It was not until the mass extinction of the dinosaurs that smaller, nimble mammals began taking over the landscape. In a strangely similar fashion, smaller exploration and servicing operations are making inroads into businesses long owned by the majors. This shift is being driven by oil price gyrations, new exploration and production technologies, and increased use of specialized subcontractors, according to European Oil and Gas. What long term effects will this have on the industry? Among other things, specialized companies can profitably manage mature and smaller resources, leaving deeper, offshore exploration to the majors.

Senscient announces ELDS Version 1.2 Open Path Gas Detectors with integrated 2.4 GHz wireless communications between ELDS transmitters/ receivers and Senscient install and commissioning tools. Searchable user data export now allows for permanent records in trend analysis of all gas leak readings, Auto-SimuGas self-check values, faults, and warnings experienced by detectors.

Looking for an efficient way to display and document PPE availability? Fastenal's FAST 5000^sm vending machines are the solution. The FAST 5000 makes task-specific items available 24/7, provides detailed usage reporting, and sends automated alerts when first aid items are dispensed. Call 877-265-8247 to schedule an on-site demo.

Designed to monitor oil flow rates measured by our SR oval gear meters in circulation lubrication systems. 100% reliable for bearing lubrication; this product measures the flow accurately under all conditions, including start-up. Temperature and viscosity do not affect flow readings. 24/7/365 alarming for minute, low, and high oil flows.

Kevlar® has been serving the needs of thermoplastic high-pressure hose manufacturers in the oil and gas industries for more than 25 years. Now, Kevlar® K29 AP and Kevlar® K49 AP are further enhancing this premier reinforcing fiber with outstanding strength, performance fatigue, temperature and chemical resistance, and burst strength.

Seismic attributes are highly sensitive to changes in both random and coherent noise levels. Low bandwidth is another gating factor, although it can be more easily handled during post-collection processing. This CSEG lecture explains how frequency enhancement and structure-oriented filtering can unravel clear structures from even the muddiest data.

Putting a self-erecting rig on wheels does more than add mobility — it changes drilling economics. Ultra-mobile rigs sport portable top drives, self-contained mud tanks, and automatic racking systems to minimize set-up time and maximize profit. Overall weight is the limiting factor, according to Drilling Contractor.

Gas hydrate inhibitors represent 5% to 8% of total refined product cost, according to industry estimates. According to PetroMin Pipeliner, there are dozens of choices in chemical, kinetic, and anti-agglomerant inhibitors, each subject to external factors like water cut, availability, and cost. This article explains the pros and cons of each.

Wondering how the other guys do it? This article from Hydrocarbons Asia steps through the selection, installation, and use of one vendor's proprietary reactor internals from inlet distributor to the hydrogen quench box. Their goal? Improving the mix performance and redistribution of hot and cold streams.

Greenleaf Corporation's Ring Max™ line of ring groove tooling is engineered to cut machining time of API ring grooves. Combined with Greenleaf's WG-300® whisker-reinforced ceramic inserts, Ring Max™ tools can reduce cutting time from 30 minutes or more to less than one minute!

Specifically developed by PPE for use in downhole, surface, and subsea oil field equipment, the EnDura range of elastomers provide the most technically advanced sealing solutions for demanding applications in the world's most aggressive high-pressure environments.

TD 4100XDC Oil in Water Monitor — Ruggedized for harsh environments. Fluorescence measurement technology with lowest detection limits available. Minimal sample conditioning plumbing hardware reduces cost. Easy calibration with long term stability. Low maintenance and user friendly.

The Lonestar analyzer detects methanol in crude oil at ppm levels. Results in 15 minutes — no need for sample preparation or specialist operators. Augment lab assays or screen your crude slate and avoid refinery wastewater contamination issues caused by 'bug kill.' See the instrument work (video).

This January, U.S. and Japanese researchers will begin gas hydrate production field tests on Alaska's North Slope. Injecting CO2 into methane-bearing sandstone is expected to release methane while permanently sequestering CO2 in the formation. Depressurization, which literally sucks the methane from the ground, will also be attempted.

Polymers reduce the mobility ratio between oil and water to enhance oil recovery. Similarly, surfactants reduce surface tension to free up reserves trapped in small pore formations. Advances in Petroleum Exploration and Development reports that a combined polymer surfactant slug increases recovery 20% over polymer flooding alone.

Asbestos was long considered a durable corrosion barrier, and makes up as much as half of the felt wrapping found on pre-1980s pipelines. Outdoor asbestos is considered non-friable and far less dangerous than the indoor variety, according to Pipeline and Gas Journal, but still requires proper handling and disposal.

Power lines are often routed over a pipeline right of way. Unfortunately, this can lead to high induced currents in the pipeline and a severe shock hazard at line valve stations. This technical sheet explains how to make zinc ribbon anodes play double duty, bleeding stray voltage while reducing pipeline corrosion.

Whether you need to protect sensitive electronic equipment or delicate human tissue, the energy-absorbing properties of Mi-Tech Metals' tungsten alloys make them exceptional choices for radiation shielding applications.

Tungsten high-density alloys also serve as collimators and radiation shielding in cancer therapy, as well as syringe protection for radioactive injections.

PS200 portable gas detector monitors up to four gases simultaneously: LEL, O2, CO, and H2S. Housed in a sturdy water-resistant case it's ideal for use in harsh environments. Optional remote sampling pump perfect for use in confined spaces. Features standard data logging, screen backlight, customized user code, and man/down/motion alarm. Learn more.

Evaporative technology allows you to be "green" and save "green." Utilizing waste heat reduces operating costs with little new energy generation needed. Our simple design means no filters and membranes are needed, reducing maintenance costs and eliminating disposal concerns. A Maxim evaporator is the most environmentally-friendly desalination technology.

The HQI Clarification System can separate settleable solids, suspended solids, and free and dispersed oils from waste water streams. The five-stage separation system can produce results (shown in the before and after picture) from 300 to 30,850 barrels per day.

Every freshman geology student quickly learns the geologic time scale, and they all use silly sentences like come over for a Sunday drive to remember the series Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, and of course that fishy Devonian. Stepping through Canadian oil-bearing formations isn't quite as easy, but this comprehensive formation glossary takes away some of the pain of putting a name to a lithology.

Kicking a soccer ball around looks very different from the ball's perspective. Put 36 cameras inside a ball, add some portholes and padding, and it's time for a visual round of football (the British kind) or football (the Super Bowl kind). Christened the Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera, just imagine what it would see while careening down your next open casing.

Running over the Relics

Nord Stream is taking great pains to respect and preserve relics in the Baltic Sea. This raises an interesting question: should every marine pipeline construction company be held to an equally robust standard? And if so, by whom?

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