The array of papers received for review this year covers a wide spectrum, both in applications and research, which indicates that the exploration and production (E&P) industry is actively working to monetize high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) reservoirs.
The pandemic has already put an indelible mark on the industry during the past 2 years. The present geopolitical scenario is posing a serious challenge to countries’ energy security. The oil and gas sector is confronted with the biggest task in society—addressing climate change. The E&P sector is going to face stiff challenges in the coming days, with the word “petroleum” being substituted by the word “energy” to cover wider possibilities. Eminent actions are distinctly visible in the strategic planning of fossil fuel companies and the capital-expenditure investments in the E&P sector. Companies are shifting priorities toward diversification, resilience, and decarbonization.
Safety continues to dominate HP/HT operations and will do so in the future with more-stringent measures and compliances. Cost-effective technology solutions blanketing the entire domain of HP/HT activities will provide exploitation on a sustainable basis with collaboration between industry and academia.
While reviewing the papers, every attempt was made to provide a fair representation that cuts across the HP/HT domain to show the reader what is happening in the industry, both in the field as well as in research, over different geographical locations. Several of these case studies presented inspiration tied to the indomitable human spirit that can overcome challenges through innovation.
This Month’s Technical Papers
Study Investigates Casing Wear in the Culzean Field
Wireline Logging Operation Uses Water-Based Drilling Fluid in HP/HT Gulf of Mexico Well
Combined Mud-Cooling, MPD Techniques Enable HP/HT Drilling in Egypt
Recommended Additional Reading
SPE 210702 An Integrated Approach in Pore-Pressure Prediction Contributes to Drilling Success of an HP/HT Wildcat Well in the South China Sea by Lijun Guan, CNOOC, et al.
SPE 209865 Challenges of an HP/HT Completion Design With Extreme H2S and CO2 in a Carbonate Gas Development by C.W. Graham Grant, PTT Exploration and Production, et al.
OTC 31051 HP/HT Subsea Connector Verification and Validation Using an API 17TR8 Methodology by Barry Stewart, TechnipFMC, et al.
SPE 210543 Bridging the Gap: Highly Depleted Reservoir Entry in a Mature HP/HT Field by Michael Cadd, Shell, et al.
SPE 211735 Innovative Solutions to Subsurface Challenges in Deep Hard-Rock High-Temperature Slim Wells by Khalifa Omair Wahshi, Petroleum Development Oman, et al.
Santanu Das, SPE, is an exploration and production professional at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in India. He has 34 years of upstream industry experience both offshore and onshore. Das holds an honors engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, and has completed the management senior program. He has worked in various domains of the industry, including offshore processing, well services, hydraulic fracturing, and acid stimulation. Das has held leading positions in various domains, including deep high-pressure/high-temperature, unconventional, and shallow low-temperature reservoirs. He is a member of the JPT Editorial Review Board.
