JAMES VAN BLARICUM

Refineries have another job. They remove contaminants from the oil. A refinery removes sulfur from gasoline, for example, to increase its efficiency and to reduce air pollution.( signal oil & gas company )

The acid fluid-loss mechanism is more complex than that of non-reactive fluids. In addition to diffusive leak off into the formation, flowing acid leaks off dynamically by dissolving the rock and producing wormholes. Wormholes are very detrimental in fracture acidizing [13]. They greatly increase the effective surface area from which leak off occurs and are believed to affect acid fluid loss adversely. Acid leaks off predominantly from wormhole tips rather than the fracture face. As wormholing and excessive leak-off occur, the leak-off rate exceeds the pump rate, and a positive net fracturing pressure cannot be maintained to keep the fracture open. At this point in the treatment, which may be as soon as 6 minutes after starting to pump acid, the fracture extension slows or stops.

james van blaricum

Air gun - Air gun array is most common technique used for seismic surveying offshore. Compressed air is released from a chamber to produce shock waves in earth. james van blaricum





Debutanizer - this step boils off the butanes, leaving the pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons in the NGL stream.( signal oil and gas company )


In addition to the four processes above, heaters and scrubbers are installed, usually at or near the wellhead. The scrubbers serve primarily to remove sand and other large-particle impurities. The heaters ensure that the temperature of the gas does not drop too low. With natural gas that contains even low quantities of water, natural gas hydrates have a tendency to form when temperatures drop. These hydrates are solid or semi-solid compounds, resembling ice like crystals. Should these hydrates accumulate, they can impede the passage of natural gas through valves and gathering systems. To reduce the occurrence of hydrates, small natural gas-fired heating units are typically installed along the gathering pipe wherever it is likely that hydrates may form.

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Risk - Measure of likelihood of occurrence of an undesirable event and of potentially adverse consequences. james e van blaricum




Since World War II, petroleum has replaced coal as the United States’ leading source of energy. Petroleum supplies more than 39 percent of the energy used in the United States. (Coal supplies 22 percent of our energy needs, and natural gas supplies 23 percent.)( james e van blaricum )

Permeable - Cracks and pore spaces between the rock particles (such as porous sandstone or fractured limestone) are interconnected and are large enough to permit fluid movement.

james e van blaricum

Natural gas storage plays a vital role in maintaining the reliability of supply needed to meet the demands of consumers. Historically, when natural gas was a regulated commodity, storage was part of the bundled product sold by the pipelines to distribution utilities. This all changed in 1992 with the introduction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order 636, which opened up the natural gas market to deregulation. Essentially, this meant that where natural gas storage was required prior to Order 636 for the operational requirements of the pipelines in meeting the needs of the utilities, it is now available to anyone seeking storage for commercial purposes or operational requirements. Storage used to serve only as a buffer between transportation and distribution, to ensure adequate supplies of natural gas were in place for seasonal demand shifts, and unexpected demand surges. Now, in addition to serving those purposes, natural gas storage is also used by industry participants for commercial reasons; storing gas when prices are low, and withdrawing and selling it when prices are high, for instance. The purpose and use of storage has been closely linked to the regulatory environment of the time. signal oil and gas company





The key to success is penetration of reactive acid along the fracture. This is more difficult to achieve in acid fraccing than in propped fractures (the other main form of frac treatment). Acid penetration is particularly important in low permeability carbonates which are frequently subject to scaling where small fractures meet larger fractures. Acid fracturing methods which can achieve deep acid penetration offer tremendous potential to solve scaling problems [13].( james van blaricum )


Deethanizer - this step separates the ethane from the NGL stream.

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The report analyzes natural gas demand, supply, and transmission in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The demand analysis provides an understanding of the economic and environmental determinants of natural gas consumption to estimate how the various sectors respond to different gas price regimes. The supply analysis develops a basin-by-basin supply picture, and examines potential new sources of supply such as liquefied natural gas and Arctic gas. The transmission portion of the report provides an extensive review of existing and planned infrastructure in North America emphasizing, among other things, the need to maintain the current infrastructure and to ensure its reliability. signal oil & gas company




Production casing, alternatively called the ‘oil string’ or ‘long string’, is installed last and is the deepest section of casing in a well. This is the casing that provides a conduit from the surface of the well to the petroleum producing formation. The size of the production casing depends on a number of considerations, including the lifting equipment to be used, the number of completions required, and the possibility of deepening the well at a later time. For example, if it is expected that the well will be deepened at a later date, then the production casing must be wide enough to allow the passage of a drill bit later on.( james e van blaricum )

Carbon Monoxide (CO) - Chemical compound of carbon and oxygen.

james e van blaricum

Reserves: Proven - Reserves which on available evidence are virtually certain to be technically and economically producible. james van blaricum





Mercaptans - Strong-smelling compounds of carbon, hydrogen and sulphur found in oil and gas. Added to natural gas for safety reasons.( james van blaricum )


For example, if a damaged zone extends 6 inches into a formation and the damaged permeability is only 5% of the undamaged permeability, the affected well will only produce 30% of the production of an undamaged well. Removal of the damage will therefore result in a 3.3-fold increase in production rate .

james van blaricum
Of course, the result of increasing natural gas prices has been increased residential heating bills, increased fuel costs to electric generators using natural gas, and decreasedcompetitiveness of U.S. industries that rely on natural gas.Given the effect of higher natural gas prices on consumers’budgets and on firms’ competitiveness, consumers, businesspeople, and policymakers are asking what has led to theincrease in North American natural gas prices. james e van blaricum




Oligocene - Third division of Tertiary period spanning an interval from about 40 to 25 million years ago.( signal oil & gas company )

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Colourless, odourless, and slightly acid-tasting gas, sometimes-called carbonic acid gas, molecule of which consists of one atom of carbon joined to two atoms of oxygen. Carbon dioxide in atmosphere tends to prevent escape of outgoing long-wave radiation from Earth to outer space; as more heat is produced and less escapes, temperature of Earth increases. Most important man-made greenhouse gas in UK accounting for 81% of direct global warming potential from national greenhouse emissions in 1990.

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Coiled tubing - Used to carry production tubing to bottom of well. signal oil & gas company





Subsalt - Refers to rock formations lying beneath long, horizontal layers of salt. These rock formations may contain hydrocarbons.( signal oil and gas company )


Does it make a difference what car I drive? - More fuel-efficient vehicles can save gasoline. A highly fuel-efficient vehicle could potentially cut gasoline use in half or more. How much depends on the vehicle and driving habits and needs. If a less fuel-efficient car requires 20 gallons of gasoline a week compared with 10 gallons for a highly fuel-efficient vehicle, more than 500 gallons of gasoline could be saved annually.

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Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) - Acts as a precursor in formation of sulphate aerosols which, unlike greenhouse gases, have a net negative radiative forcing effect and tend to cool Earth’s surface. signal oil and gas company



In addition to inspection with pigs, there are a number of safety precautions and procedures in place to minimize the risk of accidents. In fact, the transportation of natural gas is one of the safest ways of transporting energy, mostly due to the fact that the infrastructure is fixed, and buried underground. According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), pipelines are the safest method of transporting petroleum and natural gas. While there are in excess of 100 deaths per year associated with electric transmission lines, according to the DOT’s Office of Pipeline Safety in 2001, there were 2 deaths associated with transmission pipelines, and 5 deaths associated with distribution systems.( james van blaricum )


Tertiary Recovery - Recovery of hydrocarbons from a reservoir by sophisticated methods, for example, heating reservoir or enlarging pore spaces using chemicals. (see also Primary and Secondary Recovery)

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Although research has improved the odds since Edwin Drake’s days, petroleum exploration today is still a gamble. Geologists study underground rock formations to find areas that might yield oil. Still, even with advanced methods, only about 33 in every 100 exploratory wells have oil. The rest come up “dry.” james e van blaricum



The Downstream Segment includes the nation’s 144 refineries, which process more than 17 million barrels of crude oil every day. This segment also includes transporting petroleum products by tanker trucks from thousands of local terminals to the approximately 167,500 service stations across the United States, and the ownership and operation of those retail outlets.( james e van blaricum )


The acid fluid-loss mechanism is more complex than that of non-reactive fluids. In addition to diffusive leak off into the formation, flowing acid leaks off dynamically by dissolving the rock and producing wormholes. Wormholes are very detrimental in fracture acidizing [13]. They greatly increase the effective surface area from which leak off occurs and are believed to affect acid fluid loss adversely. Acid leaks off predominantly from wormhole tips rather than the fracture face. As wormholing and excessive leak-off occur, the leak-off rate exceeds the pump rate, and a positive net fracturing pressure cannot be maintained to keep the fracture open. At this point in the treatment, which may be as soon as 6 minutes after starting to pump acid, the fracture extension slows or stops.

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Turbine compressors gain their energy by using up a small proportion of the natural gas that they compress. The turbine itself serves to operate a centrifugal compressor, which contains a type of fan that compresses and pumps the natural gas through the pipeline. Some compressor stations are operated by using an electric motor to turn the same type of centrifugal compressor. This type of compression does not require the use of any of the natural gas from the pipe, however it does require a reliable source of electricity nearby. Reciprocating natural gas engines are also used to power some compressor stations. These engines resemble a very large automobile engine, and are powered by natural gas from the pipeline. The combustion of the gas powers pistons on the outside of the engine, which serves to compress the natural gas. james van blaricum



Americans use almost 17 million barrels of oil (more than 700 million gallons) every day of the year. And experts say we will be using more and more oil, especially for transportation, in the coming years. Even now, we use almost 13 percent more oil for transportation than we did in 1973 when the first oil crisis hit the United States. This is true even though today’s automobiles get more than 1.5 times as many miles to the gallon as their 1970s counterparts. There are 50 percent more vehicles on the road today than in the 1970s. Today we use about two out of every three barrels of oil to keep us on the move.( signal oil and gas company )


Constructing natural gas pipelines requires a great deal of planning and preparation. In addition to actually building the pipeline, several permitting and regulatory processes must be completed. To learn more about the regulation of pipelines and their construction, click here. In many cases, prior to beginning the permitting and land access processes, natural gas pipeline companies prepare a feasibility analysis to ensure that an acceptable route for the pipeline exists that provides the least impact to the environment and public infrastructure already in place.

james van blaricum
Compensator - Keeps drill-sting stationary while semi-submersible and derrick move. signal oil and gas company



Salt cavern storage facilities are primarily located along the Gulf Coast, as well as in the northern states, and are best suited for peak load storage. Salt caverns are typically much smaller than depleted gas reservoirs and aquifers, in fact underground salt caverns usually take up only one one-hundredth of the acreage taken up by a depleted gas reservoir. As such, salt caverns cannot hold the volume of gas necessary to meet base load storage requirements. However, deliverability from salt caverns is typically much higher than for either aquifers or depleted reservoirs. Therefore natural gas stored in a salt cavern may be more readily (and quickly) withdrawn, and caverns may be replenished with natural gas more quickly than in either of the other types of storage facilities. Moreover, salt caverns can readily begin flowing gas on as little as one hour’s notice, which is useful in emergency situations or during unexpected short term demand surges. Salt caverns may also be replenished more quickly than other types of underground storage facilities.( signal oil & gas company )


What’s the single best thing I can do to save gasoline? - Combine trips. Plan well and be sensible about how much you drive. Conserve by avoiding unnecessary trips, combining errands, and carpooling.

james e van blaricum
In addition to water, oil, and NGL removal, one of the most important parts of gas processing involves the removal of sulfur and carbon dioxide. Natural gas from some wells contains significant amounts of sulfur and carbon dioxide. This natural gas, because of the rotten smell provided by its sulfur content, is commonly called ’sour gas’. Sour gas is undesirable because the sulfur compounds it contains can be extremely harmful, even lethal, to breathe. Sour gas can also be extremely corrosive. In addition, the sulfur that exists in the natural gas stream can be extracted and marketed on its own. In fact, according to the USGS, U.S. sulfur production from gas processing plants accounts for about 15 percent of the total U.S. production of sulfur. signal oil & gas company



Natural gas is a fossil fuel. Like oil and coal, this means that it is, essentially, the remains of plants and animals and microorganisms that lived millions and millions of years ago. But how do these once living organisms become an inanimate mixture of gases?( signal oil & gas company )


Closed-in - Descriptive of a well that is capable of producing, but is not currently producing.

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Aromatics - Class of hydrocarbons that have at least one benzene ring as part of their structure. Generally describes benzene and benzene derivatives. signal oil & gas company



Constructing natural gas pipelines requires a great deal of planning and preparation. In addition to actually building the pipeline, several permitting and regulatory processes must be completed. To learn more about the regulation of pipelines and their construction, click here. In many cases, prior to beginning the permitting and land access processes, natural gas pipeline companies prepare a feasibility analysis to ensure that an acceptable route for the pipeline exists that provides the least impact to the environment and public infrastructure already in place.( signal oil and gas company )


As stated in (4.a.) above, removal of near well bore damage can result in significant stimulation, by say three-fold. Treatment normally involves injecting 15% HCl followed by a sufficient afterflush of water or hydrocarbon to clear all acid from well tubulars. A corrosion inhibitor is added to the acid to protect tubulars during exposure to acid. Other additives, such as anti-sludge agents, iron chelating agents, de-emulsifiers and mutual solvents are added as required for a specific formation.

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Mineral Extraction Allowance (MEA) - Expenditure on mineral exploration and access and certain costs in acquiring mineral assets may be relieved by way of MEA. james e van blaricum



Associated Gas - Natural gas associated with oil accumulations, either dissolved in oil or found as a cap of free gas above oil in reservoir.( james van blaricum )


The first instance of natural gas successfully being stored underground occurred in Weland County, Ontario, Canada, in 1915. This storage facility used a depleted natural gas well that had been reconditioned into a storage field. In the United States, the first storage facility was developed just south of Buffalo, New York. By 1930, there were nine storage facilities in six different states. Prior to 1950, virtually all natural gas storage facilities were in depleted reservoirs.

james e van blaricum
Scientific research allowances (SRA) - Whether of a capital nature or otherwise (costs of exploration work) qualifies for full write-off as incurred. james van blaricum



Exploration expenditure - All costs, including premium payments, associated with acquisition of new acreage, drilling of exploratory wells and other costs incurred in evaluating commercial viability of geological entities.( james e van blaricum )


Annex B - Development plan approval to develop and produce from a commercial field.

james van blaricum
Pipelines are produced in steel mills, which are sometimes specialized to produce only pipeline. There are two different production techniques, one for small diameter pipes and one for large diameter pipes. For large diameter pipes, from 20 to 42 inches in diameter, the pipes are produced from sheets of metal which are folded into a tube shape, with the ends welded together to form a pipe section. Small diameter pipe, on the other hand, can be produced seamlessly. This involves heating a metal bar to very high temperatures, then punching a hole through the middle of the bar to produce a hollow tube. In either case, the pipe is tested before being shipped from the steel mill, to ensure that it can meet the pressure and strength standards for transporting natural gas. signal oil and gas company