JAMES VAN BLARICUM

Oil in Place (OIP) - Estimation of real amount of oil in a reservoir. Higher value than recoverable reserves of reservoir.( signal oil & gas company )

Air gun - Air gun array is most common technique used for seismic surveying offshore. Compressed air is released from a chamber to produce shock waves in earth.

james e van blaricum

Economies dependent on oil production remain subject to the gyrations of the market. The collapse of oil prices in the mid-1980s ruined many independent refiners and helped produce a recession in such states as Texas; it also hurt Mexico, Venezuela, and other oil-producing nations. In contrast, the rise in oil prices since 1999 has been responsible for economic growth in Russia, Venezuela, and other oil producers. Improved recovery methods combined with higher prices that justify more expensive extraction costs have rejuvenated production in some older oil fields, increased the estimates of reserves in existing fields, and made feasible the exploitation of deposits once considered uneconomical. james van blaricum





Essentially, salt caverns are formed out of existing salt deposits. These underground salt deposits may exist in two possible forms: salt domes, and salt beds. Salt domes are thick formations created from natural salt deposits that, over time, leach up through overlying sedimentary layers to form large dome-type structures. They can be as large as a mile in diameter, and 30,000 feet in height. Typically, salt domes used for natural gas storage are between 6,000 and 1,500 feet beneath the surface, although in certain circumstances they can come much closer to the surface. Salt beds are shallower, thinner formations. These formations are usually no more than 1,000 feet in height. Because salt beds are wide, thin formations, once a salt cavern is introduced, they are more prone to deterioration, and may also be more expensive to develop than salt domes.( signal oil and gas company )


The importance of damage removal is highlighted by the fact that the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) now hold regular international conferences dedicated to this subject .

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Removal of drilling damage restores the formation to its undamaged productivity allowing oil to be produced at its maximum rate. The potential for the use of Arcasolve™ in remediation of mud damage resulting from drilling, particularly in horizontal wells (see below) has been clearly demonstrated (see Examples of Results of Arcasolve treatments). Significant gains in production have been achieved. james e van blaricum




Commercial field - Field judged to be capable of producing sufficient net income to be worth developing.( james van blaricum )

These techniques are mostly applicable to oil wells, but have also been used to increase the extraction rate for gas wells. Because it is a low-density gas under pressure, the completion of natural gas wells usually requires little more than the installation of casing, tubing, and the wellhead. Unlike oil, natural gas is much easier to extract from an underground formation. However, as deeper and less conventional natural gas wells are drilled, it is becoming more common to use stimulation techniques on gas wells.

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The natural gas used by consumers is composed almost entirely of methane. However, natural gas found at the wellhead, although still composed primarily of methane, is by no means as pure. Raw natural gas comes from three types of wells: oil wells, gas wells, and condensate wells. Natural gas that comes from oil wells is typically termed ‘associated gas’. This gas can exist separate from oil in the formation (free gas), or dissolved in the crude oil (dissolved gas). Natural gas from gas and condensate wells, in which there is little or no crude oil, is termed ‘nonassociated gas’. Gas wells typically produce raw natural gas by itself, while condensate wells produce free natural gas along with a semi-liquid hydrocarbon condensate. Whatever the source of the natural gas, once separated from crude oil (if present) it commonly exists in mixtures with other hydrocarbons; principally ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes. In addition, raw natural gas contains water vapor, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, and other compounds. signal oil and gas company





Formation Pressure - Water underlying gas and oil in formation.( james e van blaricum )


Fracture acidizing, also known as acid fraccing is the most widely used acidizing technique for stimulating limestone or dolomite formations . In an acid fracturing treatment a pad fluid is injected into the formation at a rate higher than the reservoir matrix will accept. This rapid injection produces a build-up in wellbore pressure leading to cracking (fracturing) of the rock. Continued fluid injection increases the fracture’s length and width. Acid (normally 15% HCl) is then injected into the fracture to react with the formation and create a flow channel (by etching of the fracture surface) that extends deep into the formation. This allows more reservoir fluid to drain into the wellbore along the new fractures once the well is put back on production.

james van blaricum
Aquifers are underground porous, permeable rock formations that act as natural water reservoirs. However, in certain situations, these water containing formations may be reconditioned and used as natural gas storage facilities. As they are more expensive to develop than depleted reservoirs, these types of storage facilities are usually used only in areas where there are no nearby depleted reservoirs. Traditionally, these facilities are operated with a single winter withdrawal period, although they may be used to meet peak load requirements as well. signal oil & gas company




Esters - Compounds formed by combination of acids and alcohols.( signal oil & gas company )

Propane (C3H8) - Colourless, odourless gas of alkane series of hydrocarbons. It occurs in crude oil, in natural gas, and as a by-product of petroleum refining.

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The use of certain organic solvents in gas and water injection wells may reduce the gas or water relative permeability and permanently reduce well production. The use of a water based acidizing system with good penetration would be preferred for such wells allowing much easier control over the wetting characteristics of the formation. james e van blaricum





Licensee(s) - Companies that Government believes are capable of satisfying various conditions of a Licence.( james e van blaricum )


Matrix acidizing may also be used to increase formation permeability in undamaged wells. Where damage is thought to exist within the formation, the aim of the treatment is to achieve more or less radial acid penetration deep into the formation to increase the formation permeability around the wellbore. Deep penetration can only be achieved with retarded acid systems.

james van blaricum
The first instance of natural gas successfully being stored underground occurred in Weland County, Ontario, Canada, in 1915. This storage facility used a depleted natural gas well that had been reconditioned into a storage field. In the United States, the first storage facility was developed just south of Buffalo, New York. By 1930, there were nine storage facilities in six different states. Prior to 1950, virtually all natural gas storage facilities were in depleted reservoirs. james van blaricum




Environmental controls - Put in place to meet or exceed legal requirements and to minimise impact on environment.( james van blaricum )

Casing - Steel lining used to exclude unwanted fluids; control well pressures; support sides of well bore. Casing Seat - lowest point at which casing is set. Casing head - top of casing set in well; part of casing that protrudes above surface and to which control valves and flow pipes are attached.

james e van blaricum

Bottom-hole assembly - Components, together as a group, that make up lower end of drill-string (drill bit, drill collars, drill pipe and ancillary equipment). signal oil & gas company





Effective damage removal and matrix stimulation reduce payback periods and lead to increases in the net present value (NPV) of the well.( signal oil and gas company )


Pig - Device for cleaning a pipeline or separating two liquids being moved down pipeline. (Intelligent pig - fitted with sensors to check for corrosion or defects in pipelines.)

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Petroleum is a fossil fuel. It is called a fossil fuel because it was formed from the remains of tiny sea plants and animals that died millions of years ago. When the plants and animals died, they sank to the bottom of the oceans. Here, they were buried by thousands of feet of sand and silt. Over time, this organic mixture was subjected to enormous pressure, and heat as the layers increased. The mixture changed, breaking down into compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms–hydrocarbons. Finally, an oil-saturated rock-much like a wet household sponge was formed. signal oil and gas company



Flare Stack - Steel structure on an offshore installation or at a processing facility from which gas is flared.( james van blaricum )


Blow-down - Condensate and gas produced simultaneously from outset of production.

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In certain instances, however, specialized equipment is necessary to separate oil and natural gas. An example of this type of equipment is the Low-Temperature Separator (LTX). This is most often used for wells producing high pressure gas along with light crude oil or condensate. These separators use pressure differentials to cool the wet natural gas and separate the oil and condensate. Wet gas enters the separator, being cooled slightly by a heat exchanger. The gas then travels through a high pressure liquid ‘knockout’, which serves to remove any liquids into a low-temperature separator. The gas then flows into this low-temperature separator through a choke mechanism, which expands the gas as it enters the separator. This rapid expansion of the gas allows for the lowering of the temperature in the separator. After liquid removal, the dry gas then travels back through the heat exchanger and is warmed by the incoming wet gas. By varying the pressure of the gas in various sections of the separator, it is possible to vary the temperature, which causes the oil and some water to be condensed out of the wet gas stream. This basic pressure-temperature relationship can work in reverse as well, to extract gas from a liquid oil stream. signal oil & gas company



Nitrous Oxide (N2O) - Nitrous Oxide contributed 5% of direct global warming potential from UK national greenhouse gas emissions in 1990.( signal oil and gas company )


Risk Assessment - Careful consideration by competent persons of hazards associated with a task. Potential effect of each hazard, how serve it might be and likelihood of it occurring, should be considered to determine effort required to make site as safe as reasonably practicable.

james e van blaricum
Petroleum is called a nonrenewable energy source because it takes millions of years to form. We cannot make new petroleum reserves. james van blaricum



Petroleum products - Gasoline, kerosene, heavy fuel oil, lubricating oils, petroleum jelly, and paraffin consist principally of mixtures of paraffin hydrocarbons, which range from lighter liquid members to solid members.( signal oil & gas company )


Conductor - Wide-diameter pipe from drilling platform to sea-bed to guide drilling and contain drilling fluid.

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Well completion commonly refers to the process of finishing a well so that it is ready to produce oil or natural gas. In essence, completion consists of deciding on the characteristics of the intake portion of the well in the targeted hydrocarbon formation. There are a number of types of completions, including: signal oil and gas company



Production Drilling - Drilling of wells in order to bring a field into production.( james e van blaricum )


Aquifers are underground porous, permeable rock formations that act as natural water reservoirs. However, in certain situations, these water containing formations may be reconditioned and used as natural gas storage facilities. As they are more expensive to develop than depleted reservoirs, these types of storage facilities are usually used only in areas where there are no nearby depleted reservoirs. Traditionally, these facilities are operated with a single winter withdrawal period, although they may be used to meet peak load requirements as well.

james van blaricum
There are two principle techniques for removing NGLs from the natural gas stream: the absorption method and the cryogenic expander process. According to the Gas Processors Association, these two processes account for around 90 percent of total natural gas liquids production. james e van blaricum



Slug catcher - Plant installed in a gas pipeline system to catch unwanted “slugs” of liquid.( james van blaricum )


In addition to processing done at the wellhead and at centralized processing plants, some final processing is also sometimes accomplished at ’straddle extraction plants’. These plants are located on major pipeline systems. Although the natural gas that arrives at these straddle extraction plants is already of pipeline quality, in certain instances there still exist small quantities of NGLs, which are extracted at the straddle plants.

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The wellhead consists of the pieces of equipment mounted at the opening of the well to regulate and monitor the extraction of hydrocarbons from the underground formation. It also prevents leaking of oil or natural gas out of the well, and prevents blowouts due to high pressure formations. Formations that are under high pressure typically require wellheads that can withstand a great deal of upward pressure from the escaping gases and liquids. These wellheads must be able to withstand pressures of up to 20,000 psi (pounds per square inch). The wellhead consists of three components: the casing head, the tubing head, and the ‘christmas tree’. signal oil and gas company



The comparison indicates that Arcasolve™ may represent an ideal fracture acidizing fluid, able to penetrate long distances, etch fracture faces, increase the permeability of the matrix where the fluid enters the formation by diffusion, and remove any existing formation damage. In addition the low viscosity of the fluid means that maximum production rate should be attained quickly following the treatment.( signal oil & gas company )


Very deep penetration of acid can be achieved if needed and the use of gels and surfactants, which might cause cleanup or wettability reversal problems is not needed.

james e van blaricum
Petroleum oily - flammable liquid that occurs naturally in deposits, usually beneath the surface of the earth; it is also called crude oil. It consists principally of a mixture of hydrocarbons , with traces of various nitrogenous and sulfurous compounds. signal oil & gas company



The final link in the chain is the retailer. A retailer may be a gasoline station or a home heating oil company. The story ends when you pump gasoline into your car’s tank, and the engine converts the gasoline’s heat energy into mechanical energy to make your car move!( james e van blaricum )


Top drive - Powerful electric motor that rotates whole drill-string from top down.

james van blaricum
Tertiary - Period of geological time about 65 - 1.64 million years ago. james van blaricum



Flaring and venting - Flaring is burning of hydrocarbon gases for commercial or technical reasons. Venting is release of gases to atmosphere.( signal oil and gas company )


Pipelines are produced in steel mills, which are sometimes specialized to produce only pipeline. There are two different production techniques, one for small diameter pipes and one for large diameter pipes. For large diameter pipes, from 20 to 42 inches in diameter, the pipes are produced from sheets of metal which are folded into a tube shape, with the ends welded together to form a pipe section. Small diameter pipe, on the other hand, can be produced seamlessly. This involves heating a metal bar to very high temperatures, then punching a hole through the middle of the bar to produce a hollow tube. In either case, the pipe is tested before being shipped from the steel mill, to ensure that it can meet the pressure and strength standards for transporting natural gas.

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Assuming a pipeline company obtains all the required permits and satisfies all of the regulatory requirements, construction of the pipe may begin. Extensive surveying of the intended route is completed, both aerial and land based, to ensure that no surprises pop up during actual assembly of the pipeline. james e van blaricum