JPT August 2021 Issue
On the Cover
A team of technicians prepares for robotic operations at a testing facility in Lacq, France, that is specifically designed for ground robot and drone testing, and to experiment with new facility designs. Source: TotalEnergies.
Guest Editorial
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Additive manufacturing can alleviate and avoid long, expensive production shutdowns and reduce supply chain carbon footprints. Key to unlocking this potential is building trust in “printed” parts.
Monthly Features
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Brazil has plans to create a competitive gas market. Equinor is operating two big projects that could offer a model for how a company not named Petrobras could market gas produced offshore. -
Advanced robotics is poised to make a big splash in the oil and gas industry, but when and just how big will it be? -
The impact of orphan wells, both on the environment and on tightening budgets, is a growing concern in the industry. Boom times result in a vast uptick in wells drilled. In bust times, when companies disappear, the liability outlook for these probes gets murky and federal and state governments start looking for answers. -
Extended-reach drilling is becoming more of a mainstream technology as the industry seeks to squeeze difficult reserves and reduce the footprint of projects in fragile environments.
President's Column
In his final column as SPE President, Tom Blasingame reminds members to never forget the enormous responsibility they bear in providing the global community with one of its most essential commodities. He calls for increased efforts to engage and contribute to our industry and to SPE to pave the way to sustainable and renewable energy.
Case Study
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The application of an extended-release scale-inhibitor in approximately 70 vertical conventional wells in the Permian Basin has shown approximately three times better performance compared to the incumbent chemical.
Comments
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Forecasts for oil demand are looking up. Will the optimistic views prove to be on target? We have learned how the market can shift or wildly careen, both historically and in the very recent past. The outlooks, which reflect a consensus of sorts, is encouraging for producers.
E&P Notes
Three-well plus two options campaign could add material gas reserves
Major makes another discovery in Stabroek block, comes away empty in Canje
Finds could lead to Turkey becoming an exporter of natural gas
New reserves will likely be developed via subsea tieback
Eastern Canada offshore heats up with Flemish Pass drilling plans
The move is part of a larger reset, cutting the operator’s international exposure
Royal duo could add over 130 million bbl of reserves
SPE News
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With speakers from various disciplines and professions, the program focuses on industry trends, challenges, and technology applications and advances. -
A selection of outstanding young professionals in the oil and gas industry whose work positively influences and inspires others.
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The technical papers to be presented have been peer-selected to guide attendees in understanding and applying innovative and cost-effective technologies in all aspects of the industry throughout the life cycle of an asset.
People
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This section recognizes SPE members accomplishments and positions within the oil and gas industry. -
This section lists with regret SPE members who recently passed away. -
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Former SPE Board Member and SPE Distinguished Service Award recipient died June 23.
Formation Evaluation
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In this new decade, the prevalence of integration is at the forefront of the scientific community. Every discipline, scientist, or company has a way in which they define the term “integration.” Regardless of how you define the effort that links disciplines quantitatively, the importance of constraining subsurface characterization to link it to production results and d…
Health, Safety, and Environment
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One of the miracles over the past year has been the accumulated knowledge around the human genome and application of this science to the rapid development of efficacious vaccines. As within oil and gas, humans can rise to the challenge to solve complex problems when identified. This is playing out as we see societal drivers around climate change and net-zero carbon em…
Subsea Systems
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Flow assurance in subsea oil and gas fields often presents significant challenges. Every field has its own combination of difficulties, and no universal process or system can be used to mitigate these. Detailed knowledge across a broad range of competencies, therefore, is required to find solutions that can minimize the risk of not getting the hydrocarbons safely to t…
Gas Production
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Until you hear that commercial fusion reactors are online or that low-cost, grid-scale electricity storage made from commonplace materials can handle a 10-day cold snap or heat wave, there is no need to hang up your pipe wrenches. Fossil fuels will remain the most energy-dense, cost-effective, reliable energy source until an extraordinary breakthrough creates a better…
SPE Members: Access the free technical papers synopsized above through September 30.