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Oil and Gas Production and Exploration, Part I
Presented by:
Steven Marzuola
American Translators Association52nd Annual Conference
Boston, October 26, 2011
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Introduction
Dope, Joints, TrippingInternal FlushStrippersCasing, Tubing, LinerAPI - American Petroleum Institute
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Why oil?
Refined products 45 megajoules/ kg
One gallon carries one airline passenger 45 milesCoal: 24 megajoules per kilogramClub sandwich: 1.3 megajoules
Convenience of liquid fuelLarge amount of power in small volume (“Energy density”)
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Life of an Oilfield
Reservoir formationDiscovery and explorationDrillingPrimary productionSecond production, interventionsAbandonment
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Early oil discoveriesUsually guided by surface seepage. Lake Maracaibo, Caspian Sea, western PennsylvaniaUsed by ships, seeking tar for repairs.Oil was usually a nuisance encountered when drilling water wellsResearch in mid 1800’s, search to replace whale oil used in lampsFirst rotary drilled well - 1859, Titusville, PA
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Blowouts
In movies, often portrayed as success.Today, a blowout is a huge and expensive mistake.
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Historical practices
On land, in the USA: Surface owner owns everything to the center of the earth. Often led to inefficiencies, legal battles.
Today, mineral rights on most property are bought and sold separately from the surface land. Field or reservoir usually managed as a single unit.
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Congestion
Spindletop, Texas, 1902
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Requirements of a Reservoir
1. Source or Generator rock2. Reservoir3. Seal or cap rock4. Structure, hydrocarbons trap5. Timing6. Maturation7. Migration
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Exploration aided by geology
Surface features AnticlinesFaults, Salt domesPresence of iron
Subsurface surveysGravimeter, MagnetometerSeismic - 2D, 3D
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Anticlines Salt dome
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Structural trap
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Gravimeter
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Seismic surveying
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3D Seismic images
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Rig = factory
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Today’s drilling
Most wells drilled using rotary drillingSteel drill pipe comes in 30-foot sections that are threaded on both ends.Each section of drill pipe is called a joint. After drilling 30 feet, the kelly must be raised and another joint of pipe added below the kelly. This is called making a connection.
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Drill string components
Typical rotary drillingBottom Hole Assembly (BHA)
Additional components: mud motors, LWD / MWD tools,
steerable subs
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Drill bits
Diamond bits
Tricone rock bit Tungsten carbide inserts
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Surface components
• Kelly, kelly bushing, swivel, hose
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Pipehandling tools
Drill pipe slips Tongs
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Top Drive
AdvantagesDrill with “triples”
Reduced connection time
Quickly restore pressure control while tripping out
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Pressure control
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Flow of drilling mud
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Hydrostatic pressure
Pressure is proportional to:Height (depth) of fluid columnDensity (i.e. lbs/gallon)
Mud column must counterbalance formation pressureDrilling mud 1.5 - 2.5 times more dense than water
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Mud system components
Shale shakers
Desanders and desilters (hydrocyclones)
Degassers
Centrifuges
Mud agitators
Cuttings washers
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Water-based vs. oil-based muds
Water most widely used, but can cause “skin” damage, contaminate formation
In response, oil-based muds were developed
Adverse effects on rubber products, (seals, pump parts), environmental concern
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Modern improvements
Major changes in past 20 years are:Computers and software => 3D seismic
Top drive - all offshore rigs, big/deep onshore
MWD - Measure While Drilling technology
Mud motors
Directional drilling => horizontal wells
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Horizontal drilling
Multilateral completionsMultiple exit points from main well bore
Increased length of hole exposed to productive formations
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Completions
Most wells lined with steel casing. Purposes:
Protect from cave-insProtect surface formations, water supplyIsolate producing formationsPrevent blowouts
Innermost pipe is “tubing”, removable, to isolate flow from casing
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Casing and wellhead
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Casing and tubing connections
Non-upset
www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com
External upset
IF = “internal flush”
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Wellheads/Christmas trees
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Flange connection
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Separationequipment
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Stages of production
Primary recovery - natural flow
Secondary recovery - mechanical pumping, gas lift
Tertiary or Enhanced Oil Recovery - Gas injection, thermal, chemical
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Workover and well servicing
Together known as “intervention”
Workover rig similar to drilling. Performs acidizing, fracturing stimulation, cementing, deeper drilling, recompletion to a different zone, sidetracking
Well servicing - wireline, rod pulling units, flexible tubing
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Well servicing rig
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Flexible tubing rig
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Pumping
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TypicalSubsurface Pump
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Other methods
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Flowlines and Pipelines
Flowlines link individual wells or groups to a processing facility.
Gas / oil / water separation
Metering
Sand removal
Pipelines lead from field / process facility, ultimately to refinery
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“Pigs”
Dumb pigs: Cleaning, water displacement, chemical treatmentSmart pigs: Measure internal diameter, inspect for cracking, corrosion
Magnetic flux, X-ray, ultrasonic, video
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Peak Oil, or Hubbert’s PeakM. King Hubbert - Shell geophysicist
Theory: production tends to follow bell-shaped curve. Can be predicted in advance.
Production increases early due to discoveries and new infrastructure. Later declines due to depletion.
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47Source: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/8310
Peak Oil (cont.)
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Peak Oil (cont.)
In 1956, Hubbert predicted peak of USA production late 1960s - early 1970s.Controversial, but proven right by 1976. Actual peak was in 1970.Is it applicable to world production?Rapidly growing demand in China, IndiaNew technologies, increased depletion ratesWhat is the effect of higher real prices?
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Historical oil production
Source: http://wikipedia.org
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Steven Marzuola281-381-9337
www.techlanguage.com
© 2011 Steven Marzuola
Houston Interpreters and Translators Association
American Translators Association