Is the Arab Spring creating a rush to the exits for North African oil producers? As the political climate continues to churn, majors like ExxonMobil and Marathon are liquidating assets across the region. Both companies are downsizing Libyan operations as strikes and unrest continue to complicate export and production. Conoco Philips is downsizing its Algerian operations after a January attack on a gas plant convinced many expats to leave the country. Despite all this doom and gloom, there is a bright side for some government-owned producers who are picking up assets at near fire-sale prices.

ASME has been standardizing piping since 1922. Our popular B16.34 Standard applies to new construction. It covers pressure-temperature ratings, dimensions, tolerances, materials, nondestructive-examination requirements, testing, and marking… for cast, forged, and fabricated flanged, threaded, and welding end and wafer or flangeless valves of steel, nickel-base alloys, and other alloys. Newly revised!

Cleaver-Brooks designs and manufactures integrated packaged boiler solutions for Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) and mining that will endure any substantial change in water quality, heat flux, and flow. Learn why they are the most efficient and cost-effective solution.

Umbra's durable high-speed reciprocating actuators deliver over a 100 metric tons of force while achieving 30% lower power consumption — and Electromechanical Actuation (EMA) solutions reduce the maintenance associated with hydraulic fluid. To learn more, contact the UMBRA Group, a global leader with over 40 years in avanced actuation.

Whitford manufactures high-performance coatings for petrochemical, industrial, marine, aeronautics, automotive industries, etc. Xylan coatings prevent wear of mating surfaces under extreme loads such as bearings, sealing rings, valve springs, offshore components, down-hole tools, etc. Xylan solves problems of friction, corrosion, abrasion, lubrication, release, high-temperature, etc. Call us at: 1-610-286-3500, sales@whitfordww.com.

Refinery welders worry about hydrogen cracking, and for good reason. With too much embedded hydrogen, welds can fail in as little as 48 hours, often with disastrous results. Hydrogen bake-outs are a traditional preventative, but are they always necessary? It all depends, according to Inspectioneeering Journal.

Tight sandstone reservoirs typically require concentrated and very expensive fracturing. One way to lessen the cost is targeting well placement to naturally porous zones and fracture systems. Uncovering outcrop and subsurface clues to these sweet spots is the key to economic success in low permeability formations.

Prudhoe Bay was the first but probably not the last big Arctic oil discovery. And while the top of the world is a big place, working there is a nonstop challenge. Drilling Contractor describes an environment of incredible temperatures, high winds, confusing politics, and a history of destroying platforms and dreams (see video).

When stimulation doesn't work, it's often hard to determine next steps. In the case of one Chinese well, gel fracturing and acidizing failed to achieve economic production levels. This set the stage for a follow-up test using low-viscosity fluids to generate shear slippage and an increased fracture network.

For subsea flow-assurance management, a pure silicone thermal insulation from Dow Corning Oil & Gas Solutions offers advantages over syntactic insulations. With solid silicone science, properly applied DowCorning® XTI-1003 RTV Silicone Rubber Insulation provides an effective wet insulation option for HPHT equipment in deepwater production and tieback systems.

Polyguard Products ReactiveGel® (nicknamed "BlueGoo®" by Oil Patch users) is a patented product which reacts with steel surfaces to form a microscopically thin glasslike surface. This glasslike surface will not corrode. The gel works well for preventing corrosion under insulation because it is protected by the insulation.

Redesigned and better than ever, our new leak detector is an essential tool for troubleshooting and routine maintenance of your gas chromatograph. Don't risk damaging your system or losing sensitivity; check for leaks often and protect your GC column and instrument with a new Restek leak detector! Read more...

OceanServer Technology, Inc. is the leading shallow water AUV manufacturer of single man-portable Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). The Iver family of AUVs coupled with industry leading sonar systems from EdgeTech (2205) and L3-Klein (3500) provides a reliable system to safely inspect off shore pipelines.

Are engineered proppants significantly better than plain old sand? The Journal of Petroleum Technology reports on a study that returned conflicting results. Although the new proppant increased production 19 to 28% in two carefully managed test wells, only half of all the well pairs tested showed higher cumulative production.

Successfully exploiting liquid-rich reservoirs requires tight controls on drilling and processing costs. Upstream Pumping suggests focusing on permeability, exposed surface area, pressure drop, and wellbore spacing. More viscous fluids require better permeability. Ratcheting up injection volume may not be enough to overcome a stubborn reservoir.

As fuel networks expand and implement reverse flow strategies, the systems that manage them need to handle this growing complexity. Pipeline and Gas Journal lays out the five technical challenges that must be overcome to ensure safe and profitable pipeline operations, and how to beat them.

Is E15 a promise or a threat? Either way, raising the alcohol content of motor fuels can degrade tanks, valves, and hoses. This paper summarizes E15's effects on elastomers, plastics, metals, and various sealants. It provides a valuable guide for selecting components that can withstand E15 exposure.

3M Purification recently launched new filter cartridge products for process fluids containing organic or biological contaminants. The products utilize a 3M polypropylene microfiber media designed to prevent blinding of the filter's outer surface, promoting fuller media utilization yielding an optimum combination of particle removal efficiency, and contaminant holding capability.

DC current monitoring for well logging, reversing motors, mud/slurry pumps, and drill string motors is just a partial list of applications where the Model ISC current transducers from Ohio Semitronics, Inc. are being safely used today drilling in operations. ISC units meet the stringent requirements of ATEX Directive 94/9/EC.

BEI Sensors' full line of UL-certified nonincendive Division 2 encoders are now compliant to CENELEC/ATEX and IECEx non-sparking Zone 2 hazardous area standards. This triple certification is provided on six popular heavy-duty encoder models sized 2 to 4.5 in. in both hollow shaft and shafted versions.

GE Analytical Instruments' Sievers InnovOx Laboratory and On-Line Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzers run thousands of industrial process and wastewater TOC samples-including brine, humic acid, and cellulose-with unprecedented uptime. The InnovOx's innovative oxidation technique enables superior analytical performance, calibration stability, and it is ideal for process control.

This recommended practice from the American Petroleum Institute covers all of the major components that comprise a standard electric submersible pumping system, their operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. The document, available now from IHS, is specifically prepared for installations in oil and water producing wells where the equipment is installed on tubing.

For more information on IHS standards, visit us here.

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