Arctic Standards: Recommendations on Oil Spill Prevention, Response, and Safety in the U.S. Arctic Ocean

Oil spilled in Arctic waters would be particularly difficult to remove. Current technology has not been proved to effectively clean up oil when mixed with ice or when trapped under ice. An oil spill would have a profoundly adverse impact on the rich and complex ecosystem found nowhere else in the United States. The Arctic Ocean is home to bowhead, beluga, and gray whales; walruses; polar bears; and other magnificent marine mammals, as well as millions of migratory birds. A healthy ocean is important for these species and integral to the continuation of hunting and fishing traditions practiced by Alaska Native communities for thousands of years.To aid the United States in its efforts to modernize Arctic technology and equipment standards, this report examines the fierce Arctic conditions in which offshore oil and gas operations could take place and then offers a summary of key recommendations for the Interior Department to consider as it develops world-class, Arctic-specific regulatory standards for these activities. Pew's recommendations call for improved technology,equipment, and procedural requirements that match the challenging conditions in the Arctic and for full public participation and transparency throughout the decision-making process. Pew is not opposed to offshore drilling, but a balance must be achieved between responsible energy development and protection of the environment.It is essential that appropriate standards be in place for safety and for oil spill prevention and response in this extreme, remote, and vulnerable ecosystem. This report recommends updating regulations to include Arctic specific requirements and codifying temporary guidance into regulation. The appendixes to this report provide substantially more detail on the report's recommendations, including technical background documentation and additional referenced materials. Please refer to the full set of appendixes for a complete set of recommendations. This report and its appendixes offer guidelines for responsible hydrocarbon development in the U.S. Arctic Ocean

Hawaii geothermal drilling guide : Circular C-126

Contents: introduction -- rules and regulations -- drilling -- casing and cementing -- blowout prevention -- well completion & testing -- monitoring and reporting -- workovers, plugging, and abandonment -- emerging technology -- illustrations -- appendices"This Geothermal Drilling Guide has been prepared at the request of the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources to provide a single, comprehensive document that describes geothermal drilling and well-testing operations for the use of potential developers, operators, and stakeholders. This guide is intended as a general reference for common practices currently found in the geothermal industry. For site-specific well programs, detailed analysis of all available project data should be performed in order to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and county regulations.""Prepared by GeothermEx, Inc., a Schlumberger company."Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai

EVALUATION OF LINER HANGER SEAL ASSEMBLY AND CEMENT SHEATH AS A DUAL BARRIER SYSTEM: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDUSTRY AND REGULATORS

Robust dual barrier systems are crucial for well integrity. Regulators and industry have consistently raised the concerns in such systems regarding the testing, qualification, and prediction of leakage pathways and failure modes. Liner hanger is an example of dual barrier system in which seal assembly and cement sheath act as two barrier elements. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance characteristics of the liner hanger dual barrier system and to identify the risks of failures that could compromise the wellbore integrity. In this study, the performance of the liner hanger dual barrier system was evaluated using experimental and numerical approaches. Results of experiments revealed that elastomers’ sealability was not affected after they were exposed to a surfactant degradation. However, the seals failed the pressure tests when they had mechanical defects present and also after exposure to carbon dioxide. The results also revealed that neat Class H cement requires gas migration control additive to act as a primary barrier. In addition, wait-on-cement (WOC), pipe material and surface roughness play key roles in the strength of cement bonding. Finite element analysis (FEA) models were developed to evaluate the performance of the liner hanger dual barrier system. The results disclosed that elastomer contact pressure (sealability) mainly depends on the compression ratio, seal materials, pipe materials, and volumetric swelling. The friction coefficient at the seal-casing interference has a minor effect on the contact pressure. Results also showed that tensile hoop stress is the most dominant factor which compromises the cement hydraulic and mechanical integrity. The contribution of this research can advance performance evaluation guidelines of the liner hanger dual barrier system in terms of failure modes prediction and operational limits identification. In addition, the research highlighted some of the gaps in current industry standards and regulatory guidelines that need further considerations

PRIMJENA PROŠIRIVIH CIJEVI U NAFTNOJ INDUSTRIJI

The development of solid expandable tubular (SET) technology and products (open hole liner, open hole clad, cased hole liner, liner hanger, internal casing patch, etc.) has enabled operators to plan well design in a new way and solve various problems that arise during drilling and exploitation on land and offshore. By including an expandable open hole liner, monobore open hole liner or monobore openhole clad in well design, it is possible to achieve a slim hole design and/or resolve unwanted situations that occur during the drilling of problem zones with minimal hole size reduction and reach hydrocarbon reserves which cannot be achieved economically by conventional technology. By installing an expandable cased hole liner or internal casing patch in production wells to cover the intervals of a corroded casing or to close old perforations, it is possible to extend the life cycle of a production well and increase the final hydrocarbon recovery and speed up the return on investment. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the relevant literature and give an overview of solid expandable tubular technology and its applications in the petroleum industry, as well as the cementing technology of open hole expandable liners. The available data for 21 case studies of SET application in onshore and offshore wells were analyzed in detail. Based on an extensive review of the literature and analyzed data, it can be concluded that SET technology is being successfully applied worldwide and that expandable liners with a diameter of 114.3 mm to 339.72 mm are being run in wells to ever greater depths (up to 5166 m) and in ever more extreme downhole conditions.Razvoj tehnologije proširivanja cijevi i proširivih proizvoda (lajner za otvoreni kanal, obloga za otvoreni kanal, lajner za zacijevljeni kanal, vješalica lajnera, unutarnja zakrpa zaštitnih cijevi itd.) omogućili su operaterima da na nov način planiraju projektiranje bušotine i riješe različite probleme koji nastaju tijekom bušenja i eksploatacije na kopnu i moru. Uključivanjem u dizajn bušotine proširivoga lajnera za otvoreni kanal, lajnera i/ili zakrpe za otvoreni kanal unutarnjega promjera koji je jednak unutarnjemu promjeru prethodno ugrađene kolone, moguće je dizajnirati bušotinu manjega promjera i/ili riješiti neželjene situacije koje se javljaju tijekom bušenja kroz problematične zone s minimalnim smanjenjem promjera kanala bušotine te pristupiti ležištima ugljikovodika što ne bi bilo moguće ekonomično postići primjenom konvencionalne tehnologije. Ugradnjom proširivoga lajnera ili zakrpe u kolonu zaštitnih cijevi, radi izoliranja korodiranih dijelova kolone ili zatvaranja starih perforacija, moguće je produljiti životni vijek proizvodne bušotine, povećati konačni iscrpak ugljikovodika te ubrzati povratak ulaganja. Cilj je rada sustavno pregledati relevantnu literaturu i dati pregled tehnologije proširivanja cijevi te njihove primjene u naftnoj industriji s posebnim osvrtom na cementiranje proširivoga lajnera u otvorenome kanalu bušotine. Detaljno su analizirani dostupni podatci za 21 primjer primjene proširivih cijevi u bušotinama na kopnu i moru. Na temelju opsežnoga pregleda literature i analiziranih podataka može se zaključiti da se tehnologija proširivanja cijevi uspješno primjenjuje u cijelome svijetu i da se proširivi lajneri promjera od 114,3 mm do 339,72 mm ugrađuju u bušotine do sve većih dubina (do 5166 m) i u sve ekstremnijim bušotinskim uvjetima

Removal of sustained casing pressure utilizing a workover rig

This thesis will analyze the techniques used during the 1989 and 1990 workover programs as well as subsequent operations in 1991/1992. It will also present the techniques and results of the most recent 1999 workover program undertaken to alleviate the most persistent sustained casing pressure (SCP) in a mature Gulf of Mexico field. An extensive literature review is included to better illustrate the complexity of the issues involved and possible SCP mechanisms. The field was drilled during the 1980’s and SCP has been prevalent in some cases previous to initial completion operations. Previous remedial programs resulted in limited success in reducing SCP previous to the most recent workover program beginning in 1999. Critical analysis will be based on a review of the methods used and the results obtained. Knowledge gained from the most recent 1999 workover program will be applied to evaluate the effectiveness of the methods employed. Programs previous to the most recent 1999 workover program were not successful in eliminating SCP since pressure returned almost immediately to the affected casing in most instances. During the programs, perforating or cutting casing to squeeze cement into affected annuli was not successful at any depth. A review of the workover attempts will rely on internal correspondence and drilling reports. These will be compared to the knowledge and results gained from the 1999 rig operations program. The objective of the 1999 workover program was to address SCP in the field with a consistent and effective method. Techniques were developed by analyzing the successes and failures of past operations and applying aggressive remediation programs tailored to individual wellbores. Discussion will include improved design guidelines in hole preparation before milling and cementing operations, improved milling procedures, and application of a latex cement slurry. Even though some remedial rig work was required while operations were still ongoing, all indications are that the 1999 workover program was successful

Mitigation Strategies for Shallow Gas Hazards: A Comparative Analysis and Proposal for Enhanced Prevention Technique

Shallow gas hazards present significant challenges in drilling operations and hazards to personnel safety and the environment. This study addressed shallow gas issues and compared different mitigation strategies that were employed recently in the oil and gas industry to avoid hazards. The research explores the industry's current technologies and best practices to reduce the risks of shallow gas disasters. Focusing on areas, including different technologies, such as pilot hole strategy, Casing While Drilling (CwD), and Riserless Mud Recovery (RMR), to prevent the disasters that could happen by shallow gas. In this research, data from existing literature and analysis of the performance of both old and modern technologies that lead to decreasing shallow gas hazards have been used. The technologies used to handle blowouts, drilling risks, well control issues, environmental impacts, and economic costs were also compared. Moreover, the study examines the regulatory frameworks that control drilling operations and shallow gas mitigation. However, the study examines the effect of these technologies on personal safety as a first concern, then the impact on environmental protection and operational efficiency. The study also establishes a foundation for further investigation, providing fundamental concepts about shallow gas and its interaction with modern technologies. Furthermore, this research uses case studies to spotlight technological progress's significance in mitigating shallow gas hazards and propose informed solutions to enhance safety and efficacy in drilling operations. Additionally, this comparative analysis offers a precise perspective on current mitigation strategies, facilitating the development of mitigation technologies to address shallow gas challenges based on specific operational contexts and regional regulatory environments. Finally, the conclusion and future work on optimization and control are also discussed

Site Development, Operations, and Closure Plan Topical Report 5 An Assessment of Geologic Carbon Sequestration Options in the Illinois Basin. Phase III

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) has partnered with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Schlumberger Carbon Services to conduct a large-volume, saline reservoir storage project at ADM’s agricultural products processing complex in Decatur, Illinois. The Development Phase project, named the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) involves the injection of 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into a deep saline formation of the Illinois Basin over a three-year period. This report focuses on objectives, execution, and lessons learned/unanticipated results from the site development (relating specifically to surface equipment), operations, and the site closure plan.Department of Energy, Agreement DE-FC26-05NT42588Ope