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In these times of low oil prices and increasing operating costs, we at Shell NorthStar in Baker, MT, have been searching for ways to reduce costs and at the same time reduce failures. We have been successful in failure reduction caused by corrosion. But now, we needed a way of reducing rod loads to reduce rod failures and still pump the necessary amounts of fluid to maintain production. Our pump depths range from 8200" in the Little Beaver field to 9100" in the Pine unit; average production is 40 BOPD and 250 BWPD.

Sucker Rods, the prime purpose of which is to impart the reciprocating motion and power of the end of the walking beam to the sub-surface pump, are such a simple piece of apparatus that it might seem nothing much could be done to improve them. However, much has been and is being done to make their proper care and use better understood, to obtain a more accurate understanding of the actual loads imposed upon them, and to improve the joint design, the rod materials and the manufacturing techniques.

The techniques involved in the completion of a well, with regard to cementing operations, vary with areas and with regard to cementing operations, vary with areas and operators. Certain procedures are, however, looked upon as being most suitable for particular applications and often certain cementing slurry components have been found to give better performance in one of the two major cementing operations: primary cementing and squeeze cementing.

During the past 4 years, successful field applications for casing plungers have been extended through recently patented innovations in design. This paper will review and summarize the technical progress in casing plungers. A variety of field applications will be reviewed and a summary of results will be presented. Actual economics of successful applications will be presented. Criteria for well selection, based on the comparison of best and worst case results, will be detailed. Probable expectations will be demonstrated through charts of actual well results.

New, patented technology developments on forming spiral flow in surface flowlines and pipelines as well as downhole to extend critical flow have been tested in a variety of programs by the Department of Energy (D.O.E.), with associations with the Stripper Well Consortium, Universities, and the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center. This presentation will provide a summary of this testing from 2002 through 2006.

The Olmos Sand formation in South Texas presents many completion problems which vary considerably depending on geographic location. Almost always, massive stimulation is required to bring the sand to economic levels of production. Factors which must be considered to develop the best completion methods include mineralogy, lithology, temperature and frac gradients, permeability and porosity data, and the nature of the produced fluids.

With improved oil prices the Delaware formation of S.E. New Mexico has become a hot bed of activity since early 1990. The paper presents background information such as lithology, formation rock characteristics, X-Ray Diffraction and SEM analysis. Completion practices and perforation programs are reviewed for nine different fields along with analysis of different stimulation practices. The paper also reviews stimulation fluids, volumes, injection rates, types of proppant used and fracture geometries to provide an optimum completion program.

The emphasis of this paper is on what has been accomplished and how it has been accomplished. It is a matter of public record that from the time carbon dioxide was first injected at the tail end of a waterflood operation eleven years ago until now the production from Twofreds Field has increased from less than 180 bopd, to over 920 bopd, with the associated recovery of over 2.5 MMbbls of tertiary oil.

Paraffin related problems in the oilfield continue to hamper efficient production operations. Over the years, many thermal, chemical and microbial techniques have been developed for paraffin removal and inhibition. But it is very difficult to decide which treatment process will be the most efficient in a given environment. Only an experienced person with a vast knowledge of previous treatment operations can give a suitable decision.

During recent sucker rod pumping problem solving schools it has become apparent that few engineers and operators know about the non-dimensional pumping parameters developed by the Sucker Rod Pumping Research Inc. and provided to the industry in API RP 11L for rod string designs. This paper will discuss the background and physical meaning of the two main parameters Fo/SKr and No/No", show the nomograph of their inter-relationship, and provide recommended limits which are typically not provided in modern rod string computer programs.

The use of fluid loss additives in cementing is by no means a new idea. The industry utilized bentonite early on in cementing compositions to help control water loss to permeable formations. One of the first organic fluid loss additives was carboxymethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose. Polymer-type It was used when introduced in primary cementing. Shortly thereafter the use of fluid loss additives was extended to squeeze cementing.2 From that time, about 1961 to the middle 197Os, fluid loss additive compositions were changed to be able to handle varying downhole and surface conditions.

The Willard Unit is located in the Wasson (San Andres) Field in Yoakum County, Texas. The reservoir is a layered dolomite with an average porosity of 8.5% and average permeability of 1.5 md. Secondary recovery by waterflooding has been in progress since 1965. Although secondary operations have been quite successful in the Willard Unit, a substantial amount of oil will be unrecoverable by waterflooding. A CO2 miscible displacement project was conducted in the unit to investigate the applicability of this process for full-scale improved oil recovery.

Cement spacer fluids have traditionally been supplied by the cementing service companies. Specific performance properties and design criteria of most spacer systems have not been well defined. A cement spacer's basic function is to prevent non-compatible fluids from intermixing. It must perform with a wide range of additives under varying conditions while remaining compatible with both the drilling fluid and cement slurry. Spacer systems have traditionally been shrouded in secrecy and considered user unfriendly.

A simple low cost dynamometer has been developed to obtain qualitative dynamometer cards for rod-pumping wells. The dynamometer installs on the polished rod in a matter of seconds and transmits data to a portable computer via wireless communications. The dynamometer measures rod stretch through each stroke of the pumping cycle. A sensor attached to the polished rod detects the bottom of each stroke to obtain position. The data is sent to the portable computer using wireless technology therefore eliminating troublesome cables.

A changing pattern in the methods of management by the oil producer makes it necessary that the contractor assume new responsibilities in the services he offers. This service must include planning management and well site supervision. The contractor seeks from the producer a basic change in his concept of management responsibilities in connection with well service and workovers. It is apparent that production rig operating cost has increased at a faster rate than rig productivity. This trend, for a healthy operation, must be stopped.

Each year production is lost due to water influx from naturally occurring or induced channels or fractures. A special sealant process has been developed to help control subsurface water movement. The process consists of two individual states separated by a water spacer. Multiple treatments may be applied to control more severe downhole conditions. The first stage consists of about 200 gal/ft of a solids-free, non-Newtonian fluid with a viscosity of approximately 200 cp for matrix penetration. As much as ten pounds of solids per gallon may be added to this fluid for channels or fractures.

Automating of oil production leases may be approached stepwise if proper planning is done initially. This paper summarizes the various automated processes in lease production, showing the limits and planning required to automate at each stage is set out.

Nitrogen alone has demonstrated success as a fracturing fluid in reservoirs normally found sensitive to liquid systems. It has proven useful in shales of the Ohio Valley and West Virginia areas, and in similar lithology of the Fort Worth Basin located in North Central Texas. The fracturing efficiency of nitrogen, as related to leakoff and flow capacity testing with no propping agent, has been investigated to analyze the effectiveness of nitrogen stimulation. Also, field data are presented which demonstrate successful results of the nitrogen technique in both oil and gas reservoirs.

The effect of the physical properties of various cementing mixtures on bond log interpretations is presented. The nature of the pipe cement contact required for minimum acoustic transmission and effects of instrument calibration are also discussed.

The initial goal of a

A 12,500' hydraulic jet pumped well, located in Andrews County, Texas, was converted to a rod pumping system in order to reduce lifting costs and maximize profit. A rod pumping simulation program (wave equation) was used to quantify possible ranges of equipment loading, rod loading, plunger over-travel, and ultimately, production in the stock tank. The sucker rod pumping system design includes the use of fiberglass rods, a downhole separator located above a permanent packer and a tapered tubing string. The design criteria, installation procedure and actual system performance are presented.

The Snyder Field is located in southeast Howard County, approximately 15 miles southeast of (the City of Big Spring, Texas. The field was discovered in May, 1926, with the completion of the Magnolia Petroleum (Choate and Henshaw) No. 1, M. H. O"Daniel Well. The field covers 6000 productive acres and production is obtained from approximately 400 wells. The Snyder Field is south of the Iatan-East Howard Field and is separated from that field by an arbitrary dividing line utilized by the Texas Railroad Commission in distinguishing between the fields.

The Northeast Jones area of Oklahoma was discovered in 1945. Production peaked in 1948 and the area was almost depleted by 1950. Primary recovery was an economic failure and the field was almost abandoned without a trial of secondary recovery. There were several reasons for the pessimism regarding water flooding, but the most predominant was the old "rule of thumb" that secondary recovery would be the same as primary recovery. The Northeast Jones Cleveland sand unit was formed in 1952, however, with the promotion of an outside group of operators.

Currently available production packers are categorized according to function and design. A packer classification method is outlined with the equipment available from several manufacturers included as examples. Simplified cross-sectional drawings, photographic examples, major design features, and several common applications are included for each general type packer. An abbreviated packer designation method is also presented.

One of the first steps in determining how to manage a waste stream from a pipeline operation is to identify which regulatory agency has jurisdiction over the management of that waste stream. In the State of Texas, two state agencies and a federal agency have regulatory authority over different aspects of waste management. A lack of familiarity with current regulations may result in some confusion for pipeline operators.