Shell must cease drilling well before the water freezes over lest a late-season blowout cause oil to accumulate under the ice through the winter.

Wellbore instability in oil and gas drilling is resulted from both mechanical and chemical factors. Hydration is produced in shale formation owing to the influence of the chemical property of drilling fluid. A new experimental method to measure diffusion coefficient of shale hydration is given, and the calculation method of experimental results is introduced. The diffusion coefficient of shale ...

We have devised a method, based on a parametric array concept, to create a low-frequency (300-500 kHz) collimated ultrasound beam in fluids highly attenuating to sound. This collimated beam serves as the basis for designing an ultrasound visualization system that can be used in the oil exploration industry for down-hole imaging in drilling fluids. We present the results of two different approac...

Much has been written by economists about the sources of the productivity slowdown; and self-serving policy recommendations by interest groups abound. Strangely, the two are seldom connected. It is as if, upon seeing a neighbor jog his rounds more slowly than usual, we give him our expert advice without finding out why. But, surely, our advice to our neighbor must depend on the source of his la...

Renewable energy is seen as the future source for meeting the world’s growing demand, with geothermal offering a constant and independent supply. Tapping geothermal energy is not always straightforward as deep drilling is required in order to access this high -temperature resource. Geothermal drilling is expensive and is financed by the operator (usually districts or state representatives) with...

The Measurement/Logging While Drilling (M/LWD) system is a kind of sensors system which is used to help oil/gas drilling field technicians to steer well drilling. In M/LWD, several kinds of sensors are installed into drill string to measure the underground logging data during well drilling operations, and a sink within the drill string collects the logging data from the sensors and then transmi...

It is common knowledge in the oil industry that the typical cost of drilling a new offshore well is in the range of $30-40 million, but the chance of that site being an economic success is 1 in 10. Recent advances in drilling technology and data collection methods have led to oil companies and their ancillary companies collecting large amounts of geophysical/geological data from production well...

Drilling automation is a rapidly growing area of information technology development. Efforts within automation are being undertaken by numerous and diverse organizations in the oil and gas industry, partly due to a desire for exploitation of marginal and complex fields, and partly in order to increase safety of high risk operations. As offshore drilling occurs in a unique work environment, orga...

With rapidly growing global demand for energy resources, oil and gas exploration & production companies face mounting pressure to maximize supply and increase the rate of discovery for new energy sources. Increasingly operating in more remote locations and investing heavily in equipment and facilities, companies face greater financial and operational risks than ever before. Optimization of dril...