Emerson Exchange 365

Activity

Jim Cahill
- 20 Jun 2017
Reducing Storage Tank Thief Hatch Emissions

Regulations on emissions for process manufacturers and producers have continued to grow ever stringent. Storage tanks in oil and gas production sites account for a sizable percentage of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. To address these regulations, you may have seen last week’s news, New ultra-tight thief hatch reduces storage tank emissions, conserves tank contents . I caught up with Emerson’s...
Jim Cahill
- 31 May 2017
Smart Vapor Recovery for Oil & Gas Production Process Emissions

The Schlumberger Oil Field Glossary defines a stock tanks : A storage tank for oil production after the oil has been treated. As oil is held in these stock tanks, residual natural gas and other vapors can flash off and collect above the liquid level. Vapor recovery is the process to collect, compress and prepare this gas to be used or sold and send the liquid condensates back to the liquids in the tank. In...
Jim Cahill
- 28 Apr 2017
Streamlining Oil & Gas Well Test Operations

The separation of oil, gas, produced water and sediments from producing oil & gas wells take place in production separators . Traditionally test separators were also installed to individually test the wells to determine their composition of these components. Technology advancements have opened up the opportunity to perform this multiphase measurement without the need for the test separator. In this short, 2-minute...
Jim Cahill
- 27 Apr 2017
Improving Project Performance with Dynamic Simulations and Operator Training Systems

Dynamic process simulations can be used across the lifecycle of a capital project from early verification studies of process designs to training the operators to prepare to operate the running facility. For offshore oil & gas production facilities these simulations are even more important given the remoteness, space limitations and transportation requirements for the project and operating teams. In an Offshore...
Jim Cahill
- 20 Apr 2017
Avoiding Missed Gas Volume Flow Measurements in Plunger Lift Wells

Measuring flow rates on producing gas wells can be difficult on plunger lift applications. The mechanical plungers are used to remove water slugs which build up and reduce production rates. When the plunger pulls up the well bore, the differential pressure (DP) flow measurement can spike beyond the range of the DP transmitter. This spike is caused by a surge in the flow of natural gas behind the plunger. This short...
Jim Cahill
- 13 Apr 2017
Reducing Oil & Gas Lost and Unaccounted for Production

In oil & gas production, lost and unaccounted for (LUAF) production is : …the difference of the physical inputs and the physical outputs of the pipeline system… A “LOSS” occurs whenever the physical inputs are greater than outputs of the pipeline system. Flow measurement is a critical component in measuring for losses and for accurate custody transfer. In this quick 2:35 Custody Transfer video...
Jim Cahill
- 11 Apr 2017
Improving Well Pad Lease Tank Oil Custody Transfer

Onshore oil & gas well pads have long used small lease tanks to hold the crude oil before transferring to be hauled away, typically by crude hauling trucks. Traditionally, this custody transfer process has involved operators climbing up the lease tanks, opening the thief hatch and using a measurement stick to manually gauge the level of the crude oil in the tank. This process subjects these operators to hazardous...
Jim Cahill
- 31 Mar 2017
Optimizing Well Production with Downhole Reservoir Monitoring

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is: …the largest event in the world for the oil and gas industry featuring more than 2,300 exhibitors, and attendees representing 100 countries. OTC 2017 will be held May 1-4 in Houston, Texas this year. With the excess supply conditions experience in oil & gas production, falling prices have meant a focus for producers on increasing efficiency. A recent NASDAQ article...
Jim Cahill
- 30 Mar 2017
5 Questions for Oil & Gas Industry Consultant Sudhir Jain

We continue our 5 Questions for an Emerson Expert podcast series with Sudhir Jain . Sudhir has vast experience in consulting with oil & gas upstream, midstream and downstream producers as well as many other process industries. He shares his path to where he’s at today, a recent challenge he’s faced working with an offshore oil & gas producer, what he enjoys outside of work, and advice for new control...
Jim Cahill
- 7 Mar 2017
Looking Forward in the Oil & Gas Service Sector

At CERAWeek 2017 , Emerson executive president, Mike Train joined a panel to discuss ways for energy service sector companies to effectively navigate a path forward after several difficult years. Here is the abstract of the session: The extreme focus of IOCs and NOCs on reducing costs, simplifying designs, and improving operating efficiency has forced service sector companies to rethink their own business models. Many...
Jim Cahill
- 21 Feb 2017
Advances in Oil and Gas Produced Fluids Multiphase Measurement

It’s encouraging to see the comeback in shale oil & gas production here in the U.S. Oil & gas producers have made great strides in lowering the costs of drilling, hydraulic fracturing & completion and ongoing well pad production. A recent CPI Financial article noted: Shale oil output in the US may grow sequentially by 600 thousand b/d from 4Q16 to 4Q17 on increased activity in oil rigs and fast...
Jim Cahill
- 10 Feb 2017
Under Pressure: New Developments in High-Pressure Chemical Injections

Over in LinkedIn, Emerson’s Travis Stone has posted part 3, Under Pressure: Emerson Announces a New Development in High Pressure Chemical Injections , in our series on improving chemical injection processes. These posts highlight the issues associated with underinjecting chemicals and the excessive costs associated with over injection. Optimimum rates of injection help assure piping integrity by inhibiting deposits...
Jim Cahill
- 25 Jan 2017
Offshore Overdose: How Chemical Injection Systems Can Affect Your Bottom Line

Author: Edward Bourke The failure to maintain accurate control over your chemical injection program can have a substantial impact on your profitability. Flow assurance is essential in oil and gas production, and chemical injection treatments help you achieve that by mitigating threats posed by hydrates, corrosion, scale, wax, asphaltenes and emulsions. With insufficient chemical injections, these risks can impair...
Jim Cahill
- 12 Jan 2017
Multiphase Flow Measurement for Oil and Gas Well Pads

In oil and gas production well pads and offshore platforms, separators perform the work of breaking out the oil, gas and water into separate component streams. Test separators have historically taken flows from individual wells, known as well tests, to determine the percentages of these components on a periodic basis. These components are then returned into the production flow streams. The processing facility with test...
Jim Cahill
- 16 Dec 2016
Oil and Gas Storage Tank Vapor Control & Recovery

For onshore oil & gas production well pads, effectively managing and recovering vapors means improving emissions control to meet regulatory requirements, increasing saleable natural gas, and providing a safer work environment for the personnel who manage the well pad site. In one of the Produced Fluids Management recorded webinars , Tank Vapor Control and Recovery in Upstream O&G , Emerson’s Frank Goulet...
Jim Cahill
- 7 Dec 2016
Times A Changing in the Oil Patch

I’m traveling and in meetings for much of this week, so posting may be lighter than normal. One of the huge events on the spring agenda for energy-related companies and policy makers is IHS CERAWeek , taking place March 6-10 in Houston, Texas. The year promises to be especially exciting given the recent announcement by OPEC to limit oil production in an effect to boost oil prices and revenues for all the member...
Jim Cahill
- 2 Dec 2016
Ways to Reduce Oil and Gas Lease Operating Expenses

For onshore oil & gas producers, squeezing every expense possible from the production and custody transfer process means the difference between flowing and shutting in the wells. In an RBN Energy post, LOE-Down – Understanding Lease Operating Expenses And How They Drive Production , they examine lease operating expenses (LOEs): …the costs incurred by an operator to keep production flowing after the initial...
Jim Cahill
- 9 Nov 2016
Managing Oil and Gas Produced Fluids from Allocation to Sale

For onshore oil & gas producers, how accurate are your measurements from allocations at the wellhead to custody transfer? In a recorded webinar, Produced Fluids Management – Getting Paid for What you Produce , Emerson’s Michael Machuca describes the financial gains from improved measurement and control from the wellhead to the point of sale. And, how you can ensure production measurement compliance, reduce...
Jim Cahill
- 31 Oct 2016
Biomethane Opportunities in Europe

Author: Rossella Mimmi Biomethane is a mix of gases and can be produced from both biological and thermochemical processes. The biological processes are based on upgrading biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of municipal waste streams, process residues, agriculture waste streams and energy crops such as various types of grasses as well as landfill gas, by removing the carbon dioxide and other contaminants from...
Jim Cahill
- 11 Oct 2016
Modular Multiphase Oil and Gas Well Flow Metering

With many oil and gas producers facing tighter margins due to prices, any capital and operational expenditures must be closely scrutinized. To maximize the life and production rates of the well and improve reservoir decision-making, it is important to characterize and understand reservoirs and access accurate production information. Multiphase flow meters, measure oil, gas and water cuts can aid in supplying production...
Jim Cahill
- 29 Sep 2016
Optimizing Shale Oil and Gas Production

While the news of an OPEC oil freeze increases prices, at least in the short term, they remain well below their levels of a few years ago. The focus for oil and gas producers remains on optimizing their current producing wells at the expense of new drilling. Emerson’s Michael Machuca shared a whitepaper, Optimizing Shale Operations to Prosper in Difficult Markets , about areas of the shale oil & gas production...
Jim Cahill
- 27 Sep 2016
Pipeline Leak Detection Best Practices

A recent LinkedIn post, Leak Detection Market for Oil & Gas worth 2.71 Billion USD by 2020, at a CAGR of 7.1% highlights the purpose of these leak detection systems: …to assist the pipeline operators and monitors in detecting and localizing the leakage. This leak detection system can detect the leakage at all stages of oil & gas industry such as upstream (exploration & production), midstream (pipeline networks...
Jim Cahill
- 7 Sep 2016
Reducing Unaccounted Oil and Gas Production Uncertainty

Author: Michael Machuca Management of well pad inventory, allocation and custody transfers encompasses multiple operations that contribute to overall production management uncertainty. The accumulated measurement errors and variability in operations within a storage system can quickly add up to a significant level of uncertainty. Higher levels of uncertainty reduce the prospect for timely insight into problematic...
Jim Cahill
- 1 Sep 2016
Improve Costs and Operational Performance in Oil and Gas Production

Emerson’s Sudhir Jain shared an interest McKinsey & Company article, The next frontier for digital technologies in oil and gas , describing how this industry historically and today, embraces technologies to improve business performance. This was true even 30 years ago when I started in the Gulf of Mexico offshore oil & gas industry. Hurricane mode operations were already well established with production...
Jim Cahill
- 24 Aug 2016
Rugged Downhole Pressure and Temperature Measurement

I saw a recent news item , Emerson introduces digital, +175°C, high-precision pressure and temperature transmitter designed for corrosive harsh downhole measurements, and wanted to find out more about the application for this technology. I caught ...