Improved Recovery Week articles from November 1995

Improved Recovery Week archives from November 1995

Michigan horizontal well opens new options for old fields. (oil well in Montcalm County)
November 6, 1995... A productive horizontal well completed late last month may bode new life for a very old Michigan oil field. An industry-university consortium drilled the well in the Crystal field, near Crystal Lake in Montcalm County, in the west-central part...

Pa. coalgas history related. (Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection's evaluation of coalbed methane activities)
November 6, 1995... At a recent meeting in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection reviewed coalbed methane activities in the Keystone State. Officials from the Bureau of Oil and Gas Management said that over the years, 19 operators...

Benton advances Venezuelan rehab project. (production in Benton Oil and Gas Co.'s Venezuelan oil field)
November 6, 1995... Benton Oil and Gas Co. says production from the Uracoa oil field in eastern Venezuela has achieved a sustainable rate of more than 20,000 b/d of oil from 40 wells. This compares to an average of 11,500 b/d during the first six months of 1995...

Swift touts Texas developments. (Swift Energy Co. president and chairman A. Earl Swift)
November 6, 1995... A. Earl Swift, president and chairman of Swift Energy Co. says the company's accelerated development programs in two Texas counties are on schedule and are performing beyond expectations. Swift, speaking at a meeting of the Pacific Stock...

U.K. Forties reserves up to 2.5 billion bbls. (Forties oil field in the North Sea)
November 6, 1995... Twenty years after Britain's Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated the Forties field as the North Sea's first major producer, engineers predict that emerging technologies will help them coax at least 30% more oil out of the reservoir. The field, with...

Nuevo finals Brookeland bender. (completion of Nuevo Energy Co.'s oil well in Brookeland Field, Newton County, Texas)
November 6, 1995... Completion of the Hobbs Unit Well No. 1-H in the Brookeland Field in Newton County, Texas, precedes plans by Houston-based Nuevo Energy Co. to extend its Austin Chalk drilling into Louisiana. In a press release, the company said the Hobbs Unit...

New T-zone system purchased. (Universal Seismic Associates Inc.'s seismic data recording system)
November 6, 1995... Universal Seismic Associates Inc., Houston, has acquired its largest and most technically advanced seismic data recording system to date, the I/O SYSTEM TWO [TM] RSR. The company, which provides 3-D seismic mapping and data processing...

NPR sale postponed. (Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve)
November 6, 1995... The Senate recently dropped the proposal to sell the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve, which was part of a reconciliation bill before that body. However, the sale of the 65,000-bid field is not considered dead, since it among nearly 50...

Chesapeake outlines 9-month drilling plans. (Chesapeake Energy Corp.)
November 6, 1995... In the next nine months, Chesapeake Energy Corp. plans to drill heavily on its holdings across the broad expanse of the Austin Chalk trend in Texas and Louisiana, while using its horizontal drilling experience to continue tapping new reserves in...

Drilling baby going out with 3-D bath water? (3-D seismic technology)
November 6, 1995... It's a given that 3-D seismic imaging will find more oil and gas prospects and help drill better wells in the future. A drawback, however, is that 3-D seismic technology is delaying work for drilling contractors and curtailing farm-out...

IOR reports available from NTIS. (improved oil and gas recovery reports; National Technical Information Service)
November 6, 1995... 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)
November 6, 1995... The Alberta Dept. of Energy, Oil Sands Information Services makes the following IOR and heavy oil research reports and technical papers available to interested parties. Copies may be ordered by calling AOSIS in Edmonton at 403-427-8382 (fax:...

IOR patent. (M.G. Reed of Chevron Research Co.'s improved oil recovery patent)
November 6, 1995... M.G. Reed of Chevron Research Co. has patented a process to decrease silica dissolution during oil well steam injection by acidifying the injected fluids. The wet stream contains acid to reduce the pH of the liquid phase to 8-10. The pH is then...

WRT moves to head off problems. (restructuring plans of WRT Energy Corp.)
November 6, 1995... WRT Energy Corp., The Woodlands, Texas, is having some growing pains, and plans to cut costs in an attempt to head off trouble. WRT's board has decided to evaluate the company's strategic business alternatives, including planned cost reduction...

Canadian producer helps fund new microwave heavy oil process. (EMR Microwave Technology Corp.)
November 13, 1995... EMR Microwave Technology Corp., Fredricton, New Brunswick, Canada, has made a deal with Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, to help fund development of EMR's microwave-based heavy oil stimulation technology. However, the...

Texaco buys reservoir software. (Texaco Exploration and Production Inc. buys Scientific Software-Intercomp Inc.'s Petroleum WorkBench reservoir management software)
November 13, 1995... Scientific Software - Intercomp, Inc. (SSI), Denver, signed a recent $1.8 million agreement to provide its Petroleum WorkBench reservoir management software to Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc. (TEPI), New Orleans. The purchase...

Three-year gas hydrate study set in U.K..
November 13, 1995... Studies have been launched by companies drilling in the U.K. Sector of the Atlantic to determine if there is any risk to rigs, platforms, vessels, etc. from the release of huge volumes of gas from naturally occurring hydrate formations. ...

Solv-Ex/Glencore deal nixed. (Solv-Ex Corp.; Glencore Ltd.)
November 13, 1995... Albuquerque-based Solv-Ex Corp. said its memorandum of understanding with Glencore Ltd. about marketing of metallurgical-grade alumina in northern Alberta lapsed Oct. 31, but that the companies plan to continue talks. Solv-Ex said it...

U.K. gas field on stream. (North Sea)
November 13, 1995... The Galahad gas field in the U.K. Sector of the North Sea went on production November 1, only 11 months after the U.K. government authorized it, Mobil North Sea Ltd. announced recently. Mobil estimates recoverable gas reserves of 153 bcf...

Abacan orders Nigeria production unit. (Abacan Resource Corp.)
November 13, 1995... Calgary, Alberta-based Abacan Resource Corp.'s horizontal delineation drilling in the Ngo field off Nigeria apparently has resulted in a go for development. The company and its Nigerian partner, Amni International Petroleum Development...

Alberta opens PRC center. (Alberta's provincial government opens office in Beijing, China)
November 13, 1995... The Province of Alberta, Canada has opened an office in Beijing, PRC, to help Alberta energy companies gain access to the Chinese oil and gas marker. The center opened November 7, with Alberta Energy Minister Patricia Black traveling to...

Heavy oil pump acquired. (OTATCO Inc. will purchase improved reciprocating rod pump from Weber Oil Tools Ltd.)
November 13, 1995... Calgary, Alberta-based OTATCO Inc. is finalizing the purchase of an improved reciprocating rod pump used in heavy oil production. The company will purchase from Weber Oil Tools Ltd., North Battleford, Sask., the pull-down rod pump, which...

Lifting export ban said good for heavy oil. (House of Representatives lifts 22-year-old ban on oil exports from Alaska)
November 13, 1995... With the House of Representatives' approval last week of a final version of a bill to lift the 22-year-old ban on exports of Alaskan oil, the future for U.S. oil producers, particularly heavy oil producers in California, appears bright. ...

T-zone surveys get added emphasis. (Input/Output Inc. markets improved radio-telemetry seismic acquisition system)
November 13, 1995... Input/Output Inc. is marketing a radio-telemetry seismic acquisition system that it claims is setting a new performance standard for exploration of transition-zone oil and gas prospects. The company's new System Two Remote Seismic...

Two-year old Tipro/GRI tech transfer program heralds success. (Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association; Gas Research Institute)
November 20, 1995... Terry Ramsey is right proud of what's transpired during his two-year tenure as resident agent for a joint-venture regional oil and gas technology transfer program in Texas. The program is sponsored and funded jointly by the Texas Independent...

PRC promotes coalbed methane. (Peoples Republic of China)
November 20, 1995... As the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, the Peoples Republic of China is seeking foreign investment and technology to develop coalbed methane. At a recent U.N.-sponsored conference in Beijing, Chinese officials said as of the end...

Talk set on Permian Basin merger. (Shell/Amoco Permian Basin assets merger)
November 20, 1995... Jim Posey of Amoco Production Co., Houston, who heads up he transition team for the recently announced Shell/Amoco Permian Basin assets merger, will be a featured speaker Tuesday, Dec. 5 in Midland, Texas, at what is being billed as "the largest...

WRT fights to survive. (WRT Energy Corp.)
November 20, 1995... WRT Energy Corp., the Woodlands, Texas, said last week its auditors may soon be forced to express doubt about the company's ability to stay in business. But while acknowledging its peril, the company indicated it is fighting to stay afloat....

Downhole motor unit shines. (NQL Drilling Tools Inc.)
November 20, 1995... In its annual report, NQL Drilling Tools of Nisku, Alberta, Canada, says the company's downhole drilling motor division continued growing in fiscal 1995. The division's improved performance was attributed to strong rental sales in the U.S.,...

Study examines IOR for U.K. N. Sea. (improved oil recovery)
November 20, 1995... Use of improved recovery techniques could yield about 15 per cent more oil and gas than originally estimated from fields in the U.K. Sector of the North Sea, according to a study by the Dept. of Trade and Industry. The findings were outlined...

Canadian horizontals to increase. (drilling)
November 20, 1995... Ryan Energy Technologies Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, recently reported increased horizontal and directional drilling revenues for the six months ended Sept. 30, and predicted an increase of 10% in horizontal drilling activity in Canada next...

Nigerian H-well tests high. (horizontal well)
November 20, 1995... Calgary, Alberta-based Abacan Resources Corp. finally completed production tests on its most recent horizontal well in the Niger Delta off Nigeria. The company had been having mechanical difficulties with the well, but they weren't enough to...

Giddings slowdown cuts Texas horizontals. (oil/gas well drilling)
November 20, 1995... The Texas Railroad Commission issued 34 permits for drilling horizontal wells to oil and gas producers in the state during the month of September. The number of permits issued were a marked decrease from those in the three previous months, the...

Chevron touts tape-compression. (seismic data compression)
November 20, 1995... Chevron has come up with a new formula for compressing seismic data that can squeeze information from 500 standard magnetic tapes down to a single high-density cassette the size of the George Jones tape you play in your pickup. It'll never...