Regional Roundup

1st Quarter 2003 Case Studies
Petroleum Technology Digest

CONTACT THE PTTC REGIONAL
RESOURCE CENTER IN YOUR AREA:

Appalachian Region
Director: Doug Patchen
West Virginia University, 
304-293-2867, ext. 5443
www.karl.nrcce.wvu.edu

Central Gulf Region
Director: Bob Baumann,
Louisiana State University, 225-578-4400
Coordinator: Don Goddard, 225-578-4538
www.cgrpttc.lsu.edu

Eastern Gulf Region
Director: Ernest Mancini
University of Alabama, 205-348-4319
http://egrpttc.geo.ua.edu

Midwest Region
Director: David Morse
Illinois State Geological Survey, 
217-244-5527
Coordinator: Steve Gustison, 217-244-9337
www.isgs.uiuc.edu/pttc

North Midcontinent Region
Director: Rodney Reynolds
Kansas University
Energy Research Center, 785-864-7398
Coordinator: Dwayne McCune, 785-864-7398
www.nmcpttc.org

Rocky Mountain Region
Director: Sandra Mark
Colorado School of Mines, 303-273-3107
www.pttcrockies.org

South Midcontinent Region
Director: Charles Mankin
Oklahoma Geological Survey,
405-325-3031
Coordinator: Michelle Summers, 405-325-3031
www.ogs.ou.edu/pttc.htm

Southwest Region
Director: Robert Lee,
Petroleum Recovery Research
Center, 505-835-5408
Coordinator: Martha Cather, 505-835-5685
http://octane.nmt.edu/sw-pttc

Texas Region
Director: Scott Tinker,
Bureau of Economic Geology
University of Texas at Austin, 512-471-1534
Coordinator: Sigrid Clift, 512-471-0320
www.energyconnect.com/pttc

West Coast Region
Director: Iraj Ershaghi
University of Southern California
213-740-0321
Coordinator: Idania Takimoto,  
213-740-8076
www.westcoastpttc.org

Michigan Satellite
William Harrison III, 269-387-5488
http://wst023.west.wmich.edu/pttc.htm

Permian Basin
Bob Kiker, 432-552-3432
www.energyconnect.com/pttc/pb/

Bottom Line: Field results in the past few years have proven that using polyliners can increase uptime and save money - even over plastic coatings. Many operators are using polylined tubing to reduce well failures from rod-tubing wear and tubing corrosion in artificial lift and injection wells. BP America, ChevronTexaco, Conoco and Fasken Oil and Ranch have used polylined tubulars in over 41 wells with substantial savings in operating costs.

Using capillary strings to unload gas wells and increase production

Bottom Line: ChevronTexaco has successfully employed capillary strings in South and East Texas to resolve problems associated with liquid loading. ChevronTexaco now has more than 100 installations. Detailed analysis of the initial 17 installations in South Texas revealed a 74% success rate. Installation costs, which can approach $15,000, will pay out in less than three months with representative gas prices and production increases (100 mcfd)

Bottom Line: PressSol Ltd. of Calgary has adapted reverse-circulation, center-discharge drilling (RCCD) for oil and gas drilling. Because RCCD drilling returns cuttings through the ID of the inner portion of double-wall drill pipe, it does not expose the formation to possible damage from drilling fluid and, thus, is particularly well suited for drilling low-pressure reservoirs. K2 Energy of Calgary has applied RCCD to successfully drill and test gas wells in the low-pressure (formation pressure estimated at 150 psi) Bow Island formation on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northern Montana. As of February 1, 2003, the system has been used to drill 11 Bow Island wells on the reservation and an additional five wells in the Thrust Belt. Drilling cost is competitive with mud or air drilling in that area; $15/ft for surface string to 600 ft and $10/ft for a long string to 2,500 ft. The system can be adapted to any rig with the addition of a dual-wall drillstring.

Water Reduction Through
Polymer Treatments

Recognized industry speakers in Jan. 22 Workshop in California. From Left to right—J. Portwood and Jim Mack, Tiorco Inc.; Ralph Cook, moderator, Enhanced Petroleum Tech, Inc; Iraj Ershaghi, PTTC West Coast; Rich Pancake, Univ. of Kansas Tertiary Oil Recovery Project; Bob Sydansk, Petroleum Recovery Research Center at New Mexico Tech.