Technology

Making hole has become a more difficult and complex operation as operators move into untapped horizons, especially deepwater and unconventional fields.

Upstream separation processes remain a hot topic for facilities engineers. Striving to design separators with the optimal sizing for a variety of reservoir conditions, increasing water cuts, and dynamic gas/oil/water production characteristics is critical, but challenging.

How to understand the complexities of unconventional reservoirs.

The authors tell you how hydraulic submersible pumps work and how they're different froom other types of artificial lift.

The offshore industry has taken another step toward opening up new deepwater frontiers to exploration with Maersk Drilling ordering the first 20,000-psi blowout preventer (BOP) made by GE Oil and Gas.

Downhole fiber-optic systems work by using a small laser that fires off a pulse of light through hair-thin cables made of silica glass.

Many problems that result in BOP downtime could be prevented if only drilling contractors knew which parts of the subsea system to replace and when. BOP monitoring systems have been developed to increase reliability by enabling preventive maintenance.

A growing chorus of suppliers, researchers, and service companies is persuading US operators to re-examine their use of slickwater in shale plays and consider displacing it with carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

Fabián Vera, Baker Hughes, and Christine Ehlig-Economides, Texas A&M, explain transient well analysis and how it contributes to shale development.

Extending the drilling season beyond the open water period in the Arctic is the primary driver behind a new jackup concept designed to operate in light ice conditions. The defining feature of the Arctic jackup is its telescopic leg that protects the drillstring from ice loads and is adjustable for depths down to approximately 50 m.