Technical Topics

To develop improved predictive models of complex real-world problems, one needs to pursue a balanced perspective. Ultimately, the physics we know needs to rely on data to unmask the physics that we do not yet know.

This column is intended to provide a starting point and a roadmap for professionals who want to learn data science and are struggling with the question, “Where do I start?”

It is a myth that blowouts only occur in high-pressure wells. Being able to investigate the blowout and kill potential on every well as part of the well construction process is an opportunity to increase safety awareness among drilling engineers.

The industry worldwide has been swayed by the digitization wave. This column previews the multifaceted digital transformation of petroleum engineering from an intradisciplinary perspective, using specific examples from SPE’s seven technical disciplines.

An overview of two novel applications of the capacitance model, including its implementation during the primary production period and in gas reservoirs.

Extreme downhole conditions may lead to rapid degradation of pumped cement. The understanding of degradation of cement under such conditions is imperative to bring about improvements in the cement formulation.

Scaling buildup inside wellbores is a serious production problem that dramatically reduces the well productivity index. This issue has a significant cost across the industry, mostly associated with loss of production or additional operations such as well intervention.

The main goal of production logging is to evaluate the well or reservoir performance. A look at several scenarios of poor well performance and recommendations for production logging tools for diagnosis.

The Delaware Basin presented a challenging scenario for Anadarko due to the company’s tankless development approach. Sand filtration was identified as a perfect fit for this application.

Natural gas hydrates are considered to store vast amount of natural gas trapped in the subsurface worldwide. However, gas hydrates are yet to be commercialized due to technical challenges in the production technology.