Longer Runs at Higher Speeds
Maximising fixed cutter bit performance in shales and carbonates. Fixed cutter bits – generally termed PDC bits for their poly-crystalline diamond cutters – have been achieving high rates of penetration…
Technology
Bringing the Lab to the Field
Bringing advanced laboratory analysis to the field: Weatherford International’s new formation evaluation service brings advanced, laboratory-based testing techniques to the field, enabling faster, more informed reservoir management decisions for unconventional…
Working Under Pressure
Working under pressure may not be everyone’s ideal job, but Richard Swarbrick and his team at Ikon GeoPressure at Durham in the north-east of England are doing it all the…
The Ups and Downs of Eustatic Sea Level Change: Review and Applications
Eustatic sea level change is a subject much debated in the literature. But what is eustasy, can it be recognised, what controls it – and why does it matter to…
Gas Hydrates – Part II: Rock Physics, an Introduction
Most oceanic gas hydrates are mapped using seismic data. How much do key seismic parameters vary from a hydrate rock to a water-saturated rock? Should the hydrate be considered as…
Unconventional No Longer
What exactly are unconventional resources – and is it time we stopped using the term? The fundamental idea in this article is that oil and gas technology has progressed to…
Marine Seismic Sources Part IX: Seismic Surveys and Fish
What is known about the impact of seismic surveys on fish and fisheries? “I know that the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully.” George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. President (1946-…
Seismic Surveys Without Cables
Cableless systems have been the long-time dream of exploration seismic for many years. Has it finally been attained? The desire to conduct surveys without cables has been an elusive, perhaps…
Looking Beyond Just Seismic! Gravity Gradiometry and Its Application in Complex
Using the right tools for the right job is an old adage that rings true for many a situation. And using the right geophysical technology in the right environment has…
Integrating the Tool Box
NEOS GeoSolutions integrates a wide range of geophysical and geological information to produce new 3D models of the earth’s surface, with the aim of helping exploration companies make faster, more…
The best place to find oil…
There is an old adage that runs “The best place to find oil is in an oil field!” As global exploration gets more difficult, there is a major prize to…
The Submerged Continent of New Zealand
Are there continent-scale resources to be found offshore? New Zealand has produced petroleum for nearly 100 years since oil first flowed from the Moturoa field in Taranaki Basin. Discovery of…