Abstract: A method for converting well drilling cuttings that carry petroleum hydrocarbons to an environmentally friendly humus-like product wherein salt, if present, is washed therefrom, the washed cuttings mixed with a feedstock having a carbon and nitrogen content sufficient to encourage a biopile composting reaction, forming an environmentally acceptable plant growth enhancing humus-like product by continuing the biopile composting reaction until (1) the biopile is reduced in weight and/or volume to a total biopile weight and/or volume that approaches the original weight and/or volume of the drill cuttings before the feedstock was added thereto, and (2) the total petroleum hydrocarbon content of the biopile is reduced to an environmentally friendly level for spreading on the earth's surface.

Abstract: A method for treating a gas well to prevent any fresh water, which may have condensed out of the gas stream, from damaging the gas producing formation during the shut-in period. The well is shut-in and then an additive, e.g. a salt, alcohol, etc., is injected into the well to convert any accumulated fresh water into an aqueous solution which will not damage the formation. The additive can be injected in solid form or as a solution.

Abstract: A method for efficiently producing, transporting, offloading, storing and distributing a natural gas to a marketplace. The method comprising producing the natural gas from a first subterranean formation, liquefying the natural gas to produce a liquefied natural gas, transporting the liquefied natural gas to a re-gasification platform, offloading and pressurizing the liquefied natural gas, re-gasifying the liquefied natural gas to produce a re-gasified natural gas, and injecting the re-gasified natural gas into a second subterranean formation which is capable of storing natural gas and producing a product natural gas stream therefrom and transporting the product natural gas stream via a distribution system to a marketplace.

Abstract: A method and a tandem spacer consisting of an aqueous lead spacer fluid and an aqueous tail spacer fluid for displacing a drilling fluid from an annular space in a wellbore with a cement slurry is disclosed. The aqueous lead spacer fluid and the aqueous tail spacer fluid are formulated to minimize mixing between a displaced drilling fluid and a cement slurry and to clean contaminants from the annular space.

Abstract: A method for replacing an old drive pipe in a slot on an offshore platform. The old drive pipe is first cut to provide an upper portion and a stub portion which remains firmly embedded in said marine bottom. Next, a guide cable is affixed to the stub portion of the old drive pipe and extends to the platform. The upper portion is then retrieved to the surface. A new drive pipe which carries a whipstock at its lower end is then made-up and lowered over the guide cable until the whipstock engages the stub portion where the new drive pipe is then diverted by the whipstock into a different path from that of the old drive pipe.

Abstract: A method and composition for removing deposits of heavy hydrocarbonaceous materials and finely divided inorganic particulate matter from wellbore and flowline surfaces using a composition containing an alkyl polyglycoside, an ethoxylated alcohol, a caustic and an alkyl alcohol.

Abstract: A computer system and method of operating the same to optimize the operating conditions of a petroleum production field, in which a plurality of wells are arranged according to drill sites, and connected to one or more central processing facilities, is disclosed. In this disclosed embodiment, gas compression capacity is a significant constraint on the operation of the complex production field, and surface line hydraulic effects of well production are to be considered in the optimization. A genetic algorithm is used to generate, and iteratively evaluate solution vectors, which are combinations of field operating parameters such as incremental gas-oil ratio cutoff and formation gas-oil ratio cutoff values. The evaluation includes the operation of an adaptive network to determine production header pressures, followed by modification of well output estimates to account for changes in the production header pressure.

Abstract: A computer system (30) and method of operating the same to analyze well log data so as to distinguish fractures from drilling artifacts, such as caves, washouts, and breakouts, is disclosed. According to the disclosed system and method, a Stoneley wave well log obtained at a plurality of depths is analyzed at a low and a high frequency, to generate a low frequency reflection coefficient trace over depth and a high frequency reflection coefficient trace over depth. Comparison of these reflection coefficient traces with one another will indicate whether a reflecting feature includes a fracture (as indicated by good low frequency response) or a cave, washout, or other artifact (as indicated by good high frequency response), or both. The particular methods disclosed include the generation of the reflection coefficient traces through back-projection stacking of deconvolved impulse traces at both frequencies, and applying and evaluating an envelope function to the stacked traces.

Abstract: An aqueous gelable composition containing an organic, water soluble polymer cross-linkable with a multivalent cation and a retarded cross-linking system consisting essentially of chromium trichloride and monosodium glutamate and a method for reducing the permeability of the subterranean formation using the composition.

Abstract: A method for determining a relative clay content of at least a portion of a well core taken from a subterranean geologic formation by: determining the relationship of the clay content of the well core portion to the dielectric constant of the well core portion at a selected frequency at relatively few locations over a substantial length of the well core portion by measuring the clay content by a clay determination test such as x-ray diffraction, thin section analysis, sieve analysis or laser particle analysis and the dielectric constant at the locations; and, measuring the dielectric constant of the well core portion at a large plurality of spaced apart other locations on the well core portion at the selected frequency; translating the large plurality of dielectric measurements according to the relationship into relative clay content measurements. The dielectric constant is representative of the water constant of the well core portion, which is related to the clay content of the well core portion.

Abstract: An improved process for the compression and heating of air or oxygen-enriched air for charging to an autothermal reactor by using a single high compression ratio compressor to produce a high-pressure, high-temperature air or oxygen-enriched air stream for mixture with a hydrocarbon gas stream to produce a charge stream to an autothermal reactor at an elevated pressure above about 350 psig and at an elevated temperature from about 700 to about 900.degree. F.

Abstract: A method and system for producing hydrocarbons from a low permeability formation through a well wherein the formation is first fractured with steam. The pressure of the produced fluids is measured at timed intervals and signals representative of these measurements are inputted into a computer which, in turn, calculates the rate of change in the pressure and compares this rate to a preferred limit of rate change. When the limit is exceeded, the computer outputs a signal to adjust a control value in the production line to keep the rate of pressure decrease within the preferred limit. When production drops below a certain level, the control valve is fully opened to "bump" the well and allow the pressure to increase to a new maximum. This new maximum pressure is then used to set a new preferred limit of pressure rate change.

Abstract: A gel-breaking/gel-inhibiting composition containing at least one carboxylic acid or salt thereof is dispersed in a hydrophobic carrier fluid to break down a cross-linked polymer gel or inhibit the gelation of a polymer gel used in plugging in permeable subterranean formations containing oil-bearing zones and water-bearing zones. The composition may be used to selectively restore permeability to oil-bearing zones in formations containing a cross-linked polymer gel or to inhibit gelation in an oil-bearing zone by injection into the oil-bearing zone prior to or after treatment of the formation containing the oil-bearing zone with an aqueous polymer solution.

Abstract: The present invention is directed generally toward a method of processing seismic data to provide improved quantification and visualization of subtle seismic thin bed tuning effects and other sorts of lateral rock discontinuities. A reflection from a thin bed has a characteristic expression in the frequency domain that is indicative of the thickness of the bed: the reflection has a periodic sequence of notches in its amplitude spectrum, with the notches being spaced a distance apart that is inversely proportional to the temporal thickness of the thin bed. Further, this characteristic expression may be used to track thin bed reflections through a 3-D volume and estimate their thicknesses and lateral extent. The usefulness of this invention is enhanced by a novel method of frequency domain whitening that emphasizes the geologic information present within the spectrum.

Abstract: A method and composition for removing deposits of heavy hydrocarbonaceous materials and finely divided inorganic particulate matter from wellbore and flowline surfaces using a composition containing an alkyl polyglycoside, an ethoxylated alcohol, a caustic and an alkyl alcohol.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for recovering methane from a solid carbonaceous subterranean formation having a production well in fluid communication with the formation and an injection well in fluid communication with the formation. In the method an oxygen-depleted effluent, produced by a cryogenic separator is injected into the formation through the injection well. A first methane-containing gaseous mixture is recovered from the formation through the production well-during at least a portion of the time the oxygen-depleted effluent is being injected into the formation. The first methane-containing gaseous mixture has a first methane-desorbing gas volume percent. The injection of oxygen-depleted effluent is ceased and thereafter a second methane-containing gaseous mixture is recovered from the formation which has a second methane-desorbing gas volume percent which is less than the first methane-desorbing gas volume percent.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for carrying out a downhole shut-in, pressure build-up test of a formation by lowering a string of coiled tubing having a pressure sensor and a packer thereon through the production tubing of the well. The packer is set to isolated the formation and the pressure is then measured by the pressure sensor. If the well is not flowing due to fluid standing in the wellbore, the well is first unloaded by flowing fluid down the coiled tubing to lift the fluid and reestablish flow into the well prior to setting the packer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for the exploration of hydrocarbons by obtaining a set of seismic signal traces distributed over a pre-determined three-dimensional volume of the earth and using a computer to: divide the three-dimensional volume into a plurality of vertically stacked and generally spaced apart horizontal slices; divide each of the slices into a plurality of cells having portions of at least three seismic traces located therein; measure the cross-correlation between one pair of traces lying in one vertical plane to obtain an in-line value and the cross-correlation between another pair of traces lying in another vertical plane to obtain a cross-line value; and combine the in-line value and the cross-line value to obtain one coherency value for each of the cells; and display the coherency values.

Abstract: Hydrotalcite-like clays, catalysts derived therefrom, and methods of hydrocarbon reforming using the catalyst are disclosed. The hydrotalcite-like clays, which may be calcined to form the catalyst, have the formula [M.sup.2+.sub.(1-x) M.sup.3+.sub.x (OH).sub.2 ].sup.x+ (A.sup.n-.sub.x/n).mH.sub.2 O at an elevated temperature for a time sufficient to decompose A and to dehydrate said compound, wherein M.sup.2+ comprises at least two species of metal ions having a valence of 2+ selected from the group consisting of Cu.sup.2+, Zn.sup.2+, Ni.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, provided that if M.sup.2+ comprises Mg.sup.2+ at least one of Zn.sup.2+ and Ni.sup.2+ is also present, wherein the atomic ratio of the total of Zn.sup.2+ and Mg.sup.2+ to the total of Cu.sup.2+ and Ni.sup.2+ is up to about 9, inclusive, wherein the total of Zn.sup.2+ and Mg.sup.2+ comprises at least about 5 wt. % of said M.sup.2+ metals; M.sup.3+ is at least one metal ion having a valence of 3+ selected from the group consisting of Al.sup.3+, Fe.sup.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method for migrating prestack seismic data that can yield enormous gains in computational efficiency for some classes of seismic velocity models. The method disclosed herein provides an method of rapidly calculating a 2-D or 3-D prestack migration of common offset seismic data volumes for horizontally layered velocity models. Additionally, because of the way that the migration is implemented, it is possible to calculate the migration operator using a very accurate wave transmission model with little increase in overall computer run time, i.e., a "full fidelity" migration. Broadly speaking, the instant invention is founded on the following novel observation: when the underlying velocity model consists of horizontally layered constant-velocity media, the prestack migration of a collection of common offset traces can be written as a convolution of a migration operator with the seismic data.