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HartEnergy.com
Mary Holcomb
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Faiza Rizvi
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Chief Digital Officer

More licensing rounds and ending lengthy regulatory delays could lead to more exploration investment for Africa’s oil and gas sector, experts said during a recent panel moderated by the African Energy Chamber.
The private independent is actively pursuing partnerships and funding development drilling in U.S. shale plays as market conditions improve. “We look at over 300 deals on an annual basis, and this year’s been no exception,” Jordan Jayson, CEO of U.S. Energy Development Corp., told Hart Energy.
China’s oil and gas import market, and its growing antagonism, will be issues to grapple with for years, experts said during a KPMG webinar.
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mong the multitude of technologies and methods designed to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is emerging as the one the oil and gas industry is putting its collective weight behind.
Major oil companies like Occidental Petroleum, Shell and Equinor have implemented CCUS technologies to different degrees. The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), which counts bp, Chevron, Repsol, Total and Exxon Mobil among its members, launched its KickStarter program in 2019, which facilitates large-scale commercial investment in CCUS. The OGCI holds a $1 billion-plus investment fund for CCUS projects.
The synergies between CCUS and oil and gas production are plentiful. Carbon is a major component of ESG efforts, and capturing carbon can be relatively inexpensive. In fact, putting an emphasis on carbon capture isn’t just environmentally friendly; it might be imperative.
In the company’s October newsletter, Ryder Scott said, “The financial health of the oil and gas industry may depend on it.”



he world’s next energy transformation is underway, and transitioning to a lower carbon future will require ingenuity from all sectors of the energy industry. While renewable energy will continue to move us toward these goals, much of the innovation required will come from the oil and gas (O&G) industry, with its history of scaling technological solutions to meet the world’s energy demand.
The transition is not about replacing one form of energy with another; it is about the entire energy ecosystem collaborating to power the world in the cleanest, most efficient and affordable ways possible. This is a transition all Americans can get behind, from oilfield workers in West Texas to solar installation technicians in California.
The O&G industry comprises engineers, data scientists, geologists, parents, grandparents, men, women and people of all races and backgrounds who care about the environment and want the best for future generations. Excluding this expertise wastes a major driver of energy industry solutions. We can provide the energy the world needs now, while making it cleaner and safer by using technology to reduce emissions and improve efficiency.



ven before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Hinda Gharbi, executive vice president of service and equipment with Schlumberger, said the company was already focused on changing industry dynamics. Priorities were being shifted within the industry, and operators and service companies alike had begun to shift their long-term plans.
“With the current pandemic, we believe these trends have only accelerated,” she said in an exclusive video interview for E&P Plus.

hile the oil and gas industry might be hard-pressed to find many bright spots in 2020, the recovery of natural gas prices, and subsequently the role of gas producers, can be one of them. Among those that are riding the natural gas wave is Goodrich Petroleum. Goodrich, primarily focused on the Haynesville Shale, produces 138,000 Mcfe/d largely from its approximate 24,000 net Haynesville acres. Historically low service costs and stable Henry Hub price points are allowing Goodrich to set its goals on top-tier growth and the potential for free cash flow in 2021.
Goodrich President and COO Robert Turnham recently provided an exclusive interview with E&P Plus where he discussed in more detail the company’s plans for the remainder of the year and into 2021. He also touched on the company’s well completion strategy and how to position itself amid volatile times in the oil and gas industry.


or years, operators in iron-rich mineral basins, such as Woodford/Cana, Delaware and portions of the Eagleford have struggled with a rubbery-like substance adhering to surface treating equipment, accompanied with lost production. As a chemical company and a solutions provider, Innospec’s Oilfield Services Stimulation R&T group, with their knowledge and experience of FR chemistry, wanted to not only treat the issue, but to fundamentally understand the cause of the issue. The solution came about only by surmounting some major scientific obstacles—obstacles tackled by many, but all without long-term successful resolution of the issue.
In the fracturing industry, it is common to use synthetic friction reducers (FRs) to overcome the high friction pressures associated with pumping large water volumes at high rates. The physical form of the FR is either invert emulsion, suspension or dry powder. However, regardless of the FR form, the chemistry of the polymer is critical. The chemistry of most common frac FRs is either anionic or cationic polyacrylamide co-polymers (see Scheme 1).
Data Analytics

round this time last year, oil and gas executives were contemplating how Big Data analytics could become a source of significant competitive advantage for their companies. As the industry made slow, yet steady progress toward digital transformation, corporate discussions centered on how machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and automation could save the upstream sector billions of dollars.
Fast forward to today, the industry is knee-deep in one of the worst downturns in history. The demand destruction has caused massive well shut-ins, historic layoffs and, consequently, remote operations have become the new normal. The executives are now discussing survival strategies using advanced digital solutions and are revisiting the use of historical data for resilience and recovery.
A recent study by McKinsey & Co. stated, “It is uncertain when the current perfect storm impacting oil and gas operators will pass…What is certain, however, is that only innovative operators with superior operating models will come out of this crisis prepared to cope with volatility and to sustain future growth.”

round this time last year, oil and gas executives were contemplating how Big Data analytics could become a source of significant competitive advantage for their companies. As the industry made slow, yet steady progress toward digital transformation, corporate discussions centered on how machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and automation could save the upstream sector billions of dollars.
Fast forward to today, the industry is knee-deep in one of the worst downturns in history. The demand destruction has caused massive well shut-ins, historic layoffs and, consequently, remote operations have become the new normal. The executives are now discussing survival strategies using advanced digital solutions and are revisiting the use of historical data for resilience and recovery.
A recent study by McKinsey & Co. stated, “It is uncertain when the current perfect storm impacting oil and gas operators will pass…What is certain, however, is that only innovative operators with superior operating models will come out of this crisis prepared to cope with volatility and to sustain future growth.”


15 petabytes of data




15 petabytes of data





ith more than 2,000 GW of technical wind resource potential, the winds over open waters off the U.S. are capable of producing about twice the generating capacity of all U.S. electric power plants combined, according to the Department of Energy.
However, tapping part of that will require overcoming challenges—seen as opportunities by offshore wind energy players—for the budding U.S. offshore wind sector. During the recently held Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) virtual event, executives and regulators involved in offshore wind discussed projects underway and what is needed to bring such projects to fruition as the world moves toward cleaner forms of energy.
Challenges faced include policy and permitting, the environment and metocean conditions, and infrastructure.



he waters offshore Ghana have already given rise to the giant Jubilee oil field, where Kosmos Energy detected an overlooked Upper Cretaceous structural-stratigraphic play concept in the Tano Basin.
The 2007 discovery opened the door to a new hydrocarbon province, putting the West African country on the map. More oil and gas finds followed, including the TEN fields along with the Sankofa, Gye and Nyame fields. Companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. have since joined a list of explorers that includes Kosmos Energy, Tullow Oil and Eni SpA.
“It took a while for companies to see that and convince themselves that the deepwater [offshore Ghana] has potential,” said Michael Aryeetey, exploration and appraisal manager with the Ghana National Petroleum Corp. (GNPC), referring to activity following Jubilee.




he oil and gas industry, particularly the E&P and oilfield services subsectors, have faced significant headwinds over the last few years, most recently with the simultaneous demand destruction resulting from COVID-19 and supply shock from the Saudi Arabia-led price war. These recent events, combined with capital flight out of the industry and demands for capital discipline by remaining investors, have accelerated the push by company stakeholders, regulators and others for energy transition initiatives.
But the energy transition journey will take decades. The industry, as a whole, needs to strategically position itself to remain profitable in oil and gas while concurrently evolving over time to meet the demands of a lower-carbon future. Oil and gas will retain a significant role in the global energy mix, particularly for developing nations. However, in the U.S. and Europe, alternative energy sources will expand and take capital—both financial and human—with them.
ransitioning to a carbon-neutral industry—as has been the stated goal of supermajors and global service providers alike—is an ambitious task and one that will require a mix of efficient fuels and the innovative technologies to produce those fuels.
Although the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel to oil and natural gas is nothing new, its application is gaining in popularity as the world seeks new fuel sources. Of the multitude of hydrogen technologies that are either being tested or adopted around the world, Baker Hughes recently announced the successful test and application of the world’s first hydrogen blend turbine for gas networks.
Baker Hughes’ NovaLT12 turbine is powered by a blend of up to 10% hydrogen. The turbine will be installed by next year at Snam’s gas compressor station in Istrana, Italy.
s Kongsberg Digital has interacted with customers in the past six months since the pandemic lockdown, the feedback circles around two main points:
- Operators would have been better equipped to handle their operations if they had been more digitally mature; and
- Workers have embraced digital technology as they experience the benefits directly.
In that sense, 2020 has shown the world’s industries that the time is ripe to start digitalizing.
n the evolving pursuit of consistent performance drilling, slim-hole curve-lateral intervals in New Mexico’s Delaware Basin present unique challenges for optimization through both drill bit design and motor performance. The engineering partnership of Matador Resources Co. allowed Patterson-UTI Drilling, MS Directional and Taurex Drill Bits to work jointly to solve these challenges.
Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter technology has rapidly improved in terms of performance and reliability over the past few years, highlighting some of the reliability concerns in slim-hole tools.
ropellant-boosted perforating has proven to affordably increase completion and recompletion performance in a wide variety of saltwater disposal (SWD) wells and producers. Advances in integrating propellants with traditional shaped-charge perforating technology have enabled perforating and stimulation operations to be performed in one trip at lower cost than traditional two-step, shoot-and-treat methods. The critical success factor is the adoption of a progressively burning, solid propellant designed to increase penetration, eliminate clogged perforations and overcome near-wellbore damage from compaction caused by traditional shaped-charge perforators.
ropellant-boosted perforating has proven to affordably increase completion and recompletion performance in a wide variety of saltwater disposal (SWD) wells and producers. Advances in integrating propellants with traditional shaped-charge perforating technology have enabled perforating and stimulation operations to be performed in one trip at lower cost than traditional two-step, shoot-and-treat methods. The critical success factor is the adoption of a progressively burning, solid propellant designed to increase penetration, eliminate clogged perforations and overcome near-wellbore damage from compaction caused by traditional shaped-charge perforators.
echnological advancements to produce hydrocarbon fluids from the reservoir to the surface has generally been most prevalent in directional drilling. As wells come online, their IP is typically supported by electric submersible pumps or gas-lift technologies, which are relatively unaffected by wellbore geometry. As production rates decline, wells are converted to reciprocating rod lift, understood as the most economical form of producing fluids. Modern, unconventional, directional deviated and horizontal wells bring challenges to industry. The drilling department’s decision-making most often does not have the flexibility to consider lifelong production complications due to wellbore path and design. High deviation, doglegs or changes in direction lead to an increase in failure frequency when on reciprocating rod lift. It is imperative for sucker rod pumping to remain economical and reliable in modern wellbores.
A new manufacturing process led by product design has been commercialized for sucker rod pumping. Material science is paramount to the utilization of this new technology. Black Mamba Rod Lift’s sucker rod stabilizer is marketed as end-to-end sucker rod control for well operators. The Black Mamba, an over-molded helical centralizer, is available for use with traditional steel sucker rods and is rapidly finding its way through the marketplace.
Traditional deviated vertical wells feature doglegs and troublesome geometry farther down the wellbore. These areas are commonly addressed with consumable plastic 4-fin sucker rod guides or centralizers. The guides and centralizers prevent steel-on-steel wear between the rodstring and production tubing.
echnological advancements to produce hydrocarbon fluids from the reservoir to the surface has generally been most prevalent in directional drilling. As wells come online, their IP is typically supported by electric submersible pumps or gas-lift technologies, which are relatively unaffected by wellbore geometry. As production rates decline, wells are converted to reciprocating rod lift, understood as the most economical form of producing fluids. Modern, unconventional, directional deviated and horizontal wells bring challenges to industry. The drilling department’s decision-making most often does not have the flexibility to consider lifelong production complications due to wellbore path and design. High deviation, doglegs or changes in direction lead to an increase in failure frequency when on reciprocating rod lift. It is imperative for sucker rod pumping to remain economical and reliable in modern wellbores.
A new manufacturing process led by product design has been commercialized for sucker rod pumping. Material science is paramount to the utilization of this new technology. Black Mamba Rod Lift’s sucker rod stabilizer is marketed as end-to-end sucker rod control for well operators. The Black Mamba, an over-molded helical centralizer, is available for use with traditional steel sucker rods and is rapidly finding its way through the marketplace.
Traditional deviated vertical wells feature doglegs and troublesome geometry farther down the wellbore. These areas are commonly addressed with consumable plastic 4-fin sucker rod guides or centralizers. The guides and centralizers prevent steel-on-steel wear between the rodstring and production tubing.
t is common for offshore oil and gas facility control systems to operate reliably for many years without major intervention. This is not surprising since reliability and availability are fundamental requirements in control system design. This high level of reliability is a desirable characteristic of these systems in the offshore environment since they support the oil and gas production processes and the essential self-supporting utilities and services of the asset.
However, a very robust control system that provides years of reliable service can bring about an associated lack of attention to the control system infrastructure that can lead to a hidden issue: unrecognized obsolescence. In this case, when an obsolete component finally does fail, it can be challenging to find replacement parts or repair services. It also can be difficult to find technicians with experience in older hardware or software platforms to service these systems. This may present a significant risk to production and unexpected interruptions in essential utilities and services.

he oil and gas industry’s safety culture will always be an area worth improving, no matter the market or a company’s financial standing. For many, an automated safety management solution is essential to meeting compliance requirements.
Honeywell has been at the forefront of developing applications that maintain compliance and recently added its cloud-based Safety Suite Real Time platform to its portfolio. The software application monitors workers’ exposure to gas, weather and physiological conditions in real time, according to Chris Tipton, Honeywell’s senior director of global services and connected safety.
The open platform provides a comprehensive view of safety data from multiple sites in real time, which enhances worker readiness while reducing incidents through early detection notifications. The insights from the technology help operators reduce compliance costs, streamline management tasks and capture data to review to prevent future incidents, Tipton said.


lant projects that optimize flow measurement accuracy can result in significant cost savings while offering quality improvements and even a competitive advantage. The accurate measurement of gases, steam, liquids and slurries is critically important in oil and gas production, pipelines, refineries and many other types of petrochemical plants.
Unfortunately, the measurement of flow is often an afterthought—especially in many plant expansions, equipment upgrades and retrofit projects. The selection and placement of flow switches and flowmeters requires careful advance thought. Choosing the wrong flow sensing technology for an application or placing the flow instrument in the wrong location too closely to pumps or valves can eliminate potential cost savings and it frequently results in unnecessary replacement or relocation projects.



ollowing an extensive 3D seismic survey and the confirmation of a large wet gas prospect in the southern Andaman Sea, Premier Oil and other major companies are planning to explore the gas and condensate potential.
The recent discovery in the sea by Premier Oil is near a mothballed LNG train at the onshore Arun facility on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, in the Andaman II Block.
The large wet gas prospect has an estimated prospective resource of approximately 6 Tcf of gas and 200 MMbbl of condensate in each of the Andaman blocks. Field development and exploratory drilling is planned in 2022 for both prospects. The Andaman II license is located in the underexplored but proven offshore North Sumatra Basin, and exploration drilling is planned in the Andaman II and South Andaman blocks.



bp recompleted a Prudhoe Bay Field well in Alaska that was originally drilled in 2014 at the #06-22B Prudhoe Bay Unit. The well is in Section 2-10n-14e in Umiat Meridian. It was tested flowing 288 bbl of oil, 27.513 MMcf of gas and 1,051 bbl of water per day with a flowing tubing pressure was 903 psi. Production is from a Ivishak Shale perforated zone at 10,465 ft to 10,870 ft.
Oxy USA Inc. completed a Purple Sage Field-Wolfcamp well in Eddy County, N.M., ocated in Section 17-24s-29e. The #037H Salt Flat CC 20-29 Federal Com produced at a daily flow rate of 5,202 bbl of oil, 11.096 cf of gas and 9,516 bbl of water. Drilled to 20,363 ft (9,990 ft true vertical), production is from acidized and fractured perforations at 10,209 ft to 20,185 ft. Tested on a 21/64-inch choke, the shut-in casing pressure was 1,421 psi.
bp recompleted a Prudhoe Bay Field well in Alaska that was originally drilled in 2014 at the #06-22B Prudhoe Bay Unit. The well is in Section 2-10n-14e in Umiat Meridian. It was tested flowing 288 bbl of oil, 27.513 MMcf of gas and 1,051 bbl of water per day with a flowing tubing pressure was 903 psi. Production is from a Ivishak Shale perforated zone at 10,465 ft to 10,870 ft.
Oxy USA Inc. completed a Purple Sage Field-Wolfcamp well in Eddy County, N.M., ocated in Section 17-24s-29e. The #037H Salt Flat CC 20-29 Federal Com produced at a daily flow rate of 5,202 bbl of oil, 11.096 cf of gas and 9,516 bbl of water. Drilled to 20,363 ft (9,990 ft true vertical), production is from acidized and fractured perforations at 10,209 ft to 20,185 ft. Tested on a 21/64-inch choke, the shut-in casing pressure was 1,421 psi.


Touchstone Exploration has announced final production test results from the #1ST1-Cascadura well in Trinidad’s Ortoire exploration block. Two sections were tested: an upper zone from 5,570 ft to 5,915 ft and a lower zone from 6,056 ft to 6,218 ft. The upper zone (Cruse and Herrera) had an absolute open flow rate of 390 MMcf/d of gas and averaged 5,472 boe/d (86% gas). The lower test (Herrera) flowed 92 MMcf/d with an average of 5,157 boe/d (87% gas). Both tests were limited by the capacity of surface test equipment.
Exxon Mobil Corp. has mobilized a drillship to drill and perform an exploratory test in offshore Guyana’s Kaieteur Block. The venture, #1-Tanager, is targeting prospective resources of 256.2 MMbbl of oil. Current estimates for the site range from 135.6 MMbbl to 451.6 MMbbl of oil. The planned depth is 8,000 m, targeting the stacked Maastrichtian to Turonian reservoir intervals in the southern part of the block. The #1-Tanager is the first well in a potential multiwell drilling campaign being operated by Exxon Mobil on the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks over the next six to 12 months. This campaign will evaluate high-impact, Upper Cretaceous prospects in the Liza play fairway with possible multiple stacked reservoir targets.
Touchstone Exploration has announced final production test results from the #1ST1-Cascadura well in Trinidad’s Ortoire exploration block. Two sections were tested: an upper zone from 5,570 ft to 5,915 ft and a lower zone from 6,056 ft to 6,218 ft. The upper zone (Cruse and Herrera) had an absolute open flow rate of 390 MMcf/d of gas and averaged 5,472 boe/d (86% gas). The lower test (Herrera) flowed 92 MMcf/d with an average of 5,157 boe/d (87% gas). Both tests were limited by the capacity of surface test equipment.
Exxon Mobil Corp. has mobilized a drillship to drill and perform an exploratory test in offshore Guyana’s Kaieteur Block. The venture, #1-Tanager, is targeting prospective resources of 256.2 MMbbl of oil. Current estimates for the site range from 135.6 MMbbl to 451.6 MMbbl of oil. The planned depth is 8,000 m, targeting the stacked Maastrichtian to Turonian reservoir intervals in the southern part of the block. The #1-Tanager is the first well in a potential multiwell drilling campaign being operated by Exxon Mobil on the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks over the next six to 12 months. This campaign will evaluate high-impact, Upper Cretaceous prospects in the Liza play fairway with possible multiple stacked reservoir targets.



Iraq has appointed its oil minister, Ishan Ismael, to lead the Iraq National Oil Co.
TechnipFMC has named Arnaud Pieton president and CEO-elect of Technip Energies. Jonathan Landes has been appointed president of subsea. Additionally, Margareth Øvrum has been appointed to TechnipFMC’s board of directors.
Petrofac has announced that its current group CEO, Ayman Asfari, will step down at the end of 2020 to focus on his health, family and charity. He will be succeeded by Sami Iskander, effective Jan. 1, 2021.
Ring Energy Inc. has named Paul D. McKinney CEO and chairman of the board of directors.


Iraq has appointed its oil minister, Ishan Ismael, to lead the Iraq National Oil Co.
TechnipFMC has named Arnaud Pieton president and CEO-elect of Technip Energies. Jonathan Landes has been appointed president of subsea. Additionally, Margareth Øvrum has been appointed to TechnipFMC’s board of directors.
Petrofac has announced that its current group CEO, Ayman Asfari, will step down at the end of 2020 to focus on his health, family and charity. He will be succeeded by Sami Iskander, effective Jan. 1, 2021.
Ring Energy Inc. has named Paul D. McKinney CEO and chairman of the board of directors.

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ccording to the Energy Progress Report 2020, an annual report that tracks progress on Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) “Affordable and Clean Energy,” 789 million people globally still lack access to electricity, and 2.8 billion people—over one-third of the global population—lack the means to cleanly and safely cook.
Additionally, the U.N. advises that lack of access to energy may hamper efforts to contain COVID-19 across many parts of the world because energy is critical to operating healthcare facilities, providing clean water and enabling communications during times of social distancing. The 2020 report shows some progress toward 2030 targets under SDG7 as well as significant work if society is to achieve universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
