Foreign Gas Research Articles

Knowledge management of foreign subsidiaries of international oil and gas contracting companies

PurposeTo present the findings of a study which examined the application of knowledge management of subsidiaries of foreign oil and gas contracting companies in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe subsidiaries were examined on how engineering and project management knowledge was created, captured, stored, shared and protected. These processes were traced by looking at the organisational facets of culture and structure, human resource management, information and communication technology and parental control. Five companies formed the sample population. The multi‐case study approach was adopted to take into account the likely variability of the sample population. Data were collected and triangulated using postal questionnaires, face‐to‐face interviews and secondary sources.FindingsFour subsidiaries were found to manage knowledge, albeit in varying ways. The fifth subsidiary was subjected to strong control by the parent to the extent that it had minimal knowledge base which thus obviated the need for knowledge management.Research limitations/implicationsThe one respondent‐per‐subsidiary approach may have led to possible response bias, although triangulation of data served to minimise the effect.Practical implicationsThe subsidiaries of oil and gas contracting companies in Malaysia which have yet to manage their knowledge asset holistically should take note of their rivals which have been re‐defining competitiveness in this manner and should, therefore, react similarly.Originality/valueThis study highlights the strong influence the parent companies of oil and gas contracting companies have over the degree to which knowledge is dispersed to their subsidiaries and the manner in which the latter are permitted to manage their knowledge asset.

Effect of high foreign-gas pressures on perpendicular and hybrid IR absorption bands for symmetric top molecules

The effect of high foreign-gas pressure (He, Ar, N2 up to 220 atm and CO2 up to 90 atm) on the contours of perpendicular and hybrid IR absorption bands for symmetric top molecules has been studied. It has been established that over the entire studied pressure range, the shape of the contours of the perpendicular vibrational bands ν4 and ν5 for chloroform, deuterochloroform, and bromoform is stable and changes relatively little as the pressure increases. The effect of collisions on the band contours is estimated by comparing the contours for mixtures of compressed gases with the contours calculated in the approximation of the J-and M-diffusion models. It has been shown that intramolecular perturbation of free rotation by Coriolis forces is the determining factor in formation of the contours of the perpendicular bands, successfully competing with the perturbing effect of the foreign gases, evidence for which comes from the insignificant changes in the shape of the bands as the pressure of the foreign gases increases.

Noble gas pressure broadening of the 7Li 2s–3s transition

We have made measurements of the foreign gas line broadening rate for the 2s–3s transition in atomic lithium, with rare gas perturbers ranging from neon to xenon. The experimentally determined broadening rates are compared with calculations in the impact approximation made on both ab initio potentials and long-range potentials due to Proctor and Stwalley (1977 J. Chem. Phys. 66 2063). We also provide experimental estimates of the shift rate for the rare gases argon to xenon. We discuss our measurements in the context of previous determinations of alkali atom s-state broadening and shift rates.

N 2-, H 2-, and He-induced collisional broadening of the J = 24 ← 23 transition of HC 3N located near 218.3 GHz at different temperatures

We report on experimental collisional relaxation of the J = 24 ← 23 line of HC 3 14N, located near 218.3 GHz, induced by nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium. The measurements were carried out at selected temperatures in the 235–350 K range using a video-type spectrometer. The foreign gas broadening parameters and their temperature dependences were determined assuming Voigt lineshape profiles and the usual T −n temperature law. The experimental broadening parameters are compared with results derived using the ATC collisional formalism.

Chinese National Oil Companies and Human Rights

China's efforts to secure foreign oil and natural gas to meet its growing energy demand are contributing to massive human rights violations in Sudan and Burma. These human rights conflicts, significantly influenced by abundant oil and gas reserves, have strained U.S.-China relations and complicated international efforts to create a more effective architecture to address both rights crises and conflict management over energy resources. The United States and its allies should not only engage Beijing but also bring Chinese national oil companies into the international energy market as stakeholders. Failure to address these matters could encourage other parties seeking scarce energy supplies to take similar compromises on human rights as they court questionable oil regimes, a development that would be detrimental to international peace and security.

High-resolution gas volume change measurements bring new insights in pressure regulation of the middle ear

in this issue, the paper by Kania et al. ([7][1]) presents measurements and modeling results on the role of nitrogen in the gas exchange processes in the middle ear. The middle ear is a semirigid biological gas pocket that is closed most of the time. External influences, such as changing weather

Latin America ponders nationalist energy policies

Latin American politicians who cheered the nationalist energy policies of Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez may be having second thoughts following the nationalization of foreign oil and gas holdings by Bolivia (see 'Gas and Power', May 2005). As well as affecting companies from the US and Europe, the move had a severe impact on another Latin American country, Brazil, whose state oil company, Petrobras, was Bolivia's largest producer of natural gas. Bolivia, in turn, represented the principal foreign asset of Petrobras, as well as being an important supplier of gas to Brazil. Petrobras announced that it was cancelling future investments in Bolivia, and Brazil's President, Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva flew to Argentina for a crisis summit with other Latin American leaders to discuss the continent's energy security.

Electric field induced anomalies in frequency shift and collisional perturbations in the 5snd 1D2 Rydberg series of strontium in a heatpipe setup with ionization detection

We have examined the effect of weak DC electric field (2–20 V/cm) complimented by foreign gas collisions on the bound J = 2 even-parity 5snd 1 D 2 Rydberg states of neutral strontium . We use resonant two-photon transverse excitation, employing a narrow bandwidth tunable dye laser and an atomic jet in a heatpipe setup with ionization detection. In this paper we report certain anomalies in the observed spectra covering principal quantum number range n = 27–42 indicating a frequency shift reversal with nearly quadratic dependence on the field strength above an anti-resonance region. Furthermore, we have observed the emergence of highly localized doubly-excited 4d 2 states, including a remarkably broad perturber with large angular momentum , uncovering orbital contraction effect. This non-Rydberg excitation, which intrudes upon the two-photon spectrum with large energy overlap is due to single-photon excitations from the 5s5p 1 P 1 resonance level following molecular dissociation of the Sr 2 dimers suitably governed by binary atomic collisions . Our study which involves laser excitation complimented by electric field and collisions using inexpensive home-made setup opens up the possibilities for a new class of experiments, with considerable simplicity in the choice of excitation schemes for both Rydberg and non-Rydberg transitions, to reach states lying at high energies which cannot otherwise be accessed from the ground state due to parity and selection rules, while allowing one to probe localization properties of atomic wave functions.

AUSTRALIA’S NEW INTERNATIONAL TAXATION REGIME—THE FISCAL IMPACT FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

Changes to Australia’s international tax regime as part of the Government’s Review of International Taxation Arrangements should be good news for the oil and gas industry. The nature of the industry is that Australian -based companies often look offshore to spread their risk and find new oil and gas opportunities. Likewise, many foreign oil and gas companies have come to Australia. The tax reforms should simplify and encourage greater investment by providing additional exemptions and other concessions to achieve greater tax efficiency. This paper will seek to explain the new reforms and illustrate how they will benefit investors and participants in the oil and gas industry.

Collisional perturbation of radio-frequencyE1transitions in an atomic beam of dysprosium

We have studied collisional perturbations of radio-frequency (rf) electric-dipole (E1) transitions between the nearly degenerate opposite-parity levels in atomic dysprosium (Dy) in the presence of 10 to 80 $\mu$Torr of H$_\text{2}$, N$_\text{2}$, He, Ar, Ne, Kr, and Xe. Collisional broadening and shift of the resonance, as well as the attenuation of the signal amplitude are observed to be proportional to the foreign-gas density with the exception of H$_2$ and Ne, for which no shifts were observed. Corresponding rates and cross sections are presented. In addition, rates and cross sections for O$_2$ are extracted from measurements using air as foreign gas. The primary motivation for this study is the need for accurate determination of the shift rates, which are needed in a laboratory search for the temporal variation of the fine-structure constant [A. T. Nguyen, D. Budker, S. K. Lamoreaux, and J. R. Torgerson, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{69}, 22105 (2004)].

Non-invasive measurement of cardiac output: Evaluation of new infrared absorption spectrometer

The mass spectrometer (MS) traditionally has been the instrument of choice for measuring cardiac output (Q (T)) non-invasively using the foreign gas uptake method. However, the size and cost of the MS has hampered widespread adoption of this technique outside of the laboratory. Here, we present results, from six normal human subjects at rest and during exercise, of simultaneous Q (T) measurements by an MS and a new, portable infrared (IR) device developed in our laboratories. These measurements are made using on the open-circuit acetylene uptake method. The IR device measures inspired and end-tidal concentrations of acetylene, sulfur hexafluoride, and carbon dioxide by IR absorption spectroscopy with a 10-90% response time of 43 ms; accurate measurements were made down to sample flow rates of 50 mL min(-1). Excellent correlation [Q (T)(IR)=0.98 Q (T)(MS), R(2)=0.94] was observed between instruments across the range from rest to heavy exercise. These results suggest that the IR device, which is small, light-weight, and rugged may enable the foreign gas uptake method to be used in clinical, field, and point-of-care settings for Q (T) measurement.

Validation of the use of foreign gas rebreathing method for non-invasive determination of cardiac output in heart disease patients

To compare a new device (Innocor) for non-invasive measurement of cardiac output (CO) by foreign gas rebreathing method with conventional techniques used in the measurements of cardiac function. Cardiac outputs measured by Innocor (CO(RB)) were compared with CO obtained by echocardiography (CO(EC)), Swan-Ganz thermodilution (CO(TD)), and left ventricle radiography (CO(LVR)) in 34 patients subjected to cardiac catheterization. Values obtained from the four methods were analyzed by linear regression and paired values were compared by the method of Bland and Altman in SPSS. There was strong positive correlation (r=0.94) between Innocor cardiac output values and the corresponding values obtained by thermodilution and between CO(EC) and CO(LVR) values. Thermodilution appears to overestimate cardiac output when compared to the values obtained with Innocor by (0.66+/-0.22) L/min (P<0.0001). There was no correlation between data obtained by Innocor and the corresponding CO(EC) and CO(LVR) values. Innocor CO(RB) is an easy, safe and well established method for non-invasive measurement of cardiac output with good prospects for clinical application in heart disease patients.

Friction and Heat Transfer in the Boundary Layer on a Permeable Surface with Injection of Foreign Gas

A three-parameter (for energy, friction, and vorticity of turbulence) model is used to perform a numerical investigation of the boundary layer on a permeable surface under conditions of injection of a gas whose density and temperature differ from those of the gas of incident flow. The results obtained for the friction coefficient and Stanton number are compared with the available experimental data for the injection of helium, air, carbon dioxide, and Freon into a flow of heated air. It is demonstrated that the density ratio between the gas being injected and the gas of incident flow affects significantly the dependence of friction and heat transfer on the injection parameter.

Profiles of Pressure Broadened Spectral Lines in an Arc Plasma

Spectral analysis of the alkali metals is characterized by pressure profiles. In the present work an electric arc has been used to calibrate the half-width of the intensity used in the construction of the ArI natural line at 4300 Å with a trace of evaporated rubidium at pressures of 1, 2 and 3 atmospheres. The results agree well with those obtained by Kusch’s line absorption equation in an electric furnace in the point of view of impact approximation, showing that the widths of the lines have Lorentz shapes. It is found that a simple treatment can be given using the quasi-static approximation of pressure broadening developed by Unsöld. The agreement of the results is good only if the shifts are large. The study shows that the pressure line profile is made up of a sum of dispersion profiles and asymmetric terms which arise from interactions of quadratic Stark effect, commonly assumed to be the force in causing foreign gas broadening

Influence of size effect and foreign gases on formation of nanoparticles

Problems related to the critical size of a nanoscale aerosol particle and its growth rate with the condensation coefficient being dependent on the particle size and adsorption of a foreign gas on the particle surface are considered. Influence of particle heating on the density of the resulting flux of the vapour molecules into the particle in the presence of adsorbable gas is discussed.

Electrical breakdown characteristics of an atmospheric pressure rf capacitive plasma source

The electrical breakdown characteristics of the rf capacitive plasma source are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The plasma source is the electrode type consisting of the concentric cylinders for generating nonequilibrium plasma at atmospheric pressure. The theoretical model based on the diffusion-controlled breakdown mechanism is proposed to analyze the electrical breakdown phenomenon in this rf capacitive plasma source of the coaxial cylinders. The electron temperature at the electrical breakdown is calculated from the theoretical model, thereby evaluating the electrical breakdown voltages. The experimental data of the electrical breakdown voltage are measured with respect to the variation of the geometric parameters of plasma source, the gas temperature, and the concentration of the foreign reactive gases (oxygen and nitrogen) mixed in the helium gas. The theoretical results of the electrical breakdown voltage agree remarkably well with experimental data. This indicates that not only the electron temperature is important in determining the electrical breakdown voltage, but also the geometric variables, the gas temperature, and the scattering cross sections of molecules play significant roles.

Plasma dynamics studies during deposition of thin film PbTe on a glass substrate

PbTe thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition using a Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) in an argon atmosphere. Dynamic processes in the gas phase induced by Nd:YAG laser ablation of PbTe are investigated by analyzing the light emitted by the plume. Pressure in the chamber varied from 1.0×10 −5 to 1.0 mbar. Space and time-resolved optical spectroscopy measurements indicate the presence of both neutral, Pb(I) and Te(I) and ionized, Pb(II) and Te(II), species. The velocities of the species remain unchanged for argon pressures up to 10 −1 mbar, which suggests that expansion of the plume occurs without further collision with the foreign gas in this pressure range. It is found that an addition of 5×10 −1 mbar Ar enhances the emission line intensity and leads to a decrease in species velocity observed at large distances from the target surface. Furthermore, a region of maximum emission intensity at distance of 5–10 mm from the target is found when a gas environment is present.

Absorption profiles of HCl for the J = 1–0 rotational transition: Foreign-gas effects measured for N 2, O 2, and Ar

Line profiles of the J = 1–0 transition of the hydrogen chloride, H 35Cl and H 37Cl isotopomers, were measured with a BWO-based submillimeter-wave spectrometer at AIST in real form: three hyperfine transitions for each isotopomer, i.e., total six lines at 625 and 626 GHz. The effect of foreign gases on the broadening and shift was determined for N 2, O 2, and Ar. The modified Voigt function was applied as the line shape function for preliminary analysis, where the collisional-narrowing effect was clearly observed. In the final analysis, we applied the Galatry function and determined the integral intensity, line center position, Lorentzian width, and contraction parameter for each absorption line. The magnitudes of the foreign-gas pressure-broadening coefficients decrease in order of N 2, O 2, and Ar. The line-shift coefficients were clearly observed, the magnitudes of which decrease in order of Ar, O 2, and N 2. The pressure dependence of contraction parameter was determined, although with poor precision.

One- and Two-Photon-Induced Ring-Cleavage Reactions of Strained Benzocycloalkenes via Hot Molecules

The ring-cleavage reactions of a series of benzocycloalkenes were studied using an ArF excimer laser. Product formation was significantly suppressed in the presence of nitrogen; therefore, the presence of vibrationally excited states (hot molecules), as intermediates, was indicated. The product of highly strained benzocyclobutene was linearly proportional to the laser fluence, whereas those of benzocyclopentene and benzocyclohexene were proportional to the square of the laser fluence in the presence of nitrogen. These phenomena cannot be understood as photochemical bond cleavage in the electronic excited state, but instead appear to be the result of single- and two-photon reactions of hot molecules. The dissociation rate constants were evaluated by a statistical rate theory under the assumption that the reaction occurred from the hot molecule. The reaction rate of highly strained benzocyclobutene was predicted to be faster than the collisional rate with foreign gas, even if it had vibrational energy equivalent to one photon; however, the reaction rates of less strained benzocyclohexene were expected to compete with the collisional rate when the vibrational energy was equivalent to two photons. Benzocyclopentene was an intermediate case and showed both single- and two-photon reactions. The dissociation rate constant of 1.4 x 10(6) s(-1) was successfully obtained from benzocyclopentene under collision-free conditions. This value was in fair agreement with the calculated value. The different dissociation rate constants of the molecules were well-explained in terms of the strain energy. Although the strain energy varies in a wide range (10-130 kJ mol(-1)), the simple model of the calculations reproduced the observed values of the CH2-CH2 bond dissociation in strained benzocycloalkenes.

Effects of ventilation on cardiac output determined by inert gas rebreathing

One of the most important methodological problems of the foreign gas rebreathing technique is that outcome of the measurements depends on procedural variables such as rebreathing frequency (RF), rebreathing bag volume (V(reb)), lung volume at start of rebreathing and intervals between measurements. Therefore, in 10 healthy males we investigated the effects of changes in ventilation pattern on cardiac output (CO) estimated by an N(2)O-rebreathing technique. Reducing the rebreathing volume (V(reb)) from 1.5 to 1.0 l diminished CO by 0.5 +/- 0.2 l min(-1), whereas an increase in V(reb) from 1.5 to 2.5 l had no effects. CO was 1.0 +/- 0.2 l min(-1) higher when, rebreathing was performed after a forced expiration than following a normal tidal expiration. Serial determinations of CO required a 3-min interval between the measurements to avoid effects of recirculation of N(2)O. Changing RF from 15 to 30 breaths min(-1) or adding serial dead space by up to 600 ml did not affect the determination of CO. In conclusion, the rebreathing procedure for determination of CO at rest should be performed following a normal tidal expiration with a rebreathing bag volume of between 1.5 and 2.5 l and with manoeuvres separated by at least 3-5 min. Variations in RF within the physiological range from 15 to 30 breaths min(-1) do not affect outcome of the measurements.