PetroNeft All Smiles over Arbuzovskoye Production Rates

PetroNeft Resources plc, owner and operator of Licences 61 and 67, Tomsk Oblast, Russian Federation, provided the following update on its operations at Licence 61.

Highlights:

Arbuzovskoye well 105 successfully completed Initial oil flow rate of 160 barrels of oil per day (bopd), with no water productionSuccessful workover restores production at Arbuzovskoye well 102 to 380 bopdRecent pressure testing of two Arbuzovskoye wells shows normal pressure declineArbuzovskoye water source well completed, planned pressure maintenance to commence shortlyTiming and location of future Arbuzovskoye wells to be determined by response to pressure maintenance programTotal production increased to 2,800 bopd

Arbuzovskoye well 105, the sixth well in the current program, has been successfully tested at an initial rate of 160 bopd with no visible water cut.

Further to last month's update, pressure testing of two wells at Arbuzovskoye was carried out which indicated that reservoir pressures are in line with expectations based on volumes produced to date. This confirmed that the rapid decline in production experienced in the Arbuzovskoye 102 well in January and February was due to a near-wellbore problem resulting from likely migration of fine grained materials that had plugged the perforations and was not due to problems with reservoir pressure. As a result an underbalanced re-perforation of the Arbuzovskoye 102 well was performed, which successfully removed the flow restrictions in the well and restored production to 380 bopd.

Following the success of this remediation procedure, other Arbuzovskoye wells are currently being examined with a view to re-perforating additional wells in the near term.

A water source well has now been drilled to supply injection water for the planned pressure maintenance program at Arbuzovskoye. Locations and timing of further production wells will be selected based on the response to the pressure maintenance program. The objective is to optimize recovery from the field and allow the pressure maintenance system time to get established. It is likely that at least three additional wells will ultimately be drilled from Arbuzovskoye Pad 1 to fully exploit the area.

Arbuzovskoye contains 2P reserves in excess of 13 million barrels of oil according to independent reserve auditors Ryder Scott and is the Company's second field being developed.

Total oil production, comprising both the Lineynoye and Arbuzovskoye oil fields has increased up to 2,800 bopd after successful completion of 105 well and re-perforation of 102 wells at Arbuzovskoye.

Dennis Francis, chief executive officer of PetroNeft Resources plc, commented:

"Development work at Arbuzovskoye has been positive this past month. Not only has the pressure testing of two wells confirmed normal pressure decline for the field in line with production, but the workover of well 102 was successful. We will now implement the planned pressure maintenance program on the field which will slow production decline and improve recoveries. A similar program was implemented at Lineynoye field where we had positive results."

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Union Drilling to Present at Stephens Fall Investment Conference

Posted on Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 11:20 pm

FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Union Drilling, Inc. (NASDAQ: UDRL) announced today that Chris Strong, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in the Stephens Fall Investment Conference, which will be held in New York on November 15-16, 2011.

Union Drilling’s presentation at the conference will be webcast live on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. To listen to the live audio webcast and view accompanying presentation material, visit the Investor Relations section of Union Drilling’s website at www.uniondrilling.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the site shortly after the presentation concludes.

About Union Drilling

Union Drilling, Inc., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, provides contract land drilling services and equipment to oil and natural gas producers in the United States. Union Drilling currently owns and markets 51 rigs and specializes in unconventional drilling techniques.

UDRL-G

View the original article here

Total Powers up New Supercomputer

French major Total announced that it is inaugurating its new Pangea supercomputer Friday. The computer, located at the company's Scientific and Technical Center in Pau, France, will make Total one of the top 10 international firms in terms of computing power, it said.

The $77.5 million-investment in the new computing power is aimed at improving the time it takes to model subsurface and simulate the behavior of reservoirs, as well as improving the precision of these activities. The Pangea supercomputer was commissioned on 17 January for the Seismic Imagery and Interpretation Department of Total's Center for Hydrocarbon Research. It will be used as a tool to assist decision-making in the exploration of complex geological areas and to increase the efficiency of hydrocarbon production in compliance with safety and environmental standards, Total added.

Designed by Silicon Graphics, the supercomputer has a computing capacity of 2.3 petaFLOPS– meaning it can perform one million, billion simple calculations (or floating-point operations) per second. It will have 110,000 CPUs and required 2.8 megawatts of electric power, with heat generated from the computer recovered to provide all the heating the Scientific and Technical Center needs.

The Pangea computer should beat BP's new high-performance computing center that it began building at its Westlake Campus in Houston, Texas, in December. The HPC – also to be used for processing seismic and geological data – is designed to process information at a rate of up to two petaFLOPS. BP expects this to be ready in mid-2013.

Ahead of the inauguration Friday, Total Upstream President Yves-Louis Darricarrère, commented in a statement:

"We are proud of this leap forward in our performance which positions us in the vanguard of high technology at international level. This supercomputer – 15 times more powerful than its predecessor – has been specifically designed to meet the main technical challenges facing our industry. Its intensive computing capacity constitutes a key competitive asset that is an integral part of the group's bold exploration strategy."

Currently, the world's fastest supercomputer is the non-commercial Cray Titan – which is used for scientific projects at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and was built with funding from the US Department of Energy. The Titan has a processing speed of 17.59 petaFLOPS.

A former engineer, Jon is an award-winning editor who has covered the technology, engineering and energy sectors since the mid-1990s. Email Jon at jmainwaring@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

37-1/2″ Rotary Table National Style – New

37-1/2? New National Style Rotary Table w/Solid Body Pin Drive Master Bushing (Chinese Origin) Stock Houston, TX

Rotary Table Specifications:
Weight 17,694 Lbs.
Table axis to center inner row sprocket teeth: 53-1/4?
Height overall: 28?
Width: 71?
Length: 97?
Static Load Rating: 596 Tons

View the original article here

Key US Senator Starts Work on Natural Gas Bill, Mulls Export Restrictions

WASHINGTON - Sen. Ron Wyden (D. Ore.), one of the leading voices on energy policy in the U.S. Senate, is laying the groundwork for a broad-based energy bill that could impose new restrictions on natural gas exports and create additional oversight for hydraulic fracturing.

The bill represents the first serious attempt by Senate lawmakers this session to modernize U.S. energy laws following a surge in natural gas production that has transformed the energy landscape.

Mr. Wyden, who became chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee earlier this year, is planning a series of meetings in May to gather input from other senators, as well as state regulators, natural gas producers and environmental groups, an aide for the senator said. A bill could surface shortly after that.

The goal is to find common ground on often-divisive energy issues, leading to legislation that can attract enough support among committee members. "This is a collaborative process," the aide said.

The bill, which is in the early stages of being developed, will seek to address natural gas exports and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. It will also tackle infrastructure issues and could look at ways to promote natural gas vehicles, people familiar with the issue said.

One of Mr. Wyden's most challenging tasks will be to find common ground on the issue of natural gas exports.

With nearly 20 companies seeking permission from the U.S. Energy Department to ship natural gas to countries lacking a free-trade agreement with the U.S., the issue has divided lawmakers and pitted energy producers like Exxon Mobil against manufacturers like Dow Chemical.

Mr. Wyden is one of the most vocal critics of exports. Like other skeptics, he's concerned swelling exports will lead to higher gas prices at home, stripping away a key competitive advantage for manufacturers that use natural gas as a raw material.

Energy companies say the U.S. government should steer clear of any restrictions. The hefty cost of building an export facility, which can top $7 billion, will inevitably weed out many applicants and serve as a natural control on export levels, they say.

Mr. Wyden has called for finding a "sweet spot" on exports-- allowing enough shipments to incentivize energy companies to continue producing natural gas but restrictive enough to keep a cap on domestic prices.

The top Republican on the committee, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), is a strong supporter of domestic energy production and would likely reject strict new controls on exports.

Mr. Wyden could propose a specific limit on exports--equal to 10% of daily production, for example--or create a new legal definition for when exports should be blocked because they are no longer in the best interests of the U.S.

The boom in natural gas production has been swift and dramatic. Production increased 25% between 2007 and 2012, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, due in large part to advances in drilling and production technologies.

With thousands of wells dotting the U.S. landscape, private citizens and environmental groups have started to voice concern over the safety of hydraulic fracturing, a common practice whereby natural gas is unlocked from underground rock formations using a high-pressured mix of water, sand and chemicals.

The fight over fracking often revolves around the question of whether state officials are capable of ensuring safety. The natural gas bill could include additional forms of oversight by the federal government.

One possible proposal would allow states to develop their own standards and then require a federal agency such as the Environmental Protection Agency to sign off on the states' plans. Another proposal is to strengthen the role of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a group representing several states in their efforts to develop energy policies.

The natural gas bill will serve as a key test for senators responsible for guiding U.S. energy policy. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has a reputation for bipartisanship but its members became gridlocked last session over a separate issue relating to oil royalties and failed to pass any meaningful legislation in months.

If the panel can pass a substantive natural gas bill, with new leadership and new members, it will be in a good position to tackle other thorny issues that have surfaced as a result of newfound energy supplies.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Japan Firms Plan to Invest in Brazil FPSO

TOKYO - Four Japanese companies announced a plan Friday to invest in a floating vessel which is used by the offshore oil and gas industry to be deployed in an oil field near Brazil.

Mitsui & Co., Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., Marubeni Corp. and MODEC Inc. will invest in a 20-year charter project of a floating production, storage and offloading system operated by MODEC for use in the Iracema Norte block of a pre-salt oil field off the coast of Brazil owned by Petroleo Brasileiro SA, the companies said in a statement.

Mitsui, Mitsui OSK Lines and Marubeni will own 32.4%, 20.6% and 17.6% of the project respectively, while MODEC will own the remaining 29.4%, the statement said.

The FPSO for the Iracema Norte block will start operations in the fourth quarter of 2015, and has the capacity to produce 150,000 barrels a day of crude oil and 280 million cubic feet of natural gas, it said.

This will be the second FPSO project the four Japanese companies are jointly investing in. The one serving the nearby Iracema Sul block was the first.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Welcome to Frackademia 101

This month, the Western Congressional Caucus held their first “class” for their sham oil and gas PR effort dubbed the ‘Western Caucus University.’ The amount of oil and gas contributions to caucus members is stunning. No wonder this “Frackademia” appears to have curriculum based on industry talking points.

Below were some of the lowlights and our grades for their content.

This is the first in a series of report cards we’ll be doing on “Frackademia.” It’s a shame taxpayer dollars are being used to push blatant industry talking points.

Western Caucus University   Academic Credibility Report Card

“Federal lands contain 46% of the proved crude reserves in the United States.”Currently, 93% of all shale oil and mixed plays – which are the most viable and actively sought resources by industry – are located on non-federal lands. Even in the Rocky Mountain West, where more federal land is located, there are just 11% of all shale oil and mixed oil and gas plays on federal lands.“The amount of time it takes to process a permit to drill on federal lands increased from 212 days to 228 days between 2008-2012.” What the Western Congressional Caucus fails to mention is that oil and gas companies are the hold up on drill permits. According to a recent Congressional Research Service report, it took industry an average of 236 days to process an application to drill permit on federal lands, while it took the Bureau of Land Management just 71 days.   “Local governments in the West miss out on substantial tax revenues from potential energy extraction, mining, timber harvesting and other forms of economic development.”A recent economic study found that western non-metropolitan counties with more than 30 percent of their land in federal protected status such as national parks, monuments and wilderness increased jobs by 345 percent over the last 40 years. By comparison, similar counties with no protected federal public lands increased employment by only 83 percent. In 2010, per capita income in western non-metropolitan counties with 100,000 acres of protected public lands was on average $4,360 higher than per-capita income in similar counties with no protected public lands.In 2012, the outdoor recreation industry alone accounted for $646 billion in annual spending and nearly $80 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues in the United States

View the original article here

ENI Awarded Five GOM Exploration Blocks

Italy's ENI reported Friday that it has been awarded five offshore exploration blocks in the Gulf of Mexico. ENI was the highest bidder for five offshore exploration blocks within the Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 227 that took place in New Orleans.

The blocks are located in the Mississippi Canyon and Desoto Canyon, in water depths of 1,400 feet to 8,000 feet. ENI said they consolidate the firm's acreage position in two key areas in the Gulf of Mexico, where the company currently holds a total of 174 exploration leases.

ENI holds lease interests in 281 blocks in the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the leading producers in the area. The firm's total daily net production in the US is currently around 88,000 barrels of oil equivalent.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Opening: Derrickman

Posted on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 6:18 pm

Responsible for working board during tripping operations; mixes chemicals and oversees pit and mud pump operations. Must be able to perform all duties needed to rig-up, drill, rig-down and maintain rotary equipment.

View the original article here

Your Climate Change©

Start Date: March 1st;, 2013    End Date: April 22nd;, 2014 (Earth Day)

Dear Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon,

We, the People of the Earth, request You to act judiciously and expeditiously to protect the Earth from anthropogenic climate change.

Respectfully,
People of the Earth

This petition will be delivered shortly after the end date to the United Nations Secretary-General's office by the originator Prof. Ranga B. Myneni of Boston, MA, USA.

There is now sufficient evidence that our way of living is causing unnatural changes in climate. Collectively, we own this damage and therefore we need to solve it together. It is YOUR CLIMATE CHANGE also. The scientists have been studying and reporting to the policy makers about the dangers of climate change for the past 25 years. Yet, there has been little meaningful action to solve this global problem affecting all life on Earth. The solution lies in convincing policy makers that this is a priority for all citizens of the World. Therefore, I started an online project to collect one billion signatures by Earth Day 2014 for a petition addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations to act judiciously and expeditiously on anthropogenic climate change.

You can support by-
(1) Reading and signing the petition at https://www.yourclimatechange.org/
(2) Spreading the word to your (a) family, (b) friends, (c) colleagues and (d) acquaintances by-
(a) sharing using the Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ and Twitter links on https://www.yourclimatechange.org/
(b) Composing an email with the subject “Your Climate Change” and including the text of this post
(c) Post this message on your Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ pages and Tweet about it
(3) We can easily reach our goal. If one person can motivate at least 10 people to sign the petition, and they in turn can motivate 10 more to sign the petition and so on. All it takes is 9 such steps, provided that each signee is unique.
(4) Learn about climate change at http://ncar.ucar.edu/learn-more-about/climate

The petition originator is Prof. Ranga B. Myneni, Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University. Myneni’s research focus is evaluating climate change impacts to vegetation using satellite data. Myneni has about 30 years of research experience. More at http://cliveg.bu.edu/

View the original article here

Enegi Completes Acquisition of 3D Seismic over Phoenix Block

UK junior Enegi Oil reported Friday that it has completed the acquisition of 95 square miles of 3D seismic data on the Phoenix block in the UK North Sea.

Enegi will now carry out in-house interpretation, subsurface analysis and reservoir modeling to determine the full range of recoverable reserves for the Phoenix discovery. The firm said that this will incorporate analysis currently being carried out by Azimuth Limited.

Azimuth will also look at the additional exploration potential of the block under a farm-in agreement announced in February, which may lead to further development activity.

Discovered by Royal Dutch Shell in 2004, the Phoenix oil discovery is a low-relief dip closed structure that lies on the Forties-Montrose High, between the Nelson field and the Montrose field in the central North Sea. A review of the Phoenix discovery by Enegi has led to a preliminary estimate of 15 million barrels of oil in place.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Same story, different day: Lamborn, Tipton offer-up tired package of oil and gas company giveaways

House Republicans paraded out their latest series of giveaways to the billion-dollar oil and gas industry today in a subcommittee chaired by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO). The bills would increase corporate welfare and a total disregard for western families and the economic health of local communities.

These reckless proposals put forth by Reps. Lamborn, Scott Tipton (R-CO), and Doc Hastings (R-WA) have failed over and over again in Congress because Americans want more out of their representatives than messaging bills for the oil and gas industry. At a time when oil and gas companies are already getting fat on the taxpayers’ dime, it’s appalling that politicians are dishing up yet another industry smorgasbord with zero regard for Western families’ safety and security.

Westerners want a real balance between protecting public lands and energy development. That balance is critical for attracting high-wage businesses and maintaining the billion-dollar outdoor recreation economy in the West.

The three tired bills paraded out yet again today include extreme measures that create quotas and mandates on behalf of oil and gas companies, and encourage risky speculation on publicly owned lands. These reckless proposals would sacrifice our drinking water, air quality, and public lands just to create more handouts that would do nothing to address our energy concerns.

These reckless measures run counter to western values and what’s best for local economies. Recent polling found that 9 out of 10 Westerners agree that national parks, forests, monuments and wildlife areas are an essential part of the economy, while 74% believe that national parks, forests, and monuments, help to attract high quality employers and good jobs to their state.

The outdoor recreation industry alone accounts for $646 billion in annual spending, 6 million jobs and nearly $80 billion in local, state and federal taxes.

Yet, House Republicans continue to push these same reckless proposals, regardless of the potentially devastating impacts to western families and economies – in order to provide more handouts to the billion dollar oil and gas industry which is already hoarding millions of acres of public lands, billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies and is focused on drilling on non-federal lands, where the best and most profitable oil resources are located.

Reps Lamborn, Tipton and Hastings, need to be held accountable for blatant disregard of taxpayer money and their continued attempts to increase corporate welfare for oil and gas companies.

Key provisions from the legislation considered today:

Rep. Lamborn’s bill (HR 1965) would:

Block the public from participating in oil and gas leasing decisions by creating “entrance fees” of up to $5,000 to join the conversation.Mandate leasing and encourage costly oil shale speculation that has a century-long track record of failure despite billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.Roll back the Obama Administration’s common sense approach to the failed “rock that burns,” oil shale, which would put already scarce western water at risk.

Rep. Tipton’s bill (HR 1394) would:

Establish energy development – especially fossil fuels – as the primary use of public lands, jeopardizing the billion-dollar outdoor recreation and tourism industries and the thousands of western jobs that they create.Require the Department of Interior to prioritize oil, gas and coal over renewable energy development.

Rep. Hastings bill (HR 1964) would:

Fast track approval of drilling permits, roads and pipelines in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A) in Alaska, regardless of potential environmental impacts.Eliminate the “integrated activity plan” for NPR-A that balances energy development with protection of wildlife habitat and other critical areas.

Filed under In The News, oil shale Tagged with Big Oil, Congress, Department of Interior, Doc Hastings, Doug Lamborn, drilling, Energy, Environment, Oil Shale, Public Lands, Tipton, water

View the original article here

Lukoil 'Not Affected' By Cyprus Crisis

MOSCOW - OAO Lukoil Holdings, Russia's NO. 2 oil producer, hasn't been affected by the Cyprus crisis, Chief Executive Vagit Alekperov said Thursday.

Mr. Alekperov said Lukoil's gas stations on the embattled island were only taking cash as banks there weren't working.

Asked whether Lukoil has deposits in Cyprus or carries out financial transactions there, Mr. Alekperov said: "No. Cyprus has never been a center of oil sales."

Cyprus's financial-services sector is facing potential collapse after the country's parliament on Tuesday rejected a euro-zone bailout plan that would have involved a controversial bank-deposit tax.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Hydril 11″ Type V Single RAM 5,000 PSI BOP – Rebuilt

Hydril 11? Type V Single RAM 5,000 PSI working pressure BOP’s. Origin is Made in USA.

Two (2) Hydril 11? Type V Single RAM 5,000 PSI working pressure BOP’s. Studded Bottom x Studded Top. * No Rams included currently

One (1) Hydril 11? Type V Single RAM 5,000 PSI working pressure BOP’s. Flange Bottom x Flange Top. * No Rams included currently

Rebuild work was performed by an API 16A shop and comes with the following certifications and testing:

Hydrostatic Shell Test at 1.5x times working pressure
Hydrostatic working pressure
Hydraulic function test
Mag Particle on all welds
Liquid penetrant
Certified King Test for material hardness
Certificate of Compliance
Certificate of Conformance
Dimensional Inspection Certificate

View the original article here

OMV to Boost Exploration, Appraisal Spend in 2013

Austria's OMV said Thursday that it will see a significant increase in its exploration and appraisal expenditure during 2013 compared to 2012.

Reporting its fourth quarter results for 2012, the firm said its plans include high-impact wells this year at Bonna, Wisting and Apollo in the Barents Sea, as well as at Matuku, offshore New Zealand.

OMV said it was expecting a final investment decision in 2013 for the North Sea's Rosebank project, offshore the Shetland Islands, in which it has a 20-percent stake. Meanwhile, in Romania it expects further exploration to take place on the Neptun block after an ongoing 3D seismic survey there is completed.

In Libya, the firm expects production to remain at current levels after volumes recovered in 2012. Production in Libya was badly disrupted in 2011 by the revolution in the country.

OMV warned that the security situation remains volatile in Yemen, where it has recovered production following the repair of an export pipeline.

In the Kurdistan region of Iraq, OMV said that extended well test facilities for its Bina Bawi development are under construction and production testing for sale into the local market is expected to start during the first half of this year.

For 2013 OMV expects production will be broadly similar to that achieved in 2012. Total hydrocarbon production for the fourth quarter of 2012 came in at 301,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (4Q 2011: 289,000 boepd).

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

LLOG Exploration Selects FMC for Who Dat Work

FMC Technologies, Inc. announced Thursday it has received a subsea equipment order from LLOG Exploration Company, LLC for the Who Dat field. The order has an estimated value of $30 million in revenue.

The project is located in the Gulf of Mexico Mississippi Canyon Block 503 in water depths of approximately 3,200 feet (975 meters). FMC Technologies' scope of supply includes subsea trees, a subsea manifold, multiphase meters and a subsea distribution system. The equipment is scheduled for delivery in 2013.

"FMC Technologies is pleased to have been chosen by LLOG Exploration to provide subsea systems for its continued development of the Who Dat field," said Tore Halvorsen, FMC Technologies' senior vice president of Subsea Technologies. "We welcome the opportunity to continue supporting LLOG Exploration with its Gulf of Mexico developments."

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here