May-June 2023
Supreme Court Rules Day Rate Workers Entitled to Overtime Pay
In a highly anticipated case that has major implications for the oil and gas industry, the United States Supreme Court held that an oilfield worker paid a day rate was entitled to overtime pay under federal law. It is common in the oil and gas industry for oilfield workers to...
How To Control Costs in the Cloud
Organizations around the globe are moving their workloads to public cloud platforms such as Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google cloud. These platforms offer tremendous benefits over traditional on-premise environments including ease of management, reduced costs, increased security, and technological advancements. However, not properly controlling these workloads can lead to...
As the demand for a shift to renewable energy sources grows, the infrastructure that has long served as the foundation of our energy supply is undergoing a significant transformation. However, despite the focus on this “energy transition,” high-quality manufacturing and engineering remain essential constants. The oil and gas industry continues...
NJ Ayuk is Africa’s renaissance man. Born in West Africa, (he calls himself “the luckiest kid born in Cameroon”), and raised by a single mother of six, he was taken to Germany by Christian missionaries and received his middle school and high school education there. Multilingual (“I speak the German...
Permian Strategic Partnership Identifies Workforce Shortage
The oil and gas industry tends to ride trends experienced by all facets of business. The ups and downs of oil prices result in a trickle-down effect that influences the operator and the service-providing companies. Another common factor that possesses an extensive reach experienced by all in the industry comes...
Advanced Hardware Milling Solution Enables Access to North Sea Well
The recent introduction of an advanced hardware milling system has made a significant industry impact and, as illustrated by the following case, a “CNC-like” milling operation was completed in under 10 hours while also recovering the stellite-coated coupon to surface. When TotalEnergies faced a challenging situation with a subsea Christmas...
Going Off the Grid to Create Low-Cost Hydrogen
Many experts within the energy industry claim that fossil fuels remain the primary energy source because of the low costs associated with producing and refining the product compared to alternative methods. This argument certainly supports the notion of letting the markets influence selection. As the most economical energy source, society...
Embracing the Past and Empowering the Future
In order to reach ultimate results for a strong energy future, it is my belief that we must embrace the past and empower the future. Energy literacy and understanding are consequential to the future success of the energy sector. In 2012, the book I authored, America Needs America’s Energy, was...
Sofiane Djezzar, Geoscientist, University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center
Alan Alexeyev: Please introduce yourself and your area of expertise. Sofiane Djezzar: I am an enthusiastic geoscientist at the University of North Dakota (UND) Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), where I am in charge of developing geomechanical, geophysical and geological models of the subsurface. My research focuses on carbon...
How Energy Firms Can Leverage AI Tools Like ChatGPT and AR/VR
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are becoming more mainstream today, and an increasing number of professionals, such as designers, engineers and manufacturers of energy, utilities, and oil and gas producers are looking at ways to incorporate various AI-driven technologies into their workflows. Automation technology using AI can be programmed to complete...
Tank Storage Sees New Design and Continued Benefits of Preventative Maintenance
Like upstream, and all oil and gas production areas, tank storage can benefit from improvement and regular maintenance. When discussing the oil and gas industry, the upstream sector typically gains the glory and recognition of progress and advancement. Rarely does the downstream side receive attention – at least not until...
Letter from the Publisher (May-June 2023)
Summer is approaching. Time moves quickly, especially when business is good. How has the oil and gas industry performed from a year ago? I’ll start with the drilling rig count in the U.S. According to Baker Hughes, in April of 2022, there were 698 active drilling rigs; as of this...
Safety is a top priority in various industries, particularly one such as oil and gas, and organizations traditionally focus on learning from accidents and incidents to prevent their recurrence. However, the fewer incidents an organization has, the fewer opportunities to learn. Therefore, it is important to find a way to...
My Path to the Oil and Gas Industry
As I think back to my years growing up in Uvalde, Texas, then attending the University of Texas at Austin, my path to the oil and gas industry has taken many interesting twists and turns. My first introduction to computers came back in 1985 playing a game on an Apple...
Risk Based Inspection to Maintain Asset Integrity of Oil and Gas Industry Assets
Assets integrity is essential to maintain safety, regulatory compliance and productivity. Balancing this imperative against potential cost is a constant challenge. These days, the oil and gas industry is facing increased pressure to reduce risks and improve safety and reliability with cost effectiveness. The management of failure analysis has a...
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.
