Friday, December 5, 2008

Oil Field Equipment by Oil Field equipment

Oil field equipment can consist of many things. I would like to explain some of the largest oil field equipment. A land rig and an off shore rig and the difference between the two.

PumpJackStore.com A drilling land rig is a equipment which creates holes (usually called boreholes) and/or shafts in the ground. Drilling land rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells. They sample sub-surface mineral deposits, test rock, soil and groundwater physical properties. Drilling land rigs can be mobile equipment mounted on trucks, tracks or trailers, or more permanent land not to be confused with marine-based structures (such as oil platforms, commonly called 'offshore oil rigs').

The term "rig" therefore generally refers to the complex of equipment that is used to penetrate the surface of the earth's crust. A drilling land rig would be used on shore. Drilling land rigs can be: • Small and portable, such as those used in mineral exploration drilling. • Huge, capable of drilling through thousands of meters of the Earth's crust. Large "mud pumps" circulate drilling mud (slurry) through the drill bit and the casing, for cooling and removing the "cuttings" while a well is drilled. Hoists in the rig can lift hundreds of tons of pipe. Other equipment can force acid or sand into reservoirs to facilitate extraction of the oil or mineral sample; and permanent living accommodation and catering for crews which may be more than a hundred.

Marine rigs may operate many hundreds of miles or kilometres offshore with infrequent crew rotation. An offshore platform, often referred to as an oil platform or oil rig, is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the platform may be attached to the ocean floor, consist of an artificial island, or be floating. Most offshore rigs are located on the continental shelf, though with advances in technology and increasing crude oil prices, drilling and production in deeper waters has become both feasible and economically viable.

A typical offshore rig may have around thirty wellheads located on the platform and directional drilling allows reservoirs to be accessed at both different depths and at remote positions up to 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the platform. Remote subsea wells may also be connected to a platform by flow lines and by umbilical connections; these subsea solutions may consist of single wells or of a manifold center for multiple wells. For more information on oil field equipment please visit PumpJackStore.com

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The Economic Situation of the Oil & Gas Industry by Duncan Freer

The oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, consists of about 7,000 companies who pull in a combined, estimated revenue of around £450 billon. However, the production and associated revenue are fragmented; around 10% of companies generate approximately 60% of this figure. Demand for oil and gas is caused by economic activity, population growth and the need for energy for residential, industrial and transportation uses. The growth of an individual company is determined by the success rate of new finds, as well as the ability to continue to produce from existing sites.

Larger companies have the upper hand, having greater access to capital and the capacity to buy smaller companies or propagate amalgamations. Smaller companies rely on their abilities to focus on and develop expertise in a few geographical areas. In addition, oil and gas competes with other fuel-types, such as coal, nuclear power and hydro-electricity. In addition, other sources of energy are emerging, such as ethanol and bio-diesel and there are other forms of application arriving on the market, such as the new generation of hybrid-electric car.

Oil and gas are found in huge, underground basins that meet certain geological criteria. As well as creating three-dimensional maps of underground structures and using seismic waves to ascertain a site's potential, exploratory drilling is still a major factor in finding oil and gas. Last year, the number of exploratory drillings that took place exceeded 53,500. Once an area has been designated as having promise, the area is cleared and a drilling rig and crew are brought in to begin the process of extracting the resources that have been found.

Oil and gas jobs generally fall in to one of two categories: upstream and downstream. Upstream jobs are found in the process of obtaining oil and gas from natural resources: drilling jobs are upstream jobs. Other jobs are likely to include those in construction and those involved in production facilities. Not all upstream jobs take place on land; for many, part of the attraction of this industry is its variety. Gas and oil fields are also developed below sea level, such as in the North Sea and the sub-sea sites recently discovered in West Africa. These require specialists to find and extract the resources available.

Downstream jobs involve the transportation of oil and gas in their basic forms, the liquefaction of those substances and their processing. While upstream jobs tend to be comparatively more transitory, being based on exploration and ultimate extraction, it is in the downstream category that gas and oil careers are made; while oil rig jobs, for example, will only last as long as the resource is there, marketing jobs can become life-long opportunities as the team packages the combined products across the globe.

The oil and gas industries are two of the world's biggest and most profitable enterprises. They employ huge numbers of staff that work in an incredible range of department, from those on the 'front-line' to those who design advertising campaigns to those who put it in our vehicles.

About the Author
Oil Rig Jobs Jobs Search is a job site dedicated to the specific needs of candidates who work in the Oil and Gas industry. We also provide recruiters with an online service that is effective in terms of cost and ease of use. Contacts For interviews, images or comments contact: John Roberts Marketing Manager Email: john@thejobsearchgroup.com

Competition Commission Approves Norwegian Firm's Bid for Gas Stations by J Hardy

The European Commission approved the proposed acquisition of ConocoPhillips' network of 274 Jet fuel stations in Scandinavia by StatoilHydro of Norway.

StatoilHydro is an integrated oil and gas company that is active in the exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil. StatoilHydro also refines and sells gas and other oil derivatives. The company operates networks of gas stations in Scandinavia under the Statoil, Hydro, and Uno-X brands. Jet Scandinavia, the company being acquired, operates stations under the Jet brand.

In March, StatoilHydro notified the Commission of the purchase of Jet Denmark, Jet Sweden and Jet Norway, all part of Jet Scandinavia. Although Norway is not part of the EU, the entire transaction was subject to approval by the Commission under the European Economic Area agreement. Norway is a part of the European Economic Area, which includes the 27 members of the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

The Commission began an in-depth review of the proposed acquisition in May 2008. The Commission noted concerns that the two companies overlapped in the market for retail motor fuels, and that competition might be affected.

The Commission also had concerns about Jet's disappearance from the market, since Jet was the most efficient low-cost operator in both Norway and Sweden. In addition, Jet had a strong brand and a track record of undercutting competitors' prices.

Following an investigation, the Commission recently released its findings that the proposed transaction as originally planned would raise serious competition concerns in Norway and Sweden, and would reinforce the oligopolistic structure of the Norwegian market. StatoilHydro's position as the largest provider of motor fuels in Norway would be strengthened. In addition, in Sweden StatoilHydro is already the market's largest supplier of motor fuels. By obtaining one of its largest competitors, Jet, the combined company's market share would have been almost double the share of the next largest competitor.

In order to gain approval for the transaction, StatoilHydro agreed to sell 40 stations operating under the Jet brand in Norway, and 158 stations in Sweden operating under the Jet, Hydro, or Uno-X brands. Following this agreement, the Commission found that the transaction would not affect competition in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it.

About the Author
About the author: Jason Hardy is an avid writer on legal issues, including international writing about many subjects including european antitrust. Eu competition law interests Jason particularly. He resides in Seattle, Washington.

Increase Your Knowledge of the Oil and Gas Industry by avi solutions

Whether you're an experienced oil and gas industry worker or someone seeking to get your foot in the door, taking some time to do your research on the profession and it's recruitment requirements can help you land that "perfect" job. Among all engineers, those working in the petroleum industry can expect the highest starting salaries. Even those working entry-level jobs on offshore oil rigs as roughnecks enjoy high pay as well as great benefits. Because of this, it is no wonder that more and more job-seeking professionals are turning to this constantly booming industry to find a new financially stable line of work.

Extensive research on the internet covers a wide range of oil career possibilities; from exploration and production to pipeline operations and oil and gas refining. Doing research online to find out more information on this exciting field can be a powerful gateway to help job seekers find oil and gas industry jobs. At any single point in time, there are thousands of oil and gas jobs posted all over the internet. The secret is to know where to look and how to determine if the job listing is right for you can be extracted from your research online.

The oil and gas, or petroleum, industry is truly one that is multinational. One can learn from reading articles on the web that the majority of the world's oil comes from places in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia, Canada, and Iraq. You don't need to do your research, however, to realize that the demand for refined petroleum has never been higher. Gas prices are high and rising, as demand outstrips supply. Oil companies are forced to find ways to extract more oil from known reserves and to find new ways of getting oil. In short, the need for oil and gas job workers is fairly high now and will only increase in the coming years.

Learning the fundamentals of the oil and gas jobs available provides a basic introduction to the industry and can even give a job seeker a peek at "new employee orientation". For example researching your prospective new line of work will provide a non-technical review of upstream (exploration and production), midstream (gas processing and transportation) and downstream (refining and marketing) operations currently available in the oil and gas industry.

Increasing your knowledge of the oil and gas industry, the jobs the industry can provide, as well as the stability of these jobs, will only empower you, the job-seeking individual. With empowerment comes confidence and confidence is key to applying for and getting one of these exciting new careers in the oil and gas industry. With so many positions available and so many prospective job seekers vying for the same position it is imperative to try and put yourself in a position to present yourself as an asset. With knowledge of the industry, you will be one step ahead of the game.

About the Author
Frank Cullen is MD of Oil and gas vacancies. The company is a leading Job Board providing job availability for oil jobs, gas jobs and jobs oil gas.