The need for this book has arisen from demand for a current text from our students in Petroleum Engineering at Imperial College and from post-experience Short Course students. It is, however, hoped that the material will also be of more general use to practising petroleum engineers and those wishing for aa introduction into the specialist literature. The book is arranged to provide both background and overview into many facets of petroleum engineering, particularly as practised in the offshore environments of North West Europe. The material is largely based on the authors' experience as teachers and consultants and is supplemented by worked problems where they are believed to enhance understanding. The authors would like to express their sincere thanks and appreciation to all the people who have helped in the preparation of this book by technical comment and discussion and by giving permission to reproduce material. In particular we would like to thank our present colleagues and students at Imperial College and at ERC Energy Resource Consultants Ltd. for their stimulating company, Jill and Janel for typing seemingly endless manuscripts; Dan Smith at Graham and Trotman Ltd. for his perseverence and optimism; and Lesley and Joan for believing that one day things would return to normality. John S. Archer and Colin G. Wall 1986 ix Foreword Petroleum engineering has developed as an area of study only over the present century. It now provides the technical basis for the exploitation of petroleum fluids in subsurface sedimentary rock reservoirs.

Once a natural gas or oil well is drilled, and it has been verified that commercially viable, it must be "completed" to allow for the flow of petroleum or natural gas out of the formation and up to the surface. This process includes: casing, pressure and temperature evaluation, and the proper instillation of equipment to ensure an efficient flow out of the well. In recent years, these processes have been greatly enhanced by new technologies. Advanced Well Completion Engineering summarizes and explains these advances while providing expert advice for deploying these new breakthrough engineering systems. The book has two themes: one, the idea of preventing damage, and preventing formation from drilling into an oil formation to putting the well introduction stage; and two, the utilization of nodal system analysis method, which optimizes the pressure distribution from reservoir to well head, and plays the sensitivity analysis to design the tubing diameters first and then the production casing size, so as to achieve whole system optimization. With this book, drilling and production engineers should be able to improve operational efficiency by applying the latest state of the art technology in all facets of well completion during development drilling-completion and work over operations. - One of the only books devoted to the key technologies for all major aspects of advanced well completion activities. - Unique coverage of all aspects of well completion activities based on 25 years in the exploration, production and completion industry. - Matchless in-depth technical advice for achieving operational excellence with advance solutions.

Written by the Shale Shaker Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, originally of the American Association of Drilling Engineers, the authors of this book are some of the most well-respected names in the world for drilling. The first edition, Shale Shakers and Drilling Fluid Systems, was only on shale shakers, a very important piece of machinery on a drilling rig that removes drill cuttings. The original book has been much expanded to include many other aspects of drilling solids control, including chapters on drilling fluids, cut-point curves, mud cleaners, and many other pieces of equipment that were not covered in the original book. - Written by a team of more than 20 of the world's foremost drilling experts, from such companies as Shell, Conoco, Amoco, and BP - There has never been a book that pulls together such a vast array of materials and depth of topic coverage in the area of drilling fluids - Covers quickly changing technology that updates the drilling engineer on all of the latest equipment, fluids, and techniques

The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were also enormous consequences for the companies involved in the drilling operations, to the Gulf of Mexico environment, and to the economy of the region and beyond. The flow continued for nearly 3 months before the well could be completely killed, during which time, nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators, intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling. According to this report, companies involved in offshore drilling should take a "system safety" approach to anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation-from ensuring the integrity of wells to designing blowout preventers that function under all foreseeable conditions-in order to reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In addition, an enhanced regulatory approach should combine strong industry safety goals with mandatory oversight at critical points during drilling operations. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout discusses ultimate responsibility and accountability for well integrity and safety of offshore equipment, formal system safety education and training of personnel engaged in offshore drilling, and guidelines that should be established so that well designs incorporate protection against the various credible risks associated with the drilling and abandonment process. This book will be of interest to professionals in the oil and gas industry, government decision makers, environmental advocacy groups, and others who seek an understanding of the processes involved in order to ensure safety in undertakings of this nature.