Drilling Activity Research Articles

Physical Soil Parameter and Resistivity Profile in the Vadose Zone: Preliminary Result of Groundwater Recharge Study

In tropical-volcanic-dominated areas, such as Java Island in Indonesia, aquifer recharge is highly impacted by rainfall intensity and soil characteristics. The first stage of recharge begins with the soil surface's response to rainwater until it percolates to the deep layer. The primary objective of this research was to study groundwater recharge processes from the soil surface to deep percolation in the volcanic deposit at the northwest flank of Mount Pangrango, West Java, Indonesia. The present study also includes the 2D geoelectrical survey results combined with the soil core drilling. A vertical undisturbed soil profile 4 to 4.5 meters deep was drilled to determine parameters such as soil water content, total porosity, permeability, organic content, and soil texture. Results from core drilling activities confirmed that resistivity values are in the range of 80 to 360 ohm.m, which is related to wet soil layers at 1 to 4 meters below the surface. It is found that the most significant difference between organic and mineral soils in terms of resistivity value is that of organic content. Depth and radius of Pinus merkusii and Melia azedarach tree according to resistivity and soil drilling result confirmed at 2.5; 4.5 meter and 0.9; 2.2 meters respectively. By profiling these factors, the behavior of water movement may be better described, allowing the net recharge rate from rainwater to the water table in the unsaturated zone to be estimated.

Transient response of an innovative Deepwater Artificial Seabed (DAS) system under tendon failure conditions

An innovative Deepwater Artificial Seabed (DAS) drilling system is developed to overcome the demanding technical and economic limitations for offshore drilling activities in deep and ultra-deep waters, with a focus on important issues of well access. However, tendon failure poses significant threats to the well integrity of the DAS drilling system. This study is committed to investigating the transient effects of tendon failure on the response of the fully coupled DAS drilling system. A nonlinear model, which couples the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), artificial seabed, riser system, intact and fractured tendons, is established firstly. Based on this, the transient response characteristics are systematically investigated in consideration of tendon breakage scenarios, covering the artificial seabed motion, the tendon tension, the strength of the drilling riser and tieback casing systems. The results indicate that the transient motion responses of the artificial seabed behave as large translational and rotational movements nonlinearly under tendon failure conditions. However, the heave motion of the inner artificial seabed, by contrast, is quite small due to the decoupling effect between the outer and inner artificial seabed in the vertical direction. Besides, the maximum tensions in neighboring tendons increase sharply caused by the transient effects of tendon failures, which may lead to cascading failure effect, even a total loss of the DAS drilling system. These findings can contribute to the safe design and operation of the DAS drilling system.

The geometry of the Western Boundary Fault (WBF) of Amer oil field and its influence on hydrocarbon trapping, western central Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Amer ridge holds one of the most prolific oil fields in the western central Gulf of Suez rift basin and was discovered in 1965. The brownfield produces oil from the Miocene-Eocene carbonates and Late Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs with oil water contact 1150 m. The present work provides a structural model expressing the role of inherited structures and the tectonic evolution of the western fault bounding the field. This model resulted from the multi-scale integration of subsurface data from 90 wells, various borehole images, and 3-D seismic volumes attributes. The interpretation demonstrated the vertical profile of the western boundary fault of Amer field (WBF) to be a ramp-flat-ramp geometry pattern cutting through lithological units of different rheology. The developed fault surface of the WBF divided the penetrated sedimentary succession into two distinct strain intervals. The inherited structural fabrics of the lower interval of pre-rift units are documented with 1) an anomalous southwest-stratal dip, and 2) severe deformation of the WBF footwall with extensional faults of gulf parallel and gulf-orthogonal trends. Simultaneously, the roll-over anticline-syncline structure that developed within the upper, less-strained Miocene interval, coincided with the flat of the WBF geometry.By applying this model, it was possible to i) distinguish the three-footwall structurally controlled plays of Amer area into lower ramp-1, flat, and upper ramp-2 and ii) enlarge the size of the brownfield. Recent development activity in Amer area verified the new structural model and expanded the drilling activity to target the Paleozoic clastic reservoir of Nubia C as a new exploration objective. The Amer structural model can serve as a useful analogue for oil field development and production enhancement in other complex rift basin settings.

Cloud Computing Optimizes Vaca Muerta Well Spacing, Stimulation Design

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 204142, “Well Spacing and Stimulation Design Optimization in the Vaca Muerta Shale: Hydraulic Fracture Simulations on the Cloud,” by Sahil Malhotra, SPE, Alejandro Lerza, SPE, and Sergio Cuervo, Chevron/YPF Joint Venture. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ Well spacing and stimulation design are high-impact design variables that can dictate the economics of an unconventional development. The objective of the complete paper is to showcase a numerical simulation work flow with emphasis on a hydraulic fracture simulation methodology that optimizes well spacing and completion design simultaneously. The work flow is deployed using cloud computing functionality. Objective The Vaca Muerta shale has grown in drilling activity and overall production significantly over the past decade. The mode of development started from vertical wells with multistage hydraulic fractures, with a transition to horizontal wells in the early 2010s. Over the past few years, the designs have transitioned to fracturing designs with lower-viscosity fluids with tighter cluster spacing. These designs have demonstrated improved production in wells drilled in multiple zones. While an emphasis has been made on optimizing stimulation designs, well spacing has not been studied thoroughly yet. The objective of the current work is to optimize well spacing and stimulation designs to maximize estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) and lower the unit development cost per barrel. Stimulation designs contain design variables including cluster spacing, clusters per stage, proppant and fluid amount, fluid type, proppant type, and perforation design. Unit development cost is defined as the capital expenditure per barrel of EUR. Modeling Work Flow The work flow was used on a three-well pad in a field in the Neuquén basin targeting the Vaca Muerta. Two wells were drilled and completed in the upper zone, and one well was completed in the lower zone. The pad was initially designed for four wells, but one lower-zone well was abandoned because of drilling-related issues. Well A and Well C were pumped with high-density completions (HDC) designs, and Well B was pumped with a conventional design. The HDC design involved pumping larger proppant and fluid amounts at tighter cluster spacing than in the conventional design.

Physical-chemical characterization and leaching studies involving drill cuttings generated in oil and gas pre-salt drilling activities.

This work describes characterization and leaching studies of pre-salt drill cuttings from offshore oil and gas exploration in ultradeep waters. The metals Fe, Al, and Ba were present in the highest concentrations in drill cuttings (30000 mg kg-1, 32600 mg kg-1, and 33000 mg kg-1 respectively). The most significant contents of Ba, Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Mn, Si, and Zn were found in cuttings containing non-aqueous fluids (NADF), but the highest concentrations of Ni and Cr were found in samples containing aqueous fluids (WBDF). The content of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in the samples with WBDF fluids ranged from < 5.58 to 15.76 mg Kg-1 while the TPH content of the samples with NADF ranged from 28.46 to 47.16 mg Kg-1. Data on the content of unresolved complex mixtures (UCMs) and sheen tests indicated probable contamination of some cutting samples with oil. Most samples showed some degree of contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The metals present in the highest concentrations in saline and aqueous leachates were Si and Ba. The metals Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn were present in varied concentrations in the saline leachates, and the metals Si, Ba, Cu, and Zn were found in the aqueous leachates.

Methods of feasibility study of efficiency of well placement of horizontal directional wells within oil and gas reservoir bed boundaries. Jsc embamunaigas success experience were taken for analysis

This article describes the positive experience of applying an integrated approach in planning and drilling horizontal wells with geosteering in the fields of Embamunaigas JSC (most of which have entered the late stage of development, with a steady increase in hard-to-recover hydrocarbon reserves) in order to achieve maximization of oil production. In this article we present a comprehensive horizontal well placement approach which comprises the following key elements: Interpretation of 3D seismic and the use of logs of nearby wells and a 3D static model for well trajectory planning; following a pre-agreed geosteering procedure while drilling, on-site analysis of cuttings and LWD data to adjust the well trajectory and, thereby, optimize well placement. The extent of field development drilling activity of the objects, production drilling of the main development object and the need of horizontal section well placement in the area of the existing element of the development of the object impose certain restrictions on the drilling of horizontal wells. Well placement is one of the best solution to increase production and extend of brawn field life.

Attitudes and Response Capacities for Public Health Emergencies of Healthcare Workers in Primary Healthcare Institutions: A Cross-Sectional Investigation Conducted in Wuhan, China, in 2020.

Objectives: Response capacities for public health emergencies (PHEs) amongst healthcare workers play important roles in the prevention and control of PHEs. This study assessed the attitudes and response capacities of PHE workers in primary healthcare (PHC) institutions. Methods: An online anonymous questionnaire survey of 803 healthcare workers sampled from 13 PHC institutions in Wuhan, China, was conducted from April to June 2020. The Kruskal–Wallis test and linear regression model were used to analyze the response capacities of PHE workers and associated factors. Results: The healthcare workers with longer working years, particularly 30 years and above, had higher knowledge (OR = 7.323, p < 0.001) and practical ability scores (OR = 8.012, p < 0.001) when compared to those with less than 5 working years. The nurses had higher practical ability scores (OR = 2.188, p = 0.049), and pharmacists had lower practical ability scores (OR = 0.166, p = 0.007), when compared to doctors. Moreover, the healthcare workers who had never participated in educational activities related to PHE management in the past two years (OR = 0.540, p = 0.038; OR = 0.282, p = 0.001), had not participated in a PHE drill activity (OR = 0.327, p < 0.001; OR = 0.340, p = 0.004), and had never been involved in emergency management of PHEs (OR = 0.254, p < 0.001; OR = 0.174, p < 0.001) had lower knowledge and practical ability scores. Conclusion: The healthcare workers with longer working years had better response capacities, and nurses had better practical abilities when compared to doctors. More emergency management education and chances to be involved in PHE drill activities were encouraged amongst healthcare workers in PHC institutions for better prevention and control of PHEs. Moreover, inter-institution cooperation, a flexible response system, and dynamic adjustment of healthcare workers were suggested during PHEs.

Towards drilling rate of penetration prediction: Bayesian neural networks for uncertainty quantification

Drilling rate of penetration (ROP) prediction has long been a part of any drilling activity. By accurate prediction of ROP, optimization can be done that maximizes ROP and reduces drilling costs. ROP prediction relies on good quality data from nearby wells and is mostly performed through multiple-regression models. Recently, machine learning and artificial intelligence tools have been suggested as an alternative. On the other hand, the lack of knowledge about the uncertainty in these data-driven models can limit their applicability. A trained machine learning model can perform satisfactorily on the data on which it was trained, yet fail when applied to new data. In this work, we explore the application of Bayesian neural networks and the notion of uncertainty in ROP prediction. We compare the prediction of several deterministic and probabilistic models on a real drilling dataset. Despite accurately predicting the ROP in a 5000ft section of a horizontal well, the models are shown to have large uncertainties, potentially caused by the size of the training dataset. The results and analysis show how the adoption of a probabilistic framework can be leveraged to pinpoint the root cause of an ROP model’s lack of accuracy.

Learning Obstacles in the Making of Lesson Plans by Prospective Mathematics Teacher Students

Prospective mathematics teachers’ students must be able to build didactic situations that encourage students to actively learn. They must also be able to develop lesson plans independently. The facts found include lesson plans in the form of drill activities and the activity of downloading lesson plans from the Internet rather than compiling the lesson plans themselves, which are problems that need to be resolved. This study aims to analyse the learning obstacles experienced by prospective mathematics teacher students in preparing lesson plans. This research was a qualitative didactic design research with a focus on the analysis of didactic and metadidactic situations. The research subjects were three easily accessible prospective teachers, lecture administrators, lecturers from certain courses, and program administrators. Lecturers were chosen through the snowball method. The analysis of prospective teachers learning obstacles was conducted by analysing their actions, formulations, and validations during courses on curriculum analysis, media, and microteaching. The results showed that there were (1) ontogenic obstacles, namely, the readiness of students to attend lectures; (2) didactic obstacles, namely, imperfect learning materials and SLPs (semester lecture plans) that did not include elaborating and studying basic competence as indicators; and (3) epistemological obstacles, namely, the lack of opportunities for students to practise in the field, confirm, and validate the work they had produced with practitioners (i.e., school mathematics teachers). The results showed that there were ontogenic obstacles to student readiness, a didactic obstacle to learning materials used in lectures, and epistemological obstacles to the absence of interaction with schoolteachers. After knowing the learning obstacle of mathematics learning planning lectures, this research has implications for the development of lecture designs that encourage students to produce lesson plans. The lesson plans produced by students make school students learn actively.

Pore Pressure Estimation Using Bowers Methods in Shale Gas Reservoir Jambi Sub-Basin

Pore pressure prediction has important implications in determining the success of a drilling activity. Information of subsurface pore pressure prediction in hydrocarbon exploration and production is very important. For geologist this information can be used to determine of hydrocarbon generation and maturation within a basin, while for petroleum engineer pore pressure prediction is very important to maintain the production rate and for drilling engineer this information is useful for mud weigh and casing designs prior drilling activities to prevent blow out. This study is conducted in the well A and B, Field "X", Jambi Sub-Basin. Wells A and B have problems when drilling operations are carried out, such as blow out and pipe sticking which causes high non-productive time (NPT). So, optimum pore pressure prediction analysis must be carried out to avoid downhole problems in the implementation of further development well drilling. First, this study identifies the mechanism of overpressure formation, then predicts pore pressure using the Bowers method and subsequently performs modeling of subsurface 3D pore pressure. The results of the analysis showed that overpressure occurred in the Gumai and Talang Akar Formations, overpressure mechanism in the formation was caused by compaction, fluid expansion (kerogen maturation), and based on analysis of 3D pore pressure modeling many overpressure zones were found in the Gumai Formation, Jambi Sub-Basin

A Pressure-Driven Hole Cleaning Model and Its Application in Real-Time Monitoring with Along-String Pressure Measurements

Summary Hole cleaning is an important factor in horizontal drilling; however, there is no generally accepted approach to measure the cuttings distribution downhole in practical drilling applications. This study proposes an approach to evaluate the dynamic downhole cuttings distribution quantitatively by using along-string annular pressure (ASAP) data. The relationships between cuttings distribution and pressure drop are investigated, and a pressure-driven hole cleaning model is developed by inverting the effect of cuttings on wellbore pressure drop for given flow conditions. A hybrid drilling hydraulic model is developed by combining the traditional drilling hydraulic model and a self-tuning approach to accurately calculate wellbore pressure drop without cuttings. The effect of cuttings on pressure drop is obtained by comparing ASAP data and predicted pressure data from the hybrid drilling hydraulic model. Then, the downhole cuttings distribution is obtained by inverting the pressure changes using the pressure-driven hole cleaning model. This work provides an accurate approach to evaluate real-time hole cleaning conditions and detect insufficient hole cleaning problems for real-time drilling activities if wired drillpipe is deployed. It also expands existing analysis techniques for real-time drilling data and provides new methods to make use of the expanded sensor capability from wired drillpipe.

Decision Analysis for Bumi Hitam Field Development by Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP): Case Study of Pt Pertamina Ep

Zone 7 continues to decline. The achievement of gas production for PEP Zone 7 is only 94%. The gas balance shows that the gas supply from PEP Zone 7 cannot keep up with gas demand from consumers. PEP Zone 7, through the Subsurface Development Department, conducted a study on potential structures to increase gas production and supply capability. One of them is the Bumi Hitam Complex, consisting of the Bumi Hitam Structure and Cililin Selatan Structure. The estimated recoverable reserve is about 24 BSCF and 150 MBO. This comes from one workover, two infill well drilling, and two step-out drilling activities. The current issue is how to handle the produced fluid. The VFT (Value Focused Thinking) approach is used to resolve the problem. It generates three scenarios: Build a new gathering station and transport the fluid to compressor suction, Transport gross fluid to GS CLU, Build a new gathering station, and transport the fluid to compressor discharge. Those scenarios consider cost, hydrocarbon recovery, net present value, and operability. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to find the best solution. Four subject matter experts (SMEs) conducted FGD (Focused Group Discussion) to assess each scenario considering those criteria. It generates a scenario to build a new gathering station and transport the fluid to compressor suction as the best scenario, with the value reaching 59.3%. The consistency ratio is also valid with the value of 0.07 (the valid value requirement is less than 0.1).

Characterization of Respirable Dust Generated from Full Scale Cutting Tests in Limestone with Conical Picks at Three Stages of Wear

Respirable rock dust poses serious long-term health complications to workers in environments where mechanical rock excavation is utilized. The purpose of this study is to characterize respirable dust generated by cutting limestone with new, partially worn, and fully worn conical pick wears. Characterizing limestone respirable dust can aid in decision making for respirable dust suppression levels and exposures throughout the lifetime of a pick in underground mining and engineering activities. The methods include full scale cutting of a limestone sample in the laboratory with three conical picks at different stages of wear. Dust samples were collected during cutting with various instruments connected to pumps and subsequently analyzed to determine the concentrations, mineralogy, particle shapes, and particle size distributions. The results show that the worn pick generated the highest concentration of dust, all picks generated dust containing quartz, all three picks generated dust particles of similar shapes, and all three picks generated various particle size distributions. In conclusion, a preliminary suite of respirable dust characteristics is available and with further future additional studies, results could be used for the evaluation of possible strategies and methods of dust suppression and exposures during mining, tunneling, or drilling activities.

Upper crustal structure at the KTB drilling site from ambient noise tomography

Summary In this study, we show results from ambient noise tomography around the KTB (Kontinentales Tiefbohrprogramm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), a continental deep drilling site located at the western edge of the Bohemian Massif, within the Variscan belt of Europe. At the KTB site, crustal rocks have been drilled down to 9 km depth. Before the drilling activity started, several active seismic surveys had been performed to explore its surroundings during the 1980s and early 1990s, in the frame of an extensive exploration of the area aimed at unravelling the characteristics of the continental lower crust that is exposed at surface in this location. Despite the exploration campaigns held at and around the KTB drilling site, there are important targets that are worth further investigation; these are related in particular to the obduction of lower crustal units to the surface, and to the mechanism of orogenic processes in general. Here we present a new 3-D shear wave velocity model of the area from cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise. The model is obtained by a unique data set composed of 2 yr of continuous data recorded at nine 3-component temporary stations (installed from July 2012 to July 2014) located on top and around the drilling site, and together with the data from 19 permanent stations throughout the region. This paper is focusing on the upper crustal layers, and we show velocity variations at short scales that correlate well with known geological structures in the region of the KTB site, at the surface and at depth. These are used to discuss features that are less well-resolved at present.

Use of a Polymer Gel for Killing a High-Temperature and High-Pressure Gas Well

Summary In the processes of oil and gas drilling, gas easily invades wellbores and adversely influences the safety in high-pressure gas reservoir drilling activities. In this study, a polymer gel was prepared for well killing in high-pressure gas reservoirs. The gelation performance of the gel under different conditions was experimentally examined. The gel can maintain high shear resistance, high-temperature resistance, and high-temperature long-term stability at 160°C and is thus suitable for the long-term isolation of high-temperature formations. The gel is sensitive to high concentrations of salt ions and must be prepared in the field using saline solutions with Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations lower than 20 000 and 500 mg/L, respectively. The gel can be easily oxidized and disintegrated by acidic solutions. The gel disintegration rate may reach 100% when subjected to ammonium persulfate and hydrochloric acid aqueous solutions at 160°C. Moreover, the polymer gel performance in application scenarios was examined. The gel density can be increased using barite and magnetite. The water loss percentage of the gel is less than 10% at 160°C, rendering its use suitable for well killing in openhole intervals, especially in water-sensitive formations such as mudstone and shale. The permeability recovery of the gas reservoir core is more than 90% when gasflooding is performed with oxidative degradation of the gel. The gel exhibits excellent well kill capacity, with a maximum value of 8.8 MPa/100 m after aging at 160°C for 3 days. Successful field test was conducted in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China, which indicates that the gel can be used for well killing in high-temperature and high-pressure gas reservoirs.

Contracts and access to Mexico’s natural gas resources: The text is not legible on the ground

We examine how contracts mediate private industry access to state-owned subterranean resources. Using a case study from one of Mexico’s most productive onshore natural gas fields, the Burgos Basin, we link contract literatures in geography and critical legal scholarship to answer the following two questions: Does the contract text correspond to how private companies access state-owned subsurface resources, and what purposes do the contracts serve for the contract signatories beyond resource production? The data suggest that contract winners have, so far, limited their drilling activities on the Burgos Basin. This situation draws attention to a puzzle wherein natural gas reserves are not being produced, but the contracts remain active and important to both the contractors and the government. Putting semi-structured interview data into direct conversation with contract text to answer our research questions, we encourage a deeper engagement with how extractive contracts are used to access state-owned resources. First, we uncover how the contract text is not instructive of how or why a private firm will access the resource or why the state enters the contract. Second, we highlight the ways that the contract fails to actualize resource production using a mechanisms of access approach to guide our analysis. Third, we show that resource contracts facilitate relationships and advance the interests of the contract parties regardless of what the actual text purports to do. We finally describe how state-firm resource contracts offer a fruitful area of exploration for geographers interested in resource production.

Race discrimination in the adjudication of claims: Evidence from earthquake insurance

AbstractCatastrophic events affect many people simultaneously. We exploit earthquake claim characteristics to test for racial discrimination in the adjudication of insurance claims. Using data from the Oklahoma Department of Insurance, the US Geological Survey, and the US census, we study eight earthquakes between 2010 and 2016 that were linked to oil and gas drilling activities. We test whether claim resolutions differ among zip‐code areas with different racial compositions, all else equal. We find evidence that claims from areas with higher percentages of Black population were less likely to result in payment, and when those claims did get paid, payments were lower in those areas. We further investigate the mechanisms through which such discrimination may exist. We do not find evidence that the percentages of Black, Native, or Asian population in an area are associated with the filing of marginal claims. We do find that areas with higher percentages of Hispanic population file fewer marginal claims.

ANALISA KEGAGALAN PIN CONNECTION PADA RANGKAIAN PIPA PENGEBORAN SUMUR MINYAK BUMI

ABSTRACT&#x0D; Oil and gas are natural resources. The oil drilling activity is one of the process series in oil exploration and production in order that the oil well always produces those natural resources constantly per days. Because of the reason in highly complexities, the success in oil drilling and exploration are also base on the quality of the equipments. This thesis has evaluated about pin connection. This is one of a part equipment that has been used in drill string series. The documentation of SOP, FAT and design specification are plays important role for the completeness of data histories. The material of pin connection is consists from some chemical substances. So the chemical composition in this pin connection have very important role to determine the mechanical properties of this part. These two combinations are give effect to its reliabilities performance.&#x0D; Keywords: SOP, FAT, Design, Chemical Composition, Mechanical Properties, Performance

Technology Focus: Intelligent Operations (May 2022)

The trend of increasing automation and integration of digital work flows continues in all disciplines within the industry. An obvious driver is the increasing digital nature of our world; today’s phones and tablets connected to the cloud perhaps have more computing capabilities than supercomputers from 5 or 10 years ago. Another key driver, arguably the reason why intelligent operations came on the radar of most companies, is being able to improve safety and efficiency in the complex operations that are routinely performed in the oil patch. The last couple of years, I have highlighted efforts around remote operations of fields, smart wells, and the acquisition and integration of real-time data. This year, I have focused on recent drilling-related papers that highlight how safety and performance can be improved with more intelligent operations. Paper SPE 208711 discusses a key requirement I see for successful intelligent operations, especially when the operations span disciplines and companies. Having a standard, consistent, and unambiguous lexicon is critical for automation and digital work flows. This paper highlights an effort to spur the standardization of codes across companies to describe drilling, completions, and other well activities. Anybody who has gone through old well files will recognize immediately the value and the need for such standardization of well activity codes. The other two papers (SPE 208764 and SPE 208784) highlight how automation can lead to increased safety on rigs during operations. Companies are using a combination of cameras, wearables, and other technology to monitor personnel in safety zones on rigs to ensure no one is unknowingly in the wrong spot at the wrong time. A familiar analog to this would be the safety improvements in driving because of collision-avoidance systems in cars (where a combination of technologies including cameras, radar, and lidar are used). Standardization of Well Activity Codes. - Paper SPE 208711 describes the efforts of one operator to standardize well activity reporting codes. A key highlighted improvement is a new coding system that captures both what was done (the typical focus of historical well activity codes) and the broader context on why the activity was performed. The new codes have enabled more granular tracking of performance metrics and a simplification of reporting. Significantly, the operator has recognized the need for a standardized set of codes across the industry and has donated the codes they have developed to an industrywide open-source environment. I hope this spurs wider adoption and refinement of reporting standards across the industry. Using Computer Vision To Monitor Safety Zones and Automate Drillpipe Tallies. - Paper SPE 208764 highlights how digitalization can result in safer operations and improved accuracy through the automation of manual tasks. The paper discusses a computer vision system coupled with a neural network model that detects if any personnel are within a restricted pipe-delivery red zone at an unsafe time and sets off an audible warning alarm. The paper also describes how the use of multiple cameras on different levels of the mast automates the measurement and tallying of the drillpipe being run into the hole. Both these aspects have enhanced existing processes (such as the use of buffer zones and barricades and the manual counting of drill pipe) to further improve safety and accuracy. This article in JPT might also be of interest. Automatic Kick Detection and Dynamic Well Monitoring. - Paper SPE 208784 discusses how to reduce the time gap between when drilling operators detect a kick and when they activate the blowout preventers (BOPs). The paper identifies accurate positioning of the drillstring before activating BOPs as a critical step that affects the time gap. The paper describes an architecture that allows automation of the space-out operation and achieves quick and accurate positioning of the tool joint with minimum movement of the drillstring. A critical enabler that the authors describe is being aware in real time of the depth of each tool joint in the wellbore.

Engage students in Chinese language learning: Insights from teacher and student perspectives in a Chinese language study abroad program

This paper takes a North American University’s summer immersion Chinese language program in China as a case to discuss how to engage intermediate-level Chinese language learners in an immersion language learning environment. The study grounds student engagement principles as the theoretical framework for designing and evaluating the course and learning activities. Sixteen Chinese language teachers and fifty-six Chinese language learners participated in the study. The qualitative survey was employed to understand Chinese language learners’ experience of engagement in an immersion program from the perspectives of both teachers and their students. The result shows that students can be deeply engaged in an immersion Chinese language program when the program creates a dynamic environment. In the dynamic environment, the opportunities for diverse interactions (i.e., the interactions among the students, between teachers and students, and between students and the local people) are offered. Students are engaged in developing language skills and abilities when they have the chance to obtain individualized feedback on their language performance and instant assistance when they encounter difficulties. The results also highlight the importance of learning Chinese in authentic communicative contexts, especially for grammar drill activities. At last, implications are generated for future instructional design and practice for Chinese study abroad programs.