Archive | September/October
Working the pore pressure puzzle: Different Languages, same goal
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, September/October
Pore pressure knowledge is critical when designing a well. It’s unlikely that anyone in this industry would argue with that. Pore pressure drives the casing design, which drives the well plan, including hole sizes and mud weight. An inaccurate pore pressure model could even lead to a well control event, causing financial losses or, worse, [...]
Case study: new concentric expandable reamer tool used in Gulf of Mexico
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, September/October
By Steven Radford, Will Thompson, Hughes Christensen; Mark Jenkins, INTEQ In the deepwater Green Canyon section of the Gulf of Mexico, an operator lost 10,000 bbl of synthetic oil-base drilling mud in one well before finally abandoning the project. In cooperation with two Baker Hughes companies – Hughes Christensen and INTEQ – the operator began [...]
TOTAL aims for ‘routine’ deepwater drilling in West Africa
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Global and Regional Markets, September/October, The Offshore Frontier
By Jeremy Cresswell, contributing editor The name TOTAL is synonymous with West Africa, and for sure the region ranks as the French group’s number one theater of activity. Moreover, the company has an excellent exploration track record and reputation as a technology frontier buster when it comes to developing discoveries. While many of the headlines [...]
Africa’s Atlantic Frontier: an E&P review
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Global and Regional Markets, September/October
By Jeremy Cresswell, contributing editor Africa is always in the headlines. The stories are rarely positive, and that’s a terrible shame given the extraordinary richness and diversity of this vast continent. But this review is a positive story, and our first stopping point is Mauritania. From Mauritania in the north through “Golden Crescent” states like [...]
Life extension for mobile offshore unites: How old is too old?
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Drilling It Safely, September/October, The Offshore Frontier
By Gerhard Ersdal, Arne Kvitrud, Petroleum Safety Authority Norway; Wayne Jones, Malcolm Birkinshaw, UK Health and Safety Executive Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series of articles that will focus on the critical issue of asset integrity. The International Regulators Forum kicked off the series in the May/June 2008 issue, presenting findings [...]
Modular MDDM top drive designed to cut time for change outs, slash failures
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, September/October, The Efficient Rig, The Offshore Frontier
In 2005, Transocean went in search of a “next-generation top drive” that could significantly improve operational performance to meet customer demands. Specifications required for this new-generation design were tough, including a 99.9% uptime on an annual basis. Out of several ideas proposed by different equipment manufacturers, Aker Solutions’ MDDM (modular direct drilling machine) was selected. [...]
Some manufacturers going forward with PM motors for drilling industry; others hesistant
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, September/October, The Efficient Rig
By Jerry Greenberg, contributing editor Electric motors have been an integral part of the drilling industry for decades. They provide the means to drill a well – powering the drawworks, pumping fluids down the wellbore and separating cuttings upon their return. When the industry began building jackups, electric motors enabled the lowering of legs to [...]
Rack & pinion technology takes shape in oilfield as multifunctional rigs
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Onshore Advances, September/October, The Efficient Rig
By Katie Mazerov, contributing editor Germany-based Max Streicher completed its first-generation vertical directional drilling rig through subsidiary Drill Tec in early 2005. This video shows the rig’s pipe handling system. Horizontal Well Drillers’s rack and pinion design was initially developed for the horizontal river crossing business and was modified for the oilfield two years ago. [...]
Top drives have transformed drilling: Now, new design targets ultra-deep, ERD
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, Onshore Advances, September/October, The Efficient Rig
By David Reid, Larry Wells and Jeremy Ogg, National Oilwell Varco In 1982, a radically new drilling system appeared in the oil patch, one that would ultimately allow tremendous advances in the oil and gas industry’s well construction capabilities. The advent of the original Top Drive System (TDS) foreshadowed the development of reservoirs that were [...]
Geothermal drilling market heats up
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Global and Regional Markets, Innovating While Drilling, Onshore Advances, September/October
by Linda Hsieh, Assistant Managing Editor As oil prices reach unheard-of highs in the $140/bbl range, energy sources that have historically been considered too expensive to produce economically are getting new leases on life. Many such energy sources, like wind and solar, tend to reside far outside the realm of the oil and gas drilling [...]
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