The conventional methods for applying geomechanics principles to the drilling process include issuing pre-drilling recommendations for the mud weight drilling window. These are often based on simplified linear elastic analytical solutions.
More recently, the area of application is extended by updating and re-calibrating pre-drilling models using logging while drilling data. These methods fall short from considering the different aspects of the dynamic environment of the drilling process and in exploiting the variety of other forms of data readily available to drilling engineers.
Replacing the simplified analytical solutions with a more reliable numerical model allows for more accurate prediction of wellbore rock failure. It also allows for the consideration of new forms of input data like the changes of the wellbore geometry, the dimensions of cavings detected on the shale shakers, and the influence of pressure cycling events. The goal is to go beyond the conventional methods for geomechanics modelling by venturing into the digital world to introduce new solutions for rock failure surveillance and prediction.
The main takeaways from this lecture are: 1) wellbore rock failure limits can change in response to different and common drilling events that take place as drilling progresses, and 2) we have the data and technology to deterministically quantify the change to these limits.
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) is the leading technical energy conference and exhibition for global E&P professionals. The upcoming 2024 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition marks the 100-year anniversary of ATCE, where experts and visionaries from around the world converge to share insights, experiences, and cutting-edge ideas in the oil and gas industry!
As a member of the ATCE 2024 Program Committee, Eng. Gilbert Omitta shall share concepts on how to prepare robust technical papers for the ATCE conference, which will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, from the 23rd to 25th of September 2024.
You are encouraged to influence the energy industry by submitting your proposal before the deadline of 19th February 2024. The Program Committee is eager to review your proposal and looks forward to shaping the technical program with your innovative and collaborative submissions.
This presentation will start with an introduction to the pipeline installation methods called Trenchless Technologies, with some of the benefits they bring, before diving into Horizontal Directional Drilling (better known as HDD).
The second part of the presentation will focus on the Tilenga Project Nile River Crossing and the application of HDD to minimize environmental impact.
An essential facet of evaluating oil and gas projects lies in determining their financial feasibility. This analysis hinges on critical parameters, including capital requirements, revenue generation mechanisms, risk assessments, and market dynamics. These elements collectively shape the economic outlook of both upstream and midstream projects. The presentation will hinge on how you can methodically examine these factors, to ascertain the feasibility and potential returns associated with investments in these pivotal segments of the energy industry.
On top of a project being feasible, it must be acceptable to lenders, especially when the project will be financed by debt. Oil and Gas projects are commonly financed by equity and debt. To discuss the debt options the projects have, we'll delve into the specialized lending products tailored for the upstream and midstream oil and gas projects. While these financing instruments share a common industry backdrop, their nuances are distinctly designed to cater to the unique challenges and opportunities presented by each sector. From Reserve-Based Lending (RBL) in the upstream arena to a diverse array of financial vehicles supporting midstream projects, we'll explore how these tailored approaches provide essential capital infusion for the projects. Each lending product carries its own set of considerations and benefits, ensuring that financial solutions align harmoniously with the intricacies of these critical phases of the oil and gas value chain.
This presentation will offer an insightful exploration into the application and relevance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) within the petroleum industry. Starting with an introductory overview of future industry challenges and the fundamentals of AI and ML, it will move into the rationale behind their use in various sectors like Exploration, Production, Refining, Distribution, and Safety. Research case studies from the presenter's publications will be included, showcasing the use of AI and ML in petroleum-related contexts.
A significant portion of the presentation will be dedicated to the future implications of AI and ML in the petroleum industry. This will include a focused examination of upcoming advancements, trends, and predictions. Emphasis will be placed on how these advancements can reshape the industry, potentially solving future challenges. Specifically, the presenter will delve into how AI and ML are set to affect future job opportunities within the petroleum sector, enhancing performances and creating new roles that align with technological innovation. The transformative potential of AI and ML to revolutionize processes, efficiencies, and safety in the industry will be thoroughly explored.
The presentation will conclude with a summary of the main points and an emphasis on the groundbreaking possibilities AI and ML present to the petroleum industry, followed by a Q&A session for further discussion. Attendees can look forward to a comprehensive understanding of not only the current landscape but also a forward-looking perspective on how these technologies are poised to reshape the petroleum industry in the coming years.
This lecture demonstrates how inflow and inter-well tracer technology can provide key information required for effective production and reservoir monitoring and management.
Inflow tracer technology is a wireless, risk-free, and cost-effective monitoring solution for continuous production monitoring. The technology consists of unique tracer molecules embedded into polymer systems. Tracer systems can be integrated with any type of completion, and they are distributed along lower completion to provide zonal resolution throughout well life. Once installed, water and hydrocarbon-sensitive tracer systems release their embedded tracers when they are in contact with their target phase therefore, the distributed tracers carry important information about inflow contribution of different zones continuously and on demand. The information includes cleanup and stimulation efficiency monitoring, water breakthrough monitoring, quantitative zonal productivity assessment, and completion integrity monitoring.
Inter-well tracer technology is the reservoir surveillance method that offers more than connectivity through the reservoir and is essential to optimize recovery. Unique water or gas tracers can be pumped into injector(s) to trace the injected fluids in reservoir and thereby provide tangible reservoir information about flow paths and injector-producer connections, sweep volume, flow allocation, and remaining oil saturation.
This presentation gives a short overview of Timelapse (4D) seismic potential over a few case studies from TotalEnergies’ portfolio of assets. It begins with a brief introduction of basic concepts of 4D seismic; some of TotalEnergies’ 4D seismic related activities over the years as well as an overview of some published methods and workflows on 4D seismic. The presentation goes ahead to share some examples of application of 4D seismic in clastic and carbonate fields, as well as its use in a geomechanical context.
The talk concludes with a reflection that 4D is a transverse subject where many disciplines are involved.
This lecture reflects the highly sought-after modern topic of “Real-Time Drilling Optimisation for Well Cost Reduction”, which is applicable to both Oil & Gas and Geothermal wells.
It provides insight into data-driven answers to important questions such as: “How could we optimise escalating Drilling Costs?” or “ Why drilling costs are high with no obvious operational problems?”. Unfortunately, there are “no” short & easy answers when it comes to saving on drilling costs. Saving millions in wells drilling costs, could not be achieved with the team’s experience alone and hence the need for Real-Time Drilling Optimisation which could be truly a game-changer for traditionally expensive wells.
This lecture shares expert knowledge and effective workflows related to data-driven drilling execution, which have delivered great savings to a variety of global operators.
The oil and gas sector presents a huge opportunity for a developing country such as Uganda. For stakeholders to appreciate this opportunity, they must have an awareness and understanding of the characteristics and the developments in the sector. The global nature of the industry, together with the experience from other oil producing states impact the perceptions of many stakeholders.This presentation, therefore, shares thoughts on why the success of the oil and gas developments in Uganda requires continuous engagement with stakeholders. Based on the experiences from Uganda, the presentation explores the roles of the different actors, and how these roles are critical to achieving shared value.Lastly, the presentation attempts to answer the question of what works and what does not work within this context of the planned developments in Uganda’s burgeon oil and gas sector.
Oil and Gas (O&G) is a special business in which we operate close to vast supplies of hazardous substances. Being willing to deal with such potentially dangerous substances in a safe and environmentally friendly way is essential to the sustainability of this business.
Wells are the most critical element of the asset as the possible effects of a well failure can be disastrous. Loss of wellbore integrity is a well-understood and chronic problem. Drilling companies emphasize well integrity because a faulty well is expensive to repair and, in the rarest of cases, costs lives, as in the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Well Decommissioning is a costly challenge, and for many countries, the value at stake in handling decommissioning projects properly could be worth several billion dollars. While it may not seem to be that important on new projects like Tilenga and Kingfisher in Uganda, there is a massive opportunity to design wells for ease of decommissioning.
This lecture explains some of the principles of Well Integrity and Decommissioning. Both are the critical phases of the Well lifecycle that require special attention during the well design and construction stage.
The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is a resource project-based and principles-based classification system for defining the environmental-socio-economic viability and technical feasibility of projects to develop resources. UNFC provides a consistent framework to describe the level of confidence of the future quantities produced by the project.
Developed under the auspices of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), UNFC is designed to be universally application to different energy sources including solar, wind, geothermal, hydrocarbons, injection for storage etc. through a principles-based system in which the products of a resource project are classified on the basis of the three fundamental criteria of environmental-socio-economic viability (E), technical feasibility (F), and degree of confidence in the estimate (G), using a 3-dimentional numerical coding system.
This lecture explains the general principles of UNFC, illustrates its application to petroleum projects using a case study in comparison with Petroleum Resource Management System (PRMS) and presents a SWOT analysis on its use.
In the last few years, there has been a growing interest in studying and understanding mechanisms that can be used to achieve reductions in Carbon dioxideconcentration in the atmosphere. This forms a large part of the global energy transition plan. One of the methods that can contribute sustainably to reduce greenhouse emissions is geological storage of Carbon dioxidefrom stationary sources. As Uganda enters the Oilfield development phase, sustainable hydrocarbon production becomes a key factor.
This lecture provides an introduction to geological storage of Carbon dioxide and covers the following areas:
- The need for Carbon capture and storage i.e., why it matters
- Key aspects in the carbon Capture and Storage process
- Describe the key reservoir aspects to safely store Carbon dioxide
- Describe changes in geologically stored Carbon dioxide over time with dynamic modelling approaches.
This lecture comprehensively examines the different legal systems and their attendant contracts used to develop hydrocarbons in the oil and gas industry before focusing on the model Production Sharing Agreement, which is currently the contract of choice in Uganda.
The lecture also considers the use of the model Production Sharing Agreements in licensing, evaluating its use under the open-door policy in the past and recently under competitive licensing. Lastly, commentary on the effect of the energy transition on licensing is also discussed.
Following the signed agreements and preparations made by oil companies regarding oil and gas projects in Uganda, this lecture and professional training is a timely intervention as a lot of work will necessitate knowledge in wellsite and operational geology.
The Wellsite Geologist is a key member of the team that carry out drilling in the oil and gas industry. We have to gain as much information as possible from any reservoir that we discover, and very importantly we must also gather significant knowledge of the properties and even dangers within the overburden. The lecture presentation considers three aspects of the Wellsite Geologist’s role:
- The Wellsite Geologist as an Analyst
- The Wellsite Geologist as an Adviser
- The Wellsite Geologist as a Manager
GravitasEDGE is the Integrated Operational Geology Software Suite, including Winlongng , the world’s leading log drawing solution. The training session includes an introduction to the GravitasEDGE software suite, and use of the software during drilling operations i.e.,
- Importing data received from a contractor
- Manually entering data on the Winlog chart such as lithology and stratigraphy
- Using customized LogScript tools that enhance interpretation and analysis of the data
- Correlation workflows via the EZ-Correlate option
- Creating a PPFG profile via the PoreView option
- Automatic Reporting with Reporter
The October Students and YP's mentorship lecture titled The Role of a Petroleum Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry focuses on;
- Basic skills expected of a Petroleum Engineer
- Opportunities available for a Petroleum Engineer
- Work scope of a Petroleum Engineer
This presentation shows how a comprehensive method in seismic interpretation can facilitate and improve processes in exploration and as well as in the development. The relative geological time volume is obtained directly during the seismic interpretation phase by auto tracking all possible horizons within the seismic volume and refining their relationships. It provides a new way to perform a strata slicing into the seismic volume even in regions, where classical techniques are limited. We have applied this workflow, combine with spectral decomposition to reveal at high resolution turbidites channels.
This novel methodology shows a potential to reduce the time cycle in the exploration for the prospect identification but also more control for advance studies in reservoir characterization, seismic inversion and geomodelling.
The aspect of safety in the Oil and Gas industry is vital to ensure that projects are profitable without any loss of life and damage of property. Insufficient knowledge concerning safety in various work environments can limit the chances of professionals to be taken on for opportunities in the Oil and Gas Sector. The lecture highlights the tools to bring about improvement of Personal Safety and Process Safety in high risk industries, particularly in the Oil and Gas Sector.
The August Students and YP's mentorship lecture titled: The Expectations of a Geoscientist, clearly highlights the expectations of a geoscientist, the numerous geoscience opportunities in the oil and gas industry and key geoscience workflows. The presentation proceeds to focus on how graduates should prepare and present a professional CV/resume and how to prepare for a job interview.
Geophysics provides the tools with which measurements of physical properties of the Earth are made and interpreted to determine sub-surface conditions, usually with an economic and decision objective. As our industry continues to evolve in order to meet challenges brought by unconventional resources, changing supply and demand factors, environmental drivers, and legislative and tax regime changes all aspects of our industry are under scrutiny.
This topic speaks to the necessity of Geophysics in the Oil, Gas and Extractives Industry. Geophysics when accurately used maximizes oil extraction and significantly reduces development costs.