Tech Transfer Track

Rod Pump Controllers Can Now Be Leased

Most independents are aware of the potential benefits from using rod pump controllers, but need affordable options to implement them in mature properties. eProduction Solutions Inc. (eP) recently launched a "Service Plan" in the U.S. that provides rod pump controllers on a lease basis. Leasing avoids initial capital issues, and the plan can provide rod pump controllers for as low as $1.99 per well per day. Price varies according to options and configurations. eP will install and support the controllers. The controllers use state-of-the-art load and position technology like that being used in over 20,000 wells around the world by eP customers.

Rod pump controllers can reduce electrical costs, reduce down time and increase production. Fields have used this technology to reduce electrical costs by 30%, which equates to savings of $150 per month if monthly electrical cost is $500. Additionally, down time can be reduced as much as 10% and production can be increased as much as 3%.

For more information about rod pump controllers, visit eP’s website (www.ep-solutions.com/). For more information about the new leasing "Service Plan," contact John Broussard, e-mail john.broussard@ep-solutions.com or phone 281-348-1000.

NAPE Attendees—Get Your Updated CD

Organizers of the NAPE (North American Prospect Expo) 2002 have updated the "Show Guide and Attendee Directory" on CD-ROM. Available for NAPE registrants only, the CD-ROM can be purchased for $49. Call the American Association of Professional Landmen at 817-847-7700 for an order form. The CD-ROM, which functions independently of the Internet, includes prospect search capability, exhibitor and attendee alphabetical and company search capability, and contact information for attendees.

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Operators Can Now See Thin Carbonates in The Williston Basin Using Intelligent Computing Software

In a cooperative project with DOE's National Petroleum Technology Office, Luff Exploration Company developed and is using an Intelligent Computing System (ICS) for Reservoir Characterization to identify drilling locations in carbonate reservoirs in the southern Williston Basin. ICS employs clustering and neural network or fuzzy logic techniques to make predictions of reservoir quality and the position of oil/water contacts that have guided horizontal drilling on structural features in the Red River Formation at 9,500 ft. Using ICS, seismic-derived attributes are correlated with porosity, permeability and depositional setting enabling thin (six to eight ft) reservoirs that are invisible to traditional 3-D seismic to be seen. Successful wells drilled in 30-year-old fields had initial rates up to 200-300 bopd from these thin reservoirs. Phase I version ICS, which is free, can be downloaded from www.luffdoeproject.com.

(Excerpted from "Intelligent Computing Software Enables Independent To Delineate Thin Reservoirs" by Mark Sippel, American Oil And Gas Reporter, Feb 2002, p.100-ff).

Regional Technology Events To Consider

East Texas Geological Society Tech 2002 & Prospect Expo, April 11, Tyler, TX.

Independent's Day at the SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, April 16, Tulsa, OK. Speakers in a special PTTC session will address: Oklahoma Coalbed Methane Activity, Arkoma Basin Coalbed Methane Completion Practices; Alternative, Low-Cost Well Plugging Technology; Gel Polymer (for water shutoff) in the Midcontinent; and Solid Propellant Stimulation Treatments in the Midcontinent (The Gas Gun).

Southwestern Petroleum Short Course, April 23-26, Lubbock, TX. Oriented towards artificial lift and operations.

Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Energy Technology Conference, April 24-25, Denver, CO.

Mississippi Geological Society Spring Symposium, Recent Activity and Trends in the Mississippi-Alabama Oil Patch, May 16, Jackson, MS.

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, 2002 Coalbed Methane Symposium, June 19, Denver, CO.

State Statutes and Regulations On CD

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) is now offering a "Summary of State Statutes and Regulations for Oil and Gas Production" on CD-ROM. Topics include administration, bond, casing and tubing, completion, documents required, drilling permit, land leasing, naturally occurring radioactive materials, pooling, spacing, taxation, underground injection, unitization, vertical deviation and water and drilling waste disposal.

The CD-ROM is in html format, allowing easy interaction with the Internet. Links provide direct access to the website of each state's regulatory agency. Cost is $30, including shipping and handling.

For more information contact IOGCC, phone 405-525-3556 http://www.iogcc.state.ok.us/

"Dissimilar Metal" Tool Inhibits Paraffin, Scale

Corrosion Inhibitor Systems and Grifco, Inc. of Louisiana are offering the "Silver Hawg." The Hawg, which is a tool comprised of dissimilar metals in a patented process, inhibits the formation of solid paraffin and scale particles. The Hawg alloy, which is not magnetic, chemical or electrical, causes a change in the electrostatic potential of the fluids. This change leads to suspending solid minerals and inhibiting the formation of scale, paraffin and corrosion. Since the Hawg does not add to or take anything away from fluids, it is environmentally friendly.

The tool is simple, easily installed and easy to maintain. Potential benefits include: reduced paraffin and corrosion, reduced hot oil treatments, reduced BS&W and tank bottoms, and extended equipment life. Models are provided for downhole, injection wells and surface applications.

Sound too good to be true? Decide for yourself. The information package that PTTC received contained testimonials, complete with pictures, by four different producers. In these cases, field experience supported the claimed benefits.

For more information about the Silver Hawg, visit Grifco, Inc.'s website http://grifcoinc.com/hawg.html or contact them (phone 337-233-8761, e-mail coiltools@aol.com) or Corrosion Inhibitor Systems (phone 337-625-4294, e-mail pmvinc@prodigy.net).

Table of Contents	Vol. 8, No.1 1st Quarter 2002