bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Technology Focus: Subsea Technology (August 2009)
Authors: Salies Jacques B. 
Published: February 2015

Technology Focus
As oil prices approach half of their value of last year, when they hit all-time highs above USD 147/bbl, here I am again to address the JPT audience. Against all odds and in spite of the difficult economic times, the 2009 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) had extraordinary attendance, proving the breath and strength of our industry. The fact is that we are accustomed to ups and downs and to riding out tough times with innovation and willingness to embrace new solutions. Actually, this is the time to hold and value a strong engineering team that is motivated to face challenges, come up with solutions, and deliver oil and gas on time and on budget.
Those who attended the presentations at OTC had the privilege to witness the industry's accomplishments and promises. Among them was what might be one of the greatest developments offshore in ultradeep water in Brazil: the presalt formations. Last year, Petrobras started a pilot production project that allows testing technologies for the full development of these giant fields.
The industry's accomplishments and promises are represented by the papers selected for highlighting and for additional reading in this issue. They illustrate developments in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and Africa. As you read them, you will have the opportunity to know more about the design/qualification of the Tahiti field in the Gulf of Mexico, Chevron's first high-pressure subsea development, and improvements in efficiency for subsea operations in deepwater Angola implemented by ExxonMobil. In addition, you will know how StatoilHydro proved subsea compression to be a cost-effective alternative to platform compression in the North Sea. Other highlights include multiphase boosting installed in the BP King field, the Moho Bilondo subsea-production system, and the Agbami field development and its subsea-equipment systems.
Therefore, I would like to invite you to read this selection of papers, a testimony of our flexibility and willpower to endure and create in tough times. Enjoy it!
Subsea Technology additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org
OTC 20146 • "BP King—Deep Multiphase Boosting Made Possible" by B.E. Davis, BP America, et al.
OTC 20280 • "Moho Bilondo: Subsea-Production-System Experience" by D. Carré, Total, et al.
OTC 19919 • "Agbami Field Development—Subsea-Equipment Systems, Trees, Manifolds, and Controls" by Thomas P. Kelly, SPE, FMC Technologies, et al.
OTC 20186 • "Subsea Processing and Boosting—Building Blocks for Petrobras Scenarios" by M.L.L. Euphemio, Petrobras, et al.
Real-Time Drilling-Process Optimization
Authors: Bybee Karen 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 119650, "Real-Time Optimization of the Drilling Process - Challenges in Industrialization," by E. Cayeux, SPE, E.W. Dvergsnes, SPE, and F. Iversen, SPE, International Research Institute of Stavanger, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, 17-19 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
A new drilling-control system for real-time optimization and automation has been developed in an ongoing research project, which now will enter an industrialization phase. The system, which is based on application of advanced real-time process models for calculation of both hydraulic and mechanical forces, requires an extensive set of input data. Results from the calculation modules are applied directly in the drilling-control system, affecting parameters such as pipe acceleration, velocity and deceleration, and the pump-startup profile.

Introduction
During the last decade, computer-controlled machinery have made it possible to control the drawworks, the topdrive, mud pumps, and the iron roughneck or pipe-handling equipment from a drilling workstation by use of joysticks and keypads. Recent developments enable control of the machinery within safe-guard boundaries through application of model simulations, accounting for the effects of fluid and pipe movements in the wellbore. These new extended systems have the potential to reduce the risk of damaging the well and the downhole equipment and, subsequently, to reduce nonproductive time. For such extended systems to function properly, a more precise description of the drillstring components is required to calculate pressure losses, mechanical loads, and heat transfer. Furthermore, complete descriptions of the wellbore architecture, formation prognosis, trajectory, and drilling-fluid properties are needed for configuration of the applied models. Most of this information is not available in standard rig systems, and no standard work process has been established to make this information available before actual operations. For such systems to achieve their full potential, the necessary information must be quality controlled and made available at the right time, because an error in this information could lead to potentially serious incidents.
In January 2008, a field test of a new system for automated control of the drilling process was performed on the Statfjord C platform in the North Sea. Because the system was developed through a research project, the focus up to now has been on robustness. The system now is entering the industrialization phase, with a stronger focus on system application, including the following.Sensor quality and reliability.Availability of wellbore description including information exchange between different systems.Work processes for updating well bore description and quality control of data.User friendliness.Personnel training.
Members Gain Professional Recognition Through Certification Program
Authors: Shillings Erica 
Published: February 2015

Today's complex oil and gas industry and the increased workload caused by strains on the talent base leave little room for error in ensuring the technical competence of the workforce. And while the US, the UK, and some other countries have registration programs for engineers, many countries do not. In response, SPE has developed a certification program for engineers that allows them to demonstrate their technical knowledge.
Part of SPE's mission is to help members further their technical and professional competence and skills. The certification program defines required knowledge in different areas of engineering and offers members an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge through examination.
SPE Petroleum Engineering Certification offers an international credential recognizing petroleum engineering expertise. The certification is obtained by applying for and passing the SPE certification exam. Prerequisites to taking the exam include an undergraduate engineering degree and 4 years engineering experience.
"The certification exam is targeted to areas of the world that do not have governmental licensing bodies to regulate the practice of engineering in that country," said Byron Haynes Jr., development planning team leader for Petroleum Development Oman, and chairperson of the SPE Engineering Professionalism Committee. "Engineers working in these parts of the world can take this exam to show that they possess engineering skills that can be verified through examination by an international body such as SPE.
"By taking the exam, people show their employers that they have engineering skills and experience that is recognized by an international standard—this metric has been used for internal promotions," said Haynes. "This exam is useful when applying for jobs to show prospective employers that they are qualified and that they have basic petroleum engineering skills that are recognized internationally."

Employer Support
Many employers support their employees taking the exam and offer incentives for doing so. "There are in many cases incentives such as the company paying for the exam, giving the employee time off to sit for the exam, and some companies are actually giving raises to engineers who sit and take the exam successfully," Haynes said. "This sends a message to the engineering community that these companies are supporting the establishment of an engineering certification program. These companies also use this exam as a training tool to verify engineering competence within the company and placement for other engineering assignments."
Quality Management and the Oil Service Company: Are They Compatible?
Authors: Stoute Ray A. 
Published: February 2015

Quality Management Systems (QMSs) can be found in every industry regardless of the type of working environment. They may be formal or abstract in nature, a result of legislative requirements, or even custom-made to a company’s scope of operations. Whatever the format, the result should be the same—to ensure that the products or services provided to the customer consistently conform to specific, predetermined measures. The Intl. Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the world’s largest developer of standards, and its quality standards bridge all industries on a global scale. But when the term ISO is used in the same breath as the oil and gas industry, visions of environmental management, green engineering, waste management, and, of course, ISO 14001 are conjured up. Given the eco-thrust of new legislation appearing annually, it is in these companies’ best interests to adapt such concepts and ideologies sooner rather than later. Aiding this newfound respect for the environment is the increased focus on health, safety, and environment (HSE) policies. Today, all three components of HSE are entrenched in all aspects of the industry, with a marked improvement in attitudes and emphasis on safe and environmentally friendly work practices. How do quality and, more specifically, ISO 9001 fit into this picture?
The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISO’s most widely known standards, implemented by 634,000 organizations in 152 countries. ISO 9000 has become an Intl. reference for quality-management requirements in business-to-business dealings and is primarily concerned with quality management. Those issues include the customer’s quality requirements and satisfaction, applicable regulatory requirements, and how to achieve continual improvement performance in pursuit of these objectives. The ISO 14000 family is primarily concerned with environmental management, specifically what the organization does to minimize harmful effects to the environment caused by its activities and how to achieve continual improvement in environmental performance. The following case study highlights one oil service company’s successful attempt at ISO 90015 registration.
Safe Operating Window: Wellbore Stability Is More Than Just Fluid Density
Authors: Denney Dennis 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 94732, "Integrated Management of the Safe Operating Window: Wellbore Stability Is More Than Just Fluid Density," by T. Hemphill, SPE, Halliburton Baroid, prepared for the 2005 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Rio de Janeiro, 20-23 June.
The drilling of challenging wells, especially those in deepwater, high-pressure/high-temperature, and extended-reach environments, often is characterized by a narrow safe-operations window between formation pore pressure and fracture gradient. Overstepping the window bounds can lead to unwanted incidents of lost well control and/or lost circulation. Maintenance of wellbore stability (WBS) while drilling is critical to the success of today’s challenging wells, yet applications of such modeling have largely centered only on predictions of surface drilling-fluid density requirements. An integrated approach demonstrated the use of incorporating drilling-fluid hydraulics and barite-sag potential in the wellbore-construction process to help avoid unwanted surprises that can lead to unstable wellbores while drilling in technically challenging environments.

Introduction
Recently, for an extended-reach-drilling (ERD) well in the North Sea, hole cleaning and hydraulics optimization were combined with wellbore-stability modeling to produce a more comprehensive analysis of a large-diameter interval to be drilled with water-based drilling fluid. In that study, a fully coupled wellbore-stability analysis was used to estimate the minimum drilling-fluid density to prevent shear collapse and the maximum density to prevent formation fracturing during initial stages of the drilling operation. Changes in key drilling parameters such as pump rate, drillstring rotation speed, and rate of penetration were made in a “what if” fashion to determine their relative effects on wellbore stability. Following the optimization process developed for drilling the well on paper, the large-diameter hole was drilled, and the casing was cemented successfully.
In the subsequent 12¼-in. tangent interval, drilled with low-toxicity mineral-oil-based mud (LTMOBM), the hole was drilled without problems, but hole instability occurred once drilling operations ceased. The hydraulics used in the actual drilling process near the bottom of the 12¼-in. interval was entered into the wellbore-stability model to re-evaluate the effects of drilling operations on wellbore stability. In this second study, a chemoporoelastic model accounting for chemical interaction between the drilling fluid and the formation, as well as full coupling between the change in pore pressure and effective stresses, was used.
Conductivity Endurance in the Unconsolidated Environment of the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Denney Dennis 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper OTC 17116, "Conductivity Endurance in the Unconsolidated Environment of the Gulf of Mexico," by William Whitley, SPE, Unocal Corp., and Brad Clarkson, SPE, and William J. Edwards, SPE, Halliburton, prepared for the 2005 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 2-5 May. Copyright 2005 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.
The productive life of certain wells with frac-pack sand-control completions has shown a greater decline in performance than expected. In many cases, this abnormal decline, both initially and in the long term, can be attributed to loss of conductivity in the proppant pack. Because conductivity is the major design criterion for frac-pack completions, the conductivity must be optimized in the original completion and then maintained throughout the life of the well. When frac packing in weaker and unconsolidated environments, enhanced treatment materials and designs must be used to help ensure that frac-pack conductivity is optimized initially and maintained over the long term.

Introduction
Until recently, there was no way to prevent fines migration through the proppant pack to the wellbore. If the formation contains laminated, highly heterogeneous, unconsolidated, compactable rock, fines movement could impede the production of hydrocarbons from the well.
It is common to use a frac-pack procedure with a crosslinked gel system and a ramped proppant concentration to maintain sand control and improve conductivity from the formation to the wellbore. Maintenance of these packs, in certain reservoirs, has become an issue. In the past, some wells that were frac packed tended to lose the added conductivity in a very short time. One common theory is that the formation fines “plug” the proppant pack, thereby suppressing further fluid flow to the wellbore. Following this theory, if the production of formation fines flowing through the proppant could be decreased, the conductivity of the pack could be maintained better. Hence, conductivity maintenance is a main goal of the surface-modifying agent (SMA) being added to numerous frac packs in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).
Q&A with Clarence P. Cazalot Jr., President and CEO, Marathon Oil Corp.
Authors: Cazalot Clarence P. , Donnelly John 
Published: February 2015

As Chairperson of the 2006 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, can you give us some highlights of this year's event?
One of the areas of focus that has become very important to the industry is unconventional hydrocarbons. That is becoming a dominant theme in the business today and is rejuvenating North America, whether it is Canadian oil sands, which have gone from being considered marginal just a couple of years ago to a very significant opportunity, or all the tight gas and fractured shales. Our company is moving more and more in that direction as well.
Another important topic that certainly will generate a lot of discussion at the conference concerns the issues about people and the technical skills critically needed by this industry, both now and in the long term. There also will be a panel on reserves classification, which has been a high-profile issue as well. And, of course, the focus on technology—what new technologies are needed and the advances that are being made today.
The conference's opening general session and panel sessions do focus on those critical issues: heavy oil's part in meeting future demand, reserves classification, and the role of young professionals. Do you think the challenges facing the industry now are greater than they have been in the past?
I believe they are. Some may disagree with me and say that the industry has always faced challenges and that this is not an easy business. But I do believe that today's challenges are potentially game-changers in terms of how and where we conduct our business. For me, it begins with the high commodity prices we are seeing. High prices certainly spur increased activity and provide economic incentives that are creating both current and future problems. The current problems you can see in the competition for people resources and for new opportunities and assets. They are driving up the very cost of doing business—from wages and salaries to seismic costs to drilling costs to land costs. For the long term, the big question is, "To what extent and how will demand for crude oil, natural gas, and refined products all be impacted by these high prices that have risen so dramatically in such a short period of time?" High prices also have attracted a lot of new competitors into the business, not just publicly traded companies but private equity, and caused the emergence of national oil companies much more rapidly than we otherwise would have seen.
In summary, I believe these challenges—access to resources, people, and rising costs—would have arisen anyway, but they have been exacerbated by the high-price environment. I think these are pretty fundamental challenges for the business that are bigger, and perhaps could have a greater impact, than the challenges that we have faced in the past.
Techbits: Assessing Managed-Pressure Drilling
Authors: JPT staff _ 
Published: February 2015

The SPE Applied Technology Workshop (ATW) "Managed-Pressure Drilling (MPD)" held during 11−14 June in Phuket, Thailand, drew 82 participants from 47 different organizations and 14 countries. The focus of the ATW was the use of MPD, precisely controlling the annular pressure in a closed system while drilling, to drill reservoirs that have been deemed economically undrillable by conventional means or to avoid drilling-related issues in others.
Wee Si Boon, Head of Wells Delivery (Malaysia), Shell Malaysia E&P, delivered the keynote address, titled "Developing Mud Cap Drilling and Completion Technology." His upbeat opening speech on the impact MPD has had on the Shell Malaysia operations emphasized its continued use to alleviate drilling problems in carbonate reservoirs often associated with severe lost circulation. These points were followed by comments on the wider application of MPD in the Asia Pacific region and its expanding use as a drilling enabler.
Ben Gedge, Brunei Country Manager and Shell E&P-Asia focal point for Weatherford, and Ian Davidson, Middle East Regional Manager, UBD Global Implementation Team, Shell E&P Intl. Ltd., gave the past, present, and future prospects for MPD and explained how this technology evolved out of underbalanced drilling (UBD) over the past 10 years, especially for the challenging drilling applications where full UBD is not appropriate.
The workshop reviewed the many applications for MPD, including, land, offshore, deepwater, high-pressure/high-temperature, and tight-gas air drilling. David Castillo, Director-Asia-Pacific, GeoMechanics, set the scene by reviewing and analyzing the many geological challenges that are encountered during the well-construction process and how these can be addressed with MPD techniques.
Particular attention was paid in the workshop to the cur-rent projects employing MPD techniques in Asia Pacific, particularly in carbonate reservoirs. Leo Maekiaho, Well Engineer-Operations, Shell Malaysia E&P, gave an overview of Shell Malaysia groundbreaking operations from jackups and semisubmersible rigs in the South China Sea. Andy Timms, Drilling Manager, Amerada Hess, reviewed a recent successful project in Thailand where high-pressure gas wells were successfully drilled with MPD technology, so much so that the number of development wells in the field was cut dramatically as a result of much-improved flow rates achieved with MPD technology (especially as a result of novel completion techniques).
Don Reitsma, Vice President-Engineering, At Balance, gave a description of a new dynamic-annular-pressure-control drilling technique that has only recently been commercialized.
Planning of MPD wells is one of the most critical parts of an operation. A group consisting of Oliver Coker, Principal Engineer, Conoco/Phillips; John Ramalho, UBD Regional Implementation Manager, Shell; Don Reitsma; Phil Frink, President, Blade Energy Partners; and Ben Gedge led the presentations and subsequent panel discussion.
Overview: Reservoir Performance and Monitoring (September 2006)
Authors: Clemens Torsten 
Published: February 2015

Advances in technology enable improved reservoir characterization as well as improved measurement and allocation of relevant production and other data. The continuous advance in reservoir monitoring improves efforts in finding unrecovered hydrocarbons in fields with long production histories. However, as one of the featured papers shows, even in such fields, considerable production-forecasting uncertainties exist. Thanks to ever-increasing computing power, the uncertainties in production forecasting in these cases can be quantified and, thereby, managed. Various methods for assisted history matching have been used successfully to perform this task.
Time-lapse (4D) seismic has proved very successful in reducing uncertainties and finding remaining hydrocarbons. The technology is still developing at a fast pace. The application of 4D seismic has expanded from offshore to onshore heavy-oil developments. Because this technology is one of the few sources of surveillance information away from the well, new ideas are evolving of how to advance the methodology further. Another featured paper shows how geomechanical data were incorporated with the 4D seismic analysis, which might open another field for application of this method.
Geomechanical effects are important in various aspects of hydrocarbon recovery. They can be used in combination with 4D seismic, as mentioned above, and they are very important in water-injection and thermal-recovery processes. The third featured paper provides insight into coupling geomechanical effects and fluid flow.
Reservoir Performance and Monitoring additional reading available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org
SPE 95419 "Production Monitoring Through Openhole Gravel-Pack Completions Using Permanently Installed Fiber-Optic Distributed-Temperature Systems in the BP-Operated Azeri Field in Azerbaijan" by G. Brown, SPE, Schlumberger, et al.
SPE 96897 "Mapping Fluid Flow in a Reservoir Using Tiltmeter-Based Surface-Deformation Measurements" by J. Du, SPE, Pinnacle Technologies Inc., et al.
Available at the OTC Library: www.otcnet.org
OTC 18222 "Constraining Reservoir Uncertainty With Frequent 4D-Seismic Data at Valhall Field" by H.S. Lane, SPE, BP plc, et al.