Preview PDF

April 2015

Our bumper April issue, with its bonus distribution at OTC in Houston, dives into the deepwater Gulf of Mexico market and also includes feature articles on Marine Seismic, Drilling Fluids, Completions, Downhole Tools, Pumping Technology, Mooring, Offshore Pipeline Services, Communications and Safety.
This issue also includes:
The Deepwater Drilling and Completions Technology 2015 supplement.

03 Comment

05 World news

10 Keeping busy
Kory Kinney and Cinnamon Odell, IHS, reveal the US Gulf of Mexico deepwater remains active despite oil price concerns.

15 Moving nodes into exploration
Dr Chris Walker and David Hays, FairfieldNodal, examine recent developments that can further improve OBS efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

22 When the time is right
Ray Nagatani, Encapso, North America, explains how encapsulated lubricant technology is helping operators enhance drilling efficiency and reduce overall project risk by providing lubrication only when needed.

27 Time for a change
John Downs, Formate Brine Ltd, UK, examines the use and benefits of caesium formate brines as a drilling fluid.

33 Sizing up the solution
Paul Kippax and Steve Ward-Smith, Malvern Instruments, UK, show how drilling mud formulations can be optimised with appropriate particle size analysis.

36 Deepwater testing trials & triumphs
Ron Fordyce, Expro Drill Stem Testing (DST), UK, discusses the challenges of meeting key well test objectives in high cost operating conditions.

43 Hammering away
Dan Merchant, National Oilwell Varco, USA, examines a new downhole drilling optimisation tool designed to increase ROP and interval length.

47 Expanding in completions
Roger Koepke, TIW Corporation, USA, explains the benefits of using expandable liner hanger technology for today’s demanding completion applications.

53 Protection in every frac
Joshua Leasure and Jeff Hebert, CARBO, USA, explain how conductive proppant-delivered scale inhibition has been engineered for today’s challenges.

58 Withstanding water pressure
Eduardo Perea, Sandvik, Singapore, shows how operators can use super duplex steels to withstand high water pressures.

65 Staying negative
Jim Britton and Dr. Matthew Taylor, Deepwater Corrosion Services Inc., examine the use of cathodic protection inspection and monitoring for offshore platforms.

69 Raising expectations
Jan Martin Grindheim, Reidar Grindheim, & Torbjørn Rokstad, MacGregor, discuss how mooring systems combine low maintenance and a long service life.

73 The benefits of measurement
Ken Kirkwood, Fugro UK, outlines the available solutions for measuring riser and wellhead motion and the challenges involved.

77 Riser monitoring soars
Stewart Maxwell, Aquaterra Energy, UK, introduces a new riser monitoring system.

80 In the pipeline
Rienk de Vries, Applus RTD, the Netherlands, discusses a new inspection tool designed to enhance subsea pipeline testing.

85 Providing support subsea
Jim Bell, FoundOcean, UK, looks at the use of fabric formworks to repair and rehabilitate offshore pipelines and other infrastructure.

89 Shutting down safely
Nicola Lucchesi, Velan ABV, explores good practices for emergency shutdown valves in offshore safety systems.

93 Driving out of danger
Andy Kveps, United Safety, introduces a new electric car designed to keep oil and gas workers safe and mobile.

97 Enhancing EOR efficiency
Steve Digby and Ross Dobbie, SPX Power & Energy, celebrate compact pump technology – increasing offshore oil recovery – with a smaller footprint.

101 A simple solution
Todd C. Wray, AccessESP LLC, USA, explains how the company is expanding the market for the deployment of ESPs in challenging artificial lift applications.

104 Choosing a channel
Andrew Lucas, Harris CapRock Communications, UK, discusses the variety of offshore communications systems that are available to operators.

107 Letting the assets communicate
Glenn Longley, FreeWave Technologies, USA, introduces wireless automation solutions for upstream oil and gas applications.

April 2015

Contents