DRILLING & PRODUCTION

John Waggoner • Houston

Shell, Delft University team for EOR technologies

Shell International E&P and Delft University of Technology have launched a new joint research project that seeks to develop new techniques for enhancing oil production by combining new technologies with traditional methods.

The so-called “Recovery Factory” program has two key components: the application of measurement and control techniques (“smart” technology), and the injection of chemicals such as polymers or gasses to enhance recovery.

While neither of these concepts is new, the program meets a critical industry need by seeking to deepen the understanding of subsurface processes to achieve smart enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology. The melding of the two disciplines already has produced promising results. For example, researchers are developing techniques to use “sniffing” sensors to detect the chemical components of wells combined with sophisticated computer models to control and optimize oil and gas extraction.

Another example is the combination of measurement data from several sources, such as fiber optic sensors in the well, seismic sensors below the surface on the seabed, and even satellite measurements of geophysical processes to provide more insight into the complexities of reservoir behavior.

The program already has drawn some of the top minds from the industry, with staff from both Shell and TU Delft, including three different faculties and eight new PhD students. The program will initially run for a period of six years.

According to Shell, the average recovery factor of reservoirs produced to date is only around 35% of the hydrocarbon in situ, with the remainder still trapped in rock. The new program seeks to make it economical and practical to get the most out of every well, with an eye toward meeting rising global energy demand.

BJ Services performs record-setting cement job

If you read January’s issue ofOffshore, you probably noticed an article on the use of expandable tubular technology at record depths in the Gulf of Mexico.

Our coverage of this intriguing new approach to expandable tubulars as a mainstay of project strategy would not be complete without a profile on BJ Services, which had the difficult challenge of cementing the liner in place.

The operator had drilled a 9 7/8 in. hole to 21,165 ft (6,450 m), and decided to run a 6,217 ft (1,895 m) solid expandable tubular liner from the prior casing shoe. While the length of the liner alone was a challenge, the project also had to contend with a bottomhole static temperature of 368 ºF (187 ºC).

BJ Services also had to consider that the slurry would need to remain fluid for 15 hours at this high temperature while the liner was expanded. Not only that, the liner would be set across a 1,700-ft (518-m) section of salt, requiring special planning to ensure compatibility with the salt during cementing.

The approach decided upon was to begin with BJ’s XtremeSet cement system with select additives determined by lab testing, circulating temperature determination, and simulation data.

With mud weight of 18.0 ppg (2.16 g/cu m), the cement for the liner was designed at 19.3 ppg (2.31 g/cu m) to perform at bottomhole circulating temperature of 354 ºF (179 ºC) with zero free water, fluid loss less than 50 cu m per half hour, compatibility with the salt zone, and adequate time to expand the liner.

To ensure proper bonding with the liner and the formation, an engineered spacer was deployed before the cement. The pumping job was performed as projected with full returns and good density control, and the cement maintained its fluidity while the liner was expanded without issues. Once the cement cured, the shoe was drilled out and 10 ft (3 m) of new formation was drilled to test leakoff.

Due to the success of the job, no remedial intervention was required and the operator was free to continue the exploration work.

GustoMSC shrugs off downturn with new drilling workhorse

A new high performance drillship design from GustoMSC proves that innovation within the demanding deepwater segment hasn’t skipped a beat.

One of the top challenges for vessel designers today is to come up with equipment to supply the deep and ultra deepwater market where the action is, while at the same time keeping costs from spiraling out of control. The new P10,000 drillship design from GustoMSC meets that challenge with a smile.

Characterized by its designers as a “drilling workhorse,” the P10,000 design embodies all the functionalities required for top performance in deepwater, but relies on clever integration of equipment into the hull to operate efficiently at modest displacement – making it cheaper to build and operate.

The design features triple activity, dual BOP storage, maximized tree area, optimal ER layout for a smoke-free workplace, DP-3 compliance, plenty of accommodation, and safe working environments for personnel. The vessel was designed to have a large multifunctional setback area while maintaining a narrow beam for its class, providing better motion characteristics in deepwater.

Hyundai Heavy Industries is building three units based on the P10,000 Basic Design. The first of these, Transocean’sDeepwater Champion, will be outfitted and finished quayside for delivery in the third quarter of this year. The two other units are for MetroStar Odfjell, scheduled for delivery sometime in 2011.

Probable end markets for the new design are development projects in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and Brazil.