JPT May 2022 Issue
On the Cover
A pipe perforated to represent a fracturing cluster is surrounded by a shroud made of sections of heavy-walled pipe that blocks the flow of water and sand out of the perforations, which then drop into the container below. In the foreground is a barrier that deflects fluid back into the tank. Source: GEODynamics.
.
Read the JPT Digital Magazine [Members only]
Monthly Features
-
A team of engineers did something no one had done before: a full-scale fracturing test on the surface. The results surprised the fracturing experts involved. -
The message from a single chart’s data from the first full-scale hydraulic fracturing surface test is simple: Far less proppant flows out of the first clusters passed in a stage than the last ones. -
Drilling automation champions met to identify where this emerging technology needs to be by the end of the decade. What they ended up agreeing on most was that the business models used today are largely incompatible with the technology of the future. -
With aggressive net-zero goals hanging overhead, countries are looking to fast-track low-carbon energy projects, and many are including nuclear in the mix. -
Capitalizing on technology that originated with NASA delivers savings on directional drilling operations. -
Managed-pressure drilling has been associated as a technology used only on problematic wells and only as a last resort. However, when integrated at the beginning of operations as part of a comprehensive well plan, it becomes a performance-enhancing solution for any type of well classification, including development, directional, multilaterals, and horizontals.
Guest Editorial
-
As the announcement of carbon sequestration projects becomes the norm, it’s time we look at what we know from a technical angle about how these projects need to be run based on the industry’s experience with enhanced oil recovery.
Technology Awards
-
The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) has named the 2022 recipients of the Spotlight on New Technology Award. A total of 14 companies, including seven small businesses, were recognized this year for their breakthrough hardware and software technologies.
President's Column
-
Employment is not a direct function of oil prices, but of upstream and midstream investment and activity. Fluctuations in SPE membership generally lag the activity increase or decrease by 1–2 years. It is expected that the current upcycle of activity will contribute to a rebound in membership, especially among the young professionals.
Comments
-
Seven years, and we’re on track to exceed the 1.5°C target established by the Paris Agreement in 2015 to limit global warming by 2030. Instead, we may be turning up the heat to 3.0°C. And in this case, doubling the wager does not hold potential for greater rewards. A recent report addressed the costs of technologies for emissions mitigation and their likelihood of mak…
Advertorial
-
Technology continues to transform every aspect of our lives and its role in modernizing oilfield operations is no different.
SPE News
-
The perception of the petroleum industry is not currently a good one. So, if that sentiment can be measured, can it be improved? The SPE Sustainable Development Technical Section believes it can by SPE members thinking like activists yet acting like engineers. Data collection and analysis are key to determining what really matters.
E&P Notes
African nation becoming the latest global hotspot for giant oil finds.
New FPS hosting production from a trio of deepwater fields.
Plan to double gas output in order to help ease supply issues in Europe caused by Russian invasion.
Satellite discovery will likely be tied back to one of the Troll platforms.
Operator purchases outstanding interest in shallow water producing properties
Dry hole dampens spirits in Brazil’s Sergipe-Alagoas Basin.
A successful appraisal well at the field has boosted reserves estimates as high as 1 billion barrels.
The Glaucus-2 well confirms the existence of a multi-TCF gas field.
The Glaucus-2 well confirms the existence of a multi-TCF gas field.
A sidetrack is planned to confirm commercial quantities of oil and gas.
Deepwater Fields
-
Technical advancements and innovative solutions have played a key role in the successful journey of sustainability of deepwater developments. These concepts will remain a catalyst for these assets for the next decades, provided the availability of appropriate resources and executive vision.
Intelligent Operations
-
The last couple of years, I have highlighted efforts around remote operations of fields, smart wells, and the acquisition and integration of real-time data. This year, I have focused on recent drilling-related papers that highlight how safety and performance can be improved with more-intelligent operations.
Extended-Reach and Complex Wells
-
Artificial intelligence and machine learning, which can effectively mine deep insight from a large amount of drilling operational data and synthetic forward modeling data, are starting to shape the design and operations of extended-reach and complex wells.
Cementing and Zonal Isolation
-
In the October 2021 issue of JPT, incoming SPE President Kamel Ben-Naceur discussed the importance of collaboration in solving technical problems quickly and efficiently. Three of the papers selected in this section are from collaborations between multiple companies pooling their expertise and resources to develop solutions for complex problems that could not be addre…
SPE Members: Access the free technical papers synopsized above through 30 June.