What are the five periodic stages in oil and gas exploration and production?
Field discovery, field evaluation, field development, field production, field abandonment
Describe the principle of a seismic investigation briefly?
✓ A seismic survey involves sending acoustic energy into the ground by producing a shock wave (seismic wave 80 Hz).
✓ The seismic wave travels into the earth, and the reflected sound is captured and converted into an electrical impulse.
✓ The electrical impulse-captured by geophones are transmitted to be processed in high-performance computers.
What are the main types of natural gas traps?
Stratigraphic Traps Structural traps
1. Anticline Traps
2. Fault Traps
3. Salt domes Traps
What does it the term migration of hydrocarbon mean?
✓ The movement of hydrocarbons out of their source rock. ✓ Migration typically occurs from a structurally low area to a higher area in the subsurface because of the relative buoyancy of hydrocarbons in comparison to the surrounding rock.
What are the main rock properties that affect the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbon
Permeability and porosity
Why is shale gas considered to be more expensive to extract comparing with other NG sources?
• Deep an impermeable rock
• Fracturing require more water
An assembly of pipes and valves sits on top of a producing gas well to control the flow of gas is known as:
X-tree or Blowout Preventer (BOP) valve
The process of using pressurised liquids to help to extract oil and gas from underground rock strata is commonly known as:
Hydro-fracturing
What is a drilling Casing, and why is needed?
It is a steal pipe assembled and inserted into a recently drilled section of a borehole and typically held into place with cement.
Name the typical casing types?
✓ Conductor casing: It is the initial stable structural foundation for a well.
✓ Surface casing: o It protects fresh-water aquifers onshore o It provides minimal pressure integrity, and thus enables a diverter or perhaps even a blowout preventer (BOP) to be mounted.
✓ Intermediate casing (optional) Intermediate casing is set to isolate: o Unstable hole sections o Lost-circulation zones o Low-pressure zones Production casing
What does the term cementing mean in oil and gas drilling?
Cementing is the displacement of cement slurry down the casing, tubing or drill pipe to a pre-specified point in the well
What are the primary benefits of (casing cementing) in drilling oil and gas wells?
✓ To bond and support the casing.
✓ To protect the casing from corrosion or erosion.
✓ To restrict fluid movements.
✓ To protect the casing from shock loads during drilling of next zone.
What is drilling fluid? Also, what is its main composition?
it is a high viscous slurry consists primarily of water or non-aqueous fluid mixed with
o barite (BaSO4)
o bentonite clays
Why is mud used as a drilling fluid?
✓ Cooling by reducing friction and heat.
✓ Lubrication of the pipe and the bit.
✓ Carrying out the drill cuttings.
✓ To prevent circulation loses.
✓ To suppress high formation pressures and prevent blowouts
What are the standard drilling techniques used in the extraction of oil and gas?
Conventional vertical Drilling: To extract the oil from a single reservoir
Conventional Horizontal Drilling: Oil and natural gas can be extracted from a wider area with fewer wells and less surface excavation. This technology only can be useful in certain locations.
Multilateral Drilling Sometimes oil and natural gas reservoir are located in separate layers. Multilateral drilling allows the extraction of hydrocarbons from several reservoirs with one well drilling. This dramatically increases productivity and reduce drilling costs. Complex path drilling: To avoid geological obstacles Hydraulic fracturing: To extract natural gas from shale rock. The process involves horizontal drilling and the injection of water, sand and chemicals at high pressures to fracture the sale rock and release hydrocarbons.
Name three drilling’s problems might encounter the drilling process?
Kick, loss of circulation and pipe stuck
Describe briefly Hydraulic Fracturing?
”Fracing” is a way of opening-up or ”loosening” a reservoir by applying high hydraulic pressure (often in combination with special solvents) and then fill the open spaces with a porous material like sand. This creates improved flow paths for oil, gas, water etc out of the reservoir and into the well (creating ”artificial porosity”
What are the main types of Oil and Gas Rigs?
Jack-up has a floating hull with retractable legs which can be jacked down to the seabed.
Semi-submersible is not bottom-supported, but it is designed to float. It can be moved from place to another.
Drillships are used to drill the well in deep water. It can move between locations at high speed compared to semi-submersible rigs.
Conventional rigs ✓ Small land rigs ✓ Medium land rigs ✓ Large land rigs
Mobile Rigs Portable
What is the difference between drilling fluids and formation fluids?
Drilling fluids used inside the wellbore to lubricate, cool the drilling bit, and to remove the fragments.
Drilling formation:
Freshwater
Hydrocarbons
Other geological formation
Last changeda year ago