The worldwide inventory of deepwater wells increases weekly. The majority of these wells are high-volume producers and any interruption of production is extremely costly, as is the intervention necessary to... more

Oil and gas producers face higher risk as they venture into deeper water to find bigger prospects that require larger, more expensive floating platforms to produce. It's an arena where... more

In the mid-1990s, dual-gradient drilling (DGD) created a stir as a promising technology that could potentially bring deepwater objectives to fruition that previously were inaccessible. However, a lack of cost-effective... more

An essential element in any completion, the ubiquitous packer has been around for more than a century. Packers provide zonal isolation in liner completions, hydraulically separate producing zones and seal... more

Systematic ESP surveillance and analysis ensures consistent well performance, today, and for the economic lifetime of the producing horizon. The challenge to extend the economic life of mature fields has been... more

Historically, operators have used thread compound (commonly referred to as "pipe dope") because it prevents both galling and corrosion of tubing and casing and helps ensure a tight seal on... more

Fiber optics provide the ideal medium for downhole production monitoring. Fiber optic systems are capable of making multiple downhole measurements and transmitting them to surface in real-time with only a... more

Watching the seismic industry from 1998 to 2004, one could only marvel at how far the mighty had fallen. After the ship-building, data library-amassing frenzy of the late '90s, the... more

The shallowwater shelf can be a tough place to work for a seismic contractor. Regardless of the depth of the drilling target, obstructions at the surface make getting around a... more

In 1997, ElectroMagnetic GeoServices AS (EMGS) founders pioneered a technology called SeaBed Logging (SBL) to detect and characterize hydrocarbon layers prior to drilling through the use of electromagnetic energy. The... more

Stuck drill pipe. Lost circulation. Everybody wants to avoid the millions of dollars and hundreds of manhours that can be lost as a result of wellbore instability and lost circulation... more

The success of an oil- or gas-field development rests on the performance of numerous crucial items of equipment. But if asked to select one for special mention, there are good... more

Despite the fact that large fields are getting harder to find, and, when found, seem to be located in increasingly difficult places to drill, the relentless demand to reduce costs... more

A roller reamer has historically been included in many bottomhole assemblies (BHAs), primarily to assist in wellbore gauge maintenance. Recently, however, the introduction of an advanced, sealed-bearing roller reamer has... more

Recent technological advances are driving casing/liner drilling from a niche market into the mainstream drilling environment. Escalating deepwater costs and the need to further reduce onshore drilling expenses in low-cost... more

Combining sophisticated design capabilities with the most advanced cutter technology yet developed, a series of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits has been created that are uniquely qualified for "hard rock"... more

Operators demand continuous improvements in drilling efficiency to reduce their costs. Improvement in rate of penetration (ROP) is the most important factor in reducing variable costs and the drill bit... more

A new, deep-reading resistivity logging-while-drilling (LWD) tool from Baker Hughes Inteq is designed to enhance the company's ability to geosteer, especially in long, lateral sections. Since the principle objective of... more

With eight principle innovations that improve image quality and field operational efficiency, Full-Wave Seismic Imaging (FWSI) from Input-Output images all components of the complete seismic wave field, including both P... more

North America 1. Brooks Range Petroleum Corp., Wichita, Kan., plans an exploratory well originally proposed by BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. 2. Nordic Oil and Gas signed a pact with the Cote First... more

A new management tool helps companies transparently manage vital software inventories, so that they have the capacity they need - but no more. Where would we be without software? One of... more

In January, American actor Robert Redford, who is also the spokesman for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), sent a letter to NRDC "Action Fund" supporters warning of subversive activity... more

Traditionally at the end of the exploration and production food chain, production has had to put up with the cumulative results of false economy, parochial knowledge and questionable judgment inflicted... more

In an unusual approach to applying new technology, Energy Exploration Technologies Inc. (NXT) is both offering an exploration technology to clients and using it internally. The company's chief executive officer,... more

AnTech Ltd. has unveiled the COLT, a bottomhole assembly (BHA) designed to eliminate some of the problems associated with coiled tubing drilling (CTD) applications, particularly in depleted reservoirs and gas... more

Weatherford has released a retrievable, hydraulically set production packer that provides single trip speed and efficiency. The Hellcat 2 Intelligent Completion Packer has a short, compact design making it ideal... more

Halliburton's Westport Technology Center announced its Total Field Analytical Services (T-FAS), a new offering where a lab professional comes to a drilling site to capture hydrocarbon samples, do some initial... more

CTES, LP, of Conroe, Texas, has developed a device to provide continuous, cost-effective inspection of coiled tubing. The Argus Coiled Tubing Inspection Device uses an array of 12 ultrasonic (UT)... more

Halliburton Security DBS has introduced a solutions-based approach to bit design and manufacture. According to Gary Weaver, manager of technical marketing at the company, the so-called "designer wells" of the... more

A series of tools has been introduced that effectively extends reservoir life by using fluid dynamics technology to eliminate flow interruptions caused by liquid slugging in the system. In many... more

I was at a non-oilfield soiree the other night and started a casual chat with a friendly fellow in the legal business. Our business fascinated him. I have always found... more

ChevronTexaco donated thousands of miles of historic 2-D and 3-D seismic data covering offshore California and portions of the West Coast of the United States to the American Geological Institute... more

For years I have been involved with different organizations and experienced various organizational behaviors, which many would generalize as corporate culture. But what if some of these behaviors followed some of... more

Robert L. Bayless and Tom Dugan were oilpatch veterans in Farmington, N.M., and have been active throughout the Rocky Mountains in the United States. They focused their attention in the... more

India, the second most populous country in the world with a population of over 1 billion, has been growing at a sustained GDP growth rate of about 6% in the... more