Water clarifiers, demulsifiers help improve fluid separation performance
Baker Hughes has released its TRETOLITE SNAP fluids separation technologies, designed to help oil and gas operators maintain dry oil and good water quality while also stabilizing operations and reducing costs—without limiting production, a press release stated. This next generation of chemical solutions includes water clarification and demulsification technologies that deliver improved performance in multiple production applications, including steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) facilities as well as conventional and other unconventional onshore and offshore fields. TRETOLITE SNAP technologies help minimize oil-in-water levels to improve water quality for reuse, reducing heat exchanger fouling and related equipment cleanout expenses. The new products also help lower basic sediment and water content in the oil to decrease recycling and slop oil trucking. TRETOLITE SNAP technologies enable SAGD producers to increase profitability by getting a more controlled oil/water interface that improves production volumes and throughput capacity.
New services integrate modeling with monitoring and control
Schlumberger has released its AvantGuard advanced flowback services. These services protect the connection of the hydraulic fracture to the wellbore to optimize productivity in conventional and unconventional wells, a press release stated. AvantGuard services comprise flowback design and proactive fracture protection that complement fracturing operations. Damage to the well and the formation is actively prevented by tailoring a predictive flowback design strategy with a defined secure operating envelope. Application of the flowback design during the transition to production protects and stabilizes hydraulic fractures to efficiently enable all the clusters in each zone to produce without productivity impairment.
Microseismic analysis service to optimize unconventional recovery
ESG Solutions has released a new service within its Enhanced Reservoir Characterization (ERC) offering for hydraulic fracturing, a press release stated. The Flow Dynamics Suite uses a statistical approach to understand seismicity and reservoir processes for improved hydraulic fracture efficiencies and demonstrates a unique potential for outlining production from hydraulic fracturing. ESG’s newest microseismic analysis service represents a dramatic shift in the way that microseismic data are evaluated. “While an individual microseismic event corresponds to slip on a discrete surface, the combined deformation of a group of events results in a collective behavior,” said CTO Ted Urbancic. “Here we are invoking new statistical theories drawing from the field of fluid mechanics that demonstrate that it is the collective behavior of seismicity that actually reveals the most valuable information about reservoir deformation.” The Flow Dynamics Suite uses a selection of dynamic parameters to identify processes that play important roles in the dynamic expansion of a fracture network during hydraulic fracture stimulations while evaluating reservoir deformation efficiency.
First digital chemical management system for oil and gas industry
Clariant has released its VERITRAX intelligent chemical management system, which offers oil and gas producers a fully transparent automatic chemical control, monitoring and ordering system that optimizes chemical management tasks and labor-intensive processes, a press release stated. The support platform takes advantage of automation and cloud-based technologies to optimize the chemical supply chain, ensure maximum production uptime and provide producers with an understanding and control of their chemical spend. The offering, which can be fully integrated into existing production setups such as SCADA and distributed control systems, provides a continuous real-time data flow that is delivered directly to a laptop or smartphone. It allows users to monitor multiple data streams such as well production and chemical injection rates and to optimize inventory management, with new chemical deliveries coordinated automatically. Additionally, continuous system monitoring alerts the operator to potential problems, allowing rapid interventions to minimize production losses.
Extending the performance of traditional elastomer seals
Peak Well Systems’ new IRIS-3D technology provides a high-expansion mechanical support system that can be applied to a wide range of possible applications, the company said in a release. For downhole applications in particular, it can be used to extend the performance of traditional elastomer seals and therefore enables an entirely new suite of wellbore sealing systems. The IRIS-3D system already has undergone extensive testing, achieving excellent results in practical testing of system performance, reliability and debris tolerance. Simply through the addition of IRIS-3D components to Peak’s existing downhole SIM plug system, the team has been able to extend the performance of the SIM seal from 150 C (302 F) and 5,000 psi up to 200 C (392 F) and 10,000 psi. On the back of these early tests, the development path is following two project tracks: One focuses on the ability of IRIS-3D to develop a new range of high-performance medium expansion plugs, and the other explores the potential of IRIS-3D in high-expansion seal systems.
Lower cost resin-coated proppants
The Oilfield Technology Group of Hexion Inc. has released its kRT resin-coated proppants, a press release stated. Hexion’s kRT proppants are a resin-coated sand available in 20/40, 30/50, 40/70 and 100 mesh sizes. The company’s Stress Bond technology delivers many of the benefits that curable resin-coated proppants have over uncoated fracture sand. This includes the reduction of proppant flowback, reduction of proppant fines generation, minimization of proppant embedment, enhanced well production and the reduction of silica dust generation during the pneumatic transfer and conveying process, which helps improve health and safety on location. The 100-mesh product, kRT 100 proppant, is a low-cost option for those that want to pump 100-mesh proppant and are concerned with proppant flowback or excessive silica dust. Large amounts of silica dust can be produced by uncoated 100 mesh sand when it is transported due to the small grain size.
Collaboration delivers advanced borehole data analysis service
Task Fronterra, a geoscience consultancy, has standardized Paradigm’s advanced borehole data analysis service offering on the Paradigm Geolog petrophysical analysis and formation evaluation solution, according to a press release. The services will include geological and geomechanical analysis as well as borehole data processing and quality control.
Marine seismic technology eliminates distortions and uncertainties
In October 2016 Geology Without Limits explored the Barents Sea’s Norwegian shelf segment employing its new FloatSeis marine seismic technology, a press release stated. The survey was conducted with help of SeaBird Exploration’s research vessel Harrier Explorer. It was the first shallow-water basin application of FloatSeis. The seabed area under scrutiny was deliberately selected to include geological section complexities such as multiple seismic faults and lithological heterogeneities that cause poor reliability of data obtained with the use of the traditional common depth point (CDP) wave reflection method. Implementation of FloatSeis technology enables amending the standard CDP reflection data with those resulting from capturing the refracted waves produced at both the upper sedimentary layer and the basal top surfaces to eliminate distortions and uncertainties associated with wave-based modeling of geologically similar seabed structures and obtain more coherent seismic image of the surveyed area. The company planned to obtain first results in December 2016.
Digital ecosystem for securely implementing the Industrial IoT
Emerson has released the expanded Plantweb digital ecosystem, a scalable portfolio of standards- based hardware, software, intelligent devices and services for securely implementing the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) with measurable business performance improvement, a press release stated. In addition to highly secure process control, safety and asset management systems, Plantweb supports enterprisewide operations with an expanded portfolio of Pervasive Sensing field instruments; the Secure First Mile family of software, gateways, security devices and services; the Plantweb Insight and Plantweb Advisor scalable suite of software applications; the AMS ARES Platform; and the Microsoft-enabled cloud-based remote expert Connected Services.
Comprehensive borehole log software displays data as graphic logs
RockWare has released LogPlot 8 to assist geoscientists with the display of their geotechnical, environmental, geophysical, mud/gas and mining data as graphic logs, a press release stated. According to the company, this new version makes the creation of detailed and professional borehole and well log reports easier and more flexible, with updated data editing tools and connectivity to the RockWorks17 database. The company adds that additions to the program include new text formatting tools, contact line styles, an enhanced pattern editor and dozens of new display options for subsurface and well construction information. The Log Designer interface also has received major improvements, including the capability to be undocked and an easily accessible list of design items.
Elastomer provides long-life sealing
The latest perfluoroelastomer offering from DuPont Performance Materials, Kalrez Spectrum 7275, offers a high level of sealing performance in the most aggressive chemical processing and manufacturing environments that are known to be difficult for sealing, including ethylene oxide; acrylic monomers, silanes and chlorosilanes; and strong oxidizers such as nitric acid, chlorine and chlorine dioxide; a press release stated. Kalrez Spectrum 7275 has shown improved chemical and compression set resistance and mechanical property retention vs. other competitive elastomers. It is based on a proprietary cross-linking system and is uniquely identifiable from its light brown color. Targeted applications for Kalrez Spectrum 7275 include industries that depend on mechanical seals, pumps, valves, compressors, filtration columns and analytical equipment as part of their critical processes.