Issue: January 2023
Special Focus: Hydraulic Fracturing
Several factors can be adjusted in a hydraulic fracturing job design to positively affect efficiency and cost. Using predictive analysis for pressure estimation, with a focus on casing optimization, creates the potential to accurately forecast timelines, reduce costs and maximize efficiencies with minimal frac job design volatility.
Hydraulic fracturing of shale gas formations is on the rise in the U.S., as well as in Canada and China, as newly developed technologies create greater access to abundant supplies.
Columns
Looking for continued improvement in 2023
Exploration 2023: I’m melting, I’m melting!
Here we go again!
Energy industry already leads on reducing methane emissions
Symbiotic offshore/CCS projects underway
Features
Approximately 40% of NPT is caused by unplanned issues related to wellbore pressure. Operators can solve many of these problems by applying an MPD-optimized rotary steerable BHA to lower costs and increase safety.
A severely depleted field, with known drilling challenges, was drilled successfully utilizing ERD techniques to access reservoirs farther away from an existing platform by means of slot recovery. Complexity of long open-hole intervals and near-horizontal wellbore was mitigated with an engineered solution utilizing MPD, optimized ERD techniques and fit-for-purpose drilling fluid formulations.
Applied correctly upstream, machine learning (ML) has great potential to revolutionize the industry and can serve as a catalyst to foster faster decision-making and reduce bottlenecks.
While reflection seismic will continue to be useful in the oil and gas industry, it can be also be used to optimize alternative energies and in carbon sequestration and subsequent monitoring.
Autonomous inflow control technology could provide the key to enhance oil production from produced water treatment operations, while significantly reducing emissions. A recent study has shown that advanced completions could help the industry safely and sustainably accelerate net zero ambitions.
Growth in emissions control and monitoring, along with automation of various functions, will continue for the foreseeable future, says Rockwell Automation’s Vice President of Sales for the Middle East region. He believes that upstream companies are now making these items priorities.
In this exclusive interview, Searcher Seismic’s V.P. for Global New Ventures assesses the potential for new oil and gas finds offshore Nova Scotia and discusses the federal and provincial governments’ new licensing round.
Resources
Crude prices declined in December, due to apprehension that steadily increasing interest rates will trigger a global economic recession. WTI fell 9.4%, to average $76.44/bbl in December, with Brent trading at $80.92/bbl, down 11.5% compared to November.
