Issue: June 2010
Long rotating times and severe doglegs can jeopardize casing integrity.
The use of real-time MWD data and reliable directional control resulted in increased average ROP and reduced drilling time.
During three years of Shell’s NPT reduction initiative, failure frequency for GOM drilling tools has declined 60%, from five to less than two failures per month.
A new whipstock-and-packer approach to drilling openhole laterals can reduce rig time and risk by eliminating the need to set cement.
Integrating converted shear-wave data with traditional P-wave data provides reservoir insights.
Batch horizontal drilling campaigns in Western China deploy unique real-time bed boundary mapping technology to target thin oil columns and rejuvenate an onshore brownfield.
Use of industrial methylated spirit was considered critical for flow assurance in an HPHT subsea tieback, but could impact processing and product quality.
New developments include geochemical logging tools, through- and near-bit sensors, slimhole NMR, and improved mud-logging and gas-extraction technology.
A recent Wall Street Journal editorial commented that an accompanying article in that newspaper “makes the case that huge natural-gas discoveries in shale rock are on the verge of, well, changing everything.”
High geopressure gradient and initial production rates cause an overall rapid decline in production, with first-year decline rates up to 80%.
Shale E&P activity continues to grow through strategic joint ventures designed to reduce risk and improve pipeline takeaway.
The oh-so-high cost of producing energy
Tragic situation, heroic response
How to turn $1,000 into a $2.2 billion energy empire
Can Iraq deliver?
House of mirrors
EIA’s 2009 gas numbers: Down ... but not by much
Companies in the news
Crude prices fell by over $10/bbl in early May, the biggest weekly decline in 18 months, amid an evolving Eurozone debt crisis and a selloff in global equity markets.
Meetings and Events
New Products
The Louisiana State University College of Engineering inducted Gary R. Wooley to its 2010 Hall of Distinction. Wooley, who received his BS, MS and PhD degrees in engineering sciences from LSU, is President of Wooley Associates, Inc. He founded Enertech Engine