Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Oil And Gas Reserves In The Siberian Shelf, A. J. Eardley

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

The Arctic region must be the world’s largest storehouse of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, and the vast Siberian region, both “on land” and “off shore” must be considered with envy by the free-world’s geologists for its oil and gas potential. It is here estimated that the off shore continental shelf of U.S.S.R. Siberia contains a reserve of 200 billion barrels of oil and 500 trillion cut. ft. of gas. These very approximate figures come from meager data obtained from the literature on oil and gas discoveries in the Siberian Arctic, the basin location of these discoveries, and the projection of …

The Role Of The Independent In Alaska's Mineral Development, D. L. Simasko

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

In 68 years of oil industry history in Alaska, the independent has already played a substantial role. Eighty-three independent oil companies or operators have participated in drilling 82 exploratory wells or stratigraphic tests. Their activities extended from the discovery of first commercial oil at Katalla in 1902, to the extension of the Prudhoe Bay field in 1970. The success ratio for wildcat wells in Alaska is considerably higher than “outside,” and fields have all been major in statute, thereby reducing the cost per barrel of finding oil.

The most immediate deterrent to the success of the independent in Alaska is …

Maintenance And Operation Of Facilities And Equipment In The Arctic, Charles C. Norris, Charles W. Kelley, Carroll C. Livingston

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

This has been but a short sketch of a few of the problems attached to living and working in the Arctic. Much has been learned about this remote and hostile area of the world; there is much more knowledge and experience required, as has been demonstrated by the controversy surrounding the routing and construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Man’s progress depends not only on means for his survival, but also on deep ecological considerations and solid engineering.--Conclusion.

The Alaska Business Community's View Of The Development Of Alaska, William H. Scott

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

America has discovered Alaska!! Or maybe that’s just the way it seems to us Alaskans. Even though Secretary of State Seward bought the Great Land (that’s what Alaska means in native tongue) more than a hundred years ago, very little of its nature has drifted down to the “Lower 48”. That is until the great oil reserves were discovered on the now-famous North Slope. Only then was the fact of Alaska’s mineral wealth translated into something other than very general admissions that Alaska was the natural resource storehouse of the United States. Now one would naturally conclude that the Prudhoe …

The U.S. Army's Experience In Handling Petroleum In An Arctic Environment, Frederic Johnson

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

This article pinpoints the various facets that the US Military experienced in Petroleum Operations in the Arctic environment Since the Military were the pioneers in Arctic operations, this experience could prove invaluable if and when the TAPS pipeline is constructed. The article deals primarily with various problems which beset the pipeliners during the initial construction phases and the peculiarities experienced during operations. A slightly different aspect will be experienced, however, when the Oil Industry moves relatively hot crude oil through the pipelines with TAPS since the Military moved only clean product.

The article addresses above ground pipeline operations, problems encountered …

The Future Of Anchorage, Claire O. Banks

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

So, in conclusion ... our Air Crossroads of the World contemplates its future, from a similar position as that of the ancient Greeks, or later the city of Rome... and much later ... England — the trade center of its time, between East and West — North and South. In any event, we are in the enviable position of being able to determine our future. Aside from the tremendous growth and build-up factors, we are unique because of our urbanity ... nowhere else are the advantages of modern day living offered to the extent they exist here, while at the …

State Regulatory Controls On Oil & Gas, Thomas R. Marshall Jr.

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

Alaska oil and gas regulatory matters are under the jurisdiction of a three-man Oil and Gas Conservation Committee, all of which are state employees.

In the last 10 years State water bottoms in Cook Inlet have been leased, explored and oil production amounting to about 200,000 barrels a day has been established. Cook Inlet is subject to very high tides and heavy ice flows. Five Salmon runs also occur in the Cook Inlet. The average daily production rate per well in the Cook Inlet area is nearly one hundred times the national average.

The Prudhoe Bay oil field discovered in …

Geologic Considerations And Solid Mineral Potential Of Alaska, A. E. Weissenborn

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

In marked contrast to Alaska’s petroleum industry, production from the State’s mining industry has declined drastically. Despite favorable geologic conditions, mineral exploration and development have been held back by inaccessibility, rugged terrain, severe climate, and scarcity and high cost of labor. Changing economic and political conditions, improved exploration techniques, and the ever increasing demand for minerals have again directed attention to Alaska’s mineral potential. Important discoveries in British Columbia and Yukon Territory have further stimulated exploration in Alaska. The probability that significant discoveries will result is high.

The titaniferous iron ores of southeastern Alaska probably will be brought into production …

Alaska's Possible Petroleum Provinces, George Gryc

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

Petroleum is the major Alaskan source of energy immediately available to the United States. Petroleum accounted for 89 percent or about $219 million of Alaska’s total mineral production in 1969 estimated at nearly $245 million.

Alaska’s first oil field was discovered at Katalla in 1902. About 154,000 barrels of oil were produced from 1902 to 1933. From 1945 through 1952, 45 shallow core tests and 36 test wells were drilled in and adjacent to Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 in northern Alaska. Oil deposits with possible reserves of 72 to 112 million barrels and gas deposits with possible reserves of …

Acknowledgement Of Symposium Moderators, University Of Missouri--Rolla

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

No abstract provided.

Arctic Marine Terminals -- Some Environmental And Engineering Considerations, Robert L. Mccollom Jr., William W. Moore

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

Studies are presently underway to determine the technical and economic feasibility of various Arctic marine transportation systems, including ice-breaker super-tankers and submarine tankers. An important consideration in these studies is the design and construction of marine terminal facilities which will be suited to the unique problems of the Arctic. Factors which will significantly affect the design of proposed marine terminals include:

1) bathymetric configuration of the continental shelf;
2) influence of moving pack ice on artificial structures, both at the air-water interface and along the bottom;
3) lateral and vertical variations in soil conditions, including residual permafrost, which might adversely …

Preface, Paul Dean Proctor, Robert E. Carlile

UMR Journal -- V. H. McNutt Colloquium Series

Because this university, formerly under the well known title of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, has contributed so much to the nation’s and world’s mineral supplies through the work of its well trained graduates, it was considered appropriate that a major symposium be held during its Centennial Year on one of the last major mineral frontiers of the United States......Alaska.

Preliminary planning for the symposium on “Alaska, Its Mineral Potentials and Environmental Challenges” began in the fall of 1969. In January, 1970, Robert E. Carlile and Paul Dean Proctor visited Alaska to meet with some of the petroleum and …

Permeability Scaling In A Numerical Coning Model, V. K. Dutta, Marion D. Arnold

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method is described for simulating coning into a wellbore using a numerical simulation model. The method allows the wellbore cells to be considerably larger than the actual wellbore. This makes coning studies feasible using an implicit pressure-explicit saturation type model with a reasonable time step. This capability is achieved by scaling the horizontal-vertical permeability ratios to give the proper vertical potential drop.

A Comparative Study Of Experimental And Computed Compressibility Factors Of Methane - Nitrogen - Helium System, Promod Kumar Taneja

Masters Theses

"The volumetric data for methane, nitrogen, and helium mixtures have been determined experimentally at low temperatures (60ºF to -30ºF) over a pressure range of 1000 to 5000 psig. An attempt has been made to show that the extension of standard techniques viz, "The Law of Corresponding States" for predicting the compressibility factors of pure hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon mixtures is not adequate for mixtures containing even very small amounts of helium. The deviation from the computed compressibility factors is found to be maximum at low temperatures and high pressures (up to 22%) for the mixtures studied"--Abstract, page ii.

An Empirical Method Of Correlating Compressibility Factors Of Nitrogen - Helium - Hydrocarbon Systems, Terry Wayne Buck

Masters Theses

"Compressibility factors have been taken from previous works by Davis and Taneja for twelve different common oil-field hydrocarbon mixtures which contain at least 2 mole % nitrogen. An effort has been made to show that by using the Benedict-Webb-Rubin Equation of State it is possible to predict compressibility factors using a correlation of error in predicted compressibility factor versus reduced pressure, at different mole % of nitrogen with constant reduced temperatures, if the critical points of the mixtures are known or can be calculated. In the mixtures which contain helium, the only effect of helium seems to be the raising …

A Case For University Credits For Industry's In-House Continuing Education Programs, Robert E. Carlile

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The minerals industries have long recognized the tangible and intangible returns from continuing education programs for their technical scientific and administrative personnel. These programs originate from the mutual desires of the employer to upgrade the professional competence of the employee and the employee's concurrent desires to keep abreast of new developments to review the state of the art of specialized subjects and to better qualify himself to compete in an every changing technology. In-house training and continuing education programs to provide such review and education for the employee are becoming a recognized function of companies comprising this industry. These company-sponsored …

Determination Of Reservoir Characteristics From Capillary Pressure Curves And Electrical Properties Of Rocks, Prasanta Kumar Guharoy

Masters Theses

"Based upon the assumptions that a porous medium is analogous to a bundle of capillary tubes and that there is equivalence of electrical and hydraulic tortuosity in a porous medium, empirical expressions are presented which relate capillary pressure data and electrical properties of the rock to the porosity, permeability and relative-water permeability, respectively, of completely water-wet rocks. Experimental data are presented for comparison in order to verify their validity. Three principal models are presented, each of which is characterized by a particular expression for estimating tortuosity. The method of determining this parameter was varied in order to find the form …

Comparison Of The Buckley-Leverett Technique With A Numerical Simulation Model Containing Heterogeneity And Capillary Pressure, Krishna Kumar Singh

Masters Theses

"A numerical model for a linear, two-phase fluid flow system has been developed with the capabilities of accounting for heterogeneity and capillarity. The model developed is general enough to analyze either water-oil or gas-oil systems. A hypothetical petroleum reservoir (containing only water and oil) under water flood was studied. The results for the homogeneous, no capillary pressure case were found to be similar to those obtained by the Buckley-Leverett technique. The study shows that the Buckley-Leverett is accurate even for a certain degree of heterogeneity. Also, capillarity does not substantially alter the results for the system studied. The results obtained …

A Comparative Study Of Experimental And Computed Compressibility Factors Of Methane-Nitrogen-Carbon Dioxide System, Piloo Eruchshaw Ilavia

Masters Theses

"Experimentally determined compressibility factors of a natural gas with impurities like carbon dioxide and nitrogen are found to differ with the values computed by various methods making use of compositional breakup of the gas. Compressibility factors for five mixtures of known composition were experimentally determined at room temperature, 100ºF, 125ºF, and 150ºF, and at pressure ranging between 1000 psi to 4000 psi. Using the known composition of the mixtures, compressibility factors were calculated by additive volume method and by Eilerts method. The deviation between computed and experimentally determined compressibility factors are at a maximum in the lower and higher pressure …

Chromatographic Determination Of Hydrocarbons Based On Retention Time Data For Squalene And Tetracyanoethylated Pentaerythritol Columns, Mehdi Honarpour

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the theory that when several members of a homologous series are injected into a gas chromatograph, at a given flow rate and column temperature, the lograrithm of their retention time as a function of some increasing property of the homologous series may be presented as a straight line and to develop their equations. Experimental procedure was accomplished for the normal paraffin series with 7 1/2% squalene and 10% Tetracyanoethylated Pentaerythritol (T.C.E.pageE.) columns and the relation between retention time and carbon number was determined. The same type of development was employed for aromatic …

A Comparative Study Of Experimental And Computed Compressibility Factors Of Ethane-Carbon Dioxide-Nitrogen System, Brij Raj Misra

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this study was to provide compressibility factor data on the ethane - carbon dioxide - nitrogen system. Compressibility factors were experimentally determined for 5 mixtures at room temperature, 100ºF, 125ºF , 150ºF and pressures ranging between 1000 psig to 4000 psig. An attempt was also made to compare the experimental data with the compressibility factors obtained by the additive volume method. The deviation of the computed compressibility factor from the experimental data was found to be in accordance with the general view of previous workers. However, the deviation was found to be a maximum in the pressure …

A Permeability Scaling Technique In The Numerical Simulation Of Water Coning, Virendra Kumar Dutta

Masters Theses

"A two-dimensional, two-phase, radial, horizontally layered water coning simulator was programmed for large memory digital computers. A permeability sealing technique is developed which allows the use of large size blocks as production blocks. As a result of this technique large time steps have been used without causing saturation instabilities around the well bore and the permeability scaling technique allows a more realistic simulation of a water cone. The IMPES method is used to calculate pressure and saturation in the system for each finite time step. The behaviour of the simulator is studied for various factors affecting the advance of a …

Simulation Of A Gas Storage Reservoir With Leakage By A Two-Dimensional Layered Mathematical Model, Steven William Ohnimus

Doctoral Dissertations

"A generalized mathematical model was developed for two-dimensional compressible fluid flow accounting for the effects of relative permeability capillary pressure, and gravity drainage in addition to the reservoir properties of rock heterogenity and reservoir geometry. The generalized model developed was applied to an aquifer gas storage reservoir in which vertical leakage occurred from the main reservoir to two adjacent overlaying zones. The experimental results of Thomas, et al. were utilized in applying the model to gas storage injection/withdrawal periods yielding reasonable results for the three layers"--Abstract, page ii.

A Three-Dimensional Mathematical Simulator Of Multiphase Systems In A Petroleum Reservoir, Leonard Koederitz

Doctoral Dissertations

"A generalized digital analysis for calculating three phase, three dimensional flow in reservoirs is developed. The computerized mathematical model is applicable to depletion drive, gas injection, water injection, and/or aquifer drive systems with modifications specific to the simulation criterion of that type of drive and includes fluid compressibility effects, gravity drainage and capillary pressure. The simulation allows arbitrary consideration of reservoir heterogeneity, geometry, well locations and rates of production. An innovation to the alternating direction technique for linear differential equations discussed by Brian is developed and employed in order to render the method of solution applicable to non-linear differential equations. …

Numerical Simulation Of Forward Combustion In A Radial System, Tommie C. Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations

"A generalized mathematical model is described for the thermal recovery of oil in a radial system in which there are conductive heat losses to the surrounding formations, three phase fluid flow, conductive-convective heat transfer within the producing formation, combustion, and aqueous-phase changes considered. The mathematical form of the temperature equation requires that numerical solutions be obtained with a digital computer for which the numerical approximations of the partial differential equations are presented and the results discussed. The analysis is applied to field size simulations of a forward combustion project to permit direct field analyses of significant importance for accurate reproductions …

An Optimization Approach To Well Spacing For Gas Storage Reservoirs, Jagannath Rao Ghole

Doctoral Dissertations

"A finite approximation to the conventional diffusivity equation describing compressible fluid flow through porous media has been developed with a view to apply it to the problems of optimum well spacing. An equilateral grid system has been employed to enable uniform well spacing for any number of wells. A numerical model has been developed on an IBM 360 - Model 50 computer, which simulates the pressure and saturation transience in the reservoir due to production impulses. This model has been used to maximize with respect to number of wells, the minimum well bore pressure reached throughout the specified withdrawal schedule. …

A Five-Spot Waterflood Process As Applied To The Digital Computer Based On The Prats Technique, Leonard Koederitz

Masters Theses

"The technique for the prediction of injection rates and production history of a five-spot secondary recovery field pattern as presented by Prats has been significantly modified to permit rapid and accurate digital applications eliminating the heretofore prohibitive reliance upon electrolytic model results for intermediate data values following water front breakthrough"--Abstract, page i.

Simulation Of The Cyclic Steam Injection Process In A Petroleum Reservoir By A Finite Difference Mathematical Model, Jean-Claude Bernys

Masters Theses

"A three-phase, one-dimensional radially layered reservoir simulator is programmed for a large memory digital computer. It is designed to provide a practical solution to the problem of determining optimum soak time during an intermittent steam injection process. The general approach is to (1) develop a representative mathematical model which describes the reservoir; and (2) employ a suitable numerical technique to solve the system of equations which comprises this model. The reservoir consists of concentric cylinders around the wellbore, a pay-zone stratified into thermally connected layers limited on the top and on the bottom by an impermeable cap and base rock, …

Numerical Simulation Of Pressures In A Radical System, Vijender Nath Gopal

Masters Theses

"The time-space location of an advancing front has been described in such a manner as to permit the calculation of frontal pressures when a heterogeneous (in permeability) radial system is subjected to water encroachment. A finite difference application has been developed to calculate these pressures at specified radial distances from the injection or production wellbore. These pressure have been further utilized to predict the pressures at the advancing front for different time intervals"--Abstract, page iii.

Numerical Simulation Of One-Dimensional Three-Phase Fluid Flow In A Stratified Petroleum Reservoir With No Cross-Flow, Ali Mohammed Akbar

Masters Theses

"A numerical model for linear, three-phase fluid flow in a stratified petroleum reservoir has been developed for the purpose of studying water-flooding performance characteristics. Gravity forces, capillary pressure and cross-flow were neglected, but the fluids were considered compressible and evaluations of dissolved gas concentrations have been accounted for. The model was used in evaluating the performance of a water flood project for a hypothetical reservoir which contained the three phases of oil, gas, and water. The results were then compared with those obtained using the Dykstra-Parsons technique. The model produces results which were found to be similar to those obtained …