One wouldn’t think that something as simple as a cylinder would offer many prospects for innovation. But one would be wrong. The metal cylinder known as pipe has attracted a wave of innovation and sophistication in the shale era. Oilfield pipe, commonly described as “oil country tubular goods, or OCTG, falls into four categories: drill […]
Hanging by a (Pipe) Thread
. R&D pipe President Ron Underwood and Trident Steel CEO Kevin Beckmann have both seen better times, but neither is certain when those will return, at least for their sector. Casing in particular is tied directly to drilling, Underwood pointed out. Beckmann noted that the rig count is down 73 percent year-over-year from 2019. That […]
More Than Just Pipe Dreams
Market fluctuations are driving OCTG (Oil Country Tubular Goods) companies to diversify. By Paul Wiseman The Oil Patch roller coaster is real for the entire sector; but for companies that rely on steel as a raw material, global politics adds a whole new layer of variables. Such is the case for oil country tubular […]
How To Achieve Required Top of Cement in Challenging Permian Basin Wells
Sponsored Post: Well productivity and profitability are influenced by the decisions you make every step of the way—that includes your cementing job. Cement quality is key to well performance and integrity, especially in the Permian, where 80 percent of existing Texas wells show sustained annual pressure and almost always have to pass through severely depleted […]
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 […]
Pipe: It Touches Everything
By Paul Wiseman “Instead of being focused on the drilling side, we’re very much focused on the production side,” says Ron Underwood, president and founder of R&D Pipe. The company is based near Houston, selling pipe throughout the Gulf Coast as well as in the Permian Basin. The flood of drilling rigs in the […]
The Wall of Water
The rapidly developing water midstream sector promises a “wall of water” for producers. This expanding midstream sector replaces truck trips with more efficient hub-and-spoke gathering and distribution systems. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; Isaiah 35:6, ESV “We are modern day alchemists,” says Wolfcamp Water Partners CEO Toby Darden. […]
Getting the Resources Gone
Takeaway is what the midstream sector is all about. Getting the crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids away from the wellheads and on their way to the processing plants. Sounds simple, but it’s a world unto itself, and it’s a world that’s undergoing dramatic change. by Jesse Mullins The upstream sector has its […]
Lateral Mobility
Drill pipe, casing, and tubing are three kinds of pipe that go downhole. But there’s a world of pipe out there that runs laterally, parallel to the surface, either above it or just below it. Three companies share their expertise in the field of lateral oil transportation. by Hanaba Munn Welch Ups and […]
The Energy Chain
Generating income, compressing challenges, and pumping profits in a downturn: reflections on the engines of the oil patch and how they’ve moved rivers of product. By Paul Wiseman The old business adage, “It takes money to make money” could be adapted for the oil patch as, “It takes energy to produce energy.” And […]