Improved Recovery Week articles from July 1998

Improved Recovery Week archives from July 1998

Latest DOE shared-funding projects address recovery through gas, chemical, microbial injection research. (Department of Energy)
July 13, 1998... The Energy Dept. continues to promote shared federal/private industry funding of research aimed at developing new oil and gas recovery technology, even as some congressmen are still calling for DOE's abolition, using such shared funding projects...

ARCO finals Chinese coalbed methane PSC; joins Phillips, Texaco in Hedong Basin area. (partnership for the exploration of coalbed methane prospects in China)
July 13, 1998... The Peoples Republic of China is calling for large-scale overseas cooperation to help its fledgling coalbed methane industry. The most recent tender for outside assistance involves ARCO, which signed production-sharing contracts with China...

Syncrude sets three records for shipping synthetic crude. (Syncrude Canada Ltd.)
July 13, 1998... The oil sands operations of Syncrude Canada Ltd. set several records in June, says the Calgary, Alta.-based company. According to Syncrude, shipments of synthetic crude oil from oil sands bitumen mining operations at Fort McMurray, Alta.,...

UTS buys pelletized coal technology, takes new name. (United Tri-Star Resources Ltd.)
July 13, 1998... Toronto, Ont.-based United Tri-Star Resources Ltd.,which holds a 22% interest in a joint venture with Koch Oil Sands LP, Calgary, Alta. to develop Canadian oil sands bitumen, has acquired another Toronto-based company that has developed a coal...

Multi-lateral re-entries newest field development market trend.
July 13, 1998... Multi-lateral drilling could become as important a technique in re-entries as it is in 'grassroots" new drilling, according to experts from Sperry-Sun. In a joint paper to the 1998 European conference of the International Assn. of Drilling...

Swift Energy 'steals' Sonat holdings in Austin Chalk: $87.6 million purchase ups reserves 25%.
July 13, 1998... In a move that startled fellow drillers of horizontal wells in the eastern extremes of the Austin Chalk gas and oil play, Sonat Exploration Co. last week sold producing properties in the Brookeland and Masters Creek fields to Houston-based Swift...

Bidding opened on Venezuela's Pigap II gas injection facility: 2.2 billion-bbl. recovery seen.
July 13, 1998... Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) has opened the bidding process on development of the Pigap II natural gas injection project in Monagas Province in the eastern part of the country. The project envisions the injection of gas at high pressure to...

Hotly contested EOR unitization bill makes the rounds of Texas groups: opposition is stout.
July 13, 1998... Recent approval by the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Assn. (TIPRO) of a resolution to back a unitization bill to be introduced in the state legislature's next session could result in more EOR projects, particularly in the Permian...

Pennaco acquires huge coalgas leasehold in Powder River Basin. (Pennaco Energy Inc.)
July 13, 1998... Denver-based Pennaco Energy Inc. has acquired leases on about 485,000 gross/400,000 net acres in northeastern Wyoming's Powder River Basin Coalbed Methane Project The acreage is located along the east, north and west flanks of the Powder River...

Report predicts 85% increase in deepwater offshore outlay.
July 13, 1998... During the next five years, oil companies are expected to hike capital expenditures for deepwater oil and gas developments by 85%, from $10.8 billion to $18.8 billion, says a new report by U.K oil industry specialists Douglas-Westwood Ltd....

AOSIS reports on IOR, heavy oil. (Alberta Department of Energy, Oil Sands Information Services; improved oil recovery)
July 13, 1998... 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 403297-3631 (fax: 403-297-3638)....

IOR reports available from NTIS. (improved oil recovery; National Technical Information Service)
July 13, 1998... 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....

J.C. Gano of Halliburton Energy Services. (patent for an improved oil recovery equipment)
July 13, 1998... J.C. Gano of Halliburton Energy Services has patented a method and apparatus for establishing and substantially destroying a fluid-type plug member which is substantially dissolvable in fluid. The invention features means for selectively opening...

A. Delbianco and F. Stroppa of AGIP SpA. (patent for a mixture dissolving asphaltene residues)
July 13, 1998... A. Delbianco and F. Stroppa, both of AGIP SpA, have patented a mixture that can be used for the dissolution of asphaltene residues and the process for treating oil wells with the above mixture to remove these residues, as well as heat exchangers...

It's no bull: Texas company adds oil production to beef sales; A-S-P flood could yield 100 million barrels. (United Heritage Corp.)
July 27, 1998... In a fairly lng, meandering business histry that has included frmer wnership f radi statins and current sales f lw-fat beef t supermarkets, United Heritage Crp. (UHC) has recently becme an il prductin cmpany, as well. And its ne and nly...

'Turnazontal' well completed; could portend major gas find. (Clayton Williams Energy Inc.)
July 27, 1998... Midland,Texas-based Claytn Williams Energy Inc. has cmpleted a s-called "turnazntal" well with tw hrizntal laterals drilled in ppsite directins frm the same vertical hle - in Walker Cunty, Texas. fficials with Williams, peratr f the well with...

Pipeline company joins Shell Canada-BHP study of bitumen line for Muskeg River Mine project.
July 27, 1998... In nrtheastern Alberta, Shell Canada Ltd. and BHP C. Ltd. have jined with a pipeline cmpany fr a detailed feasibility study f the transprtatin phase f their prpsed jint il sands bitumen mining-upgrading prject. The study is part f the verall...

PDVSA predicts US$12.50/bbl. average oil price next year. (Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.)
July 27, 1998... Mre than 120 exhibiting cmpanies have signed up fr the Deal-Makers Exp, t be held in Hustn August 3-5, says its rganizer, Petrleum Listing Service Inc. (PLS), Midland, Texas. In additin t cmpanies ffering sale f r participatin in explratin and...

Azerbaijan field rehab projects mount; Ramco joins SOCAR onshore, others score marine PSCs. (Ramco Energy; State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic; production-sharing contract)
July 27, 1998... Plans are being drawn up t bst utput frm Azerbaijan's largest nshre il field after the awarding f a breakthrugh prductin-sharing cntract t the Scttish-based Ramc Energy. The cmpany - which is a leading Nrth Sea service cntractr specializing in...

Oxy continues Elk Hills development on schedule; Chevron concentrating on six San Joaquin fields. (Occidental Petroleum Corp.; Chevron U.S.A. Production Company Inc.)
July 27, 1998... In its secnd-quarter earnings statement last week, ccidental Petrleum Crp. said its Elk Hills field develpment in Califrnia's San Jaquin Valley cntinues apace. Cmpany Chairman and CE Ray Irani said the Elk Hills gas pipeline was cmpleted in...

U.S. oil completions down 21% during second quarter. (1998)
July 27, 1998... U.S. natural gas well cmpletins were up 14% during the secnd quarter f this year, says the American Petrleum Institute. BK il well cmpletins drpped a whpping 21%, effecting a 4% decline in ttal wells and dry hles cmpleted in the secnd quarter,...

Prices affect lower E&P outlay, says new survey. (oil exploration and production)
July 27, 1998... il cmpanies' spending plans fr this year have been reduced, but they still intend t spend 6.2% mre fr explratin and prductin arund the wrld than they did in 1997. That's the main cnclusin f Salmn Smith Barney's (SSB) mid-year survey f spending...

U.K. firm claims 'world's shortest' production logging tool array; 8.3-foot maximum tool length.
July 27, 1998... A U.K. cmpany has intrduced what it calls the wrld's shrtest prductin lgging tl. Maxim Technlgy Ltd., f Cwbridge, U.K., says its "Pcket Prductin Lgging" (PPL) tl cntains five sensrs: Fr casing cllar lcatin, gamma ray, fluid capacitance, quartz...

Solv-Ex executives named in SEC complaint asking penalties for alleged rule breaches.
July 27, 1998... The cntinuing saga f Slv-Ex Crp. tacked n even mre we last week as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Cmmissin filed a cmplaint in U.S. district Curt against tw fficers f the Albuquerque, N.M.-based cmpany. Slv-Ex, which has fr 15 years been...

AOSIS reports on IOR, heavy oil. (Alberta. Dept. of Energy, Oil Sands Information Services; improved oil recovery)
July 27, 1998... The Alberta Dept. f Energy, il Sands Infrmatin Services (ASIS) makes the fllwing il sands/heavy il/IR technical reprts and papers available t interested parties. Fr cpies, call ASIS in Calgary at 403-297-3631 (fax: 403-297-3638). When rdering,...

IOR patent. (improved oil recovery)
July 27, 1998... G.B. Brns, R.D. Myers and R. Bearden Jr. f Exxn Research & Engineering C. have patented an integrated, cntinuus prcess fr the remval f rganically bund sulfur (e.g. mercaptans, sulfides and thiphenes) cmprising the steps f cntacting a heavy il,...