Nucleos

magazine
JUNE 2 0 0 7 V OL. 9 NO. 2

Technology Incubators

incubating technology in the north sea underbalanced, coiled tubing provides boost for mature algerian field drilling with casing: better ways to get to bottom pursuing the pristine core avoiding costly workovers with safety valves extreme software extends engineering capabilities economical intervention technology in nigeriamagazine contents
foreword
Cultivating Efficient Technologies 2

in focus
The North Sea 3

drilling
Better Ways to Get to Bottom 7 11 Underbalanced, Coiled Tubing Provides Boost for Mature Field

evaluation
Rocking the Reservoir 14

completion
New Damaged-Bore Safety Valve Saves Millions in Workover Costs 16

production
Wellhead Systems: Service and Flexibility at Every TurnExtreme Software Extends Engineering Capabilities 20 18

intervention
Economically Applying New Intervention Technology in Nigeria 23

EEP update
Getting to the Root Cause 25

around the clock
Shifting the Skill Set 27

A publication of Weatherford International Ltd. Vol. 9, No. 2 Weatherford’s W Magazine is published by Weatherford International Ltd. Please direct all correspondenceregarding this publication, including reprint requests, to Amanda Gatell, 713.386.8988 or amanda.gatell@weatherford.com.
Editor-in-Chief Christine McGee, Vice President, Marketing Managing Editor Christine Mathers, Manager, Corporate Communications Business Editors Gary Aaron, Marketing Manager Steve Bell, Marketing Manager Angie Gunden, Marketing Manager Graham Makin, Director, Technical Marketing PatWright, Manager, Content Development Contributors Rakesh Agarwal, Scott Beattie, Chris Bechtel, Will Black, Mike Bock, Tad Bostick, Said Boutalbi, Scharlene Brooks, Peter Broszio, David Brunnert, Lena Clark, Linda Day, Dale Fain, Charles Forbes, Tom Fuller, Blake Hammond, Wes Heiskell, Rich Jones, Joe Jordan, Rodger Lacy, Pat Ljungdahl, Camille Lupton, Shanta Mauney, Kathleen Mohn, Keith Morley,Shannon Myers, Mark Nicol, John Niven, Wolfgang Puennel, Hani Qutob, Monica Roberts, Steve Rosenberg, Jim Schlebach, Mike Slaton, Ria Sleigh, Greg Stephenson, Michael Stulberg, Skip Tierno, Ryan Tran, Todd Travis, Henderson Watkins Layout and Design Eleanor Shanks, Senior Graphic Designer Production Anthony Drago, Production Manager Jan Stafford, Art Director

june 2007

1

CultivatingEfficient Technologies
Christine Mathers, Manager Editor

Scientists exploring the nature and mechanics of life begin their studies with one simple tool—the petri dish. Inside the tiny worlds they cultivate in petri dishes, researchers can conjure a billion or more bacteria in search of a single mutant. They can create colonies with different properties, study how they reproduce and grow and discoverhow they react to various stimuli. This study of cultures allows for advancements in understanding DNA, perfecting plant biologies, finding the next breakthrough vaccine and even curing diseases. In the world of oilfield services, our petri dish is often the field itself. Deploying new technologies or using existing technologies in new ways helps our clients improve their production and reducecosts. And we must continually find better ways to produce in maturing fields with declining reservoir qualities. For almost a decade, Weatherford has been predicting that technology—and specifically efficient technology—would become an imperative rather than an option. Our response was a longterm commitment to technology and, more recently, accelerating its development. We have created a largeinventory of intellectual property and encouraged a burgeoning technology culture in which more efficient drilling and production techniques are developed and perfected (See bar chart, below). In this issue, the following articles highlight specific examples of where and how some of our most efficient technologies are being deployed today: In Focus: North Sea examines Weatherford’s leading role in...