Oilfield Tech & Stuff

Halliburton launches automated continuous circulation system

2018-04-18T14:19:00.001-05:00

Halliburton launches automated continuous circulation system: "Halliburton released the e-cd Plus system – a new technology that automates and enhances continuous circulation connections during drilling and tripping operations. Continuous circulation provides the uninterrupted flow of drilling fluid into the well throughout the process of adding or removing drillpipe joints to the drillstring."

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WAGUESPACK: Forget Politics, Let's Use The Checkbook To Smoke 'Em All Out

2018-02-19T14:38:00.001-06:00

WAGUESPACK: Forget Politics, Let's Use The Checkbook To Smoke 'Em All Out: "It has become a new national pastime for folks to spend time bemoaning the rise of “partisanship” and to complain about how divided the country has become. This mantra has been bought hook, line and sinker by both the left and the right. Partisanship and petty politics are often blamed for all that ails us, even though the unsolved societal problems usually referenced as proof have been around for generations. Ironically, the political figures that tend to rail the loudest against partisanship are those that seem to practice it the most. It is a common refrain for liberals to say how easy it would be for new taxes of any kind to solve most of our long-standing problems and that anyone who refuses to rubber stamp this concept is a partisan hack. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many conservatives preach ad nauseam about how easy it is to slash our way to prosperity and that any government program with an ounce of waste is essentially garbage just as worthy of some back-alley dumpster as yesterday’s crawfish shells. Both sides have passion and conviction behind their arguments and see little reason to consider any other option than the one to which they loyally subscribe."

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Code Name Insight: Preparing for Automation

2018-02-07T06:50:00.001-06:00

Code Name Insight: Preparing for Automation: "I came across this article today about a taxi driver who killed himself in front of City Hall in New York City to make a point. Sadly I find his death to be relatively pointless. First, if you are working 120 hours a week and not making enough to make ends meet, you need a different job. Or to move somewhere else with a more reasonable cost of living. Just because you feel you should be able to make a living doing something doesn't mean there is a market for your efforts. Secondly, every industry undergoes change. Sometimes it is slow change and sometimes it is massive and quick change but just because Uber comes on the scene and upends the traditional taxi business (thank goodness they did, the taxi industry in Las Vegas is rather awful), it doesn't mean that legislators should come to the rescue and try to turn back time to make someone happy. Life doesn't work that way. Interestingly enough, my own city of Las Vegas is set to be hit the hardest by automation with forecasters saying that 65% of the city's jobs could be automated within 20 years. And do you see 65% of the workers here getting prepared for the time when their job will become automated and their presence will become superfluous? Not that I have seen. Which leads us to today's post..."

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Halliburton takes fracing fight from oil field to patent office

2018-02-06T09:54:00.001-06:00

Halliburton takes fracing fight from oil field to patent office: "Halliburton isn’t content to limit its battle for market share with Schlumberger to the oil field these days. It’s opened a new front in an unlikely place: the patent office. The Houston-based provider of drilling services is waging an aggressive campaign to persuade the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel some of Schlumberger’s fracing-related patents, telling the agency they’re not inventions but old ideas repackaged. At the same time, Halliburton is pursuing more patents and was awarded 35% more in 2017 compared to the previous year. “They’re the two big dogs in the space,” said J. David Anderson, an analyst at Barclays. “Halliburton and Schlumberger have been battling for that top spot in North American services for a decade, so the fact they’re going after each other with patents is not surprising.” Halliburton has long been the top North American contractor while Schlumberger has dominated international markets, but they’ve been increasingly encroaching on each other’s turf as crude recovers from its worst crash in a generation. In North America, Schlumberger is directly challenging Halliburton’s title as the top fracer after recently acquiring roughly 1 million horsepower-worth of rock-crushing pumps from Weatherford International Meanwhile, Halliburton grew at a faster pace in all international markets than Schlumberger in the final three months of last year."

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Code Name Insight: Finding a Missing Person

2018-02-03T18:22:00.001-06:00

Code Name Insight: Finding a Missing Person: "Quite often on Las Vegas social media (Facebook/Reddit/NextDoor/Twitter/etc) you will see posts from people looking for a missing loved one. Initially they think that if they just call the police they will have an entire task force dedicated to finding their missing loved one but it doesn't actually work that way. Considering that more than 200 people go missing each month from Las Vegas (and that there are thousands of other crimes going on in the city on any given day), the police will take a report but the actual finding of the person often rests with others (family and friends, private investigators, the public). Here is how to go about finding a missing person:"

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Compression ignition engines are a big breakthrough—we got to try one | Ars Technica

2018-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

This looks interesting...a gas engine that operates similar to a diesel engine. It has a lot of moving parts, (no pun intended), but based on the review in the article, it looks like Mazda has a handle on getting it right. The main takeaway appears to be a 20% improvement in efficiency with higher torque. Who doesn't want that?

Compression ignition engines are a big breakthrough—we got to try one | Ars Technica: "Despite rumors to the contrary, the internal combustion engine is far from dead. Recently we've seen several technological advances that will significantly boost the efficiency of gasoline-powered engines. One of these, first reported back in August 2017, is Mazda's breakthrough with compression ignition. On Tuesday, Mazda invited us to its R&D facility in California to learn more about this clever new Skyactiv-X engine, but more importantly we actually got to drive it on the road."

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WAGUESPACK: Spend It Differently This Time Around, And Maybe There Won't Be Another Fiscal Cliff

2018-01-31T05:53:00.000-06:00

Louisiana Politics...a phrase that has haunted our state since before I was born. Until we stop the quid pro quo, the the pork barrel deals, the spend-spend-spend attitudes, and more recently, aggressive litigiousness at the state level, we will continue to be at the bottom end of the good lists and the top of the bad lists.

WAGUESPACK: Spend It Differently This Time Around, And Maybe There Won't Be Another Fiscal Cliff: "Not sure if you have noticed or not, but there is something called the fiscal cliff looming in Louisiana. If you haven’t heard of it yet, sit tight, because you will hear a whole lot about it over the next few months. The 2018 crisis will be filled with plenty of drama, finger-pointing and inflammatory rhetoric. Every (former, current and future) politician will say it is the other (former, current and future) politician’s fault for the deficits and lack of agreement on the appropriate mixture of taxes and cuts to fill it. Pull some old Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) reports or Advocate headlines over the last 40-50 years and you will read a similar version of the same fights. Close your eyes and listen to some old political speeches and legislative debates on the Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) website and you will swear the commentary is filled with the same words used today."

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'Major' Deep Offshore Oil Discovery Made in U.S. Gulf of Mexico | Rigzone

2018-01-31T05:43:00.001-06:00

'Major' Deep Offshore Oil Discovery Made in U.S. Gulf of Mexico | Rigzone: "Chevron Corporation announced Wednesday that a ‘major’ oil discovery has been made at the Ballymore prospect, located deep offshore in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Ballymore well reached a total measured depth of 29,194 feet and encountered more than 670 feet of net oil pay with ‘excellent’ reservoir and fluid characteristics, Chevron said in a statement on its website. A sidetrack well is currently being drilled to further assess the discovery, which is already deemed commercially viable."

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Maersk Drilling Lays Off Dozens in GOM | Rigzone

2018-01-24T06:10:00.001-06:00

Maersk Drilling Lays Off Dozens in GOM | Rigzone: "Maersk Drilling USA, Inc. is laying off 84 employees who work aboard the Maersk Viking (UDW drillship), located in the Gulf of Mexico, and report directly to the company’s office in Houston, according to data sent to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)."

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2017-12-28T09:44:00.000-06:00

News from a job we are involved in.

" Italian oil producer Eni this week began drilling a new well in U.S. waters off the north coast of Alaska, becoming the first company to do so since 2015, federal regulators said on Wednesday.

The oil and gas firm is working from an artificial island in the Beaufort Sea about three miles off Oliktok Point in the Arctic Ocean. The well is expected to run more than 6 miles (10 km) long."

“The Arctic is an important component of the Administration’s national energy strategy, and today’s news is great for America as the United States advances toward energy dominance,” said Interior's Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Joe Balash. “Interior is actively working with a number of Alaska Native partners, who rely on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas for their subsistence way of life, to ensure a healthy environment for today and future generations.”

Read the full article here and here.

Supreme Court Appears Reluctant in "Oil States vs. Greene Energy"

2017-11-28T14:12:00.000-06:00

This is an interesting case. It most likely will not prevail, but could possibly lead to changes in lots of matters handled via non-judicial review in government agencies.

Read the whole article on ArsTechnica: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/supreme-court-seems-reluctant-to-blow-up-a-key-weapon-against-patent-trolls/

Aker BP Enters Drilling, Well Alliances with Halliburton, Maersk, Odfjell | Rigzone

2017-11-21T18:25:00.001-06:00

Aker BP Enters Drilling, Well Alliances with Halliburton, Maersk, Odfjell | Rigzone: "Aker BP ASA has entered into separate drilling and well alliance agreements, which both aim to drive ‘continuous improvement’ and create ‘greater value’, according to a company statement. One of the agreements is with Maersk Drilling and Halliburton for jack-ups, and the other is with Odfjell Drilling and Halliburton for semi-submersibles. The agreements are scheduled to last for five years, and there is an option to extend for a further five years."

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Another Patent Awarded...

2017-10-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

Today, I was doing research for an upcoming project that involved compiling a list of patents, either issued or filed for, that I am listed as an inventor on.

Through this process, I was able to determine that another patent has been issued here in the US. This brings the total up to 3 issued in the US. I think as of right now, at least one of those has also been issued in the EU and Canada.

That leaves about 6 still pending. At least for what has been filed so far.

The patent I m referring to today is:

Sweep Efficiency for Hole Cleaning | US Patent No. 9759645

Babelfish are Here!!!!!

2017-10-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

Google has finally brought us the Babelfish! For $159 US?

We are the next step closer to a universal translator. I want this! I want to be nosy around people speaking foreign languages...I want to be able to communicate with most people I encounter on travels. I would have loved to have this back when I was traveling the world for work!

But the most intriguing feature of the Pixel Buds is the integrated Google Translate feature. Demoed on stage at Google's event today, this feature lets two Pixel Bud wearers chat in their native languages by translating conversations in real-time. In the demo, a native English speaker and a native Swedish speaker had a conversation with each other, both using their native languages. Google Translate in the Buds' translated the English phrases into Swedish, and the Swedish phrases into English, for each user. There was barely any lag time in between the speaker saying a phrase and the Buds' hearing those words and translating them into the appropriate language.

Read the full article, "Google Pixel Buds are wireless earbuds that translate conversations in real time" at Ars Technica.

Weatherford - Intel IoT Collaboration

2017-10-04T06:51:00.001-05:00

Here's a shout-out to a former colleague, Colin Tait, Currently director of IT at Weatherford. Colin is a sharp individual with a knack for developing solutions.

"Colin Tait, Director of Information Technology at Weatherford, stood alongside Jonathan Ballon, vice president in the Internet of Things Markets and Channels at Intel Corporation, during Ballon’s keynote on day one of the conference. The executives discussed how IoT-enabled oilfield devices can improve the efficiency and profitability of production operations, from surface equipment to the back office."

Read the whole press release on Weatherford's website.

TECH SHOWCASE: Digital Process Improvement Mentor | Rigzone

2017-09-28T14:23:00.001-05:00

TECH SHOWCASE: Digital Process Improvement Mentor | Rigzone: "A Midland, Texas-based company has unveiled a wellsite data management system for operators and service companies that reportedly can help to shorten the learning curve for younger generations of field personnel as experienced veterans move on. “The entire concept of capturing the field knowledge of experienced workers is central to our system,” Travis Laman, president and founder of Delta Perform/DEC Global, said of his company’s trademarked “PERFORM” system. “We also believe the discipline our system brings to the process will significantly reduce non-productive time and improve safety.”"

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Stephen Waguespack: Rebuild Trust with Technology

2017-09-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

LABI President Stephen Waguespack wrote today that we should be using more technology to inform the public on what is being done, how money is being spent, etc. He also points out that a lot of people in the state are interested in the same thing, regardless of where you lay on the political spectrum.

"It hit me this week while fielding questions from radio listeners on The Jim Engster Show: as much time as we all spend these days talking about what divides us, the truth is we are not as far apart as most think.

A few callers asked about proposals for new revenue streams, mandates or regulations on businesses and non-profits, while others wanted to explore different options to fight poverty. The affordability and quality of health care were discussed, as was the specific structure of our tax code and its inability to provide stability for both private markets and public services.

While most of the callers came from a more liberal political perspective than I do, many of the topics were the right ones on which to focus.

For all the fussing and fighting in politics today, I think that all Republicans, Democrats and independents want good public schools, safe and growing communities and affordable health care when they need it. There should be no disagreement on that. No one is out there credibly advocating for a shrinking economy or less transparency in government."

Continue reading his article on the LABI website.

Code Name Insight: What's the Fiscal State of Your State?

2017-09-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

Code Name Insight: What's the Fiscal State of Your State?: "What's the Fiscal State of Your State? If you live in one of several states--I'm looking at you Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and these others--and you rely on the state in any way (for your income, pension, medical care services, payments to your business, etc), well, things aren't looking so good. These states are on the brink of bankruptcy (kind of, states can't actually file for bankruptcy but that doesn't mean they are financially solvent...they are basically out of money and in the hole so far no one in their right mind would loan them money/buy their bonds)."

Code Name Insight: Prepping Challenges 91 Thru 100--You

2017-09-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

Code Name Insight: Prepping Challenges 91 Thru 100--You: "Prepping Challenges 91 Thru 100--You Sometimes you go through the previous 90 prepping challenges, you have a massive amount of food and water stockpiled and...you end up a refugee with only the clothes on your back. Of all of the refugees I have known--from the previously very wealthy to the previously very poor--many ended up fleeing war-ravaged countries with basically what they could carry with them. So this is perhaps the most important section as you are your most important secret weapon for surviving whatever disaster comes along."

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Code Name Insight: 25 Hurricane Dangers

2017-09-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Code Name Insight: 25 Hurricane Dangers: "25 Hurricane Dangers If you have been watching the news today (literally every station) you will have seen the non-stop reporting on Hurricane Irma which is hitting Florida as I type this. All of this coverage provides a lot of 'lessons learned' about prepping for a major hurricane. These are the many dangers that a hurricane can pose and what you need to prepare for if you live in a hurricane-prone area:"

'via Blog this'

Does the 4% Retirement Spending Rule Still Hold Up—And Where Do Rentals Fit in?

2017-09-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting article on how much money you need to "save" for retirement. It also proposes options for ensuring a comfortable retirement. #GoodRead

Does the 4% Retirement Spending Rule Still Hold Up—And Where Do Rentals Fit in?: "How much do you need? How can you ensure that you don’t run out of money in retirement? What’s the fastest way to get there, and does fast also mean safe?"

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Code Name Insight - Prepping Challenges 81 Thru 90--Special Circumstances

2017-09-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

Prepping Challenges 81 Thru 90--Special Circumstances

If you are young, rich, and healthy, prepping can be a pretty easy thing to do. That isn't most people. Many people have a bundle of circumstances that often make prepping difficult to virtually impossible. Here's what to do if you are any of these special circumstances...

Read the full post at the Code Name Insight Blog

Equifax Data Leak: Check if you were Affected - Google Thinks it is a Phishing site!

2017-09-08T06:52:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning and spent the first part of the morning catching up on Hurricane Irma news, (current status, future path,projected impact,etc.), then I noticed a headline that Equifax had a "data leak"...about a month ago...and possibly 143 MILLION people were affected...AND Equifax executives dumped company stock during the period between their discovering the leak and their public announcement of the leak.

Crazy stuff, right? MR. ROBOT stuff.

So I go to the site set up to announce the leak and click on the link to check if my information was involved. This is what I see:

If this a joke? Is this a test? Yes, I understand what is actually going on. They are utilizing a third-party service for consumers to check if their data was involved in the leak, but this was a very shitty implementation. This could have easily been set up under the Equifax domain to not cause confusion. You would think someone would think of that...

As I was typing this up, the following tweets appeared, re-tweeted by a friend:

Step 1: "don't sell your shares based on inside knowledge of the breach" ranking pretty high on that list.
— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) September 8, 2017

Step 2: "sorry our credit monitoring agency got hacked but it's fine here's some free credit monitoring" also pretty high up there.
— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) September 8, 2017

Step 3: make your response to getting hacked not itself look like a phishing attack
— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) September 8, 2017

Step 4: helps if your "click here to see if I'm affected" link actually works.
— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) September 8, 2017

Step 5: "trust us, we got awesome people to do the response" falls a bit flat if you conspicuously hide the technical details of the hack
— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) September 8, 2017

Step 6: "disappointing" is the wrong word if your company trades on trust and you just got hacked for 143m SSNs, DoBs & addresses via SQLi
— Pwn All The Things (@pwnallthethings) September 8, 2017

Code Name Insight: Prepping Challenges 71 Thru 80--Protection

2017-09-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Prepping Challenges 71 Thru 80--Protection

You are responsible for protecting yourself and your family at all times. While you can call the police for help, they usually don't arrive until after the fact. And during a disaster, you will be lucky if you can even get through to 911 so it is up to you to develop some basic protection strategies.

Full Post: http://codenameinsight.blogspot.com/2017/09/prepping-challenges-71-thru-80.html

Post-Disaster Travel Safety Tips

2017-09-06T12:04:00.000-05:00

The impetus for this post comes from my work life. A tale of warning, if you will.

Vehicle wake on a flooded road. Image credit: Reid Fiest / Global News

These events occurred after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas Gulf Coast and caused disastrous flooding in Houston, East Texas, and Southwestern Louisiana.

An employee worked at his regularly assigned location, in the Lafayette area, through the duration of the storm. His family, luckily, were safe from any of the hazards that plagued so many in the Houston area.

Once the storm passed, his crew rotation was finished, so he wanted to go home to be with his family. It was strongly recommended that he plot a northern route up I-49 with guidance from the Texas Dept. of Transportation and the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development websites to track road closures. He is assumed to have complied with that request, but appeared to mainly rely on WAZE, the crowd-sourced navigation app, to route his trip. (More on this later.) His route involved going south from Lake Charles to cross the Sabine River, then taking various roads north and west to go through Beaumont and then on through Conroe and into Spring, Tx, where he resides.

On one particular road, he found traffic was only able to go in one direction and the other side of the road was a boat lane. Yes, it was underwater and actually being used by boats.

He was able to make it through Beaumont, but eventually he arrived at a point on the road he was traveling that was underwater in both directions. I was notified that he had come to a section that his car could not pass through. (More on this later, too.) He then decided that according to what he could tell, he could take back roads and get to I-10 in Orange, Tx, then he should have a straight shot with open roads back to Lafayette.

That plan wound up not working either as he again encountered flooded roads that his car could not pass over, so he was stuck. In an evacuated Bridge City, Tx.

Luckily, he knew someone who lived in nearby Orange, Tx. who had not evacuated and was able to come pick him up. He was able to stay with this friend for the next day or so until waters went down and he could then make it back to Lafayette and on to Spring via a northerly route.

There are two take-aways I want to focus on from this experience, detailed below.

1. A crowd-sourced traffic/hazard/navigation app relies on having a crowd available at a specific location to report hazards and road closures. In this case, I suspect it showed no traffic issues because there was no one telling it that there were issues on the selected route.

2. When planning to take a potentially risky route through an area that is experiencing flooding, DO NOT attempt to take said route in a car! Unless it is lifted and riding on large tires, you most likely will not make it.

Some other points I would like to add is be prepared to sit tight when traveling in this kind of situation. Make sure to have water, food, medication, cash, a blanket, and anything else you might need in the event you are stranded and unable to travel further.

Please let me know your thoughts on this post and any suggestions for staying safe in this type of situation.