Improved Recovery Week articles from November 1993

Improved Recovery Week archives from November 1993

O'Leary draws ire from lawmakers, independents. (parameters of Energy Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary's energy policy unclear to legislators, independent oil producers)
November 1, 1993... Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary left the U.S. petroleum industry wondering just what it can expect from the much-touted domestic oil and gas initiative after she suggested in an interview the industry has become a victim of the free market...

Tri Link plans horizontal program. (Tri Link Resources Ltd. horizontal oil well drilling program)
November 1, 1993... Tri Link Resources Ltd. has made a significant new pool discovery in the Hazelwood/Moose Valley Project in Southeastern Saskatchewan. Though the discovery was defined by six vertical wells, Tri Link plans further development by reentering...

California drilling may be looking up. (new oil wells increase by 34.3% in July 1993)
November 1, 1993... At least one index of the health of California's oil industry is showing marked improvement. The tally of new well notices filed with the Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources Division was up 34.3% for July, or 1,162 notices, compared with 865...

Suncor oil sands earnings soar. (1993 third-quarter earnings)
November 1, 1993... The Oil Sands Group of Calgary, Alberta-based Suncor, Inc., had 1993 third-quarter earnings of C$30 million, a whopping increase from the C$12 million the group earned during the same period last year. The profitable Canadian synthetic oil...

Big geophysical merger pondered. (Halliburton Co. to acquire Western Atlas International Inc.)
November 1, 1993... Dallas-based Halliburton Co. has entered a letter of agreement with Western Atlas International Inc. to sell its geophysical business. A definitive agreement is expected by year-end. The buyout would make Western Atlas the largest provider of...

Ponder gets big Kyrgyzstan workover pact. (Ponder Industries Inc. oil well drilling contract with state-owned oil company, Kyrgyzneft; Kyrgyzstan, Commonwealth of Independent States)
November 1, 1993... Ponder Industries Inc., Alice, Texas-based drilling and well service contractor, has signed a letter of intent to be part of a joint venture in Kyrgyzstan, a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In a press release, the company...

Wyo. drilling ahead of last year. (Wyoming Petroleum Association reports on oil well drilling activity for 1993)
November 1, 1993... Wyoming drilling activity continues far ahead of the Rocky Mountain states and is running counter to the national trend, according to an industry spokesperson. "For the last few months, we've been steadily ahead of the previous year's...

Pet. Abstracts has CD-ROM data. (Petroleum Abstracts; petroleum information services division, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma)
November 1, 1993... A portion of its TULSA database will be available on CD-ROM next year, says Petroleum Abstracts, the University of Tulsa's petroleum information services division. The TULSA database, which contains about 525,000 entries, is a primary...

West Virginia seeks coalbed consensus. (coal and natural gas industry officials meet to discuss mineral rights ownership and subsurface coalbed methane stimulation)
November 1, 1993... West Virginia is a leading coal-producing state, and some producers would like it to become a front-runner in coalbed methane production, as well. In October, members of the natural gas and coal industries met during a series of coalbed...

Texas grants 56 September horiz. permits. (Texas railroad Commission reports on horizontal oil well drilling permits granted for September 1993)
November 1, 1993... The Texas Railroad Commission granted 56 permits for horizontal wells in September, reflecting increased activity from the previous month. By comparison, the RRC granted 47 permits in August, 52 in July and 62 in June. This compares with...

Rockies' deepest horizontal re-entry on tap. (Meridian Oil Inc. plans horizontal oil well drilling test in Rocky Mountain region, Fremont County, Wyoming)
November 1, 1993... Houston-based Meridian Oil Inc. is preparing to attempt the deepest horizontal test to be attempted in the Rocky Mountain region, says the Montana Oil Journal. The well, a re-entry horizontal in the Wind River Basin about 5 miles south of...

R.I. Bayh III of Otis Engineering Corp. (patents system and method for oil well completion; British Patent No. 2,260,351A; U.S. Patent Application No. 775,287)
November 1, 1993... R.I. Bayh III of Otis Engineering Corp. has patented a well completion system and method in which reeled tubing is connected in the completion string, which includes a safety valve and a sliding sleeve valve. A straddle assembly is provided...

Scientist predicts Middle East CO2 floods soon. (former Shell Oil Co. employee Charles Matthews foresees dwindling oil production as result of carbon dioxide)
November 8, 1993... Imagine, by the turn of the century or a little beyond, Saudi Arabia's giant onshore fields yielding whatever oil they have left with the help of carbon dioxide supplied by the Saudis' historical archenemy, Iran. Charles Matthews, for one,...

Tipperary sets Rockies infill plan. (properties acquired in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana from AMAX Oil and Gas Inc. slated for oil drilling)
November 8, 1993... Tipperary Corp., Denver, says recent acquisition of producing properties in Wyoming and in the Williston Basin of Montana and North Dakota will be expanded with infill and recompletion drilling. The company acquired the properties in...

Need told for more federal E&P research. (National Research Council report calls for more funds from Dept. of Energy for gas and oil extraction and processing research)
November 8, 1993... To protect the national interest and to help assure that adequate supplies are available during the next 20 years, long-range energy research in oil and gas extraction and processing needs more funding from the Energy Dept. That's the gist...

IOR initiatives underway in Norway. (improved oil recovery)
November 8, 1993... Unlike the United States, Norway already has embarked on a national effort to use improved oil recovery technology that they hope will increase Norway's North Sea oil reserves by 2.5 billion barrels. Two research and development programs...

Canadian firm to steam wells. (C.S. Resources Ltd. to use thermally enhanced oil production in West-Central Saskatchewan oil wells)
November 8, 1993... Calgary, Alberta-based C.S. Resources Ltd. is buying acreage in the Lloydminster heavy oil area of West-Central Saskatchewan on which to drill horizontal wells as the keystone for thermal IOR operations. The company has amassed 100%...

Saskatchewan horizontals set. (Beau Canada Exploration Ltd.'s horizontal oil well drilling)
November 8, 1993... Canadian independent producer Beau Canada Exploration Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, says as a result of the success to date of its drilling program in the Winter area of Saskatchewan, it will drill and complete 26 horizontal wells there by the first...

Reshuffle affects Arco's thermal operations. (reorganization of Arco Oil and Gas Co.)
November 8, 1993... The new reorganization of Arco Oil & Gas Co., Dallas, and its Lower 48 oil and gas operations is placing improved oil recovery technology high parent Atlantic Richfield Co.'s priority list. In California, the accent will be on thermally...

Technology trails Rose Run permitting. (technologies used in oil exploration and production in Rose Run sandstone in Ohio)
November 8, 1993... Operators in Ohio are using a little more science in their exploration and production efforts in the Rose Run sandstone. This message was brought home in a number of Rose Run presentations at the recent 15th annual technical meeting of the...

J.A. Connor, D.A. Clifford and P.T. King of Groundwater Services, Inc. (patent process for decreasing radioactive material content in subterranean water and hydrocarbon reservoir fluids; U.S. Patent No. 5,196,124)
November 8, 1993... J.A. Connor, D.A. Clifford and P.T. King of Groundwater Services, Inc. have patented a method for reducing the radioactive material content of fluids withdrawn from subterranean water and hydrocarbon reservoirs. The method involves deposition...

R.E. Campos and J.A. Hernandez of Intevep, S.A. (patent process for decreasing viscosity of heavy oil in well formation to increase well production; U.S. Patent No. 5,209,295)
November 8, 1993... R.E. Campos and J.A. Hernandez of Intevep, S.A. have patented a method for lowering the viscosity of a heavy oil in situ in a well formation so as to improve well production wherein the heavy oil has an API gravity in the range of 6 degrees and...

Horizontals may dominate Elk Hills development. (horizontal oil wells in Stevens sand pool, California, Elk Hills oil field)
November 15, 1993... The success of horizontal wells in a prolific Stevens sand pool in California Elk Hills field may lead to using them to replace vertical wells. Dan Hogan, the Energy Dept.'s director of Naval Petroleum Reserves in California, told a recent...

Canadian horizontal drilling up. (increase of horizontal oil wells in Western Canada in 1993)
November 15, 1993... The drilling of horizontal wells in Western Canada during the first nine months of the year was up 172% from the same period last year. According to published industry statistics, a total of 576 horizontal wells were drilled in Alberta,...

Mobil begins CO2 injection at Texas field. (Mobile Exploration and Producing U.S. Inc. injects carbon dioxide at Salt Creek oil field in Kent County, Texas)
November 15, 1993... Mobil Exploration & Producing U.S. Inc. has begun injecting carbon dioxide at its Salt Creek field in Kent County, Texas. The program was begun after recent completion of the company' s 128-mile Este pipeline to transport [CO.sub.2] to Salt...

Firm spuds Aussie coalgas wells. (Tipperary Corp. begins coalbed methane project in Bowen Basin area, Northern Queensland, Australia)
November 15, 1993... Tipperary Corp., Denver, says it has begun drilling the first well at its Comet Ridge coalbed methane prospect in the Bowen Basin area of Northern Queensland, Australia. The company, which owns a 30% non-operating interest in the project,...

Chesapeake finals benders. (Chesapeake Energy Corp. finishes horizontal oil wells in Giddings oil field, South-Central Texas)
November 15, 1993... Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, has completed four new horizontal wells in the Giddings field of South-Central Texas. The wells averaged combined production of 2,316 b/d of oil and 20.2 mmcf/d of gas during the first 30 days of...

1992 U.S. stripper yield hits 19-year low. (marginal oil well production statistics reported by Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission)
November 15, 1993... Oil production last year from marginal wells in the U.S. dove to its lowest point in 19 years, says the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. In its annual National Stripper Well Survey for 1992, IOGCC says stripper wells -- those...

Oregon gets first coalgas wells. (Carbon Energy International conducts tests for coalbed methane)
November 15, 1993... Oregon is the current scene of a two-well test for coalbed methane, the first such project in the state' s history. Dallas-based Carbon Energy International is operating the coalgas play in the Coos Bay Basin of Coos County in Southwestern...

Re-completions qualify for Sect. 29. (Internal Revenue Service approves Section 29 tax credit for non-conventional gas sources for re-completed oil wells)
November 15, 1993... A bulletin from the Ohio Oil and Gas Assn. notes that in a recent ruling, the Internal Revenue Service said it will permit a producer to claim the Sect. 29 tax credit in 1993 for non-conventional gas sources if the well in question is...

IPAA: imports reliance to top 50% in 1994. (Independent Petroleum Association of America reports on oil imports)
November 15, 1993... Oil imports will continue to increase in ]994, exceeding 8.7 million barrels, and for the first time will represent 50% or perhaps more of domestic demand. That' s how the Independent Petroleum Assn. of America sees the future in its...

Alabama court backs drillers v. miners. (Alabama Supreme Court rules on gas drilling rights in coal beds)
November 15, 1993... The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that the rights to drill for gas in coal beds do not necessarily belong to the company that mines the coal. In a blow to Jim Walter Resources, Birmingham, Ala., already a financially strapped mining...

CO2 floods deemed profitable for small fields. (researchers report on carbon dioxide oil well flooding)
November 15, 1993... Because carbon dioxide sources and pipeline distribution systems are in place around the U.S. "oil patch," operators do not necessarily have to bear the extremely high costs associated with large-scale [CO.sub.2] floods, particularly in smaller...

J.C. Pauley, I.R. Supernaw and T.M. Williams of Texaco Inc. (patent apparatus and method for discerning steam flow in production oil well; U.S. Patent No. 5,191,210)
November 15, 1993... J.C. Pauley, I.R. Supernaw and T.M. Williams of Texaco Inc. have patented a device and method for determining the flow of steam in a production well. The device has a sonde with a pair of gamma ray detectors and a source of gaseous radioactive...

L.C. Floyd of Halliburton Co. (patents technique to complete horizontal oil well using resin composition-coated particulate solid material; U.S. Patent No. 5,211,234)
November 15, 1993... L.C. Floyd of Halliburton Co. has patented a method for completing a horizontal well in which a resin composition-coated particulate solid material is placed in the annulus between the sides of the wellbore and the casing, and the resin...

MRI tool logs direct permeability, porosity data. (NUMAR Corp. introduces Magnetic Resonance Imaging Log logging tool) (Product Announcement)
November 22, 1993... Melvin Miller is sitting high atop what may be a quantum leap in open-hole well logging technology. And at present, he has no competitors. Miller, president and CEO of NUMAR Corp., Malvern, Pa., took his knowledge of medical...

Sooner State gets research funds. (University of Oklahoma receives federal grant for oil and gas research programs)
November 22, 1993... The University of Oklahoma will have enough federal money to continue two oil and gas research programs and begin a third in fiscal year 1994. Oklahoma Republican Sen. Nickles won final approval for his plan to provide more than $1 million...

AOSTRA horizontals among Alberta's best. (Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority rates horizontal oil wells drilled near Fort McMurray, Alberta)
November 22, 1993... The horizontal wells drilled in the Underground Test Facility near Fort McMurray, Alberta, are turning out to be some of Canada's top producers, according to the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority. The UTF, which is...

World Bank OKs Russian oil loan. (for oil field rehabilitation)
November 22, 1993... As part of a $1 billion lending plan intended to help slow the decline in Russia's oil production, the World Bank last week declared effective a $610 million part of it. The action lets the process of contract awards for field...

Online EIA database available. (Energy Information Administration)
November 22, 1993... Up to 10 years of oil and gas data collected by the Energy Information Admin. is now available to users of the Internet computer network. The EIA, the federal government's primary clearinghouse for energy-related statistics, will make both...

Stockdale plans California steamfloods. (Stockdale Oil and Gas Inc. plans expansion of holdings in Tejon heavy oil field, San Joaquin Valley)
November 22, 1993... Stockdale Oil & Gas Inc. is looking to expand its California steamflooding operations by adding to its holdings in the Tejon heavy oil field in the San Joaquin Valley. The Bakersfield independent recently acquired about 640 acres in the...

Anadrill buys directional firm. (Anadrill Schlumberger acquires Great Land Directional Drilling Inc.)
November 22, 1993... Anadrill, an operating unit of Schlumberger, recently acquired Great Land Directional Drilling Inc., of Anchorage, Alaska. Terms and purchase price were not revealed. Anadrill, based in Sugar Land, Texas, says Great Land is the market...

New Austin chalk play mounted. (Clayton Williams Energy Inc. drills horizontal oil wells in Texas)
November 22, 1993... Clayton Williams Energy (CWI), Midland, Texas independent, has kicked off a horizontal drilling play that, when joined with that of similar actions by other companies, is restoring vitality to Austin Chalk horizontal activity in Texas. The...

Appalachian gas atlas, oil database studied. (Pennsylvania Geological Survey updates Tertiary Oil Recovery Information System project)
November 22, 1993... 3 Appalachian area oil and gas producers will have a chance to help collect data for two important oil and gas reservoir projects during the next few months. The Pennsylvania Geological Survey will be calling on industry to help with...

Suncor lowering costs at oil sands plant. (lowers costs on synthetic oil production at Fort McMurray, Alberta oil sands plant)
November 22, 1993... Suncor Inc. is making good on its strategy to lower total Canadian synthetic oil costs at its Fort McMurray, Alberta, oil sands plant. The company announced recently it has completed installing a truck-and-shovel mining system at the plant...

J.K. Borchardt, H.C. Lau, and E.J. Ledet, all of Shell Canada Ltd. (patent method of oil recovery involving reservoir penetrated by injection wells; Canadian Patent No. 1,316,681)
November 22, 1993... J.K. Borchardt, H.C. Lau, and E.J. Ledet, all of Shell Canada Ltd., have patented a process for oil recovery from a reservoir penetrated by at least one injection well. The process comprises injecting into the reservoir a steam/ foam-forming...

C.F. Barrientos-Penna, R.C. Greenhorn, and C.K. Lid, all of Canadian Fracmaster Ltd. (patent method of creating high-phase volume liquid carbon dioxide fluids to use for hydraulic fracturing; Canadian Patent No. 1,301,443)
November 22, 1993... C.F. Barrientos-Penna, R.C. Greenhorn, and C.K. Lid, all of Canadian Fracmaster Ltd., have patented a system to provide novel high-phase volume liquid carbon dioxide fluids having a higher-than-expected viscosity suitable for use for the...

C.M. Pearson of Atlantic Richfield Co. (patents way to form fracture from wellbore; US. Patent No. 5,054,554)
November 22, 1993... C.M. Pearson of Atlantic Richfield Co. has patented a method for forming a fracture extending from a wellbore. It comprises pumping a liquid into the wellbore at a pressure sufficient to extend a fracturing having opposed faces and a tip...

Hallwood to use IOR in old Indonesian field. (Hallwood Petroleum Indonesia Inc. directs improved oil recovery projects in Northern Sumatra oil fields)
November 29, 1993... A Denver independent producer will lead a group of U.S. companies in a contract to improve oil recovery from two very old onshore oil fields in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Hallwood Petroleum Indonesia Inc., an 81%-owned unit of Hallwood...

DOE signs Bartlesville contract. (contract for management and operation of petroleum research laboratory at Bartlesville, Oklahoma with BDM-Oklahoma Inc.)
November 29, 1993... The Energy Dept. has signed a five-year management and operating contract with BDM-Oklahoma Inc. (BDM) for national oil programs, including operation of DOE's petroleum research laboratory at Bartlesville, Okla. BDM-Oklahoma, a unit of BDM...

Unocal to drill onshore horizontals. (plans horizontal oil well drilling in Oakridge oil field, California)
November 29, 1993... Moving back to shore from its heavy emphasis on the Santa Barbara Channel's Dos Cuadras field, Unocal Corp. will drill one of its next horizontal wells in the Oakridge field in California's coastal region. The Oakridge field lies 4.5 miles...

Qadaffy vows to burn oil wells. (Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi)
November 29, 1993... In a classic threat to cut off of his nose to spite his face, Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qadaffy said recently Libyans are ready to burn the country's oilfields in defiance of planned United Nations anti-terrorist action. In a radio...

Directory details national labs. (Commerce Department National Technical Information Service offers updated edition of 'Directory of Federal Laboratory and Technical Resources - A Guide to Services, Facilities and Expertise')
November 29, 1993... More than 1,900 U.S. government laboratories and information centers are listed in a new edition of a much-expanded directory, now available from the Commerce Dept. 's National Technical Information Service. The fifth edition of the...

Horizontal wells tried offshore Australia. (Ampolex Ltd. conducts tests on horizontal oil well drilling)
November 29, 1993... Australian oil producer Ampolex Ltd. hopes horizontal drilling technology is the answer to sand problems at the Wandoo field, about 45 miles offshore from the Western Australian community of Dampier. Wandoo is now under a 120-day, two-well...

'Energy Initiative' delayed. (Department of Energy postpones release of national energy plan)
November 29, 1993... The Energy Dept. blamed the Nov. 18 vote on the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Thanksgiving holiday for another postponement of the release of its plan to promote domestic oil and natural gas production. Known as the "National...

IRW sponsors 3-D seismic meet. ('Improved Recovery Week' and 'Gas Daily' cosponsor seminar on three-dimensional seismology)
November 29, 1993... A two-day seminar on the latest advances in three-dimensional seismology will be held Feb. 23-24 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Houston. Cosponsored by Improved Recovery Week and Gas Daily, the seminar will feature industry speakers from...

Alberta Energy cancels bitumen pipeline.
November 29, 1993... Express Pipeline Ltd. has pulled its application for a 777-mile, 24" Canadian bitumen/synthetic oil pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Casper, Wyo., because it lacks enough commitments from shippers. Only last month, Express Pipeline, a...

Firm finals 3-D survey; sets horizontal wells. (Sierra Energy Co. involved in improved oil recovery project with Department of Energy)
November 29, 1993... A Nevada company participating in a $2.5 million IOR demonstration project with the Energy Dept. has completed a three-dimensional seismic survey in Wyoming and now plans to drill horizontal wells. The company, Sierra Energy Co., Reno,...

Alaska seeks coalbed methane interest. (Alaska Natural Resources Department seeks testing of coal deposits for coalbed methane)
November 29, 1993... Alaska's Natural Resources Dept. wants to test the potential of the state's massive coal deposits for coalbed methane, and is seeking help from industry in financing a series of core tests. The department says it has secured the use of a...

B.A. Hardage of Western Atlas International Inc. (patents method to predict formation pore pressure during drilling; U.S. Patent no. 5,144,589)
November 29, 1993... B.A. Hardage of Western Atlas International Inc. has patented a method for predicting the formation pore pressure ahead of the drill bit while drilling is in progress. During the drilling process, the drill bit impacting the earth generates a...

L.A. Dougall, F. Malekahmadi, and D. Williams of Exxon Chemical Patents, Inc. (patent way to treat subterranean formation using fluid gelled with polymeric gelling agent; U.S. Patent No. 5,217,074)
November 29, 1993... L.A. Dougall, F. Malekahmadi, and D. Williams of Exxon Chemical Patents, Inc. have patented a method for treating a subterranean formation wherein a fluid gelled with a polymeric gelling agent is injected through the wellbore and into the...

W.Froehling, F. Schwarzkopp, R.D. Stoll, K. Kugeler, and G. Lindenmayr of Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH.
November 29, 1993... W. Froehling, F. Schwarzkopp, R.D. Stoll, K. Kugeler, and G. Lindenmayr of Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH have patented a methanization plant for heating oil in a reservoir. A methanization plant for heating a heat carrier is provided for a...