bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrated Methodology for Production and Facilities Analysis to Optimize Barnett Shale Gas Production - A Case Study
Authors: Ahmed A. A. , Dwivedi P. , Ardila M. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
The Barnett shale is one of the most prolific gas reservoirs in United States and its success has continued into 2015, with the latest data showing that total gas production in the region is now about 5 Bcf/D. However, operators are increasingly aware that the productivity rate of Barnett wells shown to decline by an average of 70% in the first year. Additionally, as the result of the current down energy market it is necessary to implement new methodologies to sustain and optimize the production moving from the quantity of the wells to the quality of the production, from drilling more wells to enhance the production from the existing wells. To achieve this goal; it became crucial to choose the optimum artificial lift techniques and to use the right dose for chemical treatments that that work best in the Barnett to draw the well with minimum investment to maximize the cash flow.
This paper illustrates the results of using an integrated methodology to evaluate and optimize the gas production for a brown field located in Dallas-Texas, USA. The methodology included a detailed field/wells production evaluation, optimization of the artificial lift system and design, review of the facilities configuration, identification of the flow challenges such as liquid loading, high line pressure and also down time management, Finally the study considered the economical evaluation for high lease operating expenses (LOE) wells. To make the work scalable and sustainable and to help engineers to be aware of any operational variance in timely manner two tools were implemented: 1) an artificial Lift screening methodology and 2) a surveillance tool for tracking the operational key performance indicator (KPIs) and containing an alarm system tool for spotting the variance.
Out of 150 wells considered for this study, 94 wells have been identified for production optimization to obtain production enhancement. A set of seven wells has been taken as a pilot test covering two initiative; well cleaning and utilizing compressor to reduce the well head pressure. The results were as expected. Two wells under well cleaning show a 100 % increase in production because of the reduction in bottom hole pressure and achieving high draw down. The other five wells, under compressor initiative; show an average increase in production by 14 %. Additionally, the target is to reduce the number of the compressors by 25% using the proper artificial lift system and reduce the LOE by 10%.
EVO Series 1.0 - Latest Generation of UT Crack and Corrosion Tools For High Speed Pipeline Inspection
Authors: Hennig T. , Lokwani G. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
Intelligent inline inspections (ILI) are widely used to guarantee a safe operation of pipelines. The inline inspection provides reliable data in an economic way. Ultrasonic (UT) is currently the most accurate and reliable In-Line Inspection technology available in the market. These UT ILI Tools record data while travelling through the entire pipeline from Launcher to Receiver. In most cases, the Pipeline Operator does not need to make major adjustments to their pipeline. Nevertheless, pipeline operators may have to adjust medium flow rates to accommodate optimum inline inspection conditions, e.g. down to 1m/s.
NDT Global recently introduced the latest generation of UT tools - EVO SERIES 1.0. This generation offers inspection velocities of up to 4m/s. These high speed tools overcome reduction of flow rates for intelligent inspection runs. In addition, these high speed tools also offer the highest axial resolution available at the market (0.75mm) and circumferential resolution of 4mm, providing excellent input for accurate pressure calculations, e.g. based on Riverbottom and crack depth profiles or even 3D Finite element modeling.
The authors will present basic background information about ultrasound inspection technologies. Theoretical aspects of EVO Series 1.0 tools are discussed for crack and wall thickness inspections followed by a case study performed in a real pipeline. Furthermore, EVO generation offers capabilities of combining different technologies in one tool. One single inspection tool with corrosion and crack transducers enables pipeline operators to operate their system safely with a minimized impact from ILI.
Project Management Office: The Strategic Trend In Petroleum Industry
Authors: Al Ahmad A. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract

Objectives/Scope
Project Management and project execution in Oil & Gas industry have evolved extensively in the last decade; processes have taken a holistic approach rather than a mechanical one. The tendency today is to establish a centralized and strategic project core office to provide management with sound business recommendations and direct teams in the resolution of decisions in mega projects executions; this office is known as (PMO), Project/Program Management Office.

Methods, Procedures, Process
Many researchers, academics, and practitioners agree that a well-established and mature PMO ensures competence, credibility, and serves as a hub for project management and control. Surveys claim that the number of organizations with an established PMO has increased from 47% to 77%, while other studies suggest that 70% of established PMO closes in 2 to 3 years of their initiation. Accordingly; this presentation outlines the different types of PMO's and their benefits, it explains why do PMO's fail? It also displays methodology to ensure a PMO survival and ultimately. It discloses the prerequisites and the transition of a well-established PMO into a strategic office in the organization.

Results, Observations, Conclusions
This technical presentation addresses the purpose of PMO; how it is established? Its benefits and stakeholders expectations of this office involvement in project executions. Initially, the application of project management practices was the responsibility of a Project Support Office; a unit within the organization dedicated for projects execution. The mandate of this office was limited to accomplishing a specific shareholder's mission or "a project". Management expectations stretch today beyond the usual execution of projects and definition of success through the traditional golden triangle (quality, cost and time). Management are in pursuit of the establishment of a new generation PMO that is characterized as command center with established best practices, procedures and processes to ensure governance and to administer all project management activities within the projectized or operational organization. Their aim is to build a strategic office that promotes common language within the organization and serves as strategic alliance in the business decision making process. Finally; the effectiveness of the strategic PMO and its long survival is warranted by organizational attitude towards setting and achieving strategic goals.

Novel/Additive Information
A Strategic PMO is a rank achieved among successful PMO's, organizations find answers to a whole spectrum of business challenges and long term strategies. In conclusion; this paper dedicates lessons learned and experience from petroleum industry worldwide, bringing stories of pioneer organizations properly implemented strategic PMO. Strategic PMO's achieved success stories that I am privileged to share their stories with colleagues in the Oil and Gas industry.
Advances in Reservoir Management and Surveillance for a Giant Carbonate Reservoir
Authors: Al-Marzouqi M. A. , Owens J. D. , Tee A. , Khan S. A. , Al-Muhairi S. S. , Al-Hosani L. E. , Al Henshiri M. Y. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
Significant advances in reservoir management have been achieved in recent years to address the many challenges in managing giant carbonate reservoirs. The advances are made possible due to culmination of three key elements working in harmony: Work Processes, Technology and People. Three major advances mentioned in this paper underpin this all important truth in reservoir management and surveillance. First is the development and implementation of a framework of recommended Integrated Reservoir Management Practices with detailed and structured multi-disciplinary workflows. Information Technology plays a key role in all these workflows via automation, data integration and visualization. Second is a new generation data integration and analysis tool facilitating data and work flow integration and providing a common platform for intelligent and interactive display, thus promoting collaboration to achieve synergistic benefits. Third is the application of advanced simulation-based streamline techniques whereby new technology and workflows are deployed, with full collaboration among stakeholders.
The Integrated Reservoir Management Practices include a set of highly interactive workflows set in a continuous improvement loop: Data Gathering Requirements, Data QC/QA, Data Analysis, Integration and Visualization, Opportunity Generation, Execution and Monitoring. ZADCO is following these workflows with significant improvement in work efficiency and results. In the collaborative environment, open communication and sharing of knowledge is strongly encouraged among stakeholders to assess the problem from different perspectives. This often results in creative solutions being developed. The new generation integration tool further facilitates collaboration as it retrieves data from reservoir static and dynamic models, surveillance data such as cased-hole logs and pressure data, and displays them for interactive work sessions, including animated display to give extra insight on time dependent data. The streamlines enable model-based well allocation factors (WAFs) to be calculated to supplement analytically derived WAFs, guiding injection optimization and thus resulting in improved reservoir management.
These advanced workflows and tools have helped ZADCO to make timely and informed decisions, resulting in significant savings to the company, and at the same time improving understanding of reservoir behavior and facilitating optimization of ongoing development plans. The advanced workflows and tools have been recognized by Shareholders as game changers greatly needed to better manage the complex giant carbonate reservoir.
Resistivity Independent Hydrocarbon Saturation Computation across a Lithologically Complex Jurassic Carbonate reservoir, Offshore Abu Dhabi
Authors: Serry A. M. , Espinassous M. , Raina I. , Thum S. , Cig K. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
The Jurassic carbonate Reservoir-X, offshore Abu Dhabi started to produce hydrocarbons in the early sixties of the last century. The reservoir is generally formed of regressive sedimentary cycles and can be divided into four highly heterogeneous carbonate units with mixed compositions of limestone, dolomite separated by dense anhydrite layers. Down-flank water injection using relatively low-saline sea water had started in the early 1970s. As of the present day, this ongoing process has highly altered the original formation water super-salinity, in a way that the Archie water saturation computation for Reservoir-X is very challenging and not a straight forward practice anymore. The objective of the presented approach is to introduce a resistivity independent saturation across Reservoir-X, using the novel Pulse Neutron Log (PNL) Spectroscopy measurements.
In order to meet the subject challenges; a comprehensive logging suite consisting of gamma ray, resistivity, density, neutron and spectroscopy is used. The particular interpretation methodology is chosen such that it becomes possible to solve for the hydrocarbon saturation using elastic and inelastic capture spectroscopy. A further observed added challenge is the presence of light hydrocarbon and gas in the porous Reservoir-X layers with the unknown mixed-saline formation water in addition to mud filtrate. Here we present a method for hydrocarbon typing across Reservoir-X.
The precise and accurate acquisition of spectral elemental yields allows for a detailed lithological evaluation, hence allowing for an accurate porosity determination, also taking into account wellbore fluid properties that affect the logging sensors due to the presence of formation water and mud filtrate in the formation. This helps to obtain a resistivity independent hydrocarbon saturation that is independent of Archie parameters m, n and water formation salinity. The solution has also been verified by a subsequent, downhole wireline formation tester fluid identification analysis.
Smart Design for High CO2 Removal for LNG Production
Authors: Bowerbank Gary 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
Recent Oil and Gas discoveries provide an increasing outlook of gas fields containing CO2 content between 10 mol % to as high as 70 mol % CO2. The gas needs to be treated for managing CO2 emission and to fulfil treated gas specification for sales gas or for LNG production. The increasing amount of CO2 content in newly discovered gas fields requires smart designs to minimize CAPEX/OPEX while adhering to emissions requirements. Amines and membranes are commercially available technologies for CO2 removal. However, membranes alone can only do bulk CO2 removal and cannot achieve low CO2 specifications (certainly not deep CO2 for LNG specifications). So membranes will often need an amine unit meeting the CO2 specification as a polishing step.
For this paper, a case study based on amine technology will be discussed. The gas contains high CO2 (~20 mol %) which will feed a LNG plant downstream. The treated gas specification is the typical required LNG specification of 50 ppm. Amine technology is a well-proven process for CO2 removal and capable of meeting these stringent specifications, but comes with high CAPEX and OPEX at these increased levels of CO2. In this study a smart design, which involves a pioneering approach, was undertaken which enables reduction of OPEX by 30 %, and capturing a CAPEX gain of 24 % against a conventional amine design.
Improved Fracture Characterization by Utilizing Seismic-Derived Attributes including Anisotropy and Diffraction Imaging in a Giant Offshore Carbonate Field, UAE
Authors: Skeith Gene , Obara Tomohiro , El-Awawdeh Raed , Sultan Akmal , Al Messabi Abdulrahman , Liu Enru , Johns Mary , Zelewski Gregg , Burnett William , Wu Xianyun , Zhang Jie , Molyneux Joe 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
We present a case study of fracture characterization by integrating borehole data with a variety of seismic attributes in a carbonate reservoir from a giant offshore field, United Arab Emirates. The objectives are to determine to what extent seismic data may be confidently used for mapping spatial distributions of subtle faults and fracture corridors in the reservoirs and to better understand the distribution of overburden anomalies (karsts, high impedance channels) for field development planning. Borehole data used in our study include information from core descriptions (fracture density and orientations), image logs, cross-dipole shear-wave anisotropy analysis, and dynamic data (well testing, PLT, tracer, and mud-loss). The seismic attributes include standard and advanced post-stack geometrical attributes; pre-stack seismic azimuthal AVO attributes, and recently developed pre-stack diffraction imaging. We conclude that (1) there are common features that can be identified in different attributes, and the differences may indicate different scales of fractures; (2) There is a qualitative correlation in the area of history match challenges and strong anisotropy, where seismic anisotropy can identify relatively high fracture intensity regions/zones instead of pinpointing individual fractures and complements other attributes as differences do exist between seismically identified fracture zones and well data due to overburden anisotropy, resolution and sampling issues; and (3) diffraction attributes have revealed more detailed geological features in overburden (e.g. karsts) and reservoirs (e.g. lineaments) than in reflection data and a comparison with mud loss data in the shallow zones looks promising with good correlation between mud loss and collapsed features. This work has provided an improved understanding of the applicability and limitations of the using multi-seismic attributes for fracture characterizations in carbonate reservoirs.
Prediction of Carbonate Reservoirs Pore Pressure and Porosity in Onshore Abu Dhabi Using Petroleum Systems Modeling Technology
Authors: Mohamad R. , Fadipe O. A. , Zhang X. , Djuraev O. , MacGregor A. L. , Bouhlel A. M. , Koutsabeloulis N. C. , Noufal A. , Sirat M. , Popa D. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
Prediction of pore pressure and porosity in an unconventional resource assessment area of Abu Dhabi was performed by using petroleum systems modeling techniques, combining seismic and well data and geological knowledge to model sedimentary basin evolution. The study objective was ultimately to reconstruct basin history and key geological structures as a basis for further geomechanical and fracture prediction studies. Twelve surfaces were interpreted from seismic data and derived from isopach maps. These maps were used to construct the basin model. The model was built from the top of the surface sediment down to the Shuaiba formation. Sediment decompaction was modeled, which enabled the reconstruction of the formation structures through time. Athy's law, formulated with effective stress, was used in the forward modeling simulator for the calculation of pore pressure. Information such as formation ages, erosional events, and hiatus periods were taken into account during simulation. The evolution of porosity, pore pressure, temperature, and thermal maturity through time were simulated and calibrated to measured data. Model porosity is dependent on burial depth, weight of the overburden sediment columns, and lithology properties. Porosity calibration was achieved by adjusting the compaction curve to effective stress. Pore pressure was calibrated by adjusting lithology porosity-permeability relationships. Low-permeability lithologies result in high pore pressure. A regional Paleocene pore pressure reduction was observed, caused by substantial erosion of the Simsima formation. Generally, formation overpressure is observed at greater depth. Additionally, modeled overpressures depend on the evolution of connate water vectors over geological time; these vectors depend on multiple lithology parameters as well as the capillary entry pressure of adjacent model layers. In the Shilaif fm, overpressure zones were identified at the anticlinal structures. Interestingly, higher overpressure was observed in the shallower anticlinal structure. The simulation results provide the estimated porosity and pore pressure in the unconventional play, as well as the reconstruction of the overall basin geometry through time. The resulting models were subsequently used as the basis for further fracture prediction studies; results were ultimately consistent with faults derived from existing seismic interpretation. Model porosity, pore pressure, and predicted fractures will be used for the development of static geological and dynamic reservoir models.
Helical Piles as a Novel Foundation System for Offshore Piled Facilities
Authors: Spagnoli G. , Gavin K. 
Published: November 2015

Abstract
Driven piles are used to support the majority of offshore oil and gas structures with jacket structures supported by axially loaded piles still remaining the most common form of fixed offshore platform. Piles for conventional platforms are normally driven open-ended steel piles. This paper presents general considerations regarding the use of helical (or screw) piles as a novel foundation system for offshore structures. This type of pile has many advantages over driven piles, these include; ease of installation, the ability to remove using a reverse torque technique and cost savings due to much smaller installation vessel requirements. Other uses of helical piles are as support system for anchoring systems used for floating structures (e.g. tension leg platforms, SPARS, semi-submersible production platforms). To investigate their potential a joint research project was performed between BAUER Maschinen GmbH and University College Dublin (UCD). This project to date has involved small-scale laboratory tests, full-scale field tests and finite element modelling. This paper reports the results from finite element (FE) analyses that investigated the effects of the pile geometry, soil stiffness and soil friction angle on the compression and tension capacity of a helical pile in sand. In total, 48 models were created using Plaxis 3D. Axial tension and compression load tests were performed for piles with an embedment depth of 6m. In addition to the FE analyses, a series of laboratory model tests were performed in a large sample of sand at UCD. The primary purpose of these tests was to study the effect of installation method on the capacity of a helical pile. Wished-In-Place (WIP) piles (formed by placing the pile in the testing chamber prior to sample preparation), with helical helix-to-shaft ratios of 1.2 and 2.5 were load tested and their capacity was compared to the piles installed using the torque method. The results of the lab tests suggest that torque installation results in compaction of the sand around the pile. As a result the uplift capacity of the pile of the torque installed pile was much higher than the WIP pile. The wall thickness depending on the maximum applied torque and the permissible torsion stress of the steel is also briefly discussed.