bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Technology Focus: Offshore Drilling and Completion (April 2009)
Authors: Jousseaume Jean-Louis 
Published: February 2015

Technology Focus
When reading professional papers, I notice that our profession is innovating more and more.
This trend is related to the increasingly difficult challenges we must accept.
Safety—We are facing more dangers while keeping the risk much lower than before: high-pressure gas fields, very harsh environment, and others.
Environmental issues—Under pressure from authorities, and our conscience that we cannot leave a sea to our children in which they would not dare to swim, we are now applying a very strict control of our wastes.
Colleagues of geosciences—Wells are proposed that encounter greater difficulties. We are running sensitive operations, in complex geological contexts, where the problems are met from the seabed to the targets.
Human resources—We face cyclic activity in which recruitment goes up and down, with no time to train workers correctly in periods of high activity, and no money to train them in slow times. In such a changing context, we must do our best to have an efficient transmission of experience and know-how between the elders and the young recruits, but often we must sacrifice this aspect to immediate needs or constraints.
Economical challenge—We must deal with external events, which makes real stabilization of our activity impossible, and we must control costs in any circumstances: either when activity level is increasing, and dragging along the costs toward unthinkable peaks; or when it is decreasing, with the oil price making projects less economical, forcing us into difficult cost-cutting exercises.
This trend toward increasing complexity is not new, but it is accelerating. As engineers, our best answers to these new challenges are innovation and boldness. Last year was an Olympic year: like high-level sportsmen, we shall, day after day, surpass ourselves to manage our operations "Citius, Altius, Fortius."
Offshore Drilling and Completion additional reading available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org
SPE 115058 • "Case Study: Restoring Sand-Prone Subsea Wells to Production" by M. Vazir, BP plc, et al.
SPE 115698 • "Development and Installation of a Triple Wellhead on the Britannia Platform" by A. Elizabeth Matheson, SPE, ConocoPhillips, et al.
SPE 113701 • "Optimized Recovery From the Fram Øst Development Through Extreme-Well Design" by Arve K. Thorsen, SPE, Baker Hughes, et al.
Additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org
OTC 19307 • "Drilling Through Bitumen in the Gulf of Mexico: the Shallower vs. the Deeper" by Gang Han, Hess Corporation, et al.
High-Angle Directional Drilling With 9 5/8-in. Casing Offshore Qatar
Authors: Bybee Karen 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 119446, "High-Angle Directional Drilling With 9⅝-in. Casing in Offshore Qatar," by Michael Avery and Tod Stephens, Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd.; Ali K. Al-Hadad, SPE, Qatar Petroleum; Mounir Turki, SPE, Tesco Corp.; and Malek Abed, SPE, Schlumberger, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, 17-19 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Horizontal-well programs that require drilling through unstable formations at high angles before entering the productive zone are becoming more common. Casing while drilling (CWD) is becoming a powerful method in mitigating both lost-circulation and wellbore-stability issues in offshore directional wells. As a result of recent advances in tool design, it is now possible to circulate, rotate, and reciprocate the casing during bottomhole-assembly (BHA) retrieval and setting operations without modifications to the rig.

Introduction
Occidental Petroleum of Qatar currently drills a number of offshore horizontal production and injection wells in the Shuaiba limestone formation. Directly above the Shuaiba is the Nahr Umr formation, which is composed of a nonreactive, but unstable, kaolonitic shale. The 12¼-in. section is drilled conventionally approximately 80 ft into the Shuaiba [20 ft true vertical depth (TVD)] at up to 86° inclination, and a 9⅝-in., 47-lbm/ft L-80 casing string is run and cemented to isolate the shale and sand while drilling the 8½-in. reservoir section.
The Nahr Umr/Shuaiba interface is often a point where highly conductive faults are encountered. Severe losses of drilling mud often occur at this interface, resulting in a dramatic reduction of hydrostatic pressure as the wellbore-annulus fluid level falls. This pressure loss causes the unstable formation to collapse on the drillstring and BHA, packing it off and making it practically impossible to retrieve. The Shuaiba exploitation strategy, however, depends on landing wells at near-horizontal angles so that long sections can be drilled in the reservoir.
A potential solution to this problem is to drill the section with casing and a retrievable BHA. Directional CWD technology uses the casing, in place of drillpipe, to convey rotation and torque and act as a conduit for the drilling fluids. The directional BHA is latched to the lowermost casing joint and extends approximately 85 ft out of the shoe. It is driven by both surface rotation and a downhole motor. For this application, an 8½-in. bit is used to drill a pilot hole, which is opened up immediately to 12¼ in. by an underreamer positioned just below the 9⅝-in. casing-reamer shoe. The BHA can be retrieved through the casing at any point during the drilling operation by running in through the casing with drillpipe and a latch tool.
A Process Option To Comply With Zero-Harmful-Discharge Legislation in Norwegian Waters
Authors: Bybee Karen 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 118012, "The CTour Process, an Option To Comply With Zero-Harmful-Discharge Legislation in Norwegian Waters - Experience of CTour Installation on Ekofisk After Startup 4th Quarter 2007," by Kare Voldum and Eimund Garpestad, ConocoPhillips Norway, and Nils Olav Anderssen and Inge Brun Henriksen, ProPure, originally prepared for the 2008 SPE Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 3-6 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
A series of joint-industry projects in conjunction with Norwegian research institutions have developed a solvent extraction process to remove contaminants from produced water. Results from performance testing indicate that the efficiency from the original pilot tests had been reproduced successfully, yielding on a field scale residual oil in water (OIW) of 1 to 2 ppm and naphthalenes and polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon (PAH) reduction by 86 to 92%.

Introduction
The Ekofisk field, operated by ConocoPhillips, is the oldest operating field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. It is a carbonate reservoir that has been seawater flooded since 1986. Currently, it is in a stage of increasing water cut that is projected to peak at 41 000 m3/d by year 2015. The Norwegian operators have to comply with the OSPAR (which replaced the Oslo and Paris Conventions) discharge legislation, which states that overboard discharges of hydrocarbons cannot exceed 30 ppm and that the annual total oil discharges cannot exceed 85% of the reported annual discharges of the year 2000. This represents a big challenge for an operator experiencing increasing water cut.
In the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, in addition to the OSPAR legislation, operators must comply with specific Norwegian legislation that calls for "zero environmental impact" from overboard discharges. The environmental-impact factor (EIF) is used as a tool to quantify the harmful effect of discharges to the environment. The EIF was developed as a management tool on the basis of internationally agreed procedures for hazard and risk assessment. The tool models the dispersion of produced water, accounting for volume, composition of oil and aromatic components [benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and zylene (BTEX) and naphthalenes, PAHs, and phenols], production chemicals, and heavy metals, and it calculates the predicted-environmental-concentration/predicted-no-effect-concentration ratio.
To comply with the new discharge legislation, ConocoPhillips originally projected to achieve a 95% reduction in EIF at Ekofisk by introducing produced-water reinjection (PWRI). However, after a pilot PWRI test was performed, the conclusion was that reinjection was not cost efficient, and most importantly, it became apparent that it introduced a risk of reservoir souring, and could cause substantial loss of oil produced.
NGH Chain: Gas-Transportation Concept
Authors: Denney Dennis 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper IPTC 12807, "NGH Chain: A New Gas Transportation Concept," by T. Kawasaki, K. Bando, and Y. Suehiro, SPE, Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corporation, prepared for the 2008 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 3-5 De cem ber. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
In general, long-distance liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation projects are economically feasible for very large natural-gas reserves volumes. Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corporation and Japanese engineering companies have focused on natural-gas hydrate (NGH) as a gas-transportation concept. It is important to consider optimizing the process and to understand the effect on the chain and optimize the entire NGH chain.

Background
Many medium and small gas fields within 6000 km of Japan are difficult to develop by conventional techniques, such as LNG and pipelines. NGH may be an economical gas-transportation method. NGH contains 170 times the gas volume compared with liquid or gaseous states. Therefore, initial cost of the NGH process is estimated to be less than that for LNG.
LNG transportation is economically feasible for long-distance transportation. Pipelines are suitable for relatively-short-distance transportation because of higher capital cost. NGH transportation is a solution for small-to-medium-scale or remote gas fields, as shown in Fig. 1. Feasibility studies shown in Fig. 2 indicate that NGH transportation has an economic advantage for suitably sized gas reserves and transportation distance.
Several systems have been developed to form NGH, including the bubbling/stirring-type formation reactor, the water-spraying-type formation reactor, and a hydrate-formation system that uses microbubbles with a tubular reactor, which obtains a higher formation rate than the other systems. Further improvement is needed in the precision of the feasibility study along with advances in technology.

Conceptual Design
The purpose of this study was the life cycle carbon dioxide (LCCO2) analysis of natural-gas transportation to Japan as NGH. In the selected model, natural gas is converted to NGH at the production plant and delivered to Japan by an NGH-carrier ship from existing undeveloped natural-gas fields in coastal areas of Southeast Asia. The base case production rate was 1×106 tonnes/a of LNG equivalent with a transport distance of 6000 km. The study presumed that the gas would be used in a power plant.

LCCO2 Analysis
The scope of investigation includes processes between the production facilities (including inlet-gas treatment) and the regasification facilities.
The Petroleum Engineer's Role in Conservation
Authors: Wyman Tom 
Published: February 2015

The petroleum engineer is at the very heart of the oil business. It is challenging, even exciting, work wresting energy from the clutches of Mother Nature. We know that all of our industry associates in down-stream operations (pipeliners, tanker operators, refiners, and marketers) depend on us to keep the oil flowing. More importantly, the public worldwide—civilization, if you will—relies on the geologist and petroleum engineer to continue to find and produce the oil and gas that everyone takes for granted and consumes at such an enormous rate.
Geologists and rate-of-discovery statistics tell us how difficult it is simply to keep even with the annual depletion of reserves and, of course, how much harder it is to add to reserves. Petroleum engineers know how difficult it is to delay the inevitable production decline in a maturing oil field. They know the technological challenges of squeezing out the final barrels of oil from a near-depleted reservoir. And they realize how important it is to find new ways to stretch waning production and maximize the ultimate production from each reservoir and field.
Today, the field of petroleum engineering is not simply a job or a career opportunity, but like the professional medical caregiver, it carries with it a responsibility to society. Adequate supplies of oil and gas are essential for societies worldwide, and they will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Although consumers of petroleum products are not aware of how the industry works, they rely on petroleum engineers to produce more and more from the world’s increasingly hard-to-find oil and gas fields. The petroleum engineer is the one who best knows the effort that goes into simply maintaining production levels, not to speak of increasing production to meet growing demand.
As petroleum engineers, we need to tell people what we do. Petroleum engineers have been in the business of energy conservation for years. We conserve oil as we produce oil. To a petroleum engineer, conservation means “squeezing” as much oil out of each reservoir as possible. It means saving energy by operating more efficiently and by using less oil and gas today than we did yesterday. It means calculating the maximum efficient rate of production so that ultimate production from each oil field and each gas reservoir is maximized. Natural gas may be reinjected into the producing horizon to maintain reservoir pressure, thereby increasing ultimate oil production. Water may be injected to sweep oil reservoirs and increase ultimate recovery. Wells may be stimulated and reservoirs heated to accelerate the flow of oil into the wellbore. Reservoirs and adjacent areas are meticulously mapped to reveal subtle, overlooked traps. In any enterprise, energy conservation is a direct means of adding to the bottom line. If Benjamin Franklin had been in the oil industry, the quotation from Poor Richard’s Almanac might have read: “A barrel saved is a barrel discovered.”
Q&A with Antonio Suarez
Authors: Suarez Antonio , Donnelly John 
Published: February 2015

Antonio Suarez is Director of New Ventures for Repsol YPF and Chairperson of the Local Advisory Committee for the EAGE/SPE Europec Conference. With more than 25 years in the oil industry, Suarez has worked on exploration assignments in Africa and Latin America for Hispanoil and Chevron Overseas, and for the last several years, he has been responsible for identifying, evaluating, promoting, and negotiating new E&P projects for Repsol YPF. He has worked on Repsol YPF projects in Libya, Algeria, Venezuela, Mexico, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and west Africa. He earned an MS degree in geophysics from Stanford U. and an MS degree in finance from the London Business School.
As Chairperson of the EAGE/SPE Europec Conference, can you offer some highlights of the conference?
This conference is unique, as it brings together two great associations and will join geologists, geophysicists, and engineers into looking at our business in a more multidisciplinary way. There will be specific workshops and sessions on various technical and industry topics. Ours is an industry that relies on technology, and looking at things in a broader, integrated way is essential. Sharing knowledge is very important to the development and improvement of the industry. We are expecting about 4,000 people to attend, and it will be a truly integrated, global event.
This conference represents the first full collaboration between EAGE and SPE in this event. What is the significance of that?
That is what makes this event unique. The strong cooperation between the associations makes this conference more global and gives it more perspective. And being in Spain, there is a natural bridge to Latin America and north Africa. It is an excellent opportunity to bring together professionals from these regions, in addition to the Middle East, the Former Soviet Union (FSU), and North America, in an expert conference of this type.
You are chairing a session on how national oil companies (NOCs) view the E&P industry. Do you believe that there has been a shift in how NOCs are approaching the upstream?
The boundary between NOCs and the international oil companies (IOCs) is getting narrower and more confused. It is a more open world nowadays. Many NOCs are competing in different ways now—Petrobras, Petronas, Statoil, for example. NOCs now compete globally, and places like Mexico and Saudi Arabia—countries that were formerly closed—are opening up and attracting IOCs.
This is a good time to listen to what traditional NOCs have to say about what is taking place, particularly regarding access to technology. The easy oil is gone for the NOCs, so they are going beyond their former boundaries in search of oil and projects. Pemex, for example, is looking at the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico for this reason. Things are changing significantly. Our panel has invited representatives from the main producing countries of the world, including Saudi Arabia, Libya, Algeria, Mexico, Iran, and Venezuela.
Spotlight on R&D: R&D Is an Astute Investment
Authors: Judzis Arnis , Hill A. Dan 
Published: February 2015

Spotlight on R&D series - This is the last of a series of articles on the state of research and development (R&D) in the major upstream technological disciplines. The Spotlight on R&D Series, comprising articles published in JPT during 2004 and 2005, is available as a collection on OnePetro (SPE-101432-JPT).
In January 2004, the SPE R&D Advisory Committee kicked off a series of guest articles in this journal to articulate and promote the benefits of R&D in the upstream oil and gas industry. Authors well known in the industry articulated not only the challenges but also the successes of R&D in all SPE disciplines: Drilling and Completions; Facilities and Construction; Reservoir Description and Dynamics; Production and Operations; Health, Safety, and Environment; and Management and Information.
The SPE Board of Directors formed the R&D Advisory Committee in 2002 at the recommendation of the R&D Task Force. Its goals were to “identify, encourage, facilitate, and help global R&D activities that will provide needed technology for future use by petroleum engineers.” The committee has begun a number of initiatives that are visible in the industry and particularly for individuals and companies involved in SPE. The R&D Advisory Committee has taken a lead in the following areas:
1. R&D Providers Directory
The R&D Providers Directory was launched on 28 February 2005. It connects universities, research institutes, and other organizations that perform R&D for the upstream oil and gas industry with companies seeking technology applications. The directory can
- Describe facilities, expertise, and types of R&D performed.
- Highlight special features that make the university/institute unique.
- Describe recent and ongoing research projects.
- Identify faculty or principal researchers and their qualifications. The information is fully searchable by companies looking for R&D expertise and is available at www.spe.org. For more information about listing an organization in the R&D Providers Directory, please contact SPE at rdprov@spe.org.
2. R&D Session at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition
At this year’s SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (9–12 October in Dallas), an R&D panel discussion will focus on upstream research activity and the perception that its decline has not only decreased the direct research efforts of operating companies but also reduced their participation in collaborative research activities with academia, government laboratories, and private research companies.
Overview: Artificial Lift (May 2005)
Authors: Prado Mauricio G. 
Published: February 2015

I can still remember the time and effort spent with pressure-traverse curves to analyze or design artificial-lift systems in the early 1980s. Here we are a quarter century later with the mission of training new engineers coming into this industry to work on a routine basis with sophisticated computational tools, to analyze real-time data, and to develop tools and use them for real-time monitoring and optimization of artificially lifted wells.
In my view, the two most important abilities a new engineer must master are as follows. First is the ability to use his/her technical background and good engineering judgment to use and interpret the results from this combination of sophisticated tools and endless flow of data. Second is the ability to work efficiently in multidisciplinary teams.
The complexity of current production systems in deep waters involves many risks, and the stakes are very high. Good data and accurate, sophisticated models enable us to have more confidence in engineering predictions, but only a team approach is capable of producing creative solutions that take into account the many constraints from several disciplines.
The selection of papers featured in this issue serves as a small sample of the interesting work being conducted in the area of artificial lift.
Additional Artificial Lift Technical Paper
Available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org
SPE 90153 PCP Axial Load: Theory and Lab Results