bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cost Reduction on Onshore Rig Operation with Offline Stand Building System
Authors: Ugasciny A. , Chang B. T , Hampson A. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
The oil industry today faces a strong surge in costs as it strives to meet global and national regulatory challenges on safety compliances. Continuous efforts on reducing drilling costs have since been a focus at every level of oil production and in particularly the "flat time" associated with casing running operations. Running doubles of casing takes tubular running to a new level and evidently offers significant cost benefits.
This paper will neatly outline the case study of Offline Standing Building System (OSBS) project initiated at an onshore rig in Brunei. The new approach is based on automated pipe facility concepts, where fully mechanized hands-free pipe feeding and makeup systems were deployed to save time and eliminate handling risks.
This installation brings a breakthrough in tubular running services as it improves run rates by at least 30%, saving over 100 hours of rig time and associated costs, at an onshore rig in Brunei. It is the first hands-free system deployed in Asia Pacific and now has a proven track record on its success rate. Real-time results are gathered and compared with previous run rates on the drill floor and presented in this paper. It also discusses the advantages, limitations, challenges encountered and future improvements for the system.
The approach is particularly suited for offline operations, which then contributes directly to the drilling operational cost and time. The novelty of the new OSBS is in the integration of pipe feeding system with existing buck on equipment, with reasonable cost reduction by reducing run rates on the drill floor.
Effect of Date Palm Fiber (DPF) Sorbent Age on Sorption of Crude Oil During Oil Spill Cleanup: Gas Chromatography Study
Authors: Nasir Mohammad I. , Hameed Z. M. , Charpentier P. A. , Neamh H. A. , Muhammad A. A. , Abbas Z. A. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
One of the most efficient means for the removal of spilled oil from either land or sea is the use of sorbent. Date Palm Fibers (DPF) is a natural sorbent that exhibits good sorption characteristics although the relationship between fiber age and oil absorption has not been reported. Oil spill remediation process is presented and mechanism and selectivity of sorption was discussed.
Oil spill simulation was carried out by placing 40 gm crude oil on surface of about 800 mL water at 1000 mL beaker. The removal of crude oil from water by 1 gm raw DPF as sorbent was investigated by batch sorption after varying contact times (5-120 min), oil film thickness (7-47 mm) and the use of two different age fibers (old and fresh fibers) at 5 min drainage time. Gas chromatography study of oil involved in the sorption process was done to determined the molecules sorbed by DPF sorbent. Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis for DPF was also take place.
OSC of the two DPF sorbent increased with increasing contact times being 4.53 gm• oil/gm• sorbent for 5 min contact time while for fresh fiber was 6.286 gm• oil/gm• sorbent. The sorption rate was very fast for both sorbents. At 2 min sorption times we get 4.963 and 6.737 gm. oil/gm. sorbent for the aged and fresh fibers respectively at 2 min draining time. The results show that fresh fibers sorbed more oil than old fibers. This is attributed to the new fibers having a lower crystalline structure than the old fibers. The fresh fibers have more cavities and hollows than the old one as shown by Scanning Electron Microscopy, in which cross sectional images show multi lumens and the side images has a rough surface with large size cavities. Analysis of sorbed oils by new DPF with gas chromatography after four successive sorptions of the same crude oil at sorption time of 30 min to identify the oil components sorbed. The results showed that C2-C4 compounds were completely sorbed by DPF during the four sorptions process using 1 gm. each, e.g. total 4 gm. After 4 sorption cycles, only 4.80% of pentane remained while C6-C8 compounds were reduced by 63.70%.
This works showed that the DPF have a good performance as low cost, biodegradable and environmental friendly sorbent for the removal of oil from water with excellent selectivity toward small molecules compounds. The fresh fiber prove to be superior sorbent for crude oil over the old one. Since PDF are naturally weaved and rectangular mesh net of about 30×40 cm2 area, it will have high sorption efficiency and easily removed from spill site.
The Potential Of CuO Nanoparticles to Reduce Viscosity and Alter Wettability at Oil- Wet and Water- Wet Rocks in Heavy Oil Reservoir
Authors: Tajmiri Masoumeh , Ehsani Mohammad Reza 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
The petroleum industry have been working for decades on various solutions to increase recovery. When petroleum companies abandon an oil well, more than half the reservoir's oil is usually left behind as difficult to recover. Recent investigations have developed a new method is based on adding particles that are considerably smaller than the tunnel diameters. Nanotechnology provides the capability to enhance energy efficiency across all branches of industry and economically renewable energy production through new solutions and optimized technologies. Nanoparticles defined as EOR potential agents for detailed control of benefits such as wettability alternation, interfacial reduction of oil and water and viscosity reduction. This study provides new idea of CuO nanoparticles effects on wettability alteration through spontaneous imbibition, reducing the viscosity and extracting heavy oil involving steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) by experimental work. In the first step of this research, the potential of CuO nanoparticles to imbibe and alter the wettability are determined experimentally and numerically. Laboratory tests were conducted in two experiments on two cylindrical core samples taken from Iranian heavy oil reservoir. In the first experiment, core samples were saturated by crude oil and in the second one, nanoparticles were flooded, and then saturated by crude oil, immersed in distilled water and the amount of recovery was monitored during 30 days for all tests. Experimental results show oil recovery for sandstone cores change from 20.74 % of OOIP without nanoparticles to 31.77% of OOIP with CuO nanoparticles, respectively. The oil recovery for carbonate core vary from zero without nanoparticles to 6.92% of OOIP with CuO nanoparticles, respectively. By investigation of relative permeability curve, the crossover-point is shifted to the right by adding CuO nanoparticles which means nanoparticles succeeds in altering the wettability to more water- wet for sandstone and even carbonate cores. In the second step, the effect of vertical spacing between two horizontal wells on oil recovery and the ability of low CuO nanoparticles concentration to reduce viscosity are clarified in SAGD process. Laboratory tests were conducted in three experiments through the use of 2 dimensional scaled SAGD cell from an Iranian heavy oil reservoir. In the first and second experiments, the SAGD cell were saturated by heavy oil and in the third one, the cell was flooded by CuO nanoparticles before oil saturation. The amount of recoveries were monitored during 12h. The experimental results explore that by adding nanoparticles, the ultimate oil recovery increases from 52.43 to 80.027%. Viscosity reduction, increasing oil recovery, decreasing residual oil saturation (SOR) and water cut (WCUT%) are the main purposes of this investigation.
The Influence of HLB in Surfactants for Drill Cuttings Cleaning
Authors: Stanciu C. , Fernandez J. M. , Lambert B. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
Drilling operators are facing increased challenges in dealing with the drill cuttings produced due to higher demands from regulatory agencies. Government entities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Norway's State Pollution Control Authority (SFT) set strict limits regarding the retention of oil on cuttings (ROC) for offshore drilling. This paper describes the role played by the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of a surfactant in designing efficient washing solutions (WS) that utilize both non-ionic and anionic surfactants to mitigate the ROC.
A range of anionic and non-ionic surfactant blends was screened for their cleaning ability on field cuttings. The main parameters considered during the surfactant selection were: chain length, branching/linearity, substitution pattern and polarity. For non-ionic surfactants the emphasis was placed on ethoxylated vs propoxylated molecules. Following treatment with WS the ROC was determined by using the retort distillation method (RD) as described in API RP 13B-2. The numbers obtained were graphed against HLB values for the surfactants in order to determine the best correlation between structure and cleaning ability for that particular type of cuttings.
The results show the achievement of a maximum cleaning ability of the WS for a given chain length of the surfactants used. The linearity of the molecules, although initially thought to play a significant role, proved to have a limited influence. In fact, blends containing roughly equal amounts of linear vs branched surfactants displayed the highest cleaning ability. The overall polarity of the mixture seemed to be important too, since blends containing non-ionic surfactants had almost no cleaning capacity. Of major importance in this particular study was the substitution pattern on the non-ionic surfactants. An optimum combination of propoxylated vs ethoxylated molecules was critical for the design of the most successful WS. Our results indicate that ethoxylation on the anionic component of the mixture and propoxylation on the non-ionic portion was critical since tests performed with the opposite combination showed almost no cleaning capacity. Increasing the PO content on the non-ionic molecule has a detrimental effect which is more pronounced than a similar increase in EO content on the ionic molecule.
The present study aims to help elucidate the roles played by the different surfactant molecules in designing efficient washing solutions for cleaning drill cuttings. This will assist the oilfield service companies in addressing the continuously increasing environmental regulations for disposing of drill cuttings while reducing the present costs and carbon footprint on the environment incurred by the current methods.
Pushing the Envelope of Residual Oil Measurement: A Field Case Study of a New Class of Inter-Well Chemical Tracers
Authors: Sanni Modiu , Al-Abbad Mohammed , Kokal Sunil , Dugstad Øyvind , Hartvig Sven , Huseby Olaf 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
The success of any improved oil recovery (IOR) project is largely dependent on how much oil is remaining to be mobilized within the targeted area of the partially depleted or mature reservoir. Partitioning tracers are generally used to measure residual oil saturation (Sor) or remaining oil saturation (ROS) in the near wellbore region via a single well chemical tracer test (SWCTT) or in an inter-well region via a partitioning inter-well tracer test (PITT). There is a limited repertoire of nonradioactive and environmentally friendly inter-well partitioning tracers for measuring ROS. A new class of environmentally friendly partitioning tracers was field tested, in a giant carbonate reservoir undergoing peripheral waterflood, for measuring ROS in inter-well regions in a depleted area.
The new partitioning tracers were qualified via laboratory experiments and are deemed to be very stable at reservoir conditions (213°F and a salinity range of 60-200 kppm). The field pilot was conducted concurrently with a set of non-partitioning inter-well chemical tracer test (IWCTT) to determine reservoir connectivity, water breakthrough times, and injector-to-producer pair communication in an area selected for an IOR/EOR field pilot. An elaborate sampling and analysis program was carried out over a period of 30 months.
This paper reviews the complete design and implementation of the test, operational issues, and the analyses and interpretation of the results. The breakthrough times of the passive and partitioning tracers are reported, and inter-well connectivity between the paired and cross-paired injectors and producers are analyzed. The ROS measured by a majority of the novel tracers is comparable to the saturations obtained via SWCTT, core and log derived saturations.
The combination of conventional IWCTT and the novel partitioning tracers via PITT has been very useful in analyzing well interconnectivity, understanding the reservoir dynamics and quantifying remaining oil saturation distribution in the reservoir. This has led to better reservoir description and an improved dynamic simulation model.
A Case Study of Water Injection Well Stimulation in a Low Permeability Oil Reservoir
Authors: Shaoul J. R. , Spitzer W. J. , Fekkai S. , Sepulveda L. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
A newly developed oil field requires water injection for pressure support. Due to the relatively low permeability of the sandstone reservoir (10-15 mD), it was decided to perform propped fracture stimulation on all the injection wells before starting up the water injection operations. Performing propped fracture stimulation of water injection wells before starting up long term injection has several benefits, including lower initial injection pressures, less sensitivity to poor water quality and removing the risk of not being able to inject under fracturing conditions using the normal water injection system.
The initial attempts to perform fracture stimulations in the wells were not successful, as it was not possible to initiate a fracture (fracture breakdown) in 2 of the 4 wells, even after re-perforation. In the other two wells, it was possible to perform an injectivity test and a fracture treatment. In order to determine the cause of the problem, the data from the failed breakdown injection attempts for the first 2 wells was used as a welltest, and the pressure during injection and decline was history matched using a simple reservoir simulation model. This modeling confirmed that the reservoir permeability was not the problem, but that there was a significant skin present in the well, even after re-perforating. There was some type of formation damage present around the well which was deeper than the penetration depth of the perforations.
Finally, performing an additional hydrochloric acid squeeze and low rate fracture initiation sequence, it was possible to stimulate all the wells. Post-frac injection tests were performed for all wells, also with the collection of pressure decline data. The injectivity tests were analyzed using a numeric reservoir simulation model which includes an explicit gridded representation of the propped fracture. History matching of the flowing and buildup periods confirmed the propped fracture dimensions and the reservoir kh, which was as expected (or better) in all cases.
In the paper, the mechanisms that can prevent fracture breakdown even at pressures exceeding the overburden stress are explained in detail, as this issue occurs often enough to be of general concern. Methods of analyzing a failed breakdown injection are shown in detail, including how to diagnose whether the problem lies with the completion (no open perforations) or with the reservoir. The analysis of the fracture treatment data is shown, as well as the analysis of the post-frac water injection tests and initial injection data. Recommendations are made on the design of propped fractures for water injection well stimulation.
Leveraging Single Phase Characteristics of Water Injectors to Optimize Reservoir Pressure Surveillance
Authors: Bangkong Sabut A. , Al-Hajri Nasser M. , Al-Ajmi Mohammed D. , Al-Subaie Fehead M. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
This paper presents a comprehensive field-scale engineering look into the application of single phase average gradient equation to obtain pressure surveys in water injectors. This methodology is sought to optimize well intervention operations in water wells while achieving all strategic master surveillance objectives.
Strategic reservoir pressure surveillance necessitates surveying water wells in a given field. Several key water injectors are surveyed with increased frequency and are drilled in spatially selective locations. The objective of such surveys is to generate representative reservoir isobaric maps in order to guide field development activities and reservoir production/injection management.
The current practice to obtain reservoir pressure data from water wells is through wireline intervention. An extrapolation method of Shut-In Wellhead Pressure (SIWHP) using an average water gradient to calculate Static Bottom Hole Pressure (SBHP) was rigorously examined and proofed accurate in the field. Raw data from more than a hundred strategically placed water wells were analysed and contrasted against measured data obtained from downhole pressure gauges to validate the proposed methodology.
Sensitivity and error distribution analysis of existing data was performed to quantify the effect of different reservoir characteristics and injected fluid quality. Key findings and recommendations were generated in light of the above analyses with regards to the proper selection of candidates to apply this methodology.
The application of this innovative approach has generated a significant cost saving and reduction of man-hours. As for well intervention, the number of wireline operations to obtain SBHP for key water wells was reduced by 75%.
Implementing Technical Improvements of ESP Application in Water Supply Wells for Extending Lifetime and Operation Efficiency
Authors: Al-Kady Alaa A. , Al-Mulhim Abdullah A. , AL-Subaie Fehead M. , Cumings Matthew , Al-Jandal Ahmed A. , Al-Zain Ahmed K. , Mulhem Abdulaziz H. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) are considered to be a very cost effective artificial lift method by industry standards, particularly in water supply wells (WSWs). In four WSWs, ESP performance had experienced a number of premature failures, which resulted in short average run lives of less than 1 ½ years, high operating costs, and unsustainable water supply required for injection pressure support and field development. To ensure that future ESP application in these wells is successful and improve run life, a multidisciplinary team was formed and conducted a comprehensive review to identify the causes of previous ESP failures and recommend methods to improve current practices based on all gathered engineering data; including, dismantle results of pulled ESP units, well and reservoir data, completion strategy, ESP equipment design, commissioning, and data monitoring.
The analysis indicated that the failures were primarily the results of corrosion and solids, and lack of close monitoring of ESP performance review, which prevented rectification of the problems in a timely manner. Secondary problems were also identified, such as tight wellhead clearance that damaged wellhead penetrators during installation, failure of tubing internal coating, and insufficient wellbore cleanout before making up ESPs during workovers, etc.
This engineering approach has successfully helped to increase confidence in, and reliability of, ESP operations, optimization, sustained field production levels, and reduced capital and operating costs due to improved pump run life.
This paper reviews the performance of ESP systems in WSWs and the challenges faced during the past 4 years of operation. Also, it covers installations, commissioning, dismantle inspection failure analysis (DIFA) results, operation philosophy, optimization methodology, average ESP run life, and ESP technical improvements.
Advancement in Openhole Sand Control Applications Using Shape Memory Polymer
Authors: Wang Xiuli , Osunjaye Gbenga 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
This paper summarizes a game-changing technology using shape memory polymer (SMP) to provide downhole sand control in openhole environments.
An openhole completion maximizes well productivity/injectivity and longevity without the concern of plugging and/or collapsing perforation tunnels that are frequent challenges in cased-hole completions. Conventional openhole sand control techniques include stand-alone-screen (SAS), expandable screens and openhole gravel packing (OHGP). In some cases, the uniformity, size and level of compressive strength of the formation dictate the use of an OHGP completion. This has proven to be a highly effective technique and eliminates the concerns of plugging and erosion associated with a SAS.
However, an OHGP is not always feasible and/or practical for some reservoirs and geographic locations. Some of the challenges of OHGP include lack of deck space and equipment, incompatibility with annular zonal isolation tools, difficulty to gravel pack across shale zones, and unavailability of equipment or fluid design to effectively gravel pack extremely long laterals without exceeding reservoir fracture gradient. The SMP technology can fill the gaps that exist with current OHGP techniques.
The performance of the SMP centers on its inherent glass transition property. It is run into the wellbore in its compacted state and then activated to expand to the openhole size at the target depth when exposed to a catalyst. Once expanded, the SMP conforms to the sandface including washouts and any irregularities within the SMP expansion limit. It is porous in both compacted and expanded states with permeability of over 30 Darcy after expansion. Its filtration capability is equivalent, if not superior, to that of an OHGP application.
In this paper, the SMP’s "engineered" behavior and sand control mechanism will be introduced first, followed by the performance comparison between the SMP and conventional OHGP, activation fluid design and the operational procedures. The last section will be focused on the SMP operating envelopes.
An Effective Utilization of Internal Resources, a Cost Intensive Approach to Develop Technical Competencies of Subsurface Manpower
Authors: Al-Daihani Eisa Hadi , Nandi Arun Kumar , Raza Syed Mohammad 
Published: September 2016

Abstract
Effective competency development of a technical staff is a combination of awareness, knowledge, skills and attitude that must be demonstrated in order to meet the performance standards required of their jobs. A competency model supports effective learning and development of technical work-force besides, helping objective performance appraisal and systematic career growth. These will result in improved job satisfaction, better talent management and employee retention. Such approach of competency modeling of different job families in Upstream National Oil Companies will empower them to achieve their goal with admirable clarity, better hydrocarbon discovery index cum increase in production and field management expertise.
The present paper focusses on an approach to the identification of Senior Employees under different subsurface groups with proven track record with coaching / mentoring abilities and utilizes them to develop not only the new hires but also the mid-career employees as subject discipline experts. It emphasized on a well-defined technical career recognition scheme for their technical contributions and provided them with a career path that offers recognition and reward. The paper emphasizes the need of utilization of these internal resources of discipline experts to develop few in-house courses and workshops for new hires to operational employees (mid-career level employees).
The paper illustrates the utilization of discipline experts as coach / Mentor for in-house OJT programs to upgrade the skill requirement of technical manpower. These discipline experts act as assessor for in-house training courses also. Besides, they help in developing a customized competency matrix based on the critical business need of the company. This is a cost effective approach with win-win situation for the employer and employees.