bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation Testing of Completion Tubular Connections for an HPHT Environment in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Cole S. , Groh J. , Perkins J. , Dickerson G. , Pattillo D. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
The industry standard that governs the testing of casing and tubing connections is API Recommended Practice (RP) 5C5. Due to the complexity and variety of load combinations that a connection can experience in the field, especially in deepwater/HPHT applications, a new version of API RP 5C5 was released in January 2017. (The previous version of RP 5C5 was the Third Edition published in 2002.) This latest version requires in-depth collaborative involvement from both the operator and supplier to ensure that the testing fulfills both the industry standard and any operator-specific functional requirements.
In order to assess structural integrity and sealability, an operator requires validation testing of production tubing connections to demonstrate "fit-for-service." Due to the critical nature of production tubing, acting as the primary barrier for produced fluids, the most rigorous testing protocol was selected—API RP 5C5:2017 CAL IV. Of all the connection assessment levels (CALs) outlined in API RP 5C5:2017, CAL IV most accurately captures the sequence and severity of loading that may be experienced by production tubing in an HPHT environment.
This paper outlines the evaluation and testing methods conducted collaboratively between a supplier and an operator, appropriate for a deepwater HPHT project. Three different oil-country tubular goods (OCTG) connection sizes were tested to API RP 5C5:2017 CAL IV. This paper includes a step-by-step overview of the process—initial review of the connection, gap analysis of product-to-testing requirements, modification of testing protocol, physical connection testing, and final reporting of the results.
The operator and supplier wish to share their experience and lessons-learned in testing connections to the latest qualification standard. This experience includes the detailed coordination and communication needed among all parties involved.
Lateral Response of Trenched Pipelines to Large Deformations in Clay
Authors: Kianian M. , Esmaeilzadeh M. , Shiri H. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Subsea pipelines are usually buried in shallow waters for physical protection. Buried pipelines may experience large lateral displacement in different occasions such as ice gouging, ground movement, significant thermal gradients, and dragging by anchors, fish traps, etc. Backfilling materials are often heavily remoulded under functional and environmental loads and are considerably softer than trenched native ground. This, in turn, affects the failure mechanisms in the surrounding soil and the lateral load-displacement response of the pipeline, consequently. These important considerations are covered less often in the design codes and standards. In this study, the lateral pipeline-backfill-trench interaction was studied through centrifuge testing of sixteen distinct pipe-soil configurations under drained and partially drained conditions. A transparent observation window combined with digital cameras were used for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) analysis. A range of instruments was installed on the pipeline, backfill, and the trench to obtain the key data and the lateral p-y response of the buried pipe. The influence of several key parameters on the lateral pipeline response was also investigated including backfilling properties, trench geometry, interaction rate effect, and burial depth. The results showed that the failure mechanisms, affected by various pipeline-backfill-trench interaction parameters, have a significant impact on the lateral p-y response and the ultimate soil resistance. The study program provided an in-depth insight into this challenging area and prepared the ground for proposing new models and methodologies for incorporating more realistic conditions for pipeline design subjected to large lateral displacements.
Digital Oilfield Implementation Challenges Management in Offshore Environment
Authors: Udofia Emmanuel , Obong Benjamin 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Digital Oilfield (DOF) is an Intelligent Energy concept that assures continuous optimisation of an asset or group of assets through integration of standard tools, domain experts, defined business processes and appropriate facility or space. Digital oilfield solutions include real-time production optimization and extend to improvements in team integration and asset risk reduction. The objective of this paper is to highlight challenges of digital oil field implementation and provide appropriate mitigations.
Following over two decades of implementation of digital oilfield by several operators globally, digital oilfield concept has undergone series of transformation in implementation strategy and sustainability drive. The fundamental principle and objectives of digital oilfield remains the same that is optimisation of an asset in the short term and to extend the life cycle value of an asset in the long term. However, the difference amonst the operators are the name each operator refers to this concept. Shared business perspective from experiences in several implementations will assist in driving the message of how to effectively manage digital oilfield programme.
Documented evidences has demonstrated that short term solutions from digital oilfield implementations are delivered, but the challenges has been value erosion overtime due to lack of effort or commitment to ensure solid embedment of the process and sustainability of the solutions. The said outcome involves evaluation of the business impact of the DOF implementation in addressing challenges of digital oilfield implementation. The observed challenges includes but not limited to the following:
Poor alignment of the project implementation objectives with the business need of the asset Lack of involvement of the asset at the inception of the project and ensure seamless ownership and sponsorship process. No clear succession plan for the process champions which equally hamper value sustenance Lack of defined training and retraining of personnel remains a big exposure in digital oilfield benefits realisation.
To manage these gaps, a novel sustainability framework is proposed that is developed and built to ensure the digital field solution addresses the asset-specific business need with the right sustainability model. The result from this paper could be applied in similar project elsewhere.
Evaluation of Rock Mass Stability and Rock Fall Hazard for Pipelines in Submarine Environments
Authors: Bertalot D. , Malgesini G. , Parker E. J. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Although relatively uncommon, rocky submarine outcrops with high to nearly vertical gradients do occur in various offshore settings, including high latitude fiords and tectonic margins with narrow or absent shelves, or high-gradient aprons constituted by ancient lithified carbonate reefs. Here pipelines and flowlines are subject to the hazard of landslides developed in the instable rock-mass and consequent impact of individual boulders. This paper proposes a methodology for the evaluation of landslide and rock fall hazard for pipelines in submarine rocky slopes. The analysis includes results from several common marine site investigations such as high resolution geophysical surveys, Side Scan Sonar imaging, ROV video transects and conventional geotechnical boreholes, and specific datasets including in-hole structural drilling and data from analogue outcrops into a probabilistic framework, aimed at establishing the risk of pipeline structural damage. The assessment of rock fall hazard for onshore infrastructures such as railways and roads is routinely evaluated based on well-established methodologies. Such analyses, however, either requires a full geomechanical understanding of the rock mass, hardly achievable offshore due to data limitations or a probabilistic evaluation of historical events, not applicable offshore. The methodology we propose overcomes these limitations and allows, after defining the maximum allowable impact energy for the design pipeline, obtaining the overall frequency of offshore pipeline damage and thus quantifying the risk associated to rock fall based on relevant standards and guidelines. The rock slope stability is evaluated using a limit equilibrium approach which includes pseudo-static accelerations. Given the uncertainties associated to key input parameters such as the mechanical properties of the rock mass, as well as to the size and trajectories of the failed rock wedges, a Monte Carlo probabilistic approach is preferred. The main outcome of the proposed methodology is the probability of pipeline failure in environments where rock mass instability and consequent rockfall phenomena represent a potential hazard.
Mapping Benthic Habitat Conditions and Seafloor Deposits Using Sediment Profile Imaging and a Semiautomated Image Processing System
Authors: Revelas Eugene , Sackmann Brandon , Thurlow Aimee , Jones Craig 
Published: April 2018

AbstractObjectives/ScopeSediment profile imaging (SPI) technology characterizes in situ physical, geochemical, and biological seafloor features. SPI was required by Mexico’s Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment in 2017 for environmental baseline surveys (EBS) of oil lease blocks in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Because of its ability to provide information on benthic community health and the distribution of very thin (down to the centimeter scale) layers of deposited materials, SPI technology is highly effective for mapping drill cuttings or drilling muds released around wellheads during exploration or production and documenting their ecological impacts. SPI technology has not been widely used in the oil and gas industry for EBS or other monitoring activities. A primary objective of this work is to improve the transparency and consistency of the SPI data generation and data management process.Methods, Procedures, ProcessThe SPI camera works like an inverted periscope and obtains an undisturbed 21x15-cm cross-sectional image of the upper sediment column. The camera is internally powered and can be deployed rapidly from a standard winch in depths to 4,000 m. Many stations can be sampled in a single day by "pogo-sticking" across a survey area. Sediment grain size, penetration depth, surface boundary roughness, natural and anthropogenic depositional layers, depth of the oxidized surface sediment layer, maximum biogenic mixing depth, and infaunal successional stage can be directly measured at sea or immediately following the cruise. Final SPI data sets can be provided within a few weeks of the survey.Results, Observations, ConclusionsDetails on the features measured in SPI images and the underlying interpretive paradigms are presented. To standardize the SPI data generation process, Integral Consulting Inc. has developed 1) a semiautomated image analysis platform, and 2) a SPI data-specific database architecture that allows both numerical and non-numerical metrics to be incorporated into a standard database structure. An integrated, software-based SPI analysis platform has been developed that imports image files and metadata and provides a graphical user interface. The software automatically stores the data, which can then be reviewed for quality assurance, plotted, statistically analyzed, and mapped or exported to other platforms (e.g., Esri ArcGIS©) for further evaluation. Image processing algorithms have been developed using a combination of open-source and commercially available software packages (e.g., MATLAB® and OpenCV) to automatically quantify key parameters.Novel/Additive InformationSPI technology’s underutilization in the oil and gas industry may be in part due to a lack of standardization in the measurement of basic features in SPI images. A primary objective of this work is to develop a streamlined, standardized, and transparent process for generating and managing SPI data.
FlatFish Resident AUV: Leading the Autonomy Era for Subsea Oil and Gas Operations
Authors: Zagatti R. , Juliano D. Russo , Doak R. , Souza G. Mimoso , de Paula Nardy L. , Lepikson H. A. , Gaudig C. , Kirchner F. 
Published: April 2018

Challenged to remain competitive in a low oil price environment whilst navigating the energy transition, the industry is now seeking ways to evolve operations through digitalisation. Robotics has already enabled an evolution of the Oil and Gas industry by enabling deepwater operations through the deployment of ROVs. Now the industry seeks to reduce the unit operating costs of offshore facilities whilst improving safety and environmental performance. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) such as FlatFish can help the industry achieve this objective by reshaping the concept of operations for subsea surveillance.
Oil and gas operators stand to benefit from robotic technologies which have been successfully adopted in other industries such as aerospace and defence. Technologies that can perform autonomous subsea inspections and interventions: faster, safer, and cheaper than traditional approaches. Robotics and AI (Artificial Inteligence) can play a fundamental role in increasing the competitiveness of the oil and gas industry, the prize for rapid deployment into daily subsea surveillance tasks means not only the unlocking of deep water ventures, but also the safe life extension of offshore assets.
The FlatFish project is a leading example of how technology development in robotics and AI can contribute to the reduction of inspection costs, improve the accessibility of offshore installations and reduce safety risks. The technology development program has shown the capabilities of FlatFish AUV such as: performing autonomous visual inspection, tracking pipelines, hovering around structures such as tree systems and manifolds and returning to the docking station for recharging and data transfer.
The development and pre-production qualification are in the final stage, next steps are the industrialization and commercialization. FlatFish is a leading example of where Robotics and AI can contribute towards a reduction in subsea inspection costs.
Advances in LDHIs and Applications
Authors: Chin Y. D. , Srivastava A. 
Published: April 2018

This paper is to represent reviews of low dosage hydrate inhibitor's (LDHI) evolution and advances, and to provide a general guide for LDHI considerations, historically, hydrate risk has been managed by keeping the fluids warm, removing water, and/or by injecting thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors (THI), commonly methanol or glycol. THIs require high dosage rate therefore production systems can reach a treatment limited by supply, storage, and umbilical injection constraints. Besides, high dosage of MeOH can cause crude contamination for downstream refineries, which may result in penalty.
Over last two decades LDHIs have been extensively researched and developed as an alternative hydrate management chemical for oil and gas industry. LDHIs are divided into two main categories; Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor (KHI) and Anti-Agglomerant (AA), both have been successfully used in field applications, but each comes with their unique challenges for applications, OPEX and CAPEX considerations. LDHIs have proven track records in numerous fields in their performance, either as stand-alone chemical treatment or reducing amounts of methanol/glycol usage, which has directly resulted in CAPEX and OPEX reduction. LDHIs have been instrumental in managing risks of early water breakthrough, high cost of THI storage and transportation, HSSE concerns around THI handling, and undersized pump capacity for required chemical volumes. Switching to LDHIs also offers an economic advantage by reducing umbilical line diameter. Latest advances in the LDHI technology is breaking barriers and pushing limits.
The paper summarizes historical advancements in LDHIs over the last two decades, discusses application advantages and limitations, and the criterions to consider for selecting LDHIs.
Ten Years in the Water: Observation and Detailed Evaluation of a Riser after Extensive Service Life
Authors: Tricarico Mike , O'Neil Chris , Peter Thomas 
Published: April 2018

Life extension of existing assets is an important aspect of offshore oil and natural gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. As part of an effort to evaluate existing riser systems, Anadarko launched an inspection and testing program to investigate risers retrieved following well abandonment after a service life of nearly 10 years in the water. To assess the pipe and connections, 12-3/4′ T95, Anadarko and Vallourec performed visual inspection of the full pipe body length (internal and external), ultrasonic inspection, and wet magnetic particle inspection. The original testing was repeated on the post service pipe and connection. For both sealability and fatigue testing one side of the connection was left in the "in service" condition, while the other side was broken out and made-up again. Sealability testing followed the ISO13679/API 5C5 CALIII protocol. Fatigue testing repeated the original stress level, and was cycled to failure.
The pipe and connection performed very well under the post service testing and evaluation. Overall corrosion and defects in the pipe were very low, and within service parameters. The connection evaluation also showed very good results. The most important evaluation/observation was of the internal and external seal. The field broken connections had signs of galling and rust. However, further evaluation of the damage, as well as review of the connections not broken out during riser pulling, pointed towards handling damage during pulling operations. Review of photographs taken during pulling operations showed no signs of degradation from the environment or galling. Further inspection of connections that were broken out at the testing facility indicated no damage to the connections. The fatigue testing results were also positive, indicating significant remaining life, had the riser been left in service.
This represented a rare opportunity to evaluate the state of the threaded and coupled risers after such a long service life, along with assessing the remaining longevity of the riser system. It was a chance to observe and measure the effects of actual service life as opposed to calculated service conditions on the pipe and connections. The findings provided valuable insights into the future usability of similar riser systems.
Integrating Big Data: Simulation, Predictive Analytics, Real Time Monitoring, and Data Warehousing in a Single Cloud Application
Authors: Mounir N. , Guo Y. , Panchal Y. , Mohamed I. M. , Abou-Sayed A. , Abou-Sayed O. 
Published: April 2018

The E&P industry is rich in all types of data. Without proper database and analytics, companies are not able to retrieve and analyze the data they need in an efficient way. The result of the data management problems is that decisions are often made using incomplete or incorrect information. Even when the desired data is accessible, requirements for gathering and formatting it may limit the amount of analysis performed before a timely decision must be made.
Strong data management is required to transform wells-related data into an integrated system of information. The key to successful data management is in the use of sophisticated platform-independent codes that doesn't need any special setup or systems which allows easy transfer of information and data over the internet. This paper describes the data management and accompanying analytics approach taken in support of operations in Egypt to provide a shared knowledge system.
This innovative cloud application provides a common interface to multiple systems in the organization, allowing a richer and more complete source of data to be used for decision making. Moreover, it enables the integration of static data, such as well logs in a particular region, with a real-time system to facilitate integrative real-time analyses using artificial intelligence, cloud-hosted physics-based simulators, or both.
To support deepwater needs such as those in Egypt, the system incorporates productivity optimization analysis, reservoir geomechanics (pore pressure prediction, log interpretation, reservoir collapse, fault activation, subsidence, compaction, etc.), and data mining of key development uncertainty and well performance drivers.
The Design of Subsea Foundations Subject to General Cyclic Loading Using a Massively Scalable Web Based Application
Authors: Doherty James , Krisdani Henry , O'Neill Michael , Erbrich Carl , Bransby Fraser , White David , Randolph Mark 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Subsea developments require the design of large numbers of shallow skirted foundations to support structures such as manifolds, pipeline and umbilical terminations and in-line tees. Safe and economic design relies on the accurate assessment of foundation capacity against thousands of load-combinations. Performing these design calculations is a significant computational task. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how new developments in cloud computing can be utilized to optimize foundation design.
Engineering design is no longer limited by computing power thanks to the introduction of low-cost on-demand cloud computing platforms. This paper describes a massively scalable cloud based application for rapidly assessing the vertical-horizontal-moment-torsional capacity of shallow skirted foundations against thousands of cyclic load case combinations that arise from numerous environmental and service conditions. The detrimental effect of cyclic loading and the beneficial effect of consolidation on soil strength are incorporated within a single workflow.
It is shown that cloud technologies can radically improve traditional engineering design procedures, allowing engineers to focus on the innovative and creative aspects of their work, while the tasks of preparing, executing and documenting calculations become near instantaneous and more easily assessed for quality assurance. More critically, the technology allows rapid and rigorous optimization of the foundation dimensions to achieve the most cost-effective solution that satisfies all load cases. The scalability of the application allows multiple users to run large numbers of calculations simultaneously across a virtually unlimited number of computer nodes. The system can be accessed through a standard web browser and can run simulations on any internet-connected device. Results are saved in the cloud and can be accessed anywhere and shared among colleagues, enhancing collaboration and quality assurance. The approach results in demonstrably superior design outcomes, achieved more quickly.
This paper presents what is believed to be the world's first web based application for shallow foundation design that exploits the availability of low cost on-demand cloud computing services. The paper will explain some of the challenges in implementing such a system and provide examples. We believe this type of technology represents the future for geotechnical design work, providing better design in a more efficient manner.