Improved Recovery Week articles from February 1994

Improved Recovery Week archives from February 1994

BP heads up new reservoir thrust at Prudhoe Bay. (BP Exploration Alaska Inc.)
February 7, 1994... The three major oil producers involved in Alaska's North Slope oil fields are using an $8.5 million razor to cut into deeper, significant new oil that was bypassed in favor of more accessible reservoirs. And it couldn't happen at a better...

$4 billion equipment upgrade set. (Schlumberger Ltd.)
February 7, 1994... Schlumberger Ltd. plans to spend a whopping $4 billion on new oilfield equipment in the next five years as part of an overall $7 billion investment plan. In New York, the company said it also will spend some $1.5 billion on oilfield...

Mobil, SWEPI, Chevron to up Calif. drilling. (Mobil Oil Corp., Shell Western E and P Inc., Chevron U.S.A. Inc.)
February 7, 1994... Mobil Oil Corp. plans to drill more wells in 1994 in California than it did last year, when the company was the most-active driller in the state. Other pacesetters on the drilling scene will be Shell Western E&P Inc. (SWEPI) and Chevron...

Alberta to cut drilling perks. (Royalty Tax Credit)
February 7, 1994... Following a similar move by neighboring Saskatchewan (IRW, 12/13/93), Canada's Alberta province is said to be reviewing drilling incentives with an eye on not renewing some of them. The move by both provinces stems from heavy federal and...

Conoco picks BJ Services for 3 yrs.
February 7, 1994... Reflecting the growing "one-stop shopping" mentality among major oil companies in the use of oilfield services, Conoco Inc., Houston, announced last week it has formed a three-year alliance with BJ Services Co. to provide domestic cementing and...

Texas producers move on tech transfer. (Petroleum Technology Transfer Council)
February 7, 1994... Texas producers recently took steps at a meeting in Austin to bring small independent operating companies into the high-technology age through participation in the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council. The council is a nonprofit group...

UPRC's '93 Chalk benders total 266. (Union Pacific Resources Co., Austin Chalk production)
February 7, 1994... A total of 266 horizontal wells were drilled by Union Pacific Resources Co. in the Austin Chalk trend of Texas and Louisiana in 1993, says the company. UPRC, a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corp., said Austin Chalk production reached record...

Evergreen posts big coalgas wells. (Evergreen Resources Inc.)
February 7, 1994... Production test results have been announced on Evergreen Resources Inc.'s third and fourth coalbed methane evaluation wells in the Raton Basin in Los Animas County, Colo. Both wells were completed in Vermejo coal intervals at depths...

DOE predicts 60% imports by 2010. (Department of Energy)
February 7, 1994... The Energy Dept. last week predicted that U.S. dependence on foreign oil will continue growing into the next century, with net imports reaching 60% of domestic consumption by 2010. This will occur, says DOE's Energy Information Admin,...

650-plus Texas horizontal wells granted in 1993. (Texas Railroad Commission)
February 7, 1994... The Texas Railroad Commission granted a total of 54 permits for horizontal wells in the state during December 1993, bringing the 12-month total to 654 new horizontal permits. The December tally reflected a slight increase in activity from...

New IOR patent. (improved oil recovery)
February 7, 1994... C.I. Beattie, and J.R. Korol, both of Exxon Production Research Co., have patented a method and apparatus whereby recovery from heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs may be increased over that achieved in the later stages of cyclic steam stimulation...

Despite DOE budget hikes, IPAA calls for imports inquiry. (Independent Petroleum Association of America)
February 14, 1994... Proposed modest increases in Energy Dept. improved oil and gas programs contained in President Clinton's fiscal year 1995 budget request have not blunted independent operators' stubborn resolve to go to the lick line over the oil imports...

Dresser sells MI to get Baroid. (Dresser Industries Inc. sells partial interest in MI Drilling Fluids Co. for acquisition of Baroid Corp.)
February 14, 1994... To satisfy antitrust officials, Dresser Industries Inc. recently agreed to sell its 64% interest in Houston-based MI Drilling Fluids Co. to get the go-ahead to finalize its $1.1 billion acquistion of Baroid Corp. Smith International Inc....

Proposed DOE budget ups gas, oil R&D. (Department of Energy increases funding for oil and gas research and developement programs for fiscal year 1995)
February 14, 1994... Significant increases in oil and gas research and development programs are part of the proposed Energy Dept. Budget for fiscal year 1995, which begins Oct. 1. The DOE budget, part of President Clinton's overall FY 1995 budget of $1.52...

Horizontals net 80% increase. (Vista International Petroleums Ltd. of Saskatchewan implements horizontal oil well drilling program)
February 14, 1994... A four-well horizontal drilling program mounted by Vista International Petroleums Ltd., a producer in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, represents an 80% increase in daily crude production for the company. The four wells, drilled int he...

UAE adds to water injection. (United Arab Emirates installs water injection units at Bab oil field)
February 14, 1994... The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reportedly has installed new water injection units as its onshore Bab field. Few details were available, but a report from the Abu Dhabi Co. for Oil Onshore Operations said 14 new water injection units had...

Canadian firm spuds Chalk well. (Consolidated Ramrod Gold Corp. starts Austin Chalk horizontal oil well test in Brazos County, Texas)
February 14, 1994... A unit of Consolidated Ramrod Gold Corp. of Vancouver, B.C., Canadam, has begun drilling an Austin Chalk horizontal test in Brazos County, Texas. The subsidiary, Ramrod Oil & Gas Inc., purchased 1,680 acres in the area recently. The first...

Suncor oil sands operation boosts profits. (fourth quarter earnings 1993)
February 14, 1994... As 1993 drew to a close, Suncor Inc. had some good -- but not unexpected -- news: Its Canadian synthetic oil operations are making money. At a time of low crude oil prices, the synfuels industry has been lagging. Few synthetic fuels...

Midway Sunset's Star Fee sold. (McFarland Energy Inc. acquires Star Fee property in Midway Sunset oil field, Kern County, California)
February 14, 1994... McFarland Energy Inc., Santa Fe Springs, Calif., has signed an agreement to purchase the Star Fee property in the Midway Sunset field in Kern County, Calif. Much of the heavy oil in the Midway Sunset field, including that beneath the Star...

Unocal farms out routine research. (will contract for routine laboratory operations and seismic data processing)
February 14, 1994... Unocal Corp., Los Angeles, said it will increase its use of outside sources for routine laboratory operations and seismic data processing currently being performed at lab facilities in Brea and Anaheim, Calif. "Changing market conditions...

National Oilwell sells to Kvaerner. (contact with Kvaerner National for sale of wellhead system business)
February 14, 1994... National Oilwell, a partnership between units of Armco Inc. and USX Corp., has sold its wellhead system business to Kvaerner National, a unit of Kvaerner A/S, for about $30 million. Kvaerner National is a Norwegian mechanical engineering...

Coalbed methane wells run into EIS snag. (Bureau of Land Management requires environmental impact statements for dilling)
February 14, 1994... Coalbed methane development in Central Utah's coal-producing country is suffering growing pains. At least four indepedent operators were moving ahead with drilling until recently, when the Bureau of Land Management advised that future...

Two-year Rose Run study published. (Ohio Geological Survey releases report entitled, 'Measuring and Predicting Reservoir Heterogeneity in Complex Deposystems: The Late Cambrian Rose Run Sandstone of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania')
February 14, 1994... A report describing the results of a two-year investigation of the Upper Cambrian Rose Run sandstone in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania is now available from the Ohio Geological Survey. The Rose Run has been the scene of increased new...

J.M. Gronseth of Exxon Production Co. (patents way to recover bitumen from tar sands; U.S. Patent No. 5,249,844)
February 14, 1994... J.M. Gronseth of Exxon Production Co. has patented a method for recovering oil from unconsolidated heavy oil formations. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the invention pertains to a method for recovery of bitumen from tar sands...

A.S. McKay of the Alberta Oil sands Technology and Research Authority. (patents way to use aqueous fluid communication path for production of heavy crude oil and tar sand from underground formation; Canadian Patent No. 1,319,604)
February 14, 1994... A.S. KcKay of the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority has patented a method of producing heavy crude oil or tar sand from an underground formation by means of an aqueous fluid communication path. This path is established by the...

Elk Hills could be sold if Clinton budget scores. (Elk Hills oil field, San Joaquin Valley, California)
February 21, 1994... One of the nation's largest oil fields, located in California's prolific San Joaquin Valley, will be put on the block if President Clinton's budget survives congressional scrutiny. The budget proposes "restructuring" federal ownership of...

China looks to multinationals for IOR. (improved oil recovery)
February 21, 1994... Upgraded stimulation techniques at the giant Daqing oil field in the Tarim Basin of the Peoples Republic of China helped produce 8.7 million tons of incremental oil in 1983, say Chinese oil authorities. And the country is continuing to look for...

Alberta merges energy agencies.
February 21, 1994... Several Alberta, Canada, government agencies in the energy sector are being rolled into that province's Energy Dept. For starters, the department will create a new oil sands division, combining the functions of two previously separate...

Geophysicists tell all about AVO analysis. (amplitude variation with offset technique detects natural gas from seismic signal data, detailed in book entitled 'Amplitude Variation with Offset: Gulf Coast Case Studies')
February 21, 1994... A new book provides insights into use of AVO (amplitude variation with offset) data for direct detection of natural gas from seismic signal data. AVO is shorthand for what happens to the strength (amplitude) of a reflected seismic signal...

J.M. Sanchez of Mobil Oil Corp. (patents way to speed Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage process; U.S. Patent No. 5,215,146)
February 21, 1994... J.M. Sanchez of Mobil Oil Corp. has patented a method for reducing the time during which steam moves in a lateral direction between two parallel super-imposed horizontal wells when using the Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process. Form...

3-D seismic enhances horizontals, says geophysicist. (horizontal wells, Thomas Davis)
February 28, 1994... Multi-component three-dimensional seismic surveys, when combined with horizontal drilling technology, are making a telling impression on how highly fractured reservoirs are developed, says a geophysicist and educator. Thomas Davis,...

Alberta drilling to drop in '94. (oil and gas well drilling)
February 28, 1994... Some 8,000 oil and gas wells will be drilled in Alberta this year, says the Canadian Assn. of PetroleumEngineers. This is down from the 9,400 wells drilled in 1983. Speaking at a luncheon in Calgary last week, CAPE president Gerard Protti said...

Unocal, Santa Fe Energy order cutbacks. (drilling projects)
February 28, 1994... In the wake of the December 1993 plunge in worldwide oil prices, both independents and major companies operating in California have placed limits on field development projects. Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc., Houston, put a hold on a...

Horizontal success may revitalize Overthrust. (horizontal oil well drilling, Overthrust Belt in Utah and Wyoming)
February 28, 1994... The first successful horizontal well in Summit County, Utah, could trigger a new drilling boom in the Overthrust Belt of Utah and Wyoming. And if a companion horizontal well, now nearing completion, is similarly successful, Fort Worth,...

IOGA seeks tech transfer grant. (Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania, technology transfer)
February 28, 1994... The Independent Oil and Gas Assn. of Pennsylvania has submitted a grant application to the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority requesting $36,000 to fund a technology transfer center for oil and gas producers. The proposal seeks...

Benton ups Venezuela stake. (Benton Oil and Gas Co. increases investment in Benton-Vinccler)
February 28, 1994... Benton Oil and Gas Co., Oxnard, Calif., has acquired another 30% stake in Benton-Vinccler, the company 's Venezuelan venture to reactivate and develop the South Monagas Unit in the eastern part of the country. The move boosts Benton's...

Nahama/Alexander merger canceled. (Nahama and Weagant Energy Co., Alexander Energy Corp.)
February 28, 1994... The proposed merger of Alexander Energy Corp. and Nahama & Weagant Energy Co. has been called off. Alexander Energy, based in Oklahoma City, and Nahama & Weagant, of Bakersfield, Calif, announced late last year they had signed an agreement...

Rockies E&P to slow 'dramatically,' says survey. (oil and gas exploration and production)
February 28, 1994... A survey of independent producers in the 11 -state Rocky Mountain Region shows that oil drilling and production activity will slow dramatically in coming months. The survey, conducted by Energy Research International Corp., Denver,...

California regulators search for incentives. (simplify permitting procedures for oil and gas well drillers)
February 28, 1994... California' s Conservation Dept. says it's close to an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management and the State Lands Commission that will streamline often redundant permitting procedures. What's more, the department is examining ways it...

New IOR patent. (R. Tailby, J.L. Pearce, J.H. Yonker, M.D. Kilgore, R.K. Churchman, J.G. Clements)(U.S. Patent No. 5,163,515)
February 28, 1994... R. Tailby, J.L. Pearce, J.H. Yonker, M.D. Kilgore, R.K. Churchman, and J.G. Clements, all of Den Norske Stats Oljesdskap A/S (Statoil) have patented a method for pump-down toolstring operations in horizontal or highly deviated wells, including...