In simple terms, every subsurface point at the target should be properly illuminated during a 3-D seismic survey and should have reflected seismic energy with a uniform distribution of source-receiver... more

The technological focus of geoscientific interpretation has always shifted with the exploration and production industry’s challenges and opportunities. At the start of the millennium, Figure 1. RokDoc 2-D Modeling Launcher.... more

Coiled tubing (CT) drilling has its roots in Canada. In 1997, Fleet Coil Technologies, a division of Plains Energy Services, brought a prototype rig into Canada from the United States.... more

Drilling is ultimately a capital allocation process. Once financial capital has been set aside or reserved to construct a well, those funds are not available for other projects. But does... more

Offshore California, the Monterey shale offers several highly conductive producing zones in the form of swarms of natural fractures. Since the fractures represent the only conduit for commercially viable hydrocarbon... more

Liquid loading is a common cause of production impairment in gas wells, particularly depleted wells. North American gas producers need a low-cost pumping system to recover more gas from each... more

While viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fluids have been widely used in the offshore oil and gas industry for several years for a variety of stimulation treatment applications, those applications have not... more

Norway remains fiercely dedicated to protecting its offshore waters. As a result, it is one of the most challenging regions in which to carry out well service operations involving chemicals... more

Assets operating with FieldWare Production University (PU) are seeing improved safety, increased production, reduced costs, reduced well testing and improved hydrocarbon accounting. The technology is well established and the major... more

Deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico may have been producing since 1979, but the potential in the area is still significant. Today 99% of proved reserves in the Gulf... more

In March of this year what may well prove to be a revolutionary moment in reservoir monitoring history took place in the North Sea. The watershed event came after a... more

New, short drilling riser fairings lower material costs, cut installation time, reduce weight and do as good a job as older, heavier, longer fairings in most offshore drilling situations. Strakes used... more

Challenges faced by the offshore oil and gas industry as it moved into the 2000s have not diminished but, in fact, have remained and new, unexpected challenges have emerged, forcing... more

In recent years, the utilization of time-lapse techniques has become an essential tool for the geophysical monitoring of producing oil and gas fields. As a result, an increasing number of... more

The easternmost point on the Golden Triangle of the world’s biggest deepwater play — West Africa, Gulf of Mexico and Brazil — draws majors and independents alike to the region’s... more

The third and final installment of this series describes the technology components of the Intelligent Oilfield (IOF). It should be noted that technology is much more than merely computing power,... more

It seems that more and more I’m writing about new developments in processing and software that have only been possible in recent years because of better computing power. Whether it’s... more

What do operators want? Good question. Safety tops the list of operator priorities, but it must occur in the face of drilling feats in deeper water to deeper targets offshore... more

E&P magazine hosted its BOMA (Brownfields: Optimizing Mature Assets) conference again in Denver, Colo., in another effort to bring state-of-the art techniques in front of the people who can use... more

PGS has been developing fiber-optic sensor and telemetry technology since 1997. A major application will be to permanently install reservoir monitoring (Figure 1). Such a system will ideally operate without... more

Sercel has launched SeaRay, a new data acquisition system specifically designed for redeployable, cost-effective four-component (4-C) seabed seismic acquisition in water depths down to 985 ft (300 m). An optional... more

TAM International’s new SlikPak Plus inflatable retrievable packer/bridge plug system runs on slickline or electric line for fast deployment and accurate depth control. The battery-powered and computer-controlled 21¼8-in. outside diameter... more

The Genesis 7000H, dubbed Hercules, is track mounted, remotely operated and will accommodate pipe sizes through 25-in. outside diameter. (Image courtesy of Frank’s Casing Crews and Rental Tools Inc.) Lafayette,... more

Operators and service companies cementing wells in zones that produce carbon dioxide (CO2), wells that are used to sequester CO2 or wells that have enhanced oil recovery practiced with CO2... more

Shakespeare with Internet access might have asked instead, “What’s in a URL?” In the case of E&P’s new one, it’s a lot. Let’s face it, our old Web site address,... more

The Arctic is often referred to as one of the final frontiers for oil and gas exploration, which presents significant technological and commercial challenges to the industry. During our recent... more

West Africa offers solid gains to the operators that can work with the complexity of its geology and work within the changing guidelines of host countries as the huge offshore... more

A flame or spark would not explode Nitro-Glycerine readily, but the chap who struck it a hard rap might as well avoid trouble among his heirs by having had his... more

Facing political turmoil and a growing sentiment of nationalism, President Evo Morales shocked the energy world in May 2006 by announcing that the Bolivian government was seizing control of the... more

Houston-based VAALCO Energy Inc. looked for promising prospects in West Africa and found them in Gabon as it combined analysis with good timing and a large helping of opportunity. Gabon holds... more

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” said Mr. Shakespeare. “Brown fields by any other name stink,” says the oil and gas industry. And it appears, much... more