January-February 2022
Forecasters Predict Increased Demand and Supplies of Oil in 2022
As 2021 came to a close, energy companies and organizations began looking at 2022 and started making plans based on supply and demand expectations. Three organizations that provide market information are the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), which represents countries that are net importers of crude oil; the Energy Information...
J. David (Dave) Payne: Control Your Own Legacy
Engineers design and build things, and they are driven to make them better. Dave Payne can speak in very complex, technical terms about the engineering side of the oil and gas industry, but there is a recurring theme that runs throughout the conversation about his 41-year career, and that is...
Technology Continues to Win in Taylor Energy Spill Recovery
While technology and innovation have paved the way for improvement in the oil and gas industry, they have also responded to mistakes made along the way. A more effective method of rectifying the error has manifested from lessons learned in the loss of life, asset damage and environmental disaster. This...
How Oil and Gas Companies Can Recruit, Train and Retain Top Talent
As millennials and Gen Z professionals begin climbing the ranks of corporate leadership, organizations are grappling with how to train and retain talent, while recruiting top performers. This is particularly challenging for the oil and gas industry, which has traditionally boasted a loyal employee base that passes tried and true...
Human Factors Ergonomics In Hydrocarbon Facilities
This article focuses on identifying the minimum requirements for integrating ergonomic principles into the selection of various devices or equipment by identifying the minimum requirements for the facility design with respect to factors such as ease of access and movement and enhancing the operability and maintainability of the equipment in...
A Day in the Life of… An Energy Entrepreneur
My career in the energy industry began when my partner and wife, Katherine (“Katie”) Lyssy Garza, and I started working in the Eagle Ford Shale helping ranchers and farmers lease and negotiate their royalty rights to exploration and production (E&P) companies. I am the co-founder and CEO of Lyssy Energy...
How GNSS Speeds Up Pipeline Mapping
Every year, when thousands of new gas pipelines are installed, field engineers must record data on the pipeline components, including the pipe segments, connections, asset type, pressure tolerance and personnel. Details down to individual welds are captured and entered into a GIS database to support utility operations and asset management....
Digital Transformation and the Importance of Change Management
As we begin the new year, we must reflect on the old. In August of 2020, the oil and gas industry hit the bottom of the barrel regarding production and rig counts. Over a year later, U.S. oil and gas rig counts rose from six to 635, spurring a rise...
Integrated Solutions Make Brownfield Intervention Operations More Cost-Effective
With the gradual recovery of oil prices and the market’s highly volatile nature following the 2015 downturn, oil and gas exploration companies are increasingly focused on improving efficiency and maximizing return on investment (ROI) to shareholders, instead of investing in new projects. Drilling costs for new projects are estimated to...
Revolutionizing Remote Data Analyzation
In the world of instantaneous response where we reside, industry is forced to adopt the same mindset. Lag time is viewed as expensive and, as the cost of business increases, efficiency is considered a highly valuable commodity. The oil and gas industry is no different in its quest to streamline...
Letter from the Publisher (January-February 2022)
As we start the new year in our resilient oil and gas industry, it’s a good idea to reflect on the past year. We’ve encountered supply chain and economic challenges with COVID-19 lockdowns and government vaccine mandates. The Biden administration paused new drilling leases on public land and water, halted...
After experiencing a historic drop in demand during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. oil market has rebounded strongly due to a worldwide recovery in demand that has outpaced initial expectations. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil prices reached $80+/bbl in late Q3 2021 for...
Interview: Mark Hill, CEO, W Energy Software
Emmanuel Sullivan: Congratulations, I understand you are now CEO at W Energy Software. Will you be taking the company in any new directions? Mark Hill: First, I want to share my gratitude for Pete Waldroop who founded W Energy Software and built such an amazing company. Thanks to Pete’s clear...
Innovative Sensor Technology from Korea
Safety is the most critical aspect of any business, no matter what industry you are in. In any workplace setting, employees should feel safe from hazards, harmful gases and explosion risks when they start their day. Although businesses and companies have an obligation to protect their workers from getting injured,...
Strategic Optimization 1440 (the number of minutes in a day) is an initiative that I have designed for companies in the process of corporate development. The energy industry is challenged with the global energy transition dialogue. This is the first in a series based upon the theme of “Strategic Optimization...
Data Redundancy and Retrievability in an Oil and Gas Asset
Invaluable Data in an Oil and Gas Asset The oil and gas asset has five phases: exploration, appraisal, development, production and decommissioning. Invaluable data from its five life cycle phases is highly essential throughout the oil and gas asset life cycle. During the initial phases, geology and geophysics data, reservoir...
SQS and Technology: Adapt or Perish!
For supplier quality surveillance (SQS), using shared folders and Microsoft (MS) Excel spreadsheets is tried and true (proven in the past to be effective and reliable). However, some information technology (IT) solutions for SQS, like MS SharePoint, are better and truer (more effective and reliable) than using conventional shared folders...
