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By Joshua Baethge, Contributor Not many oil and gas professionals can say they helped design the International Space Station (ISS), but Chris Parker can. In the mid-’90s, while working toward a Master’s degree in experimental psychology and human factors at the University of Dayton, he interned at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. One project he worked on was analyzing where to place handrails on the ISS. Mr Parker, who joined BP’s Global Wells Organization in 2018 as Human Performance Lead Adviser, helped the team at NASA to conduct simulations that took into account what the astronauts would need from the design in order to move equipment through different locations. “It was like a playground. It was incredible,” he recalled. ...

By Kevin Neveu, 2019 IADC Chairman At the start of this year, I noted that IADC has a long history of bringing the drilling industry together to identify common problems and solve them in ways that enable our long-term success. As we wrap up 2019, I’m honored to have served as Chairman of IADC and particularly proud of our accomplishments that further solidify the association’s legacy. It is an accepted fact that our industry is volatile, but I have always believed that if you work hard and deliver results, you can have a successful career in this industry. This is a critical message that must be conveyed to those who are in the infancy of their careers, looking at our ...

Drillship edges out light well intervention vessel after operator analysis of multiple technical, commercial factors By William Liew Sin Yoong, Khalil Mohamed M’bareck, Shahira Emie Lyana Bt Mustaffa and Mohd Hairi Abdul Razak, PETRONAS; Frederic Jacquemin, William Zomerdijk, PACIFIC DRILLING As the final stage in the oil and gas field life cycle, abandonment and decommissioning (A&D) activities are inevitable and have been increasing. For one deepwater subsea field offshore Mauritania in West Africa, the operator decided to cease production due to depleted reservoirs and the low oil price environment. This article discusses how the operator selected the drillship to carry out the A&D project, including considerations of the advantages and disadvantages in using a drillship for such operations, as well ...

By enabling rapid assessment of wellbore trajectory, directional drillers can construct smoother well path, optimize sliding time By Chris Hartley, Gyrodata The evolution of drilling technology continues to play an important role in improving drilling efficiencies and well placement. Directional drilling providers use specialized sensors that can operate in harsh downhole environments, where temperatures reach 300°F or higher. These sensors are used to compute the orientation relative to vertical and north directions. The orientation is then used to calculate the wellbore position from the surface location to a known point along a well path, which is defined by a series of survey stations. Operators need accurate and precise measurements from drilling surveys so they can drill into the target reservoir ...

US House passes legislation to impede offshore drilling On 11 September, the US House passed H.R. 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, legislation that bars offshore drilling in federal waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It also passed H.R. 205, the Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act, to permanently extend the GOMESA moratorium on oil and gas activities in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. In response, IADC issued a statement expressing industry’s strong concerns and noting that rising energy needs in the US should be considered. US house votes to bar development in ANWR On 12 September, the US House voted, 225 to 193, to advance H.R. 1146, the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, to ...

By Linda Hsieh, Editor & Publisher The world’s energy system is heading for big changes, and the drilling industry must have a stronger voice in the public discourse around climate change and better position itself as part of the solution. This was the main takeaway from Shell’s keynote address at the IADC Drilling HSE&T Europe Conference in September. And it’s a message that echoes other speeches and discussions that I’ve heard throughout this year. Drilling contractors and other oilfield service companies are increasingly being measured – by both their customers and the investor community – not just on financial and operational performance but also on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria. The European Investment Bank, for example, is apparently ...

Recovery is slow, but positive momentum is building in key deepwater markets By Leslie Cook, Wood Mackenzie Floating rig backlog grew by over 21 years in Q3 2019, while global utilization finally crossed the 70% line. After four years of aggressive cost cutting and razor-thin returns, it finally appears that drillers are starting to come out of the woods. But despite rising utilization and backlog, pricing remains stubbornly low, most notably in key deepwater regions such as the US Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and Brazil. The aim of this article is to shed light on these two important deepwater regions and discuss what that can mean for drilling contractors seeking work and operators seeking rigs in 2020. Local supply tightens ...

Transocean launches hybrid floating drilling unit Transocean announced that it has deployed the world’s first hybrid energy storage system aboard a floating drilling unit. The system is now operational on the Transocean Spitsbergen, engaged in drilling operations on the Snorre field in Norway. The hybrid power technology, developed in partnership with Aspin Kemp and Associates, reduces fuel consumption and increases a dynamically positioned rig’s stationkeeping reliability by capturing energy generated during normal rig operations that would otherwise be wasted. The energy is then stored in batteries and used to power the rig’s thrusters. This enhancement targets a 14% reduction in fuel use during normal operations, leading to a significant reduction in NOx and CO2 emissions. Transocean’s investment is funded in ...

Technology increases accessible reserves on Ivar Aasen Stavanger-based Fishbones recently installed its completion system in a horizontal well on the Aker BP-operated Ivar Aasen field in the North Sea to increase accessible reserves. The well targeted the “alluvial fan” formation below the main producing formation on the field, which is a 25-m thick shaly, layered sandstone formation. A liner with 20 subs, in combination with sand screens, was deployed with the objective of connecting the layered formation while maintaining sand control. Further wells with this system are being considered. Meanwhile, on Aker BP’s Valhall field, work that the company did using Fishbones’ jetting system in 2018 is showing strong results, according to the service provider. Last year it completed simultaneous ...