Emerson Exchange 365

Activity

Growing Offshore Oil and Gas Reservoir Recovery Rates

Jim Cahill

While oil prices continue to recover after a long industry slump, the challenge has now shifted to finding experienced people to plan and execute projects after so many have left the oil & gas industry. One way to address this skills and experience shortage is to increase productivity among the current staff. In an Offshore magazine article, E&P software can be profit enabler in tough times , Emerson’s Garrett Leahy…
- 19 Apr 2018
Creating Pressure Relief Valve Fugitive Emissions Testing

Jim Cahill

Globally, oil and gas producers seek ways to lower fugitive emissions for safety, environment and economic reasons. These are the unintended emissions of gases from pressurized parts of the production process. At the upcoming April 30-May 3 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Emerson’s Amr Gado and Calvin Deng will present a paper, Pressure Relief Valves Fugitive Emissions Testing, on Thursday May 3 at 2:45pm…
- 18 Apr 2018
Reducing Project Capital and Lease Operating Expenses

Jim Cahill

For oil and gas production in shale regions, what are some ways technologies can optimize capital costs and ongoing production performance? Emerson’s Tom Bass answers this question with many examples to back it up in a recent article, Wireless Technologies Optimize Pads , in The American Oil & Gas Reporter . Tom opens noting the cost reductions in capital and labor that came because of low oil prices. However, as…
- 10 Apr 2018
Digital Transformation for Oil and Gas Producers

Jim Cahill

One industry, above all others, have had to rethink the way business gets done. The oil and gas exploration and production business saw the price of their production go from over $110/barrel to $30/barrel near its low point. Almost every aspect of people, processes and technologies needed to be reconsidered. Through this reconsideration process, some oil and gas producers undertook a digital transformation journey. …
- 4 Apr 2018
Optimizing Oil and Gas Production Operations via Field Intelligence

Jim Cahill

While the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are all the rage these days, the sensors monitoring industrial processes have long had microprocessors to report more than what they are supposed to sense—such as pressure transmitters measuring pressure. Through digital communications, they also communicate their configuration and current settings, diagnostics, and even control functions…
- 28 Mar 2018
Offshore Oil & Gas Control Room–Anywhere and Everywhere

Jim Cahill

The April 30 th through May 3 rd Offshore Technology Conference (OTC2018) in Houston, Texas will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Energy professionals and suppliers serving the oil & gas industry gather to: …exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. One of the more than 350 technical presentations will be given by Emerson…
- 20 Mar 2018
Technology Advances in the Energy Sector

Jim Cahill

In an Forbes article, Emerson CTO Says ‘Energy Industry 4.0’ Opens A Plethora Of Business Opportunities , Peter Zornio shares examples of the rapid innovations occurring in the energy sector. Peter noted the changing relationship with oil & gas operators: “Emerson is cognizant of new demands for optimization from oil and gas customers, and my division is changing from being the proverbial ‘automation guy’ to a solutions…
- 12 Mar 2018
Digitalization in Oil and Gas

Jim Cahill

Manufacturers and producers are rethinking longstanding business practices to take advantage of rapidly advancing technologies—especially where downward price pressures have forced this rethinking. At CERAWeek 2018, Emerson’s Arshad Matin joined a panel discussion, Digitalization and Oil & Gas: What’s next? IHS Markit’s Judson Jacobs moderated the panel and was also joined by leaders from Shell, PETRONAS, Accenture and…
- 6 Mar 2018
Driving Upstream Cost Improvements

Jim Cahill

At CERAWeek 2018 , Emerson Automation Solutions executive president Mike Train joined a panel, Outlook for Upstream Costs and Technology, led by IHS Markit’s Pritesh Patel and Judson Jacobs . Other panelists included leaders from ADNOC, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and Baker Hughes. Here was the description for this panel session: With the reality of low oil prices, a given, and upstream construction forecasted…
- 6 Mar 2018
Case Studies on Applying Analytics and Artificial Intelligence

Jim Cahill

ARC Advisory Group’s Janice Abel led a session, Digitizing Intelligence: From Analytics to Bots, at the 2018 ARC Industry Forum . The description for this session was: Smart, connected real-time data that is synchronized throughout the plant and global enterprise is the future for process automation, the digital transformation, and smart manufacturing. Whether working with advanced analytics, machine learning, robotics…
- 15 Feb 2018
Onshore Direct from the Wellhead Multiphase Flow Measurement

Jim Cahill

Indications keep coming in that the oil & gas production business, particularly in unconventional oil & gas production, continues to improve. This RBN Energy article, Ready To Run – Strong Capex Boost By ConocoPhillips Headlines Early 2018 Guidance is one example of this business improvement trend. The article notes how oil & gas producers have continued to lower their “costs of supply” of production. Technology advancements…
- 5 Dec 2017
Multiphase Metering for Onshore Oil and Gas Wells

Jim Cahill

U.S. oil production, led by shale production, “…could pass 9.9 million barrels per day in December 2017”, according to Rystad Energy . Oil and gas producers have continued to find ways to reduce capital expenditures on new production and optimize ongoing operational costs. In an E&P article, Multiphase Metering Advances In Onshore Fields , Emerson’s Lars Anders Ruden describes how offshore production proven multiphase…
- 29 Nov 2017
Accurate Flow Measurement in Gas Plunger Lift Applications

Jim Cahill

As gas production wells age, there is a natural decline in reservoir pressure over time. In a Flow Control article, Proper Instrumentation is Key to Profitable Plunger Lift Applications , Emerson’s Wally Baker , Eric Beltz and Tom McCulloch describe the challenges in flow measurement during plunger lift operations and the economic impact from inaccurate measurements. They open the article describing the phases of a…
- 27 Oct 2017
Industrial Internet of Things in Oil and Gas Production

Jim Cahill

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), through their SPE Online Education channel is hosting a webinar, Harnessing the Power of Industrial IoT for Upstream Oil & Gas Production , on Tuesday, October 24 at 9:30am EDT . Here is the synopsis for this webinar: Oil & gas producers have deferred investment for some time but to address long-term business needs the production companies can no longer defer modernization…
- 23 Oct 2017
Digital Transformation of the Gas Value Chain

Jim Cahill

As liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant come online across the globe, the fundamental nature of the gas market is changing with supply finding demand and pricing variability decreasing. The October 25-27 Gas Asia Summit , as part of the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW), brings together business leaders and technical experts in the natural gas and LNG industries to discuss trends, innovations and collaboration opportunities…
- 14 Aug 2017
Terminal Automation Solutions Webinar

Jim Cahill

Storage terminals are an integral part of the supply chain for hydrocarbon products to connect producers with consumers. With the vastness of new oil & gas production discoveries brought on by the shale revolution, terminals are increasingly becoming bottlenecked in many parts of the world. This is primarily due to increased customer demand. Join Emerson’s Mike Stappert on August 10 at 2pm EDT/10am PDT for a webinar…
- 31 Jul 2017
Reducing Storage Tank Thief Hatch Emissions

Jim Cahill

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 Steve Attri…
- 20 Jun 2017
Smart Vapor Recovery for Oil & Gas Production Process Emissions

Jim Cahill

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…
- 31 May 2017
Streamlining Oil & Gas Well Test Operations

Jim Cahill

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…
- 28 Apr 2017
Improving Project Performance with Dynamic Simulations and Operator Training Systems

Jim Cahill

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 Engineer…
- 27 Apr 2017
Avoiding Missed Gas Volume Flow Measurements in Plunger Lift Wells

Jim Cahill

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…
- 20 Apr 2017
Reducing Oil & Gas Lost and Unaccounted for Production

Jim Cahill

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 , Emerson’s Laura…
- 13 Apr 2017
Improving Well Pad Lease Tank Oil Custody Transfer

Jim Cahill

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 areas…
- 11 Apr 2017
Optimizing Well Production with Downhole Reservoir Monitoring

Jim Cahill

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…
- 31 Mar 2017
5 Questions for Oil & Gas Industry Consultant Sudhir Jain

Jim Cahill

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 and automation folks…
- 30 Mar 2017