Member Info for adoubleuk

Gapingfracture,

"ADUK - No changes in most of the key onshore positions vs 2016 campaign. Nearly all the same faces from what I know."

Interesting. Even with the addition of Spirit, though I suspect their people will be 'backseat' given HUR is Operator.

Albi,

"So had a quick look at SotB's posts around Lincoln Crestal over the last month and a bit - all I was capable of picking up was he rides the luge, something about Vams and smaller casing required ...?"

Fret not, dear lady. Sometimes we oily-people use strange language, but it isn't 'code'.

SonoftheBull sometimes comes out with this sort of stuff, but as time goes on I get the impression that he's more hands-on knowledgable about operating a photocopier than being able to run a National 1600 draworks blindfold. (Which I did, once, for a bet. Which I won.)

His reference to a 'luge' intrigued me, I must admit. But I think it means he owns a sketeboard.

As for Vam? (A slight technical discussion he and I got into a few days back.)

VAM stands for Vallourec Aulnay Mill, a French tubing manufacturer who patented a new metal-to-metal thread-form for screwing two bits of pipe together and forming a high-pressure gas-proof seal. At the time (late seventies) it was a step-change, has been improved on since with NVAM and TVAM, but don't worry, it's nothing to lose sleep over.

Nor is that particular poster. In the very distant past, before I got into the oilfield, I had some experience of farming. And one thing I learned during that time was that the more frisky the cows were, the more docile the bull.

Wellwell,

"It makes no difference to the play other than a delay if there are problems. As long as the TD is eventually reached all will be as it was."

It's one of those rare occasions I agree with you!

Per my earlier post, I'm remaining 'backseat' now. Nobody's volunteering info to me, and I'm not picking up the phone to go searching for any. I don't know what's going on out there and I'd prefer not to in case I misinterpret it again.

All I do know is that I don't like seeing supply-boats haring off to Scrabster. That's not a resupply, it's a hotshot of some sort...

I've got a weird (though underline not BAD) feeling about this drilling campaign. Hurricane has now turned into a producing Oil Company. It's not the same beast as back in 2016. And there are now hundreds of people involved shoreside instead of just a handful. There's a Drilling Department involving three parties: Hurricane, Petrofac and Spirit, all working in an office in Aberdeen, in close collaboration with the Drilling Contractor, Transocean. Plus no doubt a Production Dept. as well, taking care of the EPS and the Akoa Mizu, etc.

Such rapid growth can also result in inefficiences, though, especially when it comes to the pointy-end stuff.

I'm not sure what exactly Wellwell is referring to when he talks about elephants in the room, and won't speculate. Furthermore, I'm a great believer in a certain adage that 'spotting the elephant in the room is one thing, but don't forget that once you've got rid of the beast, there may still be a snake hiding in the corner'.

Petrofac / SPD obviously made some in-field balls-up mistakes on the last well, of which were now aware. In the end, they had no bearing on the final outcome (to our knowledge), which wasn't great. Other than to create costly delays, and having income from Lancaster doesn't excuse that. I'm just hoping they haven't done the same thing again.

I think that in their next Quarterly update, Hurricane might do worse than add a little bit more meat to the bone about how Operations are actually being run. Maybe a little 'family tree' thing. We know who the BoD are: they haven't changed much. But it'd me nice to know who's running Drilling at top operational management level, likewise Production, and so on. You know, a few more 'portraits', as if this were a FTSE company instead of AIM.

I could personally easily find out, of course, but prefer not to.

(bother. inadvertantly hit 'send')

... I'd heard that the bit had encountered significant fractures, though there was this mysterious absence of losses, whi I (incorrectly) ascribed to new mud properties. But there's this theory 'wessexmario' explained here, and which I believe to be correct, that the fractures could be filled with highly compacted 'infill'. When drilling, the fractures would show up as a change in ROP and also on the LWD, but the 'infill' would be difficult to detect, as although highly compacted it wouldn't be the same 'hard stuff' as the granitic formation itself.

Also, the 'litre' of oil recovered goes to explain why (another thing I learned) MDT was run AFTER the attempts at DST. And that oil sample would have been recovered on said MDT, not during the DST attempts.

The upshot being that although WD wasn't technically (or 'scientifically') speaking an entire duster, in commercial terms it was. And I suspect the market in general tends to think in commercial terms, rather than technical.

FS22,

"Note 'flowable' does not mean actual tested flow. "

Yes, that's true. But read the CMD 'explanation' of WD. On attempted DST up to 1000 psi underbalance was applied to get the thing to flow, and that's absolutely huge. In a conventional reservoir it would be considered hoplessly 'tight' formation.

However, and with 20/20 hindsight, the whole thing fits together quite logically. Because while the horizontal was being drilled, I'd heard that the bit had encountered signific

Cc61,

"Ok, I have been posting too much here lately, time for a break. "

Thanks for your inputs, which I've read with interest. You're evidently one of the band of what some people her refer to as 'oilies', although personally I hate that term. Able to explain some rather difficult concepts in fairly straightforward terms.

I too am part of that band, but (others will have noticed), have recently tended to take something of a backseat regarding the drilling, especially after having rather too optimistically interpreted (or rather misinterpreted) some scant (though conflicting) info I was getting about WD, with the result that some of my speculative posts regarding that well may have been misleading.

Keep up the good work!

JiffyBag,

"Out of pure curiosity, why was Linclon never tested back in 2016, just find it rather odd.? Was it time or cost or what?"

It's rather convoluted, though time played a part.

Back then, the licence extention all the way up to Halifax had just been awarded, 'out of round'. HUR already had Lincoln, of course. The only fim plan was to drill the Lancaster '7 wells' ( 7 & 7z), though there was an option on the rig for another, presumed to be Lincoln. However around the time (September) there was specularion as to whether this would happen or not. The SP was jumping about like a yo-yo.

With the acquisition of more acreage, HUR obviously wanted to drill Halifax as well, so in some respects this became prioretised, even though Lincoln would be first. So Lincoln was designed to be 'quick and dirty', allowing time to get a really deeper look at Halifax (completely new territory) including a DST. Although the DST didn't work in the end, it was a good plan, because Lincoln was finished just before a few weeks of really bad weather, during which it couldn't have continued working anyway, and it just bobbed about waiting to move.

Because of this time factor, Lincoln's well 'architecture' was designed for speed, and to be plugged and abandoned no matter what was found. As a result the well casing plan was rather novel, but couldn't support (in terms of regulatory pressure requirements) a DST test, although was perfectly good for the purposes of taking a 'quick peek'.

It took quite a lot of detective work to find this out. At the time things were rather unclear. Something else entered the equation as well. Although HUR has said the well 'wasn't designed' for a DST, I still think they are being slightly disingenious saying so. Because an application was submitted to DSCC for a test, but it was not approved. The well design almost certainly entered into this, but also possibly the risk inherant in doing a DST in the depths of the WoS winter and the heavy seas that occur. And as thing worked out, the weather DID pick up, so a DST couldn't have been done anyway.

JoeBass,

Many thanks for that link, which makes interesting and educational reading. I note that the story has made the headline in the online 'Times' business section, and no doubt features in other papers and media.

The question, though, is what will eventually be done by the FCA, if anything, and how long that will take? If the allegation of illegal SP manipulation is found to be true, will the punishment be seen by shareholders who've lost out to fit the crime? And will the SP finally return to its previous levels, or something approaching them?

Rebuilding a tarnished reputation is hard, even if the damage was caused by a third party and with criminal intent.

SotB,

Re-read my post.

Mr Smyth

" Any Oilies know what they would potentially be delivering at this point of the drill? More casing or something else?"

'Potentially'... more drilling fluid, as Ghenghis has said. Well test equipment. Tubing for the DST. Fuel, and a catering stores container. An empty rubbish skip (painted yellow).

Sorry JB,

Addressed my post to JK, when it should have been to you instead.

Also musical link (though interesting) is cut short. Try this instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwuCF5lYqEE

JK,

"Or, when matters are not so great, you post a link to the intricacies of Bee Keeping :O)"

Not guilty. I'm not the beekeeper! But you know who is.

Music?

Try this for size:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW9_2r3raHE

Dig the cars! And there some idiots around here who talk about new Porsches !

SotB,

"ADUK, That’s why it’s best if Wellwell throws his red book away it’s at least 10 Years old ...."

There I must (slightly grudgingly) agree with you. The 'red book' was always (deliberately) obscure. Especially the cementing section. 'Yield per sack' and 1930's stuff like that.

And if you want details of Halliburton's down hole tools, a 1977 copy of the Composite Catalog still remains better. Unless you're talking the newfangled stuff. For which there's always Google...

BlooBird,

"Looks like you may have to come back out of retirement !"

Wish I could. I miss my work a bit like an amputated limb. For most of the time, never considered it as 'work', just a way of life.

And Cebo wrote

" apparently their are chaps being asked to work into their 50s offshore, even a couple are having to worko on till they are 55 before retiring. - shocking."

What's so effin' shocking? Some people would prefer to bop 'til they drop. I remember an old Texan Co-Man back in the eighties who was well into his late sixties and still working N.Sea. And a couple of remarks he made (when I was still just roughnecking) hit home. I met him later offshore Adriatic (many years later), still going strong, and into his late seventies. And enjoying things. And (very strangely) he remembered me, from all those years ago. Though I'd 'climbed the ladder' a bit, and was working as Night Toolpusher.

It ain't the meat, it's the mentality.

'Retirement' sucks, and I'd go back to work tomorrow if I had the chance. The trouble is, in most of the countries I worked, part of the gig was to 'train up' their own national 'locals', who will work at a tenth of the dayrate. With the result those countries won't issue people like myself with a visa to get back where I belong. 'Cos they can have five 'locals' doing the work, half as well, but at half the price. Burning the rig down occasionally, but that doesn't hit the newspapers...

JayKay,

"{I know that's clearly misogynistic, so apologies in advance to the ladies!}"

I don't see why having a 'little black book' might be construed as being mysogenic. Quite the opposite, in fact. Though my 'interesting' phone numbers are now stored on my phone. I do have a 'black book' on my shelves, but its title is 'Hydraulic Fracfturing Explained (evaluation, implementation and challenges)' published by the Gulf Publishing Company of the USA (at huge expense).

But if I wasnt to look for stuff about internal (and external) tubing thicknesses, general strength, compatibility of assorted threads, and so on, I use my 'green book', now in its ninth edition, of which I possess five, because the years go past, and it's good to remain updated.

'#MeToo' has a lot to be answerable for, including many women becoming incurable paranoid maniacs overnight. But I still love those alien creatures, even if I won't manage to understand 'em in a month of Sundays.

GoneBroke,

"I think you said I couldn't be more wrong. "

Sorry (if it was I that gave that response). But one learns new things every day. (If you don't, you may as well be dead.)

Corral-Part,

"adoubleuk, kindly let us know if there are any losses this drill. Would be much appreciated."

Sorry, no can do. Certain people got upset with me posting details like that here, and anyway my personal interpretation of what I heard about WD turned out to be wrong.

So once bitten, twice shy.

Wellwell,

"I’ve a red one myself."

Ah, the Halliburton 'red book'. And of course there's also the Baker 'blue book' (assuming it's still printed). I have both of them, but for 'immediate reference' I tend to reach for the 'green book' compiled and published by IFP / Technip.

SotB,

"Who says they were running Vam ?"

I didn't. I don't know what the tubing connections are. But Vam isn't the only premium tubing thread, as you should know. In fact Vam is now obsolete. It was replaced by NVam.

FS22,

"WC has been drilled already by 204/30-1." Yes (as discussed in earlier posts). Drilled by Monsanto in 1975. In fact I received an email from IR in Lower Easham today in reply to a query I sent about this. It appears that 204/30-1 didn't find 'commercial' oil in the overlying sandstones, and the well barely penetrated the FB, and of course back then, nobody thought that oil could be present in the basement. Hence the hole was P&A'd and not counted a a 'discovery'.