Abstract: Method and system for ongoing monitoring for underground structure at or near a production wellpad is provided. The system includes a sparse acquisition grid and utilizes information obtained from Rayleigh waves to monitor subsurface structures.

Abstract: The invention is directed to delayed gelation agents comprising a degradable polymeric cage containing therein one or more gelation agents. The cage degrades in situ, e.g., in an oil reservoir, thus releasing the gelation agent(s), which can then crosslink second polymers in situ to form a gel.

Abstract: A plug for Plug and Abandonment (P&A) operations and methods of installation and use. The plug is a two-part plug of bismuth-based alloy and resin, allowing for sealing of an oil well using two different mechanisms with a shorter plug.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a particularly effective well configuration that can be used for steam-drive based oil recovery methods. Fishbone multilateral wells are combined with steam drive, effectively allowing drive processes to be used where previously the reservoir lacked sufficient injectivity to allow steam drive or cyclic steam based methods.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a method of calculating fluid distribution from a hydraulically fractured well, especially during a plug-and-perf hydraulic fracturing operation. The Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data is used to quantify the fluid distribution in separate perf clusters during fracturing, and the result can be used for completion design and optimization, hydraulic fracturing, and ultimately for oil and gas production.

Abstract: A method for determining an optimal radio frequency to break an emulsion comprises: analyzing an oil and water interface of an emulsion; defining the oil and water interface at a molecular level; simulating oscillation of molecules at the oil and water interface under different radio frequencies; and determining an optimal radio frequency to break the emulsion.

Abstract: An apparatus for correcting for deviation of an ambient magnetic field direction from a reference direction in a marine environment includes: an instrument assembly vessel configured to move through the marine environment; an inertial reference direction device disposed on the instrument assembly vessel and configured to measure a deviation of an aiming direction of the instrument assembly vessel from the reference direction; a reference magnetic compass disposed on the instrument assembly vessel and configured to measure a direction of the ambient magnetic field direction with respect to the aiming direction of the instrument assembly vessel and to transmit the measured direction; and a processor configured to receive the measured deviation and the measured direction and to calculate the deviation of the ambient magnetic field direction from the reference direction using the received measured deviation and direction.

Abstract: A method of monitoring hydraulic fracturing using DAS sensors in a treatment well and/or observation well is described. The raw data is transformed using a low pass filter (?0.05 Hz) and down-sampled to show the signal as the stimulation progresses. The resulting data can be used to optimize the hydraulic fracturing or improve reservoir models for other reservoirs.

Abstract: Producing hydrocarbons by steam assisted gravity drainage, more particularly utilizing conventional horizontal wellpair configuration of SAGD in conjunction of infill production wells the production wells comprising two or more fishbone lateral wells to inject steam initially and then switch to NCG-steam coinjection after establishing thermal communication between the thermal chamber and infill well.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of marine 3D seismic data acquisition that do not require compensation for winds and currents.

Abstract: A method of forming a mudline cellar includes positioning a mudline cellar forming member on a seafloor surface. The mudline cellar forming member includes an outer surface and an inner surface that defines an inner cavity. The method further includes driving the mudline cellar forming member into the seafloor surface, and excavating the inner cavity of the mudline forming member to establish the mudline cellar.

Abstract: Systems and methods contain fluids discharged from a subsea well or at the surface by capping the well blowout with a pre-positioned capping device. The capping device includes at least one blind shear ram and is separate from a blowout preventer. The blowout preventer may operate to control well events up to a certain pressure, above which the capping device is employed since the capping device has a higher pressure rating than the blowout preventer.

Abstract: An offshore structure includes an original structure and an extension structure. The original structure includes a main platform supported via a foundation on a seabed. The extension structure includes a platform extension positioned laterally of the main platform and a platform extension support, depending downwardly from the platform extension, into contact with the foundation, so as to support the extension structure directly on the foundation.

Abstract: A method for accelerating the decision making process for reservoir risk management is described. In particular, an ensemble based decisions and filter are used to quickly compare different information scenarios to determine the best strategy for developing a hydrocarbon-containing reservoir.

Abstract: A plunger lift system that uses a linear induction motor instead of gas or fluid pressure to lift the plunger. Electrical voltage is applied to electromagnets installed along the tubing of a wellbore that will induce magnets contained within a special plunger that is introduced inside the tubing to move it and allow it to lift liquids with a piston-like action. The electromotive force may be adjusted by varying the applied voltage as needed to lift the column of liquid from the wellbore or the current reversed to accelerate and optimize plunger descent.

Abstract: Methods and systems generate steam for injection in a well to facilitate oil recovery. Water is preheated at a central processing facility, transported to a well pad by hot water lines, and converted to steam by a steam generator at the well pad.

Abstract: Novel proppants, proppant mixes and proppant slurries comprising a diamagnetic polymeric proppant that exhibits induced paramagnetism in an AC field is used to prop hydraulic fractures, and the paramagnetism used to assess fracture width, depth, connectivity, branching and the like. Fracturing methods are also provided, together with fracture assessment and imaging methods.

Abstract: Systems and methods compute dysfunctions via mapping of tri-axial accelerations of drill pipe into drill-string motions. The methods remove gravitational and centripetal accelerations to yield corrected acceleration data due to the vibration only, transform the corrected acceleration data, and maps resulting transformed acceleration data into continuous drill-string positions. The maps provide 2D/3D visualization of drill-string motions to enable real-time optimization and control of well drilling operations and other scenarios where proactive detection of temporal events in automated systems may aid in avoiding failures.

Abstract: Methods of analyzing and optimizing a seismic survey design are described. Specifically, the sampling quality is analyzed as opposed to the overall quality of the whole survey. This allows for analysis of the impact of the offsets, obstacles, and other aspects of the survey on the sampling quality, which will improve the ability to compress the resulting data and minimize acquisition footprints.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to natural gas and methylotrophic energy generation, bio-generated fuels and microbiology. In alternative embodiments, the invention provides nutrient amendments and microbial compositions that are both specifically optimized to stimulate methanogenesis, or “methylotrophic” conversion. Additionally, the invention provides methods to develop nutrient amendments and microbial compositions that are both specifically optimized to stimulate methanogenesis in a given reservoir. The invention also provides methods for the evaluation of potentially damaging biomass formation and scale precipitation resulting from the addition of nutrient amendments. In another embodiment, the invention provides methods for simulating biogas in sub-surface conditions using a computational model.