Wells and technology both get more complex. Companies are applying their best minds, and best thinking, to the task of staying up with the changes. By Paul Wiseman “Sometimes I think—me personally, or WellWorx or the industry—that we’ll run out of ways to innovate or we’ll run out of good ideas,” said Matt Raglin, founder […]
Answering Hydrocarbon’s Adversaries
Colin P. Fenton is a leading light among an emerging coterie of thinkers who are not drinking the anti-fossil fuel koolaid. His thoughts shared before the PBPA give hope for a reversal of public opinion, however far away that might be. A few days after Colin P. Fenton delivered a resounding keynote address at the […]
Overcoming Casing Integrity Issues
Sponsored Post A range of factors can restrict casing ID and prevent a successful completion. Higher build rates, complex trajectories, and longer horizontal sections pose considerable challenges to casing integrity. Although careful casing and borehole trajectory design and appropriate drilling and completion techniques can reduce the risks, they cannot eliminate them. In addition, the constant […]
Machine Learning—a New Frontier in I.T.
By Paul Wiseman It seemed like a great idea at first. There’s all this data being aggregated from thousands of wells—why doesn’t someone set up some parameters for pumps, tanks, pipelines, and anything else that can exude data—then computers can send alarms to alert managers and field personnel any time there’s a problem! Very […]
Permian Rental Companies Back the Stats
As Analysts Note Impressive Peak, Locals Confirm Industry Uptick. The day after Christmas 2017, IHS Markit, an economic analytics firm based in the United Kingdom, issued a press release referencing the Permian as a “super basin.” In fact, the headline and first few paragraphs made one think Christmas would last well into the […]
IIoT Meets O&G
Can technology make $20 oil profitable? Technology-based improvements in time efficiency have already made oil production at least sustainable at $50 per barrel. Could further improvements drop the break-even level to even lower prices? Firms who are leaping forward to fully embrace oilfield technology—both providers and end-users—point out that the “old ways” of doing […]
I.T. Meets Oil: And Nothing Stays the Same
The oilfield’s IT revolution is streamlining operations and connecting the field with the back office like never before. These connections are changing the corporate culture for the better. by Paul Wiseman For the better part of a century field personnel have been chastised and glared at, if not outright berated, by office personnel seeking […]
Wireline Comes into Its Own
As wireline goes, so goes the O&G industry. Wireline makes a good barometer for what’s happening not just in the service industries sector, but in Basin energy development on the whole. Wireline is a trade that plays a part in exploration as well as in ongoing, down-the-road production, so it rides with the fortunes of […]
New And Noteworthy: January 2017
PetroNerds and more. Fresh offerings of products and services for the oil and gas set. Next Generation Drilling Motors Sperry Drilling, a Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) business, announced on Sept. 21, the release of GeoForce Endure and StrataForce Endure motors, the latest additions to the drilling motor product line focused on increasing reliability in […]
On Getting Plugged In
The severe and still-mounting shortfall of electricity in oil country is something that will only be resolved when suppliers and users alike are aware of the needs and the limitations of the system. For E&P companies, communication is the key. by Al Pickett, special contributor The shift from vertical to more horizontal drilling in […]