bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Advanced Treatment Solutions of Sewage- and Bilge-Waters Onboard Offshore Installations
Authors: Rosebrock Andreas 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
With the new IMO regulation MEPC 159(55) coming into force by January 2010 for sewage treatment plants, more stringent limit values have to be considered for certain effluent parameters also in the offshore industry. Proper sewage treatment system design is of course the first step and a prerequisite to avoid operational problems, environmental pollution, and also to safeguard operating staff. However, with the new regulation coming into force and an increasing number of sewage treatment plants been developed and are brought to the market by various manufacturers, owners ask themselves: what is the proper product and reliable technology to meet our individual requirements?
The objective of this presentation is to generally inform about new IMO MEPC 159(55) regulation, its effect on the offshore industry and to provide an overview and comparison about certain technologies available. The second part of the presentation will discuss the treatment of bilge waters in the offshore industry. Here again with general information about the respective IMO regulation MEPC 107(49), and also with an overview and comparison about certain technologies available.
The conclusion will also include an outlook on possible future developments in the field of sewage and bilge water treatment.
Case History: Recompletions in a Virginia Coalbed-Methane Field Yield Additional Gas
Authors: Rodvelt G. D. , Moyers W. L. , Malamisura P. R. , Hagy C. W. , Greer S. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
The domestic United States has more than 30,000 coalbed-methane (CBM) wells drilled and producing. The majority of these are vertical, producing wells that have been completed with hydraulic fracturing to access coal-seam gas. Mature CBM fields can still provide an opportunity to deliver more gas production. While incomplete primary-stimulation and additional-pay intervals can be easily identified as candidates, wells with scaling issues, fines invasion, or proppant production can be more difficult to ascertain. Determining the best recompletion solution requires an integrated review of the well history from its construction through completion as well as each well’s production profile.
This paper describes the methodology used for determining which wells to recomplete in a 30-well program in 2007. Four types of recompletions were established with at least three wells in each category, allowing comparison of different recompletions methods. A diagnostic approach is described that determined the proper course of action as field work confirmed the well problem. After at least 12 months of post-treatment production, this project was deemed a success with an uplift greater than 10 Mcf/day on 63% of the wells and 403 MMcf in additional gas sold to market.
Optimizing Openhole Completion Techniques for Horizontal Foam-Drilled Wells
Authors: Allison Dave , Folds Don , Harless David , Howell Matt , Vargus Greg , Stipetich Abby 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Over the last two years the increase in openhole interventionless horizontal completions in the shale markets has lead to higher production rates at lower completion costs for operators. In areas where wells are being air-drilled, specific techniques of using hydraulic set packers and sliding sleeves has proven to be a viable, low-cost, interventionless solution to complete when the wells are likely to be a gauge hole. However, in areas where the horizontal wells use foam instead of air because of the sensitivity of the shale, typically the wellbore is non-gauged and may lead to operational failures when trying to isolate the wellbore with hydraulic set packers because of the limitation of the expansion of the element package. The advances in the use of swellable elastomer packers provide an ideal solution for isolating these non-gauged holes for the completion process. But, as mentioned, there is sensitivity to the shale in these wellbores, and applying the typical hydrocarbon fluid to the formation to swell the swellable elastomer packers may cause a detrimental effect to the formation.
To overcome the issue of isolation in non-gauged holes without damaging the shale formation, an interventionless solution was incorporated using sliding sleeves, swellable elastomer packers, and development of a new shale optimized fluid system to swell the packers. The shale-optimized fluid is an effective low-leakoff fluid that causes minimum physio-chemical damage to the shale while increasing the optimization of the swell time of the packers. This paper will discuss the development of this new completion process for use with foam-drilled openholes that are non-gauged and case history information of applications that have been run in the Lower Huron shale formation.
Boundary Element Analysis of the Stress Distribution Around Multiple Fractures: Implications for the Spacing of Perforation Clusters of Hydraulically Fractured Horizontal Wells
Authors: Cheng Y. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
For multi-stage hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells with casing hole completion, multiple cluster perforations are typically used to create multiple fractures in any single stage. How to place these perforations is a critical issue because the number of perforation clusters to be used and the space between them significantly impact how effective the fractures can be created in the formation. To optimize the spacing of perforation clusters, stress distributions and fracture mechanics need to be well understood.
In this study, the displacement discontinuity method is used to construct a boundary element model, which is able to analyze the stress distributions around multiple transverse fractures and the geometries of these fractures. With the boundary element model, multiple cases are investigated for different number of fractures and fracture spacing. Changes of both minimum and maximum stresses, as well as shear stress around these fractures are first illustrated. It is found that for the cases with more than two parallel fractures, there is a strong stress concentration around the center fractures. The calculated displacements indicate that the created fractures are no longer elliptic-like, and the widths of the center fractures are significantly reduced compared with that of a single fracture. For the case of two parallel fractures, the stress concentration between two fractures also results in the asymmetrical shape of fractures, but the fracture widths are not reduced significantly.
The study indicates that the number and spacing of the fractures need to be carefully selected in order to create effective fractures with appropriate fracture geometries. The boundary element model provides a useful tool to relate rock geomechanic properties to stress distribution and fracture geometries for multiple fractures in hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells, which can be served as a guidance to space the perforation clusters.
Reservoir Simulation and Uncertainty Analysis of Enhanced CBM Production Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Jalali J. , Mohaghegh S. D. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Coalbed methane is becoming one of the major natural gas resources. CO2 injection into CBM reservoirs is used as an effective method for CBM production enhancement (ECBM) and for long term sequestration of CO2 (CO2Seq). Reservoir simulation is used regularly for building representative ECBM and CO2Seq models. Given the wide range of uncertainties that are associated with the geological models (that forms the foundation of any reservoir simulation), comprehensive analysis and uncertainty quantification of ECBM and CO2Seq models become very time consuming if not impossible.
This paper addresses the uncertainty quantification of a complex ECBM reservoir model. We use a new technique by developing a Surrogate Reservoir Model (SRM) that can accurately mimic the behavior of the commercial reservoir model.
Upon validation of SRM, we perform Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) in order to quantify the uncertainties associated with the geological (CBM) model. Performing MCS requires thousands of simulation runs that can be performed easily once the SRM is developed. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the simulation model are identified to help reservoir engineers concentrate on the most influential parameters on the model’s output when studying the reservoir and performing uncertainty analysis. Unlike conventional geo-statistical techniques that require hundreds of runs to build a response surface or a proxy model, building an SRM only requires a few simulation runs.
Using Microseismic Monitoring to Better Understand Completion of the Medina - Whirlpool Formations: A NYSERDA - Sponsored Project
Authors: Walker Kirby , Sink John , Le Calvez Jöel , Frantz Joe , Martin John 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
The Medina is a group of Silurian-age sandstone formations that have been dependable gas producing zones in Western New York since the late 1800’s. Most of the production from the Medina has come from a combination of the Whirlpool and Grimsby formations. The method of how to most effectively complete these two formations is an ongoing topic of debate. The formations are separated by the Cabot Head shale formation that ranges in thickness from less than 5 feet to more than 70 feet in some places. One of the main questions with regard to completion of these formations is whether to 1) stimulate the Whirlpool and the Grimsby with separate treatments to ensure effective stimulation of both layers; or 2) stimulate both formations with one hydraulic fracture treatment, at a lower cost, that grows from the Grimsby through the Cabot Head and into the Whirlpool.
Microseismic monitoring of hydraulic fracture treatments is now a proven technique used to analyze hydraulic fracture geometry and azimuth. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority funded a project in Chautauqua County, New York to use this technology to monitor a hydraulic fracture treatment in a Grimsby/Whirlpool well for the purpose of understanding hydraulic fracture development in these formations.
This paper uses the microseismic results obtained from the study to validate a hydraulic fracture model of the Grimsby/Whirlpool formations. A sensitivity analysis was then performed using this hydraulic fracture model to give direction as to when the Grimsby and Whirlpool formations should be stimulated simultaneously and when a two-stage completion would be more beneficial to obtain an effective stimulation in both zones.
A Fast, Fully Integrated Approach to Early Field Development Resource Evaluation and Value Assessment: Madu-Anyala Project - Nigeria
Authors: Okoro Innocent , Krolow Jennifer , Novakovic Djuro , Aladesulu Adeniyi , Reynolds Kendall , Adetifa Abbey , Ikelua Emmanuel , Ajayi Foluso 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Significant reserves and production growth are often achieved by bringing green fields onto production. Green field development is an intricate process and the quality of activities and decisions taken in the early stages significantly impact project value. Poor definition of the field resource base and the lack of practical, cost effective development options are a sure road towards value erosion. Thus a critical aspect of the development process is the evaluation/validation of the project resource/reserves base from which the key project economic parameters are determined. Resource evaluation for New Field Developments has changed dramatically over the past decade as no longer is "the answer" obtained by building and testing one or two deterministic models.
Modern Major Capital Projects are expected to develop fully probabilistic production forecasts and ranges of Original Oil in Place (OOIP) and Reserves in order to assess the entire project value profile. Typically, this involves creating multiple static earth models representing different geologic realizations coupled with a range of possible dynamic reservoir and operating conditions to yield numerical simulation models. Attempting to generate probabilistic forecasts one combination at a time or even with the application of structured uncertainty assessment techniques such as Design of Experiment (DoE) could easily push the project's evaluation time to months, sometimes even years. The dilemma thus becomes how to make a complete project go/no-go decision with the right amount of technical rigor while avoiding long resource evaluation cycle time on projects that potentially may not move into execution. In this increasingly resource constrained environment, both in terms of personnel and funding, there is need for a faster, better suited way to understand the key value drivers and the range of project value early in a field development. The approach presented here preserves technical rigor while leading to quicker, more efficient project (go/no go) decisions.
The Madu-Anyala Development Project investigated a cluster of 14 reservoirs in a joined development. Application of a streamlined method of earth modelling, in combination with integrated dynamic modelling of subsurface, wellbore, and surface conditions in a systematic manner described in the paper, provided probabilistic Original Oil in Place, recoverable reserves, and three-phase production profiles with a cycle time of only 4 months. The profiles, along with the concurrently generated facilities and drilling cost estimates, allowed for a fast, but reliable, assessment of project value early in the development.
Novel through Tubing Sand Control Solution for Failed Gravel Pack- Alpha Well -4L case Study
Authors: Yahaya I. O. , Opusunju A , Ajaraogu B , Agbogu G , Williams O , Uchendu C. , Udeh M , Oyetade T , Bakare M 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Alpha field is situated in SPDC's OML 22 in the eastern part of the Niger delta belt, some 60kM NW of Port Harcourt. The field discovered in 1986, currently has 9 wells completed and 13 drainage points. Well A-4L is one of the completed intervals on the S7000E horizon. Production from this interval began in April 1997 and oil recovery averaged 2000 STB/D. Sand production was anticipated under normal drawdown from production onset and as such the well was completed with sand-control measures in place.
After about ten years of production, a significant amount of sand was observed during routine sampling of the well. This condition resulted in the closure of the well for high sand production.
To restore production from the well, current economic realities favored through tubing intervention. Two major types of through tubing remedial sand control solutions were considered namely mechanical and screen-less (chemical consolidation) methods. A proprietary HDR squeeze pack technique (mechanical method) was identified as the best solution that meets post intervention production requirements and also affords completion longevity. Total cost of deployment to recover 0.75MMbbl of oil was USD$0.650M compared to projected USD$5.0M for possible hoist re-entry.
This paper details the deployment process of this Novel solution that has successfully restored production from Well A-4L.
Controlling Carbon Emissions in Nigeria's Oil and Gas Industry: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Igbatayo Samuel A. , Imoudu Peter B. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
The oil & gas industry flares about 170 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum, valued at about US $40 billion. Despite the emergent global climate change and the Kyoto protocol, over 20 countries have increased the obnoxious practice of gas flaring in the past 12 years. In Nigeria, gas flaring has become a controversial issue in the polity. Most gas resources in Nigeria had been flared due to the dearth of a nationwide gas infrastructure. However, both economic and environmental imperatives have informed concerted efforts mustered by policy makers in Nigeria to embark on gas utilization and commercialization projects, culminating in the exportation of gas through the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) projects. More gas has also been piped to major industrial estates in Nigeria as alternative fuel. However, more than a third of gas produced in Nigeria is still being flared, with serious implications to the economy and the environment. Therefore, this paper aims at creating a long-term emission-reducing framework for future legislative standards, achieving zero routine flaring and increased cost savings; as well as adopting technologies and strategies that have effectively reduced emissions and benefited production and increased profit.
Modelling Adverse Selection in The Presence of a Common Genetic Disorder: the Breast Cancer Polygene
Authors: Macdonald Angus S. , McIvor Kenneth R. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe cost of adverse selection in the life and critical illness (CI) insurance markets, brought about by restrictions on insurers' use of genetic test information, has been studied for a variety of rare single-gene disorders. Only now do we have a study of a common disorder (breast cancer) that accounts for the risk associated with multiple genes. Such a collection of genes is called a polygene. We take two approaches to modelling the severity of adverse selection which may result from insurers being unable to take account of tests for polygenes as well as major genes. First, we look at several genetic testing scenarios, with a corresponding range of possible insurance-buying behaviours, in a market model for CI insurance. Because a relatively large proportion of the population is exposed to adverse polygenic risk, the costs of adverse selection are potentially much greater than have been associated with rare single genes. Second, we use utility models to map out when adverse selection will appear, and which risk groups will cause it. Levels of risk aversion consistent with some empirical studies do not lead to significant adverse selection in our model, but lower levels of risk aversion could effectively eliminate the market.
Quasi-Likelihood Estimation of Benchmark Rates for Excess of Loss Reinsurance Programs
Authors: Verlaak Robert , Hürlimann Werner , Beirlant Jan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this paper a method for determining benchmark rates for the excess of loss reinsurance of a Motor Third Party Liability insurance portfolio will be developed based on observed market rates. The benchmark rates are expressed as a percentage of the expected premium income that is available to cover the whole risk of the portfolio. The rates are assumed to be based on a compound process with a heavy tailed severity, such as Burr or Pareto distributions. In the absence of claim data these assumptions propagate the theoretical benchmark rate component of the regression model.Given the whole set of excess of loss reinsurance rates in a given market, the unknown parameters are estimated within the framework of quasi-likelihood estimation. This framework makes it possible to select a theoretical benchmark rate model and to choose a parsimonious submodel for describing the observed market rates over a 4-years observation period. This method is applied to the Belgian Motor Third Party Liability excess of loss rates observed during the years 2001 till 2004.
Continuous Monitoring: Does Credit Risk Vanish?
Authors: Lindset Snorre , Persson Svein-Arne 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe present a model for pricing credit risk protection for a limited liability non-life insurance company. The protection is typically provided by a guaranty fund. In the case of continuous monitoring, i.e., where the market values of the company's assets and liabilities are continuously observable, and where the market values of assets and liabilities follow continuous processes, regulators can liquidate the insurance company at the instant the market value of its assets equals the market value of its liabilities, implying that the credit protection is worthless. When jumps are included in the claims process, the protection provided by the guaranty fund has a strictly positive market value. The ability to continuously monitor asset prices with continuous sample paths eliminates economic losses from default. Our analysis suggests that economic losses from default stem from jumps in continuously observed asset prices and/or that asset prices are not continuously observed.
Sharing Risk – An Economic Perspective
Authors: Kull Andreas 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe revisit the relative retention problem originally introduced by de Finetti using concepts recently developed in risk theory and quantitative risk management. Instead of using the Variance as a risk measure we consider the Expected Shortfall (Tail-Value-at-Risk) and include capital costs and take constraints on risk capital into account. Starting from a risk-based capital allocation, the paper presents an optimization scheme for sharing risk in a multi-risk class environment. Risk sharing takes place between two portfolios and the pricing of risktransfer reflects both portfolio structures. This allows us to shed more light on the question of how optimal risk sharing is characterized in a situation where risk transfer takes place between parties employing similar risk and performance measures. Recent developments in the regulatory domain (‘risk-based supervision’) pushing for common, insurance industry-wide risk measures underline the importance of this question. The paper includes a simple non-life insurance example illustrating optimal risk transfer in terms of retentions of common reinsurance structures.
Scenario Analysis for a Multi-Period Diffusion Model of Risk
Authors: Malinovskii Vsevolod K. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis paper extends and develops the results of a previous paper Malinovskii (2007). Dealing with a simplistic diffusion multi-year model of insurance operations, this paper illustrates the adaptive control approach when the object of control is the balance of solvency and equity. Compared to the previous paper, a new element is the “scenario of nature”, or the incomplete knowledge of future risk, which is quite often the case in insurance. It introduces a new and inevitable randomness in the model and leads to a qualitative difference in its behavior.
A1C but Not Serum Glycated Albumin Is Elevated Because of Iron Deficiency in Late Pregnancy in Diabetic Women
Authors: Hashimoto Kunihiko , Osugi Tomoaki , Noguchi Sanai , Morimoto Yasuhiko , Wasada Kenshi , Imai Shiro , Waguri Masako , Toyoda Rieko , Fujita Tomio , Kasayama Soji , Koga Masafumi 
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE
We have already reported that A1C is elevated because of iron deficiency in late pregnancy among nondiabetic pregnant women. This report examined whether the same phenomenon is observed in pregnant women with diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
This longitudinal study was conducted in 17 pregnant women with diabetes (20–35 weeks of pregnancy). A1C, serum glycated albumin, erythrocyte indexes, and iron metabolism indexes were measured.

RESULTS
A1C levels were significantly increased in late pregnancy, whereas serum glycated albumin showed no significant changes. Glycated albumin/A1C ratio, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, serum transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin were significantly decreased in late pregnancy. Serum transferrin saturation showed a significant positive correlation with glycated albumin/A1C ratio.

CONCLUSIONS
A1C levels, but not serum glycated albumin levels, are elevated in late pregnancy because of iron deficiency in diabetic women. Serum glycated albumin may offer an adequate marker for glycemic control during pregnancy.