Improved Recovery Week articles from September 1993

Improved Recovery Week archives from September 1993

Giant Chinese field IOR pilots aired. (Peoples Republic of China conducts improved oil recovery pilot tests at Daqing oil field)
September 6, 1993... The Daqing field, the largest in the Peoples Republic of China, is being subjected to enhanced waterflooding operations, and details of several recent pilot tests indicate considerable success. The tests, which already have given way to...

Texas predicts drilling surge. (improved oil recovery tax incentive program expected to encourage increase in oil and gas drilling)
September 6, 1993... Tax incentives that took effect in Texas Sept. 1 should result in increased oil and gas drilling activity and bring many shutin wells back on stream, says Jim Nugent, Texas Railroad Commission chairman. Additionally, says Nugent, an IOR tax...

Swift Energy cites three horizontals. (reports test results on improved oil and gas recovery projects in Giddings (Austin Chalk) field in Fayette County, Texas)
September 6, 1993... Houston-based Swift Energy Co. has reported production test results of three new horizontal oil and gas wells in the Giddings (Austin Chalk) field, Fayette County, Texas. The first well, the Baron-Talley No. 1-H, was drilled to measured...

NORM study includes production. (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology conducts study quantifying risk of naturally occurring radioactive material present in oil and gas production operations)
September 6, 1993... While recent concern about naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) has dealt primarily with its accumulation in and on oilfield surface equipment, a new study will quantify the hazard in oil and gas production operations, as well. ...

Penn State sets pilot program. (Pennsylvania State University develops pilot program for improvement of oil and gas production and environmental education)
September 6, 1993... Pennsylvania State University's Cooperative Extension division has a new pilot program to help oil and gas producers in the state improve production and increase environmental awareness. The program features a full-time extension agent and...

Infill drilling for gas under study. (Gas Research Institute and Bureau of Economic Geology at University of Texas research new methods of finding untapped reservoir compartments in natural gas fields)
September 6, 1993... The Gas Research Institute, Chicago, and the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin are investigating new ways to identify untapped reservoir compartments in existing natura gas fields. According to a report...

Berry ups Midway-Sunset steam. (Berry Petroleum Co. expands improved oil recovery project on Fairfield property in Midway-Sunset oil field in San Joaquin Valley, California)
September 6, 1993... Berry Petroleum Co., Taft, Calif, is planning to expand a steamflood on the Fairfield property near Derby Acres in the Midway-Sunset field. The program calls for converting 13 wells to service as injection wells, boosting to 23 the number...

Basin sells coalgas credits. (Basin Exploration Inc. sells part of gas sands tax credits)
September 6, 1993... Denver-based Basin Exploration Inc. has sold a portion of its Sect. 29 tight gas sands tax credits to an undisclosed buyer for $5 million. A company spokesperson said the company will receive $2 million in cash up front, with the remainder...

Texaco hones Kern River steam program. (plans 23 oil wells in Kern River field in San Joaquin Valley, California)
September 6, 1993... Texaco, Inc. plans to drill 23 wells in the Kern River field in California's San Joaquin Valley both to monitor and fine-tune steamflooding that keeps the 94-year-old field in the forefront of domestic IOR. The company filed for the...

Slimhole sets high ROP off New Zealand. (Arco Petroleum Products Co. plans contract with Baker Hughes INTEQ for Slimhole Drilling System, with high rate of penetration, in New Zealand offshore oil well drilling project)
September 6, 1993... Faced with a drilling weather window that was closing rather quickly, Arco Petroleum (New Zealand) recently called on Baker Hughes Inteq to mobilize its Slimhole Drilling (SHD) System in waters off New Zealand for use in drilling the first...

Pembina horizontals yield high water cut. (Amoco Canada Petroleum Company Ltd. reports high water production from oil wells drilled in Pembina oil field in Alberta)
September 6, 1993... Despite plans to drill up to 200 horizontal re-entry wells in Alberta's Pembina field during the next five years, Amoco Canada Petroleum Co. Ltd. is experiencing high water production from initial wells drilled under the program so far this...

J.H. Duerksen of Chevron Research & Technology Co. (patents method for in situ heated annulus refining process; U.S. Patent No. 5,145,003)
September 6, 1993... J.H. Duerksen of Chevron Research & Technology Co. has patented a method for an in situ heated annulus refining process in which recovery of viscous petroleum is assisted using a controlled flow of hot fluid and hydrogen-generating gas in a...

J.S. Tang and B.C. Harker of Exxon Production Research Co. (patent method to monitor in situ miscibility of solvent with reservoir oil using tracers having different boiling points; U.S. Patent No. 5,111,882)
September 6, 1993... J.S. Tang and B.C. Harker of Exxon Production Research Co. have patented a method for monitoring in situ miscibility of a solvent with reservoir oil by using at least two tracers having different boiling points and being miscible with the...

DOE awards 11 E&P tech transfer grants. (grants for oil and gas exploration and production research projects in fiscal year 1993 under Small Business Innovation Research program)
September 13, 1993... As part of its Small Business Innovation Research program, the Energy Dept. has included 11 directly related oil and gas exploration and production-oriented projects in the 241 total projects in two rounds of selected research endeavors for...

Texaco sets horizontal record. (Texaco Exploration and Production Inc. sets water depth record for offshore horizontal oil well drilled at TICK platform in Gulf of Mexico)
September 13, 1993... Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc. recently established a company water depth record for a horizontal well drilled at its TICK platform in 718' of water in the Gulf of Mexico. The platform is located in Garden Banks Block 189 about 130...

Wyo. microbial test hits setback. (three-stage, one-well microbial improved oil recovery test being conducted at Minnelusa 'A' formation in Crook County, Wyoming, experiences monitoring difficulties)
September 13, 1993... That three-stage, one-well microbial IOR test underway in the Minnelusa "A" formation in Crook County, Wyo. has been complicated by monitoring problems. The test, being conducted on a one-well field near Moorcroft, Wyo., is aimed at...

Stripper royalty cut under study. (Bureau of Land Management to assess reduction of royalties for stripper oil wells on federal lands)
September 13, 1993... The Minerals Management Service and the Bureau of Land Management will soon begin an evaluation of the BLM's September 1992 decision to provide a royalty reduction for marginal, or "stripper," wells located on federal lands. As originally...

TIPRO forms capital task force. (Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association)
September 13, 1993... The Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Assn. has formed a capital formation task force to tackle producers' money-raising problems. At a recent TIPRO meeting in Houston, Deputy Energy Secretary Bill White said he knew a producer...

DOE energy plan delayed. (Dept. of Energy's 'Domestic Energy Initiative' postponed; intended to enhance domestic oil and gas production)
September 13, 1993... The Energy Dept.'s "Domestic Energy Initiative," scheduled for release around Labor Day, has been postponed for at least another month. Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary had said she would have a strategy to increase domestic oil and gas...

Venezuela round gets 44 bidders. (Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. takes bids for contracts to produce oil and gas from marginal fields)
September 13, 1993... Units of Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. have received bids from 44 companies and groups in its second round of contracts to produce oil and gas from marginal fields. The bids are placed on service contracts covering 74 marginal oil field...

Dresser, Baroid to tie the knot. (Dresser Industries Inc. proposes merger with Baroid Corp.)
September 13, 1993... In still another major consolidation within the oilwell service/ supply industry, Dallas-based Dresser Industries Inc. last week announced a proposed $900 million merger with Baroid Corp., Houston. Baroid provides specialized products and...

EPA proposes Michigan IOR rules. (Environmental Protection Agency proposes pressure gradients for calculating maximum allowable liquid injection pressure for rule-authorized oil wells undergoing improved oil recovery projects in Michigan)
September 13, 1993... The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed pressure gradients for calculating the maximum allowable liquid injection pressure for rule-authorized wells in six Michigan oil fields where secondary recovery projects are ongoing. A...

BP to study slim-hole technology. (British Petroleum Company Ltd. to conduct survey of exploration and production assets for purpose of new technology application)
September 13, 1993... British Petroleum Co. Ltd., prompted by four slim-hole wells drilled last year in the Congo, will conduct a worldwide survey of its E&P assets to target where new technology can be applied. One of the most promising, says BP, is slim-hole...

P.N. Gibson and L.J. Barbera of Lag Steering Systems. (patent apparatus and method for directional drilling system; U.S. Patent No. 5,133,418)
September 13, 1993... P.N. Gibson and L.J. Barbera of Lag Steering Systems have patented an apparatus and method for a directional drilling system in which a concrete pit is poured at a reference entry angle in the earth so that a drilling platform cartridge...

B.F. Price of Price Compressor Co., Inc. (patents pneumatic oil well tool for fracturing or enlarging perforations in oil well formation; U.S. Patent No. 5,205,360)
September 13, 1993... B.F. Price of Price Compressor Co., Inc. has patented a pneumatic well tool for fracturing or enlarging perforations in a formation so that the oil flows more freely. The tool takes the form of an elongate tool body or sonde, which is lowered...

Mobile pumping unit aimed at stripper IOR. (MIA introduces 1laeger Oil Retrieval System for improved oil recovery) (Product Announcement)
September 20, 1993... If MIA has its way, stripper wells in this country and abroad will get new status, the kind that comes with greenbacks attached. With its Klaeger Oil Retrieval System, the Houston-owned company hopes to show operators how they can not only...

Texaco profits to boost IOR. (plans increase in funding for improved oil recovery)
September 20, 1993... Texaco, Inc.'s blockbuster agreement last week to sell its international chemical operations for $1.06 billion will mean increased spending for worldwide improved oil recovery. Chairman A.C. DeCrane said Texaco will use sale proceeds to...

Unocal E-R program earns recognition. (extended-reach oil well drilling for improved oil recovery)
September 20, 1993... Unocal Corp.'s success with extended-reach (E-R) drilling in Dos Cuadras offshore field in California's Santa Barbara Channel has added about 10 million barrels to oil reserves since l 990, the company says. And in the wake of this...

Property ideal for horizontals. (Summit Resources Ltd. acquires property in Western Canada)
September 20, 1993... Calgary, Alberta-based Summit Resources Ltd. has acquired a 100% working interest in a mystery property somewhere, presumably in Western Canada. The company neither disclosed the location o the property, nor provide terms under which the...

Tucker tapped for DOE post. (Bil Tucker named assistant energy secretary for fossil fuels by President Clinton)
September 20, 1993... Tucker tapped for DOE post President Clinton plans to nominate Wyoming regulator Bil Tucker to the post of assistant energy secretary for fossil fuels. If confirmed by the Senate, Tucker will oversee many of DOE's oil and natural gas...

Amoco to develop 5-billion-barrel CIS field. (Amoco Eurasia Petroleum Co. contract for development of Priobskoye oil field in Western Siberia, Commonwealth of Independent States)
September 20, 1993... Amoco Eurasia Petroleum Co., a subsidiary of Amoco Production Co., Chicago, has won a bid to develop the Priobskoye oil field in Western Siberia, a field that produces some 10,000 b/d from less than 200 existing wells. Russian estimates...

Study links shale kerogen with algae. (conducted by researcher Patrick Hatcher of Pennsylvania State University)
September 20, 1993... The numerous and diverse algae found in the world's ocean may hold the key to understanding the origin of oil shale deposits, says a researcher at Penn State University. According to Patrick Hatcher, associate professor of fuel science and...

Utah University gets bitumen grant. (from DOE's Morgantown Energy Technology Center for bitumen recovery research)
September 20, 1993... The Energy Dept.'s Morgantown (W.Va.) Energy Technology Center recently awarded researchers at the University of Utah an $850,666 grant to study bitumen recovery. As part of a one-year cooperative agreement with METC, university...

N.M. recompletion flows gas. (National Energy Group Inc. recompletes oil wells in Southeastern New Mexico)
September 20, 1993... Recompletion of two existing wells in Southeastern New Mexico has yielded new production for National Energy Group Inc., Dallas. The company said its Yates King Well No. 1 was recompleted in the Strawn formation, with perforations at...

Horizontals to tap oil at New Zealand field. (Fletcher Challenge Canada Ltd., Shell New Zealand Holding Company Ltd. and Todd Mining begin horizontal oil wells in Maui offshore field, New Zealand)
September 20, 1993... Partners in the large Maui offshore field on the New Zealand coast are beginning work on two horizontal wells designed to tap a recently defined oil reservoir that lies beneath the main gas and condensate structure. Maui is New Zealand's...

Coalbed methane adds to '92 Va. production. (Virginia achieves state record for natural gas production due mainly to new coalbed methane wells)
September 20, 1993... Although Virginia's oil and gas industry is small, it did establish a state record in 1992 for natural gas production, thanks largely to new coalbed methane wells. Recently released figures from the Virginia Mines, Minerals and Energy...

J.M. Sanchez of Mobil Oil Corp. (patents method for reducing time taken to move steam in lateral direction between parallel superimposed horizontal wells when using Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage; U.S. Patent No. 5,215,146)
September 20, 1993... 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 superimposed horizontal wells when using a Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process. Foam is...

J.W.F. Costerton, F. Cusack, F.A. Fraser, and T.J. Cyr of the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority. (patent microbial process for plugging subterranean permeable stratum; Canadian Patent No. 1,277,936)
September 20, 1993... J.W.F. Costerton, F. Cusack, F.A. Fraser, and T.J. Cyr of the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority have patented a microbial process for selectively plugging a subterranean permeable stratum that is usually associated with an...

Tierney waffles on import curbs in new initiative. (Assistant Energy Secretary Susan Tierney unclear on oil import quota proposals at meeting of oil industry representatives)
September 27, 1993... The Energy Dept.'s "domestic energy initiative" is shaping up as a big discussion paper that probably will rule out import tariffs oil petroleum, says the department's top policy official. But Assistant Energy Secretary Susan Tierney,...

National labs touted for IOR. (Deputy Energy Secretary Bill White touts use of national laboratories in improved oil recovery research)
September 27, 1993... U.S. national laboratories, whose capabilities were once primarily devoted to defense and space initiatives, will play a key role in oil and gas exploration and development technology. says Deputy Energy Secretary Bill White. Speaking at...

Chevron Tenghiz staff to reach 400. (employees at Tenghiz oil field in Kazakhstan by 1995)
September 27, 1993... The number of Chevron Corp. employees working at the Tenghiz field in Kazakhstan is expected to reach 400 by 1995, a company spokesperson said last week. Ultimately,the Tenghiz work force will number close to 4,000, the spokesperson said,...

Elections delay upgrader decision. (Canadian national elections delay government decision on finance of heavy oil upgrader located in Regina, Saskatchewan)
September 27, 1993... That pesky problem of how to keep a Saskatchewan heavy oil upgrader running ahead of the wolves will have to wait until after the Canadian national elections on Oct. 25. The C$874 million facility, located in Regina, Sask., has been a...

Carbonate log software debuted. (Logic Group introduces computer software program for carbonate formation analysis) (Product Announcement)
September 27, 1993... With an amazing facility for coming up with new software for current "hot" trends in the industry, The Logic Group, Austin, Texas, has introduced a program for carbonate formation analysis. With the program, called CBA, Carbonate Advisor,...

Coalgas brightens '92 U.S. reserves totals. (coalbed methane boosts gas reserves)
September 27, 1993... Coalbed methane was the one bright spot in 1992 as U.S. proven oil, natural gas and gas liquids reserves fell in 1992 for the third straight year, the government reported recently. The Energy Information Admin., in its annual survey of the...

Kidder likes ENSERCH infill program. (Kidder, Peabody and Company Inc. evaluates ENSERCH Corp.)
September 27, 1993... Wall Street brokerage Kidder, Peabody & Co. Inc. likes ENSERCH Corp.,s "bread and butter" development of six gas/condensate fields it operates in East Texas. Kidder detailed the East Texas infill drilling program along with other...

Daleco completes 8th horizontal. (Daleco Resources Corp. subsidiary Westlands Resources Corp. finishes horizontal oil well project)
September 27, 1993... Westlands Resources Corp., a subsidiary of Daleco Resources Corp., Los Angeles, has completed its eighth horizontal well in the Giddings field in Texas' Austin Chalk trend area. The company said its DRC-V Well No. 1, located in the Tunis...

Indians oppose Syncrude program. (Native American groups in Northeastern Alberta protest synthetic fuel operation expansion plans of Syncrude Canada Ltd.)
September 27, 1993... Native groups in Northeastern Alberta are publicly, opposing Syncrude Canada Ltd.'s proposed C$1 billion expansion of its Fort McMurray synfuels operation. The natives have written the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board, objecting...

Through-casing resistivity previewed. (new through-casing resistivity logging tool to be discussed at Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Meeting, October 3-6, 1993)
September 27, 1993... As part of a technical session on logging of deviated wells, two oil company researchers will discuss the effectiveness of a new through-casing resistivity logging tool at the Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Meeting in Houston next week....

Contractor cites polymer-aided waterfloods. (reservoir engineers deliver paper at seminar on secondary recovery of oil)
September 27, 1993... Polymer-augmented waterflooding in the Minnelusa formation in Wyoming's Dowder River Basin is reducing the risk associated with straight waterflooding, says a group of reservoir engineers. In a paper delivered at a recent SPE/DOE seminar in...

G.R. Coulter of Oryx Energy Co. (patents methods of isolating segments of horizontal wellbore; U.S. Patent No. 5,197,543)
September 27, 1993... G.R. Coulter of Oryx Energy Co. has patented methods for isolating segments of a horizontal wellbore drilled through an unconsolidated formation and treating the well to control rates of fluid flow into selected segments of the wellbore. The...

M. Zerhboub of Dowell Schlumberger. (patents product and process related to treatment of subterranean formations by acid fluid; U.S. Patent No. 5,203,413)
September 27, 1993... M. Zerhboub of Dowell Schlumberger has patented a product and process relating to the treatment by a fluid, or more generally by an acid fluid, of subterranean formations located in particular around an oil, gas, water or geothermal well. Acid...