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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Friday, December 5, 2008
Oil Field Equipment by Oil Field equipment
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.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Asian Coal-Bed Methane Brews As a Potential Hot Energy Play
Massive stores of methane gas buried deep inside Asia's coal beds could be shaping up as the next hot energy play.
Trillions of cubic meters of clean-burning methane are trapped in Asia's coal deposits. The gas -- which produces lower levels of air pollution and carbon emissions than oil or coal -- could be used to meet some of the region's huge power needs. Merrill Lynch says China alone holds nearly 30 trillion cubic meters of methane gas, about three times the U.S. amount.
Coal-bed methane, already widely used in North America, accounts for about 10% of U.S. natural-gas production. But Asia's methane stores have been largely untapped because of logistics and extraction costs.
Now, high-energy prices are making Asia's methane more attractive. New technology and government incentives in China and India aimed at reducing carbon emissions are also bringing down costs. And concerns about falling supplies of traditional energy sources continue to boost the search for other ones: Last week, both Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell reported declining oil production.
"The basic fact is we're running out of conventional sources of oil and natural gas," says Eric Nuttall, an analyst at Sprott Asset Management of Toronto. "As companies seek out unconventional sources of natural gas, coal-bed methane is the most viable."
The hedge-fund and mutual-fund manager holds more than $5 billion in assets and owns shares of a Canadian-based methane company, Pacific Asia China Energy. The Toronto-traded company has signed two production-sharing contracts with the Chinese government and is negotiating others.
Major oil companies including Chevron and ConcocoPhilips have already locked in exploration rights to methane projects in China. Numerous smaller companies specializing in coal-bed-methane extraction have been forming partnerships in China and India. Since many of these companies don't yet have commercial gas sales, their share prices haven't run up the way those of many companies producing other forms of alternative energy have.
Investing in methane carries plenty of risk. Some of the companies are small, with thinly traded and volatile stocks. Also, China's highly regulated, fragmented energy industry can create uncertainties. To participate in it, foreign companies must partner with state-owned China United Coal Bed Methane.
It is unclear if plans to tap Asia's methane-gas stores will pan out. Companies face fewer exploration risks than those looking for oil, as methane usually is found where it is expected to be. But extracting the gas means overcoming technical challenges that can raise costs and reduce the recoverable volume.
"It's an educated gamble," says Sprott's Mr. Nuttall about companies' efforts. "The question is, will they be able to extract methane at an economical rate?"
Some coal-bed-methane projects will have another revenue stream as the global carbon market matures. Energy produced from methane gas generates lower carbon emissions than coal. Analysts say that means companies may be able to sell carbon credits, boosting revenue by up to 20%. Many European nations place caps on the greenhouse gases companies can produce. Companies can offset their emissions by buying carbon credits from developing-world projects that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
"The carbon credits provide that extra incentive and can make these projects commercially viable," says Shane Spurway, director of Asian carbon markets for Fortis bank in Hong Kong.
Pacific Asia China Energy, or PACE, is still in the pilot phase of its first project in Guizhou. Their geological and petroleum engineering consultant, Sproule International of Calgary, has estimated that the company's first block contains a "most likely case" methane-gas resource of 5.2 trillion cubic feet "We know the gas is there," says Craig Christy, PACE spokesman. "Now we've got to determine whether we can produce it commercially."
Mr. Nuttall estimates PACE could potentially produce about 1.8 trillion cubic feet of methane from its first project. At today's prices, he says, that is a value of close to $1 billion for a company whose market capitalization is about $47 million. He is bullish on the prospects PACE, whose shares trade at about 47 U.S. cents.
PACE also hopes to develop a business to extract methane from coal mines before miners go in. Methane the gas which famously kills canaries -- is the source of dozens of fatal explosions in Chinese coal mines every year.
Hong Kong-based Green Dragon Gas, which listed on London's AIM stock exchange a year ago, is one of the companies closest to commercial production. Merrill Lynch says among foreign companies in China, Green Dragon has the largest coal-bed-methane deposit and it has five production-sharing contracts providing access to 18 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Energy-research firm Netherland, Sewell & Associates estimates the value of Green Dragon's initial recoverable methane deposits at about $4.7 billion. The company's market capitalization is about $600 million. So far in 2007, Green Dragon's shares have been roughly flat, though they have risen about 17% since the end of April. Some analysts think there is room for growth. In London trading yesterday, its stock traded at $6.34. Shares of Green Dragon are "relatively undervalued, because the market hasn't factored what will happen when they start production," says David Yip, a utilities analyst at Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong. "It represents the purest clean-energy play in China."
Last week, London-listed Great Eastern Energy became the first company to extract and sell coal-bed methane commercially in India. It is investing $150 million to drill a total of 103 wells in the state of Bengal. By some estimates, India has the world's fourth-largest coal reserves. Analysts say the Gurgaon, India-based firm has already moved beyond the riskiest phase of exploration and pilot drilling and is moving into production.
Arden Partners, a London securities firm, has a "buy" on the stock. James Elston, a director of the energy research firm Palladian Energy -- who has analyzed Great Eastern Energy on behalf of Arden -- estimates that the company's net asset value is about 218 pence ($4.41) a share, based on analysis of their recoverable methane reserves. The shares traded yesterday around 150 pence.
About GEECL:
Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd(GEECL) is the first Private Sector Company in India that entered this field. It is a part of the YKM Holdings Group. In December 2005, GEECL became the first Indian Company to be listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The company is run by Yogendra Kumar Modi, the Executive Chairman and Managing Director. The senior management of GEECL include Mr. Prashant Modi, President & Chief Operating Officer.
About the Author
For further information please contact
Dolly Tayal, Genesis B-M
dolly.tayal@bm.com - +91 9899101140
What is the Outlook for the Availability of Fossil Fuels?
I think this article is comparable to the people who slow down on the highway to look at an automobile accident. You are not involved in the accident, yet you surely are curious about what is happening. At the present time we can sense the presence of a disaster, but we do not have enough information to feel that we can get involved.
My push to adopt renewable energies is based on our continued polluting of the environment with the burning of fossil fuels. We know that we must slow down this pollution so that our quality of life will not be severely degraded. There is another piece of information needed to prod us into action, and that is how long do we have before we run out of fossil fuels? As a current member of the earth, I am concerned that we leave future generation's sufficient energy to bridge the gap from fossil to renewable fuels. This, to me, is looking at the car wreck. How long do we have until we are the ones involved in the wreck?
The majority of Americans now think that climate change is a problem and that global warming is real. But there still is not a sense of urgency. Every year the US emits CO2 that equals the equivalent weight of 1.2 billion elephants (2 trillion pounds using average size elephants). It is time to stop ignoring 1.2 billion elephants in the room. It is time to implement a plan that will adopt renewable energies at a pace to stabilize the environment from CO2 pollution and then, hopefully, start to reduce the amount of pollution we must derive this plan with an eye to how long our reserves of fossil fuels will last. Once we derive this plan we then can look at future generations and inform them "Here is the plan".
The development of modern civilization has been dependent on both the availability and the advancement of energy. We have witnessed a progression from animal and steam power to the internal combustion engine and electricity generation and to the harnessing of alternative sources of energy. Because of our reliance on energy sources, it is also important to understand the impact of energy use on the environment. All aspects of energy, the way it is produced, distributed, and consumed, can affect local, regional, and global environments through land use and degradation, air pollution and global climate change via greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the foreseeable future, it is very likely that fossil fuels will remain our largest source of energy. However, fossil fuels are finite resources and there is concern not only about both domestic supply and U.S. reliance on foreign supplies but, also, with the increasing cost of these fuels.
The research on the longevity of fossil fuels is an exciting adventure in itself. I will touch on some of the theories before I conclude this series of articles. Given the slack of a decade or two, the best summation of the longevity of fossil fuels is presented in "Wikipedia, Fossil fuel: Years of production left in the ground with the most optimistic reserve estimates (Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil)".
Oil: = 45 years Gas: = 72 years Coal: = 252 years
With the slack of plus or minus 10 years, most projections are consistent with the Wikipedia numbers. . The popular Hubert peak theory projects that for any given geographical area, from an individual oil-producing region to the planet as a whole, the rate of petroleum oil production tend to follow a bell-shaped curve. "Olduvai revisited 2008" from The Oil Drum blog is an amazing study. This theory was first laid out by Richard Duncan in1989 when he observed that world energy per capita had been declining for a decade. The Olduvai waveform for oil starts in 1950 which is consistent with the Wikipedia projections that the waveform will be completed by 2053.
The energy consumption of a nation is proportional to its Gross National Product (GNP).i.e. (The higher the GNP of a nation, then the higher its consumption.).To maintain our accustomed standard of living, we require the amount of energy that we are burning now to maintain our lifestyles. With the depletion of fossil fuels this will require renewable fuels to fill in the gap.
How do we hammer this information into a plan? A roadmap needs to be derived that utilizes the adoption of solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energies into our energy consumptions needs. Technologies such as stuffing CO2 into caves should not be adopted until they are proven. A plan that incorporates renewable energies with fossils fuels usage would be more realistic for our country to follow.
How do we proceed?
We must continue tax incentives for the renewable energy sectors to incubate their growth. Our House of Representatives in Congress has passed a bill to renew the energy tax incentives that are due to expire December 31, 2008. President Bush threatens to veto this bill because it taxes the Oil Industry $19 billion dollars from multi-billion dollar profits. The president's premise is that the oil companies require these profits to continue exploration of new oil. Politics aside, we desperately need to find new sources of renewable energy.
We need to demand that our local and national leaders produce renewable energy action plans. There are pockets of leadership like Arizona and California. This leadership needs to be at a national level to be successful for the USA. Once this is accomplished we will be well on our way for future generations.
About the Author
have a BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering. Thirty six years spent in the development of semiconductors. Business experience in start up business plan. Currently, an oyster farmer and interested in helping the environment by deploying solar energy. Visit my Blog, http://environmentalhelp.typepad.com/ for continued information on renewable energy E Mail: p_calhoun@bellsouth.net
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Exploring the world of Oil and Gas: Possible Careers
Exploration Manager
Discovering vital oil and gas deposits is a valuable job in this day and age that will only continue to increase in importance as resources become scarcer. An exploration manager leads and operates the expeditions to discover more oil and gas. While evaluating the possibilities and value of a potential site, knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations is a must. A bachelor's degree (and preferably a master's degree) is required in this field. Those with eight to 10 years of experience are most likely chosen for this position. The average yearly salary for this career choice is between $157,665 and $208,954.
Oilwell Pumper
While you are quite familiar with the employee who may pump your gas at a service station, have you ever stopped to think how oil is manufactured? An oilwell pumper is responsible for the daily maintenance and care of oil wells. They operate the injection equipment and oversee oil production - making sure to keep in line with standard operating procedures. This kind of pumper will keep reports and make assessments of the volume and pressure of gas and oil contained inside of a well. A high school diploma or its equivalent is needed for consideration. Zero to two years of experience within the field is suggested, as you should display a familiarity regarding the concepts, practices, and procedures within this particular field. Usually, a supervisor or manager manages their progress and projects. The typical salary for this job is between $35,348 and $57,176.
Pipeline Engineer
A pipeline engineer may work with natural and/or liquid gases - heading projects; working with operations and marketing; selecting pipeline routes; reviewing construction sketches; conducting financial tracking and reporting; and provide technical training to other members of the staff. The ideal candidate for this type of position has five to 15 years of experience in transmission size pipeline engineering, and a bachelor's degree in engineering. Preference is usually given to those with a PE certification. The salary for this job varies. For instance, in Texas - you can expect to earn up to $105,000, which is usually contingent upon the amount of experience you possess.
Gas Supply Manager
As a gas supply manager, you are responsible for getting a hold of the required supplies of gas for various companies. Contract negotiation with acceptable sources become a major part of this job, as well as making sure that all conditions are fulfilled. You will oversee the appropriate transport and storage of these gas supplies. Over time, you will create a working relationship with suppliers. A bachelor's degree is required for this position - coupled with at least 10 years of experience in the field. Experience in a related area is also accepted. The average yearly salary for a gas supply manager is found between $89,001 and $136,754.
Rate Analyst
Energy operational costs are the focus of this particular job, which has employees analyzing the gathering and transporting rates for gas. Having knowledge of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission policies is a must with this career. Most often, an advanced degree within an area of specialty is expected. The majority of rate analysts have four to six years of experience in the field already under their belt. A variety of different tasks are expected of this job position, which typically earns between $61,482 and $78,854.
Electric and Gas Operations Superintendent
As an electric and gas operations superintendent, your responsibility is to oversee the work crews in charge of constructing, maintaining, and repairing systems associated with electricity and gas. A superintendent creates plans and watches over the process of their employees by managing crew supervisors. A bachelor's degree is sometimes required for this position, as well as at least eight years of experience within the field. The job also centers on a variety of various concepts, practices, and procedures. In this particular career path, extensive experience and judgment truly come in handy when planning and setting goals. Of course, a superintendent is expected to lead and guide the work of other employees. The earning potential for this job is between $71,607 and $106,982.
College Courses
To get an idea of the potential college courses associated with a career in oil and gas - you may face Oil & Gas Field Operations, Hydrocarbons, Oil Field Production, Oil Field Processing, intense labs, field experience, and testing on wastewater treatment, crude oil handling, artificial lift systems, and drilling techniques.
About the Author
Search and post jobs, resume, read job informations, government jobs, online jobs, federal jobs, hot jobs, usa jobs, canada jobs, at Seek4Jobs.net.
