SPE-GCS Blog

August 1st, 2020

The SPE-GCS extends a warm welcome to our new chair, Simeon Eburi. We thought we’d introduce him by sharing part of our conversation.

Connect: Where are you originally from, and how did you wind up in Houston, Texas?

Simeon: I was born in Malabo, the capital city of Equatorial Guinea, which is located on the west coast of Central Africa. Equatorial Guinea is among the top oil producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Growing up, I saw an influx of offshore oil and gas exploration and production companies, which influenced my decision to study petroleum engineering. I attended Texas Tech University, where I earned both a bachelor's degree and a master of science degree in petroleum engineering. After graduate school, I accepted a job with Chevron in Houston. I have been in Houston for most of my professional career, except for …

July 1st, 2020

Keep Learning

This will be my last article before I pass the torch on to the vice chair of the SPE- GCS, Simeon Eburi.

Simeon will be the new board of directors chair beginning August 1, 2020.

I am very proud to have served in this capacity for my community and the industry over the past year, and I wish Simeon and the GCS all the best in the months and years to come. With that said, here are a couple of events the GCS is hosting before my term concludes.

The Data Analytics Study Group and Members in Transition (MiT) Committee have collaborated with NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (NVIDIA DLI) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to present an exciting opportunity for SPE MiT members and students to develop and gain practical skills in deep learning through online courses.

These …

June 1st, 2020

A Virtual GCS

I am pleased to announce one of our goals this year is finally complete. The Gulf Coast Section has added an online content library to its website platform. Over time, we plan to build this library into a robust learning center that is applicable to all of our SPE members. The library can be found online at spegcs.org/on-demand-content-library/.

I encourage everyone to look at this new learning outreach site and create a bookmark on your browser so you can easily find courses of interest. This content library is in addition to the webinars our study groups and committees offer. The funds raised from our online library will go toward our Scholarship Endowment Fund, and directly assist local high school students attending university who wish to pursue careers in the oil and gas industry.

Most of our initial library …

May 1st, 2020

Keep Going

I truly believe that the people working in the oil and gas industry have to be some of the most resilient people on earth. The amount of volatility in our market leaves no room for people with a weak stomach. We have to be tough. It is never about if we will see another downturn.

It is always about when. We know there will be downturns in our industry. We know there will be many difficult challenges to face. But in times like this, please remember that we fuel the world. We improve the quality of life for millions of people on the planet because we supply them with energy.

With the current situation we are in, the coronavirus has tested our abilities to work in a safe but productive manner. Unfortunately, we now have a tremendous oversupply of …

May 1st, 2020

MAY 2002

Rotary steerable, directional- drilling systems increased the rate of penetration and, in the process, saved 100 days of rig time when used to drill complex 3D well paths in the 12.25- in. and 8.5-in. hole sections of North Sea Jotan field wells, compared to conventional directional-drilled wells.

The Nile Delta and Mediterranean deepwater trend along the northern coastline of Egypt is proving to be an emerging giant gas province with an estimated 36 trillion cubic feet of gas, and ideally situated for markets in the Mediterranean region. (This is a very “noble” development.)

MAY 2009

Operators are actively involved in testing new biocides to determine the best chemical for controlling bacteria introduced in Barnett shale frac source waters, including rivers, lakes, oilfield wastewater, and recycled frac water. Fracked Barnett wells have been plagued by biogenic sulfide plugging and corrosion failures of …

April 1st, 2020

A VIRTUAL GCS

On behalf of the Gulf Coast Section volunteers and the Board of Directors, I want to first thank our local volunteers for all of their hard work over the year. We rely heavily on these volunteers to host our technical and networking events every month. With the new Covid-19 threat we all face, hosting events in person has been suspended for the near term future.

However, our volunteers still manage to drive our Gulf Coast Section forward in any way they possibly can. They always find a way.

With the new mandate to ‘Stay Home, Work Safe’ from the Harris County judge, the Gulf Coast Section has adjusted our education to a virtual platform. We are currently offering select webinars with the same high caliber of speakers that you expect to see from the Gulf Coast Section. …

April 1st, 2020

MARCH 2003

With the prospect of a US war with Iraq, oil price predictions range anywhere from $15/bbl lower to $20/ bbl higher. As a result, consumer prices could easily increase $0.30 – 0.35/gal in a matter of 30 days.

Oil analysts predict that hydrogen will become increasingly important in coming years as more stringent fuel regulations are enforced, and later as hydrogen vehicles gain acceptance. (Back to your Ouija boards!)

Light, sweet crude: $34.63/bbl

Natural gas: $4.20/MMbtu

MARCH 2008

Colombia’s incursion into Ecuador to attack the Colombian rebel group FARC raises the tension level between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela and threatens oil production in the area.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claims that Colombia is a pawn in a US plot to invade Venezuela.

The USGS estimates roughly 1.26 billion bbl of oil and 1.02 billion bbl of natural gas liquids in …

March 1st, 2020

DATA ANALYTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Growing up, I often jumped to an image of The Terminator or Battlestar Galactica whenever someone brought up the concept of "artificial intelligence." That's the image that comes to mind. It was always a good-versus-evil story about robots taking over our world. Now as an adult, I see the implementation of AI on so many practical levels that didn’t occur to me as a child. Artificial intelligence isn’t just a storyline anymore, it’s a reality.

What is the real version of artificial intelligence, and how is it currently being used in our lives today? What are the pathways going forward, and how is it being incorporated into workflows and procedures within our industry?

The third annual SPE-GCS Data Science Convention is right around the corner to help answer those questions! The convention, organized by the SPE-GCS …

March 1st, 2020

MARCH 2003

With the prospect of a US war with Iraq, oil price predictions range anywhere from $15/bbl lower to $20/ bbl higher. As a result, consumer prices could easily increase $0.30 – 0.35/gal in a matter of 30 days.

Oil analysts predict that hydrogen will become increasingly important in coming years as more stringent fuel regulations are enforced, and later as hydrogen vehicles gain acceptance. (Back to your Ouija boards!)

Light, sweet crude: $34.63/bbl

Natural gas: $4.20/MMbtu

MARCH 2008

Colombia’s incursion into Ecuador to attack the Colombian rebel group FARC raises the tension level between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela and threatens oil production in the area.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claims that Colombia is a pawn in a US plot to invade Venezuela.

The USGS estimates roughly 1.26 billion bbl of oil and 1.02 billion bbl of natural gas liquids …

February 1st, 2020

TEAM BUILDING

Many operations within our industry require a team effort in order for us to achieve our goals.

From drilling to production to refining, multiple people have a hand in getting a single barrel of oil out of the ground to its final refined product. Our ability to harness a talented team of professionals with various backgrounds and disciplines is constantly tested. Successful teams often portray a sense of loyalty and purpose that increases their productivity, work ethic and above all else, communication.

Communication is often cited as the number one cause for work, productivity and safety failures, while companies that focus on teamwork and collaboration within their groups are shown to have greater efficiency, creativity and overall employee satisfaction.

There is an evergreen phrase, "A chain is only as strong as the weakest link." We can easily adapt …