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O&G Resources in
the Appalachian and Illinois Basins
Developed by IOGCC's Appalachian and
Illinois Basin Directors with DOE support, this higher-level
strategic report estimates remaining technically recoverable
resources, including proved reserves, in the range of 4.8
billion barrels of oil and 79 to 96 Tcf of natural gas. The
majority of the remaining hydrocarbon resources exist in
unconventional settings (coal seams, Devonian-age shales, and
tight gas sands) and previously untapped deeper formations.
The study outlines how new technology and concepts are
resulting in a wide range of activities in the basins. To
bring more of these resources to market, five prerequisites
must be addressed:
- Technology progress
- Access to resources
- Infrastructure expansion
- Access to high-quality data
- Environmental stewardship
The study notes that collaborative approaches
and basin-wide |
perspectives will be fundamental in tackling
the above prerequisites.
Interested parties can download the
report from
www.iogcc.state.
ok.us/PDFS/Mature%20Region,
%20Youthful%20Potential%20
Oil%20and%20Natural%20Gas
%20Resources%20in%20the%20
Appalachian%20and%20Illinois
%20Basins.pdf.
Free Google Earth
(www.earth.
google.com)
Pick anywhere on earth and Google Earth will
deliver it, based on satellite and aerial photography.
Although data is usually 2 or 3 years old, and resolution may
be limited in less populated areas, this service still can be
of use to check out potential well sites, plan surface
facilities and other tasks that require knowing the lay of the
land.
Google Earth is an offshoot of
Google Maps, a free directions service. Users can input
coordinates or search for specific places and addresses. One
neat feature is that you can view the
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terrain from any angle and "fly" over an
area. Nominally-priced Plus and Pro packages with additional
capabilities are available. Thanks to PTTC Rocky Mountain Region for
alerting us to Google Earth.
SWD (Surveying-
While-Drilling) in
Vertical Land Wells
It's becoming ever more costly to drill. At
the same time, the cost of developing and deploying
measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tools and support hardware is
declining. Forces are in place for "stripped down" SWD tools,
such as those offered by Ulterra Drilling Technologies since
2003. Stripped down means transmitting full survey
measurements of inclination and azimuth on demand at
connection time (not tool face orientation during sliding as
in full-blown MWD tools, so this is only for vertical hole
operation). By transmitting only when off bottom and not while
drilling, battery life is increased and costs are reduced.
Additionally, since pulses are detected more easily with pumps
on and off bottom, staff requirements are less. If wells are
within a reasonable distance of one another, one SWD operator
can service four or five rigs.
The SWD day rate falls out to be about half
that of typical MWD services. When one considers rig cost and
time required for conventional wireline surveys, SWD becomes
attractive on a cost basis alone. Additional intangible
benefits might include: (1) reduced chance of sticking since
pipe not sitting for surveys, (2) more surveys when deviation
problems are there, and (3) immediate correction of slight
deviations.
Excerpted from "SWD Designed for Vertical
Land Wells," The American Oil and Gas Reporter, November 2005,
pp. 111–113.
New GasGunTM
Design Addresses
Debris Problem
Used the initial GasGun propellant with the
expendable rubber canister but found the debris after shooting
a pain? GasGun listened and redesigned to use a high-strength
hollow-steel carrier. Add on some improvements to the ignition
system that produces a more uniform burn and, according to
GasGun after a couple hundred treatments with the new tool,
results are very positive.
See GasGun's fall newsletter,
www.the
gasgun.com/Newsletter%20Fall%
202005%20(4%20pages).pdf for more information on the new design. |
Tech
Transfer Track
Energy
Production Systems's (EPS) patented, two-component Tubing
Rotator System recently completed a year-long test at DOE's
Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC). The system
consists of a rotating tubing hanger that attaches at the
wellhead and a rotating tubing anchor installed downhole. By
distributing wear around the tubing, it extends tubing and
well life. The test well at RMOTC had a long history of rod
and tubing failures and had actually been shut-in for five
years. When testing was started in 2004, new tubing was
installed with the tubing rotator system and the well was
pumped continuously. No failures were experienced through
the end of the test in September 2005. Previous history
indicates the well would have failed within four months.
Production during the period increased to the level of three
years prior to shut-in.