Apr. 20 was the sixth anniversary of the Macondo deepwater well blowout and oil spill. The Center for Biological Diversity marked the occasion by suing the US Department of the Interior for allegedly failing to meaningfully revise procedures for authorizing offshore oil and gas activity, including outright elimination of categorical exclusions. Source: News
Independents see problems in BLM venting, flaring proposal
The Independent Petroleum Association of America and three other associations representing US independent oil and gas producers jointly urged the US Bureau of Land Management to withdraw its proposed venting and flaring rule. Source: News
NATO developing energy security role
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has begun establishing a separate mechanism for addressing the energy security of its European members. Source: News
Affordability matters
Canadians soon will learn something Europeans already know and Americans should heed: Once they’re imposed, the costs of climate precaution only rise. Source: News
Multilaterals extend well-life offshore Thailand
Weatherford International Ltd. helped design and install a four-well multilateral (ML) in Bualuang field offshore Thailand, converting existing wellbores into MLs quickly and at low risk. ML technology eliminated the need for new wellheads and additional platform slots, avoiding significant additional drilling costs. Source: News
Statoil operating Gullfaks, Asgard subsea compression systems
Statoil and its partners have brought on stream two different subsea compression systems in Gullfaks and Asgard fields offshore Norway, marking the first deployment of subsea compression technology to extend the life of gas fields and boost recovery rates. Source: News
Droning on…
At this writing, the news and technology editors at Oil & Gas Journal were yet to hold their annual pre-Offshore Technology Conference staff meeting to discuss a coverage strategy. Source: News
Flow simulations solve WHRSG vibration issues
Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has used computational fluid dynamics (CFD), an analytical simulation tool for studying fluid mechanics, to determine possible causes of and solutions to flow-induced vibrations (FIVs) in a waste heat-recovery steam generator (WHRSG) of the residue fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) unit at its 53,000-b/d Capuava refinery (Recap) in Mauá, São Paulo, Brazil. […]
TAPI pipeline progresses, but future uncertain
The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline has progressed, but its future remains uncertain. Four major events have marked TAPI’s progress. Source: News
New York State’s DEC denies water permit for Constitution Pipeline
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) denied a water-quality certificate required for construction of the proposed Constitution natural gas pipeline, saying it failed to meet the Empire State’s water-quality standards. Source: News