JUNE 9, 2006

Industry Highlight: Seeing Those Invisible Gas Leaks, Turning Them Into $
Leak Survey Inc.’s HAWK infrared-based camera, the product of more than a decade of development, is proving extremely useful in identifying those “invisible” natural gas leaks that represent $ lost and can represent safety hazards. Helicopter surveys of lines are possible. Since the HAWK can examine thousands of components per hour, it is extremely useful in hand-held surveys of major facilities. When it comes to leaks, data from EPA’s Natural Gas STAR program show that the components most often leaking are valves, connectors, compressor seals and open-ended lines.

DOE Highlight: Progress Made on HT/HP Components
As part of its Deep Trek program, DOE awarded a cost-shared contract to Honeywell to develop a suite of high-temperature electronic components that can be used for instrumentation for deep-gas drilling. Milestones for four key components have been achieved.

PTTC Highlight:  COMET/Futures Student Training Continues Strong, Still Time For Internships
Student training/internship programs in the Rocky Mountain Region (Futures in Energy) and West Coast Region (COMET)  are looking strong for 2006. On-campus training in Golden, CO and Los Angeles, CA occurs the week of June 26-30. In California there will be 20 students and 2 teachers, while in Colorado there will be 22 students and 24 teachers. For the students, a key part of the experience is a following month-long internship to put the new found knowledge to work. There is still time and need for your company to provide an internship – to be a doer and not a talker. Feedback from companies that provided internships in the past confirm that these computer-savvy kids accomplish real work, plus there is the satisfaction of knowing you have influenced someone’s thoughts about a career in the O&G industry. Regarding internships, in the Rockies contact Michael Ewing (mewing@mines.edu) and in California contact Iraj Ershaghi (ershaghi@usc.edu).  

Trivia Question:  When, where, and by whom, was the first hydraulic fracture treatment performed?

Trivia Answer: In March 1949 Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co. and Stanolind Oil Co. frac'd a well located 12 miles east of Duncan,  Oklahoma. Initially licensed exclusively to Halliburton, Stanolind extended their fracturing license to all qualified service companies in 1953. Trivia question/answer excerpted from information from American Oil and Gas Historical Society.