2015. The system ran for one month but had to be taken out of operation for almost two years due to umbilical leakage. The system was restarted in 2017 and has been running successfully ever since, boosting wet gas and increasing the production from several wells. The system flexibility is exploited in a more extended way then ever expected during the project phase, and allows the operator to take advantage of many opportunities including increased oil recovery, and kicking off dead wells and enabling stable well back-pressure. The fundamental benefits of subsea compression are now demonstrated.
An Evaluation of an Air Gap Assessment Using a Focus Wave Technique
Authors: Kim Youngkook , Zhang Yali , Pang Andrew , Chua Kie Hian , Xu Hai Hua , Liu Jing , Ma Pei Feng , Choudhary Ankit , Hussain Anis , Merchant Aziz Amirali 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
It is challenging to predict the air gaps of floating offshore structures due to the property of ocean waves and induced motions of the structures. Linear analysis based on potential flow theory is common to be used for air gap evaluations before carrying out air gap model tests with typical 3-hour irregular wave. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations are getting popular for the offshore industry to reduce uncertainty of the design. However, simulation of short-term irregular sea for the air gap evaluation using CFD is time consuming. Because non-extreme events are not of interest to the designers for air gap assessment, combination of focus wave, based on NewWave theory, and probability distribution of wave crest is used to generate the most probable extreme wave and applied for the air gap evaluation in this study. The developed extreme wave is first evaluated against the undisturbed waves in the model tests. Several wave crest distributions are compared to find the most suitable one for target wave when used with NewWave theory. Due to the non-linearity of NewWave and numerical dissipation, best practice methodologies are investigated to obtain the required target wave. By applying such a design wave in CFD, the air gap of a semisubmersible was assessed. The responses of the floater, i.e. motions and relative wave elevations, are compared against the several extreme events observed in irregular model test to evaluate the developed methodology. This study demonstrates how the focus wave technique can be used in CFD for air gap assessment instead of a 3 hour short term simulation.
A New Logging-While-Drilling Azimuthal Density Sensor for Large Borehole Applications—Gulf of Mexico Case Studies
Authors: Michel Franck , Parker Tim , Rennie Allan , Laroussi Nasreddine , Ehiwario Michael 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
In the current market, operational geology and geoscience asset teams have clear and aggressive financial reduction targets that need to be met without compromising the formation evaluation (FE) requirements of a well construction project. Advances in drilling and completion technologies and practices for deep-water wells commonly require operators to drill larger borehole sizes throughout the well construction process. For deep-water subsalt wellbores, this often implies exiting a thick salt layer with borehole deviation in borehole sizes ranging from 14.5 to 17.5 in.
This paper introduces a unique 9.5-in. nominal collar size logging-while-drilling (LWD) density tool that makes it possible to address the FE challenges encountered in large borehole sizes. Any LWD method that can provide crucial cost-effective and accurate FE data can add value to well drilling and logging programs.
The new tool provides density and photoelectric measurements in large-diameter boreholes. It also contains an ultrasonic sensor that can provide accurate borehole geometry information, which is useful for identifying stress-related breakout and providing accurate estimates of borehole volume for later placement of cement for zonal isolation.
In such settings, formation density measurements are crucial for determining key evaluation parameters, such as porosity and rock mechanical properties, but acquisition of these measurements can be challenging using existing LWD technologies. In addition, real-time structural dip information for subsalt environments provides insight for the interpretation of the geological structure of the field but is often difficult to obtain in large-diameter boreholes.
Several case studies demonstrate the value added by the new tool and its breadth of application, as well as the implications for pre-job analysis, bottom-hole assembly (BHA) modeling, data-acquisition procedures, sensor response analysis, and economic benefits to the operator.
The capability of acquiring logging data for interpretation purposes and to fulfill specific regulatory requirements without negatively affecting the drilling program provides a desirable cost-management opportunity.
The results presented here provide a reference for appropriate business cases to help justify the use of this unique LWD technology in drilling and logging projects involving large-diameter boreholes.
Recommended Design and Field Practices to Maximize the Value of Degradable Completion Systems
Authors: Aviles I. , Dardis M. 
Published: April 2018

The introduction of new technology is critical for operators to expand their completion options, increase efficiency, and drive profitably in challenging environments. For unconventional reservoirs, hydraulic fracturing in cased or open hole has been key for the economic success of new ventures. The continuous evolution in Completion technology has led to many advances in efficiency by the inclusion of degradable technologies. These technologies, when properly implemented, can reduce or even eliminate mechanical interventions, both during operations and post-stimulation. However, simply replacing current isolating technologies, balls or plugs, with one that will dissolve is not enough to capture the full value of these systems.
Many operators have decided to experiment with degradable technologies without adjusting their current completion strategies. This approach can result in mixed success. For those operators who did not achieve the potential of the technology, a closer look is needed to decide if the degradable technology is compatible with the operator's drivers and overall strategy. A thorough review of current operating practices and environments is essential to understand how degradable technologies may be utilized to reduce cost, risk, and time associated with completion activities.
In addition, the dissolution mechanisms must be understood to best decide how and when to use degradable devices. Environmental, procedural, and design considerations need to be evaluated to have a successful implementation of degradable technologies. These include: A) Environmental (e.g. reservoir pressure, BHST, etc.), B) Procedural (e.g. pump down fluid, stimulation fluid, etc.) and C) Design (e.g. tool design, degradation mechanism,etc.)
This paper will provide a set of comprehensive recommendations to assist in job planning and execution. Examples will be drawn from various operating environments with their unique challenges discussed and analyzed. Following these recommendations, degradable technologies can more successfully be implemented and the reduction of costs, risks, and time associated with mechanical interventions can be achieved.
Effective Use of Laboratory Measurements on Eor Planning
Authors: Moreno J. E. , Flew S. , Gurpinar O. , Liu Y. , Gossuin J. 
Published: April 2018

EOR design and risk mitigation often involves the use of laboratory results to further characterize frontal movement and interaction of the EOR agents within the reservoir; laboratory tests and protocols have been designed to address such uncertainties and constitute now a fundamental part of any EOR deployment. While the need for laboratory tests is recognized, specifics of the tests and uncertainty of the laboratory tests themselves are not widely known, or fully understood, which has the potential of inadequate usage of the laboratory results on the EOR performance estimations.This paper aims to provide guidance on use of the laboratory results in numerical models by identifying and pairing specific laboratory measurements to numerical requirements; that is recognizing what parameters are directly measured and which are estimated indirectly from either laboratory and field measurements.This paper addresses the requirements for chemical, miscible and WAG processes; and highlights the caveats of translation of the measurements onto numerical models as well as the inherent measurement uncertainties. A comprehensive numerical investigation is used to illustrate the effect and scalability of laboratory measurements for different displacement scenarios, accounting for finite-difference grid size, viscous-gravity forces, concentrations and fluid interaction. These results are used to further refine the remaining uncertainties on the displacement characterization and provide a solid start for the design of any field measurements including EOR pilot operations.
On the Limiting Weak-type Behaviors for Maximal Operators Associated with Power Weighted Measure
Authors: Hou Xianming , Wu Huoxiong 
Published: April 2018

AbstractLet
$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\geqslant 0$
, let
$e_{1}=(1,0,\ldots ,0)$
be a unit vector on
$\mathbb{R}^{n}$
, and let
$d\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(x)=|x|^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}dx$
be a power weighted measure on
$\mathbb{R}^{n}$
. For
$0\leqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}<n$
, let
$M_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}$
be the centered Hardy-Littlewood maximal function and fractional maximal functions associated with measure
$\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$
. This paper shows that for
$q=n/(n-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC})$
,
$f\in L^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{n},d\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})$
,
$$\begin{eqnarray}\displaystyle \lim _{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}\rightarrow 0+}\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}^{q}\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(\{x\in \mathbb{R}^{n}:M_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}f(x)>\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}\})=\frac{\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{n-1}}{(n+\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD})\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(B(e_{1},1))}\Vert f\Vert _{L^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{n},d\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})}^{q}, &amp; &amp; \displaystyle \nonumber\\ \displaystyle \lim _{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}\rightarrow 0+}\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}^{q}\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}\left(\left\{x\in \mathbb{R}^{n}:\left|M_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}f(x)-\frac{\Vert f\Vert _{L^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{n},d\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})}}{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(B(x,|x|))^{1-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}/n}}\right|>\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}\right\}\right)=0, &amp; &amp; \displaystyle \nonumber\end{eqnarray}$$
which is new and stronger than the previous result even if
$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}=0$
. Meanwhile, the corresponding results for the un-centered maximal functions as well as the fractional integral operators with respect to measure
$\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$
are also obtained.