JAMES VAN BLARICUM

Leak Detection - Natural gas detecting equipment is periodically used by pipeline personnel on the surface to check for leaks. This is especially important in areas where the natural gas is not odorized.( signal oil and gas company )

But there is another side–the U.S. oil industry does not prosper during periods of low oil prices. Oil industry workers lose their jobs, many small wells are permanently sealed, and the exploration for new oil sources drops off.

james e van blaricum

Interstate pipelines include a great number of valves along their entire length. These valves work like gateways; they are usually open and allow natural gas to flow freely, or they can be used to stop gas flow along a certain section of pipe. There are many reasons why a pipeline may need to restrict gas flow in certain areas. For example, if a section of pipe requires replacement or maintenance, valves on either end of that section of pipe can be closed to allow engineers and work crews safe access. These large valves can be placed every 5 to 20 miles along the pipeline, and are subject to regulation by safety codes. james van blaricum





Formation Pressure - Water underlying gas and oil in formation.( james van blaricum )


In addition to the four processes above, heaters and scrubbers are installed, usually at or near the wellhead. The scrubbers serve primarily to remove sand and other large-particle impurities. The heaters ensure that the temperature of the gas does not drop too low. With natural gas that contains even low quantities of water, natural gas hydrates have a tendency to form when temperatures drop. These hydrates are solid or semi-solid compounds, resembling ice like crystals. Should these hydrates accumulate, they can impede the passage of natural gas through valves and gathering systems. To reduce the occurrence of hydrates, small natural gas-fired heating units are typically installed along the gathering pipe wherever it is likely that hydrates may form.

signal oil and gas company
The most prominent and common form of underground storage consists of depleted gas reservoirs. Depleted reservoirs are those formations that have already been tapped of all their recoverable natural gas. This leaves an underground formation, geologically capable of holding natural gas. In addition, using an already developed reservoir for storage purposes allows the use of the extraction and distribution equipment left over from when the field was productive. Having this extraction network in place reduces the cost of converting a depleted reservoir into a storage facility. Depleted reservoirs are also attractive because their geological characteristics are already well known. Of the three types of underground storage, depleted reservoirs, on average, are the cheapest and easiest to develop, operate, and maintain. james e van blaricum




During the late 19th cent., many of the modern oil companies were created: John D. Rockefeller invested in a Cleveland oil refinery during the Civil War and in 1870 created Standard Oil, which refined about 95% of the United States’ oil in 1880. In 1911, Standard Oil was declared an illegal monopoly and split into 34 companies, including Esso (renamed Exxon in 1972), Mobil, Chevron, Atlantic Richfield (later ARCO), and Amoco. Texaco (founded in 1902), Shell (1907), and British Petroleum (1909) were also established in this period. As the auto industry vastly increased the demand for gasoline refined from oil, oil companies expanded their search for new reserves. In the 1930s oil companies began exploiting a huge E Texas oil field that would eventually produce 4 billion barrels of oil. Chevron, Texaco, Exxon, and Mobil expanded their reserves by purchasing the rights to the extensive Saudi Arabian oil fields for only $50,000. In 1946 oil replaced coal as the world’s most popular energy source.( james e van blaricum )

But there is another side–the U.S. oil industry does not prosper during periods of low oil prices. Oil industry workers lose their jobs, many small wells are permanently sealed, and the exploration for new oil sources drops off.

signal oil & gas company

Ethanol - Chemical formed by fermentation or synthesis. signal oil and gas company





Acidizing is used to increase production in many situations. The most important include damage removal, completion and stimulation of horizontal wells, matrix acidizing, fracture acidizing and gel breaking.( signal oil & gas company )


There are essentially three major types of pipelines along the transportation route: the gathering system, the interstate pipeline, and the distribution system. The gathering system consists of low pressure, low diameter pipelines that transport raw natural gas from the wellhead to the processing plant. Should natural gas from a particular well have high sulfur and carbon dioxide contents (sour gas), a specialized sour gas gathering pipe must be installed. Sour gas is extremely corrosive and dangerous, thus its transportation from the wellhead to the sweetening plant must be done carefully.

james van blaricum
Flaring and venting - Flaring is burning of hydrocarbon gases for commercial or technical reasons. Venting is release of gases to atmosphere. signal oil & gas company




Low oil prices have another side effect. People use more oil when oil products are cheap. This can create a Catch-22 situation because we may depend more and more on foreign oil to keep up with demand.( james van blaricum )

The physical properties and exact chemical composition of crude oil varies from one locality to another. The different hydrocarbon components of petroleum are dissolved natural gas , gasoline, benzine , naphtha , kerosene , diesel fuel and light heating oils, heavy heating oils, and finally tars of various weights (see tar and pitch ). The crude oil is usually sent from a well to a refinery in pipelines (see under pipe ) or tanker ships.

signal oil and gas company

Once the pipe is in place, trenches are dug alongside the laid out pipe. These trenches are typically 5 to 6 feet deep, as the regulations require the pipe to be at least 30 inches below the surface. In certain areas, however, including road crossings and bodies of water, the pipe is buried even deeper. Once the trenches are dug, the pipe is assembled and contoured. This includes welding the sections of pipe together into one continuous pipeline, and bending it slightly, if needed, to fit the contour of the pipelines path. Coating is applied to the ends of the pipes (the coating applied at a coating mill typically leaves the ends of the pipe clean, so as not to interfere with welding), and the entire coating of the pipe is inspected to ensure that it is free from defects. james e van blaricum





Derrick - Elongated pyramid of latticed steel mounted over bore hole for suspending and rotating drill pipes.( signal oil and gas company )


To satisfy our appetite for petroleum, the United States has become increasingly dependent upon other countries for petroleum. In 1994 we purchased 45 percent of our petroleum from other countries.

james e van blaricum
Triassic - Period of geological time about 248 - 213 million years ago. signal oil & gas company




Natural Gas is a vital component of the world’s supply of energy. It is one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful of all energy sources. Despite its importance, however, there are many misconceptions about natural gas. For instance, the word ‘gas’ itself has a variety of different uses, and meanings. When we fuel our car, we put ‘gas’ in it. However, the gasoline that goes into your vehicle, while a fossil fuel itself, is very different from natural gas. The ‘gas’ in the common barbecue is actually propane, which, while closely associated and commonly found in natural gas, is not really natural gas itself. While commonly grouped in with other fossil fuels and sources of energy, there are many characteristics of natural gas that make it unique. Below is a bit of background information about natural gas, what exactly it is, how it is formed, and how it is found in nature.( signal oil & gas company )

Licence Round - Period during which Government offers and then allocates a number of specified areas (Blocks or part Blocks) within its national boundaries.

james van blaricum

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) - Synthetic chemical that is odourless, non-toxic, non-flammable, and chemically inert. Released into atmosphere, chlorine-containing chemicals rise and are broken down by sunlight, whereupon chlorine reacts with and destroys ozone molecules. signal oil and gas company





Drilling Mud Nomenclature - Oil Based Mud (OBM), Pseudo Oil Based Mud (POBM), Water Based Mud (WBM).( james e van blaricum )


This multi-volume report responds to a request from the Secretary of Energy for the Council’s advice on the potential implications of new supplies, new technologies, new perceptions of risk, and other evolving market conditions that may affect the potential for natural gas demand, supplies, and delivery through 2025. The report provides insights on energy-market dynamics, including price volatility and future fuel choice, and an outlook on the longer-term sustainability of natural gas supplies. It also provides the Council’s advice on actions that can be taken by industry and government to increase the productivity and efficiency of North American natural gas markets and to ensure adequate and reliable supplies of energy for consumers.

signal oil & gas company
‘Working gas’ is the volume of natural gas in the storage reservoir that can be extracted during the normal operation of the storage facility. This is the natural gas that is being stored and withdrawn; the capacity of storage facilities normally refers to their working gas capacity. At the beginning of a withdrawal cycle, the pressure inside the storage facility is at its highest; meaning working gas can be withdrawn at a high rate. As the volume of gas inside the storage facility drops, pressure (and thus deliverability) in the storage facility also decreases. Periodically, underground storage facility operators may reclassify portions of working gas as base gas after evaluating the operation of their facilities. james van blaricum




Magma - Molten material that makes up Earth’s crust.( signal oil & gas company )

Liner - Small diameter casing extending into producing layer from just inside bottom of final string of casing cemented in a well.

signal oil and gas company

Anticline - Fold in layered rocks originating below surface in form of an elongated dome. signal oil and gas company



Plugging - Process whereby a well that is no longer needed is filled with concrete and abandoned. (see PA).( signal oil and gas company )

While some of the needed processing can be accomplished at or near the wellhead (field processing), the complete processing of natural gas takes place at a processing plant, usually located in a natural gas producing region. The extracted natural gas is transported to these processing plants through a network of gathering pipelines, which are small-diameter, low pressure pipes. A complex gathering system can consist of thousands of miles of pipes, interconnecting the processing plant to upwards of 100 wells in the area. According to the American Gas Association’s Gas Facts 2000, there was an estimated 36,100 miles of gathering system pipelines in the U.S. in 1999.

james van blaricum

API is the only national trade association representing the entire the oil and natural gas industry. Our industry’s major segments encompass all the steps involved in finding, producing, processing, transporting and marketing oil and natural gas. Together we provide employment for more than 1,620,000 people in the United States. james e van blaricum



Appraisal well - A well drilled as part of an appraisal drilling programme.( james e van blaricum )

Cathodic protection - Method used to minimise rate of electrochemical corrosion of structures, for example, installations offshore, pipelines and storage tanks.

signal oil & gas company

Circulation - Techniques for bringing cuttings from bottom of well bore to surface by continuously pumping drilling mud down through drill-string and up annulus during rotary drilling. james van blaricum



Platform - Fixed structure resting on seabed or piled into it.( james van blaricum )

Reserves: Probable - Reserves not yet “proven", but are estimated to have a better than 50% chance of being technically and economically producible.

james e van blaricum

The United States has also turned to non-Arab and non-OPEC countries for oil imports. Today, we import much of our oil from Canada and Mexico. This is good for us because we have friendly relations with our neighbors, and because the oil doesn’t have to be shipped so far. Still, the amount of oil that we can import from Canada and Mexico is limited. By law, Mexico can only export half the oil it produces to the United States. signal oil & gas company



Butane Splitter or Deisobutanizer - this step separates the iso and normal butanes.( signal oil & gas company )

In addition to mud damage removal, if sufficient Arcasolve™ fluid is used to fill the wellbore and penetrate some distance into the formation an increase in the permeability of the formation can be achieved. The matrix stimulation of the formation can stimulate production above that which would be obtained even with complete damage removal.

james van blaricum

Emulsified HCl involves the use of both organic solvents and HCl. Both are hazardous before and after mixing . The emulsion may not give a good distribution of acid downhole. james e van blaricum



Arcasolve™ is lower hazard and does not suffer from injectivity or wettability problems.( james van blaricum )

Gas Act 1995 - Enabled final liberalisation of gas market by creating licensing framework for new entrants into domestic UK market.

signal oil & gas company

The importance of damage removal is highlighted by the fact that the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) now hold regular international conferences dedicated to this subject . signal oil & gas company



Coiled tubing - Used to carry production tubing to bottom of well.( james e van blaricum )

Delineation well - Drilled at a distance from a discovery well to determine physical extent, reserves and likely production rate of a new oil or gas field.

james e van blaricum

Installing a pipeline is much like an assembly line process, with sections of the pipeline being completed in stages. First, the path of the pipeline is cleared of all removable impediments, including trees, boulders, brush, and anything else that may prohibit the construction. Once the pipeline’s path has been cleared sufficiently to allow construction equipment to gain access, sections of pipes are laid out along the intended path, a process called ’stringing’ the pipe. These pipe sections are commonly from 40 to 80 feet long, and are specific to their destination. That is, certain areas have different requirements for coating material and pipe thickness. james van blaricum



Air Emissions - Waste gases, vapours and small particles released into air.( signal oil and gas company )

Reserves: Possible - Reserves at present cannot be regarded as “probable".

signal oil and gas company

Petroleum products–gasoline for cars, fertilizers, etc.–have brought untold benefits to Americans and the rest of the world’s people. We depend on these products, and, as consumers, we demand them. signal oil and gas company