Improved Recovery Week articles from December 1996

Improved Recovery Week archives from December 1996

Records likely set on multi-lateral in Williston Basin. (multi-lateral horizontal well in Williston, North Dakota)
December 2, 1996... A multi-lateral horizontal well drilled by GeoResources Inc. in the Wayne field in Bottineau County, N.D., may qualify for a number of local- and perhaps even world-record distinctions. The multi-lateral horizontal - the Oscar Fossum Well No....

Airgen expands into SAGD. (Airgen Corp.; steam-assisted gravity drainage)
December 2, 1996... Airgen Corp., Calgary, Alberta, recently expanded its presence in the Western Canadian heavy oil thermal recovery service industry through the purchase of Petro-Term Enterprises Ltd. Petro-Therm, of Lloydminster, Sask., is a supplier of...

KU gets log analysis/mapping upgrade. (University of Kansas)
December 2, 1996... The Energy Dept. recently awarded a $200,000 well log analysis/mapping research and development subcontract to the Univ. of Kansas at Lawrence's Center for Research Inc. Under the subcontract, the center is charged with enhancing the DOE's...

Downhole motor sale final.
December 2, 1996... With addition of its recent acquisition of Vector Oil Tool Ltd., Dreco Energy Services Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, says it will be the worldwide petroleum industry's largest independent supplier of downhole drilling motors and accessories....

Firm drills 3-D prospects. (Sharon Energy Ltd.)
December 2, 1996... Englewood, Colo.-based Sharon Energy Ltd. has drilled two successful development oil wells on its Riverside 25 Prospect in Missaukee County, Mich. The company, which specializes in the application of high-resolution 2-D and 3-D seismic imaging...

Changes sought in oil sands definitions.
December 2, 1996... In Canada, producing companies believe the basic definition of "oil sands" has changed, and they're recommending that the federal government alter wording in pending tax legislation to encompass the new definition. In Calgary, the Canadian...

Andersen confab changes. (the 17th annual Arthur Andersen Energy Symposium)
December 2, 1996... The 17th annual Arthur Andersen Energy Symposium, coming up Dec. 10-11 in Houston, will bring top executives together to address the transformation of oil and gas companies into "energy" companies. According to advance dope from Andersen,...

Ukraine IOR venture formed. (improved oil recovery)
December 2, 1996... In a joint venture in which it has pledged both cash and common stock for a 45% working interest, Fountain Oil Inc. will further develop the Stynawske oil field in western Ukraine. The joint venture is with Ukranafta, the Ukraine state oil...

Gel treatment extends well life, says PTTC. (Petroleum Technology Transfer Council)
December 2, 1996... Although the cost of cross-linked gel treatments can range from $12,000 to as much as $40,000 for producing wells and often as high as $100,000 for injection wells, the expense is often justified by much lower finding costs for added reserves....

Shot hole rule masks broader issue.
December 2, 1996... The International Assn. of Geophysical Contractors is working with officials of the State of Texas on an industry proposal to reduce the size of explosive charges and the depth of shot holes for seismic surveys in bays, wetlands and shallow...

IOR reports available from NTIS. (improved oil recovery; National Technical Information Service)
December 2, 1996... The following reports on improved oil and gas recovery processes and tools are available from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, Va. 22161. Call 703-487-4650 (fax 703-321-8547) for details and prices....

AOSIS reports on IOR, heavy oil. (Alberta Dept. of Energy, Oil Sands Information Services; improved oil recovery)
December 2, 1996... The Alberta Dept. of Energy, Oil Sands Information Services (AOSIS) makes the following oil sands/heavy oil/IOR technical reports and papers available to interested parties. For copies, call AOSIS in Calgary at 403-297-3631 (fax: 403-297-3638)....

IOR patents. (improved oil recovery)
December 2, 1996... A.R. Jennings Jr. and M.R. Chambers, both of Mobil Oil Corp., have patented a method for improving cleanout efficiency of in a horizontal wellbore drilled from a vertical wellbore which has a perforated liner cemented across the horizontal...

Technology pushing field decline backward, says IFP. (Institut Francais du Petrole)
December 16, 1996... Gains of between 10%-15% could be realized in output from known oil fields during the next 20 years if research and development on improved recovery techniques is maintained, claims Institut Francais du Petrole's deputy chief executive Olivier...

Kern County fields to lead Lower 48 in '96. (California)
December 16, 1996... The top three fields in California's Kern County are increasing production at a pace that figures to make 1996 better than 1995 in oil output. Final figures will not be released until the first quarter of the new year, but gains registered...

Joint survey: '95 U.S. E&P spending up 9%. (exploration and production)
December 16, 1996... The petroleum industry spent a whopping $10.5 billion to drill and equip oil and gas wells in the U.S. last year, says the Joint Assn. Survey on Drilling Costs (JAS). Introduced at the recent annual meeting of the American Petroleum Institute,...

Grant files Chapter 11; 3-D scores in W. Texas. (Grant Geophysical Inc.; 3-D seismic surveys)
December 16, 1996... Two major developments were announced last week in the geophysical industry. Not unexpectedly, Grant Geophysical Inc., Houston, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware and is looking for a buyer ASAP. So far, there have...

ARCO poised for multi-fracked, high-angle well at Yowlumne. (ARCO Western Energy's oil well in Yowlumne, CA)
December 23, 1996... Stakes are high for a high-angle well ARCO Western Energy is preparing to drill in the Yowlumne field some 20 miles southwest of Bakersfield, Calif. If the well is successful, transfer of the technology to California reservoirs similar to that...

Pilot mulled for steaming Egyptian oil. (development of oil reserves)
December 23, 1996... Calgary-based Scimitar Hydrocarbons Corp. has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. (EGPC) covering possible development of shallow, heavy oil reserves in Egypt's Eastern Desert, with recovery techniques...

Reservoir modeled two years before flow. (oil reservoir modeling techniques)
December 23, 1996... Although it will be nearly another two years before production starts in the North Sea's Britannia oil field, subsurface experts believe they will be able to make accurate predictions of individual well performance after breaking new ground in...

Indonesian strike upped to 'world class.' (natural gas strike)
December 23, 1996... That gas strike in Sumatra announced in October by Gulf Canada Re sources Ltd./Talisman Energy Inc. is, indeed, a major discovery. The two Canadian companies last week confirmed that the field has a gas column of more than 2,620[feet] and holds...

How to be 'the Exxon' of Lavaca County. (seismic surveys in Lavaca County, TX)
December 23, 1996... American Exploration Inc. is ending the year by finishing up one of the biggest proprietary land 3-D seismic surveys in the U.S. That survey, being conducted by Western Geophysical, covers 152 square miles in Lavaca County, Texas, with multiple...

Amoco/Shell clear major Altura Energy hurdles. (Amoco Corp.; Shell Oil Co.; Altura Energy Ltd.)
December 23, 1996... After some anxious moments earlier this month, Amoco Corp. and Shell Oil Co. apparently have settled their major differences in creating Altura Energy Ltd. and they've set a Jan. 31 deadline for getting it off and running. The two companies...