Serious research into the potential for nano-engineered products is well underway and oil and gas applications could just be around the corner. Nanotechnology, or nanoscience, is referred to by the... more

Operators and service companies have concentrated more resources on lowering the cost and raising the effectiveness of wells than any other area of operations. They have made tremendous progress, but... more

Dragon Oil Plc used a new powered rotary steerable system (RSS) from Schlumberger to drill an almost 2,625-ft (800 m), 81/2-in. section in less than 3 days through the difficult... more

Drilling non-productive time (NPT) costs operators around US $1 billion annually. A principal culprit in drilling NPT is lost circulation. Generally speaking, the drilling industry handles lost circulation much as... more

Emerging technologies in exploration can be mind-boggling in their complexity and in the fact that they continually push the limits of constantly improving computing speed. But the decision-makers within oil companies... more

For those who despair that old dogmas can't be taught new tricks, there's hope - Marathon Oil explorationists have defied conventional wisdom, drilled into a sand injectite in the North... more

At the moment, Roxar is in the process of commercializing the AQUAHAWK online and in-line oil-in-water (OIW) monitor. The monitor is based on ultrasonic technology enabling high quality monitoring of... more

Roxar has determined that the accuracy required for water detection in gas wells can only be met with a new technical development, extending the water detection capability in gas wells... more

For many years operators have wished for the ability to recover downhole data without the need for cables. The system The Expro Group's CaTS telemetry system is a field proven system... more

Natural gas hydrates are known to exist in commercial quantities in many places around the world. For many years their potential was concealed by the very specific set of environmental... more

Reliability, safety and economy are targeted by Halliburton's new generation DepthStar Tubing Retrievable Safety Valve (TRSV). Specifically designed for deepwater applications, an improvement step change has been achieved with the... more

Rapid operation of subsea chokes facilitates routine or emergency shut-ins by preventing damage to subsea tree valves, prevention of hydrate formation and reduction of wear and tear on subsea control... more

Localized damage of seawater pump caissons due to corrosion or fatigue is a widespread and troublesome problem on offshore platforms. Traditionally external, diver-assisted methods had been employed to make repairs.... more

NORTH AMERICA Shell Exploration & Production named Frank Glaviano production director for EP Americas. Newfield Exploration Co.'s board of directors appointed David A. Trice chairman of the board. Dan Hodges was elected... more

We are, apparently, in the throes of an information technology revolution. At an industry forum recently, someone suggested that this revolution may mean all the corporate data owned by an... more

1. Continuing to drill wildcats named after Arnold Schwartzenegger movies, Cimarex Energy Co., Denver, Colo., staked a location for its 1-32 Red Sonja in Section 32-8s-13e in Merced County, Calif.... more

1. Pioneer Natural Resources encountered early water encroachment in its Harrier field in East Breaks 579, located in the Falcon Corridor in the western Gulf of Mexico, and has shut... more

1. Drilling on the deepwater Rosebank/ Lochnagar exploration well by ChevronTexaco Upstream Europe concluded and remained a tight hole. Operations on the 213/27a-1 well ended earlier this year, and the... more

1. Algeria has officially launched its sixth licensing round offering 10 packages of blocks across the country. The round includes 28 blocks in seven different basins. The final draft contract... more

1. Norwood Resources has identified drilling targets in the San Cayetano area of Nicaragua in its 845,000-acre concession 25 miles (40 km) west of Managua to the border with Costa... more

1. Toreador Resources, after testing gas at a rate of 15 MMcf/d at its offshore Black Sea Ayazli-1 exploratory well, committed US $13 million to $16 million for additional work.... more

1. Canadian player Tanganyika Oil is set to take a stake in the Tishrin and Sheik Mansour field reactivation projects in Syria, it is understood, with Tanganyika negotiating a production... more

1. Premier is pleased with its successful appraisal of the Gajah Baru field in Block A in the West Natuna Sea offshore Indonesia. The Gajah Baru-2 well is an appraisal... more

December is one of my favorite issues of the year because it's the issue in which we showcase emerging technology. Emerging technology is not, in my mind, to be confused... more

I was out having a pint or two with a couple of drilling buddies the other night. Talk turned boastful as it often does in the company of drillers. Phrases... more

Verne's fictional hero was trying to win a bet he'd made with members of his men's club when he set off, using a diverse variety of transport modes. I decided... more

A new perforation drilling tool system has been introduced by Perf-Drill, Inc. of Shreveport, La. Using a unique patented articulated drill string, the device mills a casing window, then drills... more

We have talked for a long time now, among ourselves and to others, about the impending shortage of trained personnel in the upstream industry. It has been accompanied by a... more

Production optimization is a term heard so frequently in the upstream oil and gas business today that it ought to qualify as a buzzword. This is for good reason, though,... more

In the post-Enron era, oil and gas companies are being forced to expand their definition of which documents and information require formal management and to put a greater focus on... more

Production from West Africa has been relatively flat until recently, but the region will capitalize on large offshore discoveries and reserves yet to be found that will increase production 75%... more

As relations between Libya, the United States and Western Europe have warmed, oil companies are beginning to think again about exploring this desert country. Austria's OMV has been operating there... more

An oft quoted adage is, "You get what you measure." This is certainly true when it comes to proven reserves reported to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).... more