Ideas and Innovation
“We usually find oil in a new place with old ideas. Sometimes, we find oil in an old place with a new idea, but we seldom find much oil in an…
Technology
Shale Gas in South Africa
‘South Africa’ and ‘energy giant’ are words infrequently strung together, as the country has almost no conventional onshore or offshore hydrocarbons of note. However, over the past couple of years…
Geophysics: A Simple Guide to Volumetrics
A Simple Guide to Volumetrics We start this article with an example that many geoscientists may find uncomfortable, if not downright contentious. A top structure depth map from a depth…
Gas Hydrates – Part VIII
Hydrates in Outer Space (1) Today found widespread on Earth wherever stability conditions are met and an ample supply of natural gas is present, methane hydrate was originally thought to…
Gas Hydrates – Part VI
Hydrates in the Arctic (I) ‘You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you’re finished, you’ll know absolutely nothing whatever about…
Three Disappointments in the Barents Sea
None of Statoil’s three wells in the Barents Sea in 2014 were associated with EM anomalies of any significance. It is therefore not surprising that not one of them proved…
Resolving Uncertainty: The Importance of Mud Logging
Mud logging is vital for rig safety and gives the first indication of the potential success of a well, but its role is not well known or understood, especially by…
Puzzling Salt Structures
Detailed salt modeling has unraveled the development of a mystifying collection of structures that are a key element in the eastern Gulf of Mexico petroleum system. Seismic mapping near recent…
Petrophysics in High Angle and Horizontal Wells
The benefits of directional drilling are widely known – increased reservoir exposure and greater production. However, the practice can pose formation evaluation challenges in high angle and horizontal wells, making…
Reducing Risk in Offshore Planning and Development
Ultrahigh resolution 3D seismic methods not only bridge the gap in continuity between the shallow subsurface and seafloor, but also the gap in communication between geoscientists and engineers. Responsible development…
A new member of the family
Samples of oil from the Gohta discovery on the Loppa High points to a Paleozoic source rock, a new member of the Barents Sea oil family, Lundin says.
New Perspectives on the Barents Sea
The recent opening of the south-east Barents Sea to oil and gas exploration has provided an opportunity to deploy the latest technologies such as full tensor gravity gradiometry to improve…