slb LIFE - Schlumberger

Transcription

FIELD ENGINEERING
You will operate in one of the world’s most extreme, pressurized environments. You will use the
very latest technologies and be faced with making multimillion-dollar decisions
RESEARCH, ENGINEERING, MANUFACTURING AND SUSTAINING
Your creativity, ingenuity and innovation will help develop in-house technologies capable of
performing reliably and flawlessly in the most testing of conditions
PETROTECHNICAL
You can help us shape the future of energy. You will work hand in hand with our clients to provide
the technical expertise that can really make a difference
MAINTENANCE AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING
You will play a crucial role by maintaining our cutting-edge technology, enabling us to deliver
impeccable reliability and service quality every time
PLUS MANY MORE UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE
www.slb.com/careers
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SCHLUMBERGER LIFE
Published by:
Schlumberger Ltd
42, rue Saint Dominique
75007 Paris
France
Executive editor: Jamie Pollard
Editor: Annika Joelsson
Design & editorial: Phil Bushell Design & Publishing,
London; philbushell@blueyonder.co.uk
Copy editor: Ruth MacKenzie
Contributors: Eric Ayache, Richard Boak,
Martin Draeger, Johana Dunlop, Henry Edmundson,
Lina El Hares, Lori Gauvreau, Fathi Ghorbel,
David Handwerger, Catherine MacGregor,
Jennifer MacLeod, Jane Marshall, Dominique Pajot,
Mark Smith, Mary Louise Stott
Special thanks to Richard Bancel, Ariane Labadens,
Xun Li, Yilmaz Luy, Mark Sorheim, Steve Whittaker
and everyone else who contributed to the magazine
Images: courtesy of Schlumberger. Other images:
NASA/The Visible Earth (p4); www.stockyard.com
(p22) www.niallcotton.com (p23); Comstock/
Fotosearch (p44); cepolina.com (obc); Additional
illustrations: David Richeson & Mike Taylor
Comments and suggestions: joelssona@slb.com
An asterisk (*) in the publication denotes a mark of
Schlumberger
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Just what is it that Schlumberger does and what
kind of people is the company looking to recruit
into a rapidly changing and developing industry.
SCHLUMBERGER PEOPLE
With the Schlumberger workforce being drawn
from more than 160 countries, the company is
truly global. Schlumberger Life profiles just a
few of its 85,000 employees to give a flavor of
the company’s multinational workforce.
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SCHLUMBERGER PEOPLE
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KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER
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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
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UNDER PRESSURE
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EXPLORING THE THICK ICE
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CROSSING CONTINENTS
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SCHLUMBERGER PEOPLE
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THE LAST WORD
IT’S A CARBON THING
As both a business venture and an internal
company initiative, Schlumberger is seeking
innovative ways to limit atmospheric CO2 levels.
SCHLUMBERGER PEOPLE
Miriam Archer
THE FUTURE OF OIL & GAS
La Recherche, a leading French popular science
and technology magazine, published a special
oil and gas supplement illustrating the pivotal
role Schlumberger plays in the industry.
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RIG LIFE
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SCHLUMBERGER PEOPLE
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DIARY OF MY ADVENTURES
© 2008 Services Techniques Schlumberger
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise
without the prior written permission of the publisher
MEASURING THE WORLD
The vast majority of Schlumberger people will
spend at least some of their time living and
working at a wellsite. ‘Rig Life’ gives a pictorial
flavor of what to expect!
Xun Li
Schlumberger people get to visit parts of the
world that are well off the beaten tourist routes.
Eric Ayache takes us on his own personal
journey.
Ivan Khlestov
In 1929, Conrad and Marcel Schlumberger
avoided potential bankruptcy when they received
contracts from an unexpected market –
the Soviet Union.
Schlumberger is taking action on six key global
challenges: climate change, the environment,
driving safety, malaria, HIV/AIDS and science
education.
With vast experience of subsurface technologies,
Schlumberger is bringing its expertise to bear on
the management of arguably the most precious
of all natural resources – water.
Dr David Handwerger, a senior geophysicist with
Schlumberger, was part of a research team which
spent six weeks studying the Antarctic cryosphere.
An experiment in cross-continental collaboration
sees French and US engineering students working
closely but communicating only by telephone,
e-mail, video conference and the Internet.
Paul Wyman
Catherine MacGregor, vice-president of personnel,
gives her personal perspective of what
Schlumberger has to offer and what new recruits
can expect.
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RLD.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.MEASURINGTHEWORLD.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.MEASURINGTHEWORLD.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.MEASURINGTHEW
Since the early years of the 20th century
we have been measuring the world – providing
precise analysis and detailed interpretation of
the subsurface of our planet. We supply our
clients with the advanced technologies and
expertise required to identify, develop and
manage hydrocarbons effectively.
In recent years we have started to extend
our oilfield techniques into other areas: we are
one of the companies pioneering the deep
underground storage of carbon dioxide to
help reduce global warming and climate change;
and we are aiding countries, communities
and companies worldwide in the evaluation of
underground water supplies, as well as helping
them develop sustainable policies for the
management of what will become increasingly
precious water resources.
We are constantly looking for people with
vision to join us and help carry our business
forward. The work is academically rigorous,
intellectually demanding and can be physically
tough, but the rewards we offer reflect fully the
commitment we require.
If this kind of global challenge is what you
are seeking in your career, why not come and talk
to us about living the Schlumberger LIFE!
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MBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHL
There’s not really any
such thing as a typical
Schlumberger person.
Certainly they all have
that certain something,
but irrespective of gender,
race, religion or culture,
ALL are given an equal
opportunity to help shape
the company’s future . . .
only performance
determines progress.
CECILIA PRIETO
“What makes working with Schlumberger so interesting
is that no project is ever the same. We’re always pushing
the envelope and have to become experts in many skills
in many different areas. Schlumberger hires its engineers
from the best universities in the world, so project design
teams typically consist of people from many different
countries, with completely different backgrounds and
a variety of perspectives. This is what makes it so much
fun to work here . . . and it definitely never gets boring!”
Nationality: Bolivian
Age: 32
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
University: Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
Languages: Spanish, English,
French and Swedish
Recruited: 1999, but also spent
three internships at Schlumberger
during 1996 and 1998
Current post: Project Manager in
Sugar Land, Texas
Unwinding route: Biking, running,
swimming, hiking, camping …
anything outdoors
Favourite iPod track: Believe or not
I don’t have an iPod!
Schlumberger is a great place to start your career. Business leaders from some of the world’s
most dynamic companies have at some stage of their careers been Schlumberger people:
Jean Cahuzac
CEO Acergy
Thierry Pilenko
CEO Technip
Chad Deaton
CEO Baker Hughes
Olivier Piou
CEO Axalto
Peter Goode
CEO Vetco International
Julio M Quintana CEO TESCO Corporation
Thierry Morin
Chairman and CEO Valeo
Mario Ruscev
David Mullen
CEO Ocean Rig
Robert Peebler
CEO Input/Output
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President FormFactor Inc
. . . and many more!
LUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE
WAIL MOUSA
Nationality: Saudi
Age: 31
Degree: PhD Electrical Engineering;
MSc Electrical Engineering &
Mathematical Sciences
University: King Fahd University
of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM)
and Leeds University
Languages: English and Arabic
Recruited: 2003
Current post: Research Scientist,
Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate
Research Center, Saudi Arabia
Unwinding route: Cooking and
barbecuing with family and friends
Favourite iPod track: Classical
and traditional Arabic songs
“I’m a firm believer in the saying, ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way’.
This ethos, along with my enthusiasm, time management skills, ability
to focus and work hard allow me to manage my Schlumberger career
with being an adjunct professor at KFUPM and Chairman of the World
Petroleum Council Youth Committee. The classes I teach are directly
related to my research interests. This keeps me up to date with
advances in the subject and helps me identify talented students
who could be my future colleagues in Schlumberger.”
UZMA BABAR
“I joined as a field engineer right after I graduated.
I got married to Babar, who also works for
Schlumberger. After completing my training we
were transferred to Norway when my son, Hamza,
was two only months old. Soon after the birth of my
daughter, Zoya, we transferred to Indonesia and
we’re now in Dubai. Far from limiting my career
perspectives, I feel that being a woman from an
emerging country has actually been an advantage.“
Nationality: Pakistani
Age: 31
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
University: Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Institute of Engineering Sciences &
Technology (GIKI)
Languages: Urdu and English
Recruited: 1999
Current post: Training, Development
& Staffing Manager, Middle East &
Asia for Data & Consulting Services
Unwinding route: Raising awareness
about the opportunities for women
in engineering.
Favourite iPod track: Can’t Take My
Eyes Off You by Andy Williams
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TECHNOLOGIES.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGTECHNOLOGIES.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGTECHNOLOGIES.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.E
CO2 emissions are recognized as one of the main cause of global
warming. Finding effective ways to reduce greenhouse gases is seen
as increasingly urgent if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Schlumberger is playing its part.
promising solution for
the overall reduction of
global CO2 emissions is the emerging
technology of carbon capture
and storage (CCS). This involves
capturing CO2 in bulk from sources
such as power stations, and storing
it deep underground in geological
formations.
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It is estimated that CCS could
reduce CO2 emissions by over 50%
by 2050. And it owes much to the
methodologies and technologies
used in oil and gas exploration
and production. As a result,
Schlumberger is able to make
a major contribution to locating,
selecting, monitoring, and managing
large scale, long term CO2 storage
solutions.
In 2005, Schlumberger Carbon
Services was established to focus
on this vital area. The company is
involved in every major pilot project
around the world in the geological
storage part of the full CO2 capture,
transport and storage chain: from
MERGINGTECHNOLOGIES.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGTECHNOLOGIES.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGTECHNOLOGIES.SCHLUMBER
Canada and Europe, to North Africa,
Australia and Japan. It also offers
its expertise to power companies,
manufacturers, and other major
producers of CO2 emissions, as
well as governments and other
stakeholders.
“When it comes to tackling
global warming, carbon storage is
not a magic bullet,” admits David
White, president of Schlumberger
Carbon Services, “but it could
provide a significant part of the
answer. That’s why Schlumberger
is taking a proactive stance.
We’re playing a leading role in
international forums, collaborative
research, and organizations
dedicated to addressing CO2 issues.”
Schlumberger Carbon Services’
approach is different as it can tap
into over 80 years of subsurface
evaluation experience. Schlumberger
engineers have spent decades in
the field, characterizing subsurface
geological structures to assess their
suitability for oil and gas production.
Similar techniques and technologies
are being applied to CCS.
“We’re offering a truly multidisciplinary approach to an
extremely complex issue, and it’s
highly practical,” explains White.
The first stage involves screening
potential sites. Schlumberger uses
existing data – as well as a wide
range of information collected in
the field and laboratory – to support
this process.
It’s not just a question of
geological suitability. The team
also takes social, environmental,
and economic criteria into account:
after all, CO2 may be held in
these underground reservoirs for
hundreds of years, and will need
constant monitoring for leakage or
contamination of the surrounding
rocks.
Once a site is chosen, more
detailed subsurface characterization
is carried out. Schlumberger builds
high resolution geologic models to
assess reservoir capacity, how easy
it is to inject the CO2 and how well
it will be contained. And it doesn’t
stop there; Schlumberger can
contribute to the design and
construction of the facility, to
long-term monitoring and even
decommissioning.
With the effects of global
warming increasingly apparent,
making a practical contribution
to a long-term solution is extremely
satisfying for everyone involved. ■
As a company pioneering CO2 emission reduction
techniques such as carbon capture and storage, it is
important that Schlumberger minimizes its own carbon
footprint. Thanks to a rigorous new environmental audit
process, this is happening. It includes a compliance
audit tool (CAT) that covers environmental management,
waste and resource management, legal compliance,
site history, and spill prevention and control.
“We have been auditing sites for the past ten years,”
says Ian Sealy, manager of environment programs.
“But it took a tremendous amount of groundwork
to get to the point where we had a formal set of key
performance indicators and systems in place across
almost all our locations.” The new audit process was
launched in 2007 and applied in 525 sites by 55 auditors.
The result was an impressive 96% compliance rating.
“This is a big step forward,” says Sealy.
The annual audit process is designed to make sure
that all sites demonstrate continuous improvement in
how they manage their environmental protection
systems to meet local regulations and the rigorous
Schlumberger internal standards. In cases where local
regulations and company standards diverge, sites must
opt for the more stringent of the two – which is often
the Schlumberger standard.
Other steps towards minimizing the company’s
environmental impact even further focus on CO2
reduction strategies for specific Schlumberger
business segments. Data collected since 2005 now
allow the company to report its CO2 emissions per
employee.
Schlumberger is continuously improving the quality
and breadth of the environmental data it collects.
“Initially we needed to focus on understanding where
our emissions come from. Only then could we start to
identify opportunities to reduce CO2,” says Sealy.
Environmental plans at Schlumberger also include
projects to improve its waste disposal processes – both
reducing the amount of waste that is generated and its
environmental impact – and installing better water
treatment systems to improve the quality of the waste
water that is discharged back into the environment.
In addition, the Global Citizenship Library of Case
Studies is a new initiative through which environmental
best practices are shared. “Each step is important on
its own,” says Sealy, “but taken together, these
initiatives will lead to a larger, more visible impact
on our environmental footprint.”
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MIRIAM ARCHER
Nationality:
British
Age:
25
Degree:
Fluid Mechanics
University:
Cambridge University
Languages:
English and basic Indonesian
Recruited:
2005
Current post:
Research Scientist
Unwinding route:
Running, running, running!
Favourite iPod track: But I Feel Good by Groove Armada
What job were you recruited to and what you have been doing
since you joined?
“I was hired as a research scientist to work in the Fluids Department at Schlumberger
Cambridge Research. For the first 10 months I helped to develop and test a semi-analytical model
of the flow into a wellbore. After that I went to work in Indonesia as a Drilling & Measurements
field engineer as part of Schlumberger’s Tech&Field program. In this program, engineers and
scientists from the technology centers work in the field for 15-18 months to gain real life
experience. I found this extremely useful and learnt many new skills, including being able to
speak enough Indonesian to be understood both on the rig and on holiday in Bali! I returned from
the field nearly a year ago and have been working in yet another segment of Schlumberger –
Well Testing this time. I am enjoying the current assignment and again I am learning all the time,
which I love to do.”
What made you choose Schlumberger?
“I was interested by the idea of working in such a large multi-national company. I have met
many people from all over the world . . . a fascinating experience!”
How would you describe ‘Schlumberger people’ and are they really
different from people working in other companies?
“The majority of people I’ve met are very enthusiastic about their job and enjoy life outside
of work too. I would say the difference between ‘Schlumberger people’ and those from other
companies is that we get very used to working with people from different countries and
different cultural backgrounds, which makes for a very interesting working environment.”
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URLIFE.SPECIALREPORT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SPECIALREPORT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SPECIALREPORT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGER
ublished monthly by Sophia Publications, La Recherche reports
on a wide range of popular science topics and is a principal source
of scientific information in the French language.
In April 2007 La Recherche featured a special supplement that
examined the technologies used in the exploration and production of
oil and gas. The supplement was prefaced by the following introduction:
‘Science and technology: a duo where, increasingly, all elements
mutually enrich one another. To explore these interactions,
La Recherche offers its readers this new ‘Technological Handbook’.
Backed by a large number of diagrams, it is intended to be a clear
illustration of fields where technology, industry and trade are in a
state of continuous change, stimulated by fundamental developments.
Current events remind us of the importance of the issues. With the
rocketing cost of a barrel of oil, geopolitical uncertainties and
environmental constraints, can the development of leading-edge
technologies in an industry now over a century old change the
situation?’
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TAKING STOCK
Six questions concerning
our energy future
What will the world’s energy landscape look like by 2030?
This article provides a few of the answers, with the assistance
of Claude Mandil, former Chair of the International Energy
Agency (IEA).
HOW WILL WORLDWIDE ENERGY NEEDS
CHANGE OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS?
According to the International Energy Agency
(IEA) reference scenario, if energy policy remains
unchanged, world demand for primary energy –
currently 11 billion tonnes of oil equivalent –
will increase at a sustained rate of 1.6% per year,
particularly in countries such as China which
are undergoing rapid development. Oil will
remain the source of energy most in demand
because its uses are concentrated in the transport
sector, where there is little that can take its
place, and where there is limited scope for
increased fuel efficiency. However, among fossil
fuel sources, the most rapid growth in demand
is for gas. This is because it easy to use, relatively
clean and environmental friendly, and an efficient
source of fuel for electricity production.
By 2030, overall world energy consumption
will have risen by 55% over the current level.
The proportion of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas)
will increase markedly, making up to 85%
of the total, compared with 80% today. This is
a baseline scenario that does not take supply
security issues into consideration, depends
heavily on oil from the Middle East and gas from
the Middle East and Russia, and is clearly quite
appalling in terms of CO2 emissions. But even
if the international community makes political
decisions to significantly reduce demand and
emissions, the IEA nevertheless forecasts a 20%
to 25% increase in world energy consumption
by 2030, and the continued dominance of fossil
fuel energies.
SO, DO WE RUN THE RISK OF NOT HAVING
ENOUGH OIL?
This question refers to the peak oil concept,
which states that from 2030, the world will not
have sufficient oil to meet demand. Peak oil
means that when half the world's underground
oil reserves have been consumed, production will
automatically decline along a symmetrical curve.
For proponents of this theory, that turning point
has already arrived as far as underground oil
production in the United States is concerned; and
is almost upon us across the rest of the world.
The IEA does not agree. It advances two
arguments. First, policy could change everything:
adoption of ambitious energy saving policies could
reduce demand for energy and, consequently, the
■ Fig 1: By 2030, the world demand for primary energy will be around 17 billion tonnes of oil equivalent. ■ Fig 2: To satisfy this thirst for energy, massive investments will need to be made.
■ Fig 3: At the same time and if nothing is done, CO2 emissions will continue to increase by at least 1.7% a year.
Graphics: Bruno Bourgeois. Source: IEA Reference Scenario.
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■ The technicians in this control room manage an entire production process, including drilling, pumping and transportation, for Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian national oil company.
symmetrical curve would no longer exist. Second,
how can we determine the extent of ultimate
reserves? The fact that no large deposits are now
being found across the world cannot be used to
bolster the peak oil concept. What is valid in the
United States is not applicable to major monopoly
producer countries which, because they are not
in competition, do not feel it is worthwhile
exploiting any significantly large deposits.
Concerning ultimate reserves, if only
conventional oil outside monopolistic countries
is taken into consideration, then the concept of
peak production is relevant. But adding Middle
Eastern resources, non-conventional oil (heavy
oil and bitumen, oil shale), oil located at great
depths below the sea (more than 2,000 meters)
and in the Arctic, and products that can be
extracted from gas, coal and biomass, renders
this Malthusian vision inapplicable.
Nor should we forget the expected beneficial
effects of technology. Currently, the average
recovery of liquid hydrocarbons is just 35%.
With enhanced recovery, this could increase
to 50%, and even 70% in the decades to come.
Finally, it is necessary to take into consideration
the gas resources that could satisfy the increased
demand for hydrocarbons. However, because
60% of gas reserves are not near main transport
networks, technologies enabling local operations
need to be developed.
IS THE US $200 BARREL A POSSIBILITY?
It is always dangerous to speculate. With the
recent start up of new petroleum capacities and
slight drop in demand, the IEA is counting on a
reduction in the average import cost of crude oil to
its member countries in the short term, although
this will be followed by regular increases up to
2030. It is assumed that the price of natural gas
will follow the same trend, due to the long term
indexation between gas supply contracts and oil
prices, and the competition between these two
fuels. But it should be underlined here that new
geopolitical tensions, or worse, disruption in
supply, could reinforce price increases.
GIVEN CLIMATE CHANGE, CAN WE
REASONABLY CONTINUE TO BURN COAL,
OIL AND GAS?
Let us not forget the recent, irrefutable
conclusions of the intergovernmental group
of experts on climate change that CO2 emissions,
essentially from combustion of fossil fuels, will
cause average world temperature to increase by
several degrees and that consequently, there is
an increased risk of serious atmospheric
disturbances.
Therefore, carbon dioxide emissions must be
reduced, by adopting a wide range of possible
measures. First, it is essential to manage existing
stock, particularly through development of a
carbon emissions trading scheme. At the same
time, emissions must be reduced by improving
energy efficiency, developing renewable energies,
and making use of nuclear energy.
But even in the most optimistic of scenarios,
with a maximum level of efficiency for renewable
energies, the IEA remains convinced that oil will
continue to be a major source of energy, because
even with biofuels, oil will still be needed for
transport systems. In the very long term, towards
2050, energy could be provided by hydrogen and
fuel cells, but only if current technological and
economic challenges are overcome.
Current energy consumption trends raise
the question of coal based emissions. In 2030,
coal will probably still be a major energy source
because it is abundant, cheap and widely ➥
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TAKING STOCK
available worldwide. Some countries, such as
China and South Africa, are so dependent on coal
that it is difficult to imagine how they could stop
using it. This points to a need to develop cost
effective technologies to capture and store CO2.
WHAT AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES COULD
EASE THE ENERGY PROBLEM?
The technological challenges to be met are
enormous. It is necessary to provide the planet
with cost-effective energy, while diversifying
supplies and massively reducing CO2 emissions.
We cannot limit ourselves to a single technology.
A wide range of technologies must be developed
simultaneously: technologies to improve
energy efficiency for buildings and transport,
technologies for renewable energy and nuclear
energy, and technologies to promote more
environmentally friendly use of fossil fuels.
To optimize petroleum production, enhanced
recovery technologies need to be developed,
which requires the combined expertise of
disciplines including earth sciences (geology
and geophysics), applied mathematics, physical
chemistry and biotechnology. Another aspect
is the treatment of data generated by the
exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits. The quantity
of data on a field acquired during the surveying
through production phases can be counted in
petabytes (1015 bytes). This information needs to
be integrated and acted on in real time to
optimize the exploitation of these deposits.
Regarding renewable energies, technology
developments to reduce costs are vital. This
■ A Chinese soldier in China’s largest oil handling terminal
in Dallan. China needs to invest around US $3,700 billion in
energy, which represents 18% of the world total.
concerns two main sectors in particular:
photovoltaics and biofuels. The ecobalance of
the latter must be improved and the move to
second and even third generation products
carried out as rapidly as possible.
According to the IEA, the future also lies in
the greater use of nuclear generated energy, but
this demands that public concerns regarding
waste management be alleviated. Once again,
considerable progress needs to be made in
fundamental and technological research.
The development of all these technologies
means that in sciences as diverse as chemistry,
information technology, biology and earth sciences
such as geology and geophysics, intensive efforts
need to be made to discover new hydrocarbon
sources.
A group of 27 consumer countries
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a government body
grouping together 27 countries. It is historically positioned
in the western camp of energy consumers. It now acts as
a consultant to its member states, helping them define their
energy policies. Working from the principle that without
statistics there cannot be a significant energy policy,
IEA publishes the yearly World Energy Outlook.
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WHAT INVESTMENTS ARE NEEDED FOR
OUR ENERGY FUTURE?
To satisfy the world’s growing and voracious
demand for energy, massive investments in
energy supply infrastructure will need to be
made. According to the IEA reference forecast,
the accumulated investment required from
2005 to 2030 is just over US $20,000 billion in
2005 terms! The electricity sector absorbs 56%
of the total investment, rising to approximately
two thirds of the total if investments in the
supply chain to meet the fuel needs of power
plants are included.
Investment in the oil sector, three quarters
of which needs to be committed to the upstream
exploration production sector, amounts to more
than US $4,000 billion from 2005 to 2030.
Upstream investment needs are far more
sensitive to declining production rates than
they are to the growing demand for oil.
Approximately half of the total worldwide
energy investment needs to be made in
developing countries, because these are the
places where demand and production are
growing fastest. China alone needs to invest
around US $3,700 billion, which represents
18% of the world total.
The question is whether or not this will
happen. There is no guarantee that all the
necessary investments will be made. Public
policies, geopolitical factors, unexpected
variations in unit costs and prices, as well as
the development of new technologies, are all
factors that may influence the opportunities and
incentives to public and private companies to
invest in the various links of the diverse energy
supply chains. Here, the investment decisions
taken by major oil and gas production countries
will be decisive, because the volume and cost of
imports by consumer countries will increasingly
depend on these factors. One can, for example,
ask whether the investment made by the gas
industry in Russia will be sufficient, even if only
to maintain the current export levels to European
countries and to begin exporting to Asia. ■
Cécile Chamois
TECHNOLOGIES
Leading-edge technologies in
the petroleum engineer’s toolkit
Modern petroleum exploration and production have been able to make use of innovative
processes developed in other fields and industries: signal processing, modeling of materials,
metrology, chemical kinetics, and so on. Here is a review of some of these technologies, from
exploration to production.
I
n a desert-like landscape, a derrick sits over an
oilfield in which the parent rock lies just a few
meters below the sand. It is an image drawn from
the history of the oil industry. But in today’s
world, the search for hydrocarbons is a complex
activity that resembles an obstacle course. The
work calls for finding oil in increasingly difficult
environments: at great depths of more than
2,000 meters below the sea; buried at depths of
over 6,000 meters underground; and in geological
structures where temperatures typically exceed
150 degC and pressures can reach 2,500 bars.
And, when a reservoir is located in these
particularly difficult conditions, ultra-sensitive
instruments are needed to take measurements
at the bottom of the reservoir. This is followed
by exploration drilling, sometimes horizontal,
to reach the oil, with a high degree of precision.
There are no standard conditions: no two wells
are identical.
If the oilfield is at sea, a floating platform can be
used for production, storage and unloading.
In the future (and already planned for the
Norwegian Barents Sea), production will take
place without any surface structure whatsoever.
All the necessary equipment will be located
on the seabed and the produced hydrocarbons
transported to land through underwater
pipelines. ■
Stéphane Magalhaes
■ RESERVOIR ROCK:
Without 'traps' there would
be no oil reservoirs. These
closed structures, created
by deformation of the rock
strata, allow hydrocarbons
to accumulate. Traps can
be structural – formed by
flexible (folds), or brittle
(faults) deformations of the
rock, or stratigraphical –
formed as a result of the
nature of the rock.
15
TECHNOLOGIES
1: RESERVOIR PARAMETERS
■ SEISMIC SURVEYING: Seismic surveys are carried out to detect the presence of a reservoir. Waves sent from the surface into the ground are partially reflected
when they encounter a change in the nature of the rock or an interface between fluids. On its return to the surface, the signal is captured by highly sensitive geophone
receivers. These are used to record a complex series of waves. The first are those closest to the surface, followed by those reflected on the first geological layer, and
so on. Measurements are taken of the time taken for a wave reflected on a geological layer to travel from transmitter to receiver.
■ 3D: By moving the transmitter and receiver many
times, a two dimensional image of the subsurface and
the geological layers can be built up. Hypotheses are
then made concerning the propagation speeds of the
waves through the various layers, permitting the
construction of an image incorporating depth. These
are then used to produce a geological section. For
greater reliability, 3D seismic surveying is used (see
facing image). The acquisition of three dimensional
measurements of the rock parameters increases the
reliability of the analysis. This 3D technology simplifies
the understanding of complex situations at
considerable depths.
16
2: EXPLORATION DRILLING
■ METROLOGY: Unfortunately, seismic surveys do not provide anything like complete information. To find out whether there is any oil in a well, exploration drilling must
be carried out. Measurement tools are lowered into the well as it is drilled. The drilling rig takes the form of a mast used to lower the drilling string, at the bottom of
which is a bit. The tools attached directly to the string guide the drilling and enable analysis of the rock layers being drilled through. When it reaches the bottom of the
well, the bit rotates on the surface-controlled drilling string. The energy needed for the measurement instruments and drilling controls is provided by lithium batteries.
Thus measurements known as well logs can be recorded using electric, acoustic, seismic, radioactive or nuclear magnetic resonance instruments.
3: CONSTRUCTION OF A WELL
■ HORIZONTAL DRILLING: Development drilling
begins. The bit cuts through the rock at the
bottom of the well. A mixture of water and clay
(drilling mud) is injected into the well to control
pressure and remove rock cuttings. The well is
then cased with steel pipe, which is cemented
(see image, right) to provide hydraulic isolation
and mechanical integrity. Modern drilling
techniques make it possible to drill at an
angle from a single point and extend this into
a horizontal or U-shaped drilling profile. It is
even possible to drill to a depth of 2,000 meters
and continue horizontally for 10 kilometers from
the drilling point – all with a precision of within
one meter from the target location!
17
TECHNOLOGIES
4: BRINGING A SITE INTO PRODUCTION
■ OFFSHORE: The Girassol field, exploited by Total 150 kilometers off the coast of Angola, provides an example of the technologies developed for deep offshore
work: 39 underwater wells, of which 23 were drilled to a depth of 1,400 meters. Positioned by robots, a network of 45 kilometers of flow lines connected to the
wellheads covers the seabed over the 24 square kilometers of the field. When commissioned in 2001, this vessel, with its 200,000 barrel a day production
capacity and two million barrel storage volume, was the largest floating production unit in the world.
18
5: OPTIMIZATION
■ ENHANCED RECOVERY: Enhanced recovery
techniques are used to improve well productivity.
One of these involves using special wells to inject
fluids such as CO2 , highly compressed gas extracted
from the oil well, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG),
and water. The fluid compresses the hydrocarbon
extracted by production wells. Another solution is to
change the physical characteristics of the oil using
thermal methods, such as miscible fluid injection,
or chemical methods. The former involve using heat
to reduce the viscosity of the oil, to ease its migration
through porous rock. Chemical methods are used
to reduce the capillary forces that contribute to
retaining the hydrocarbons in the rock.
■ 4D: 4D seismic surveying incorporates the fourth dimension: time. On a production reservoir, 3D seismic surveys are carried out at regular intervals. Comparison of
recordings identifies changes taking place in the deposit during its production period. By linking those data with data acquired during the research phase, the life of
the deposit throughout the exploration cycle can be traced. This provides a better understanding of preferential flow routes, levels of the various fluids, and so forth,
and allows production to be adjusted accordingly. Data processing of recorded seismic waves is extremely complex. Geophysicists use sophisticated software to
combine these data to help them reconstruct the forms and physical properties of the geological layers.
19
INTERVIEW
Andrew Gould: “The key question in
the oil industry is the recovery factor.”
Schlumberger is the world’s largest petroleum services
company, with a 2007 revenue of US $23.3 billion and a
workforce of 84,000 in around 80 countries. As a result of its
history and size, the group is deeply involved in development
of petroleum technologies. La Recherche talked to its CEO.
LA RECHERCHE: Generally speaking, the
performance systems available to handle seismic
petroleum industry and leading-edge
surveying data and carry out modeling and
technologies are rarely associated.
simulation for what represents the core of our
What is more, the sector is seen to be old
profession – a complete understanding of
fashioned and out of date. What do you
hydrocarbon reservoirs.
In 2007, you invested US $728 million in
put this down to?
Andrew Gould: Let me make it clear from the
research and development. Why?
Andrew Gould: The budget comprised
outset that this negative image is far from
US $633 million for development activities and
universally shared. It is true that in Europe
US $95 million for applied research. Our needs
our industry suffers from an image deficit
are vast because they cover traditional physical
because, at the end of the day, it is considered
sciences and chemistry, as well
to be a polluting activity. But we have
as specific nuclear measurement
a far better reputation in the United
technologies, digital modeling,
States. And in emerging countries,
and so on.
such as India and China, as well in
Your company hired more than
the Middle East, the petroleum
10,000 employees in 2007.
industry is seen as prestigious and
Do you find it difficult to find
attracts the best graduates. One of
the right profiles, especially
its strengths is that it is open to
for your research and
ideas from the outside world: the
development activities?
oil industry has been able to adapt
Andrew Gould: Last year we
technologies from other sectors to
Andrew
Gould
recruited mainly engineers and
meet its specific needs.
Having worked for Ernst
scientists. They represent 120
To meet the challenges of crude
& Young, Andrew Gould
joined
Schlumberger
in
nationalities and we recruited
oil exploration and extraction, the
1975 in the internal audit
in over 40 countries. Our historic
industry has learned to use the most
department. He was
ties with the most prestigious
innovative technologies. For example, president of several
segments before
universities in the world and
did you know that Schlumberger
becoming the group’s
CEO in February 2003.
their research centers mean that
has one of the three most powerful
Gould holds a degree in
we have no particular difficulties
computers in the world? Our goal is
economic history from
in acquiring the skills we need.
to equip ourselves with the highest
Cardiff University.
20
A few years ago, you argued for
technological cooperation between
service companies and petroleum groups
to meet the challenges facing the sector.
Has this cooperation been set up?
Andrew Gould: Only partly. I feel that we have
yet to achieve an optimum level of cooperation.
Regardless, it is essential that we solve a problem
that is specific to the petroleum industry: the
recovery factor. At present, and as a worldwide
average, we extract only between 30% and 35%
of the total resources present in reservoirs; the
remaining two thirds are lost. Improving the
recovery factor is therefore a crucial issue for
our industry, especially given the current debate
concerning peak oil – the turning point when
world production of crude begins its downward
slope. But a 1% increase in the recovery factor
would be equivalent to two and a half years
of world consumption! Our goal is to increase
recovery to 50%. In some reservoirs in Norway,
a recovery rate of 60% to 65% has already been
attained. This success is of considerable interest
to the entire industry, and the reason why we
advocate cooperation between companies.
How can you improve the recovery factor?
Andrew Gould: We need to define the space
between wells, in the rocks where the oil is
trapped, as precisely as possible. To do that,
an image of the area needs to be created, and
that requires very powerful measuring and
modeling tools. The image obtained from
electromagnetic and seismic surveying
measurements gives a precise picture of where
new drilling should take place. These technologies
are used both for existing and new deposits.
In the former, the task is to detect unnoticed
layers of hydrocarbons; in the latter, it is to
optimize exploitation of the deposit.
Very deep offshore operations are part of
the challenge facing the petroleum industry.
What are the particular constraints
associated with these new exploration
areas?
Andrew Gould: The main difficulty with this
type of exploitation is not so much the depth
of the water – where the limit is essentially
governed by economics – as the reliability of
the machinery. During the exploitation phase,
operations on the seabed need to be reduced to
a minimum. For example, pumps must have
very long service lives. It is also necessary to
have very sensitive surveillance and fluid
analysis systems. It is vital to be able to detect
the presence of water in a well as its presence
affects the exploitation of the reserves. Finally,
companies are being confronted with high
temperature and high pressure deposits that are
very difficult to exploit. In some cases, gas can
reach a temperature of 300 degC at a pressure
of 2,500 bars. So, we need to have tools and
instruments that can withstand these conditions.
Exploitation of non-conventional crude oils
(shales and bituminous sands) is also of
vital importance to the future of oil. How
will they be used?
Andrew Gould: Most deposits of these nonconventional crude oils are found in Venezuela
and Canada. Schlumberger is involved in
operations to extract crude oils that have a
viscosity that allows natural flow, and solid oils.
The former can be produced using a special
extraction and collection system. For solid oils,
steam is injected to reduce the viscosity of the
oil and, consequently, increase its flow. Again,
major research is vital for development of
reliable tools – including pumps able to
withstand temperatures of 250 degC – and
measurement instruments. We are also
researching the behavior of these crude oils
when their state changes.
Underground storage of CO2 is raising great
hopes in the environmental sector. Is this a
potential future sector for Schlumberger?
Andrew Gould: Absolutely, but only when this
technology is fully developed! This technology
demands a complete understanding of the
subsurface. The major challenge is to ensure
that the reservoirs in which the CO2 is stored
do not leak over time; which, in this case,
means a thousand years. Our understanding
of reservoirs has allowed us to make
considerable progress in this area.
Another direction is the study of reactions
between the CO2 and the storage reservoir rock.
The CO2 in a reservoir is not inert; its reactions
with the molecules in the rock cause changes in
the physical-chemical characteristics of the
reservoir, which, over time, could cause microfaults and potentially reduce the integrity of
the reservoir.
A great deal is expected from
nanotechnologies. How will they apply
to the oil sector?
Andrew Gould: The use of nanotechnologies for
detection and analysis of fluids will probably be
introduced into the sector over the next couple
of years. However, biochemistry is where the
real revolution will take place. Using biochemical
agents to modify the behavior of a fluid, or trace
circulation of fluids through a reservoir . . .
now that is a fascinating subject. But we will
have to wait some time before we reach
that point. ■
Interview by Stéphane Magalhaes
21
GERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SC
Schlumberger operates at
wellsites in some of the toughest
environments on the planet: from
the searing heat of Middle Eastern
deserts to the numbing cold of
Siberian taiga; from the steamy
jungles of Brazil to the typhoon
swept shores of the South China
Sea. These extreme conditions and
diverse locations require a wide
range of drilling platforms to make
oil and gas production possible. Rigs
can be mobile or more permanent
structures and are located either
on land, in transition zones such as
swamps, or offshore – in shallow
waters or far out at sea in deep
water. The wellsite location you
are assigned to will impact greatly
on your lifestyle: in remote and
offshore locations, people normally
work in on/off rotation, spending
a few weeks on, a few weeks off.
In more accessible locations, crews
are usually able to go home after
work (although they may still be
on call!).
22
HLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.R
Many wellsites are in remote
locations, so getting to work may
involve long, cross-country journeys,
often in some pretty serious forms
of transport. For offshore operations,
trips are usually made by helicopter.
It is important to remember that
these are NOT holiday flights and
that the emphasis is very much
on saftey. Before you can travel
offshore you will need to have
successfully completed a number of
training courses and passed certain
safety qualifications including:
HUET (Helicopter Underwater
Evacuation Training) and a BOSS
(Basic Offshore Sea Survival)
certificate. Once offshore, local
journeys are made by small boat or
using the platform crane. On land,
helicopters are also used extensively
as are rugged 4x4 vehicles and the
famous, blue Schlumberger trucks.
However, some field engineers are
lucky enough to be able to drive to
work in their own cars!
Drilling thousands of meters down
into the Earth is inherently a dirty,
intense and costly business. This,
plus the fact that wells are often
in some of the most remote and
inhospitable places in the world,
means that our engineers have to
be able to adapt to local conditions.
There are no shops at wellsites, so
you have to take everything you are
going to need with you. This should
include essentials such as all your
clothing and toiletries and also
some extras such as your iPod
and supplies of your favorite
chocolate! Rigs are not hotels
and accommodation is usually
pretty cramped, and you will
normally have to share amenities
with your co-workers. Women
engineers are still in a minority
in the oil and gas industry, which
is why Schlumberger pays special
attention to making sure living
conditions are appropriate.
However, you must be ready to
adapt and take the initiative…
and have a good sense of humor!
23
RGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RIGLIFE.
Regardless of the job you do with
Schlumberger, all our people are
focused on delivering service
excellence, no matter what the
conditions. We have to be on top
of our game 24/7 as the results of
our work have multi-million dollar
consequences for our clients. To
help you do your job, Schlumberger
utilizes the very latest and greatest
technology. But technology alone
is not enough: the ability to work
as part of a team is essential to
our success. Living and working
at a wellsite means the conditions
are often extreme and the job
is high pressured. But this
environment helps to bring people
together, and the respect and trust
that develops between work
colleagues often means that
friendships created in the field last
a lifetime. Schlumberger people
work hard, make no mistake, but
they know how to play hard too . . .
which all adds up to creating the
Schlumberger way of life!
24
EOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGE
XUN LI
Nationality:
Chinese
Degree:
Mechanical Engineering
University:
Tsinghua University, Beijing
Languages:
Chinese, English plus a bit of Thai
Recruited:
2001
Current post:
Recruiting Manager for China, Japan,
Thailand, Vietnam & Myanmar
Unwinding route:
Moviemaking with colleagues
and singing
Favourite iPod track: Secret by Jay Zhou
“I had never thought about working in the petroleum industry until a friend told me about
Schlumberger and I applied. Excited and ready to embark on a new life, I started as a field
engineer at the end of 2001.
Working as a field engineer overseas, I was so busy doing my job that I had little time to think
about how difficult it was. After completing my training in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia,
I worked for three months as a junior field engineer with Indonesian land crews in south Sumatra.
There I was promoted to Wireline field engineer. In 2002, I was transferred to the Middle East.
Working in Abu Dhabi, I had plenty of opportunity to get familiar with Schlumberger’s hi-tech
services and was promoted to senior field engineer. I moved to work offshore in Qatar in November
2003 as lead engineer for several major offshore clients, and after a great deal of hard work,
became a general field engineer. At the end of 2006, I returned to my native China to embark on yet
another new and challenging start in my career, as field services manager for Wireline in West
China. Then in 2007, in a move that has developed my career in a different direction, I took up the
position of recruiting manager.
The first three years, I had very little spare time! It’s hard for a logging engineer to plan any
activities after work; but we do get to take many short breaks, traveling with friends and exploring
different cultures in many countries. I really enjoy the diversity of this way of life.
If I had the chance to turn back the clock and choose my employer again, Schlumberger would
be my first and only choice.”
25
FE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGE
Hi, I'm Eric Ayache. I've worked for Schlumberger for the past 13 years. The job has taken me
“to some
pretty amazing places – many that are really extreme and tough to work in but that have
allowed me to do things that I would never have been able to do in an ordinary job. My life with
Schlumberger has been one continual experience . . . with the job and and my personal life just
being different aspects of the same unfolding story. Here’s a snapshot of some of my adventures.
”
AFRICA: MY FAVORITE
CONTINENT ON EARTH
I started my Schlumberger life
about thirteen years ago, when
I joined Wireline. My first four years
were spent in West and Southern
Africa, working in remote areas of
Congo, Angola, Gabon and South
Africa. Having the opportunity to
discover these countries, and many
more while on days off, was an
incredible experience. Often it was
difficult to distinguish work from
days off, watching from the deck
of a supply boat humpback whales
jump out of the water in pairs
during the mating season, a pack
of killer whales hunting down
dolphins, or a huge, lone
hammerhead shark circling the rig.
I will never forget when I was
sent to Gabon as second engineer
on a remote well deep in the jungle.
Discovering that I loved animals,
26
the pilot of the four seater plane
that took me from Congo to Gabon
plunged down to fly just 100 meters
above ground level, over surprised
elephants and buffaloes in the
savanna! This was to be one of
many highlights of my time in
Africa. After an additional six-hour
ride in a dugout canoe on a river
winding its way through the jungle,
I finally reached the wellsite. Seeing
the local hunters bursting out of the
jungle carrying spears and freshly
killed antelopes or boars to sell to
the rig camp, while I was struggling
on a hellish three-day logging job in
pouring rain and ankle deep mud,
was a great experience! And it was
on that job I met a young Wireline
pre-school trainee, Catherine
Beneton, who has since become my
wife. Thank you Schlumberger!
After two years of remote
projects and exploration jobs in
Angola, I started to move from
country to country in the region,
wherever exploration jobs or other
needs arose. I could not believe my
luck. While based in Cape Town,
I had the opportunity to spend a
weekend hunting with the pygmies
in Cameroon, climb Pico Bioko
in Malabo, go horse riding in the
vineyards of Stellenbosch, and go
cage diving with the great white
sharks.
Believe it or not, during these
first three or four years, I honestly
thought I should pay to do this job!
Not only was the work exciting
and challenging, I was constantly
travelling around living a life of
adventure; and on top of that,
I was being paid.
After almost four years on what
has since become my favorite
continent on earth, I had the desire
to discover and work in other ➥
RLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.AWAYOFLIFE.SCHLUMBER
Well . . . where do I start? ■ Top left: Trekking in the
Denali Mountain Range, Alaska – a very awe-inspiring
experience! ■ Top right: Sunrise over the sand dunes
in the desert at the border between Oman and Saudi
Arabia. ■ Inset above: When I was working in the
Congolese jungle, during my vacations, I volunteered
for an NGO project to protect and study chimpanzees.
I helped teach this baby chimp, whose mother was
killed by poachers, how to fend for herself before we
could release her back into the wild. ■ Far left: Sunrise
or sunset (I can’t remember – it had been a long and
tiring shift!) in the grasslands of Sudan. Despite the
jaw dropping location, I just had to get some rest for
a few hours. ■ Below: Just before landing at the bush
airstrip of Wekweeti in the North West Territories in
Canada, I had flown over herds of caribou migrating
over frozen lakes to their calving grounds in the tundra.
I learnt to fly while working for Schlumberger.
27
Page 28: ■ Main picture: On a real
high! . . above the vivid blue waters of
Lake O'Hara in the Canadian Rockies
during a vacation; ■ Small inset: Dogsledding in Svalbard (an archipelago in
the Arctic Ocean midway between
Norway and the North Pole) during my
one year leave of absence; ■ Big inset:
With some Yemeni friends, in the
Hadramaut, close to the Masila base.
Page 29: ■ 1st inset: In 2005 I got
married – to Catherine Beneton (who
I met at Schlumberger!). Here we are
on our honeymoon standing in front of
K2 in northern Pakistan; ■ 2nd inset:
The pleasures of horseback-riding,
‘Cowboy Eric’ in the Canadian Rockies
■ Far right: My other ‘family’: part of
my Schlumberger team when I was
field service manager at the Masila
base, Yemen.
28
parts of the world, particularly the
remote areas of the Middle Eastern
deserts. Hence my transfer to Abu
Dhabi, where I spent two months
as a land engineer. There, while
on week-long exploration loggings
in the beautiful Bu Hasa field,
I learned everything there is to
learn about desert driving. But the
infamous Abu Dhabi traffic jams
finally took their toll, so I was
delighted to be assigned to Masila
in Yemen.
AH, YEMEN!
The land of the Queen of Sheba,
the ‘Arabia Felix’ of the Romans.
The breathtaking and unique
scenery in the Hadhramout; the
hospitality of the bedus; the
architecture of Shibam, Tarim; the
Old Sana’a . . . driving to wellsites
across the moon-like landscapes
characteristic of the high plateaus
of the Hadhramaut, I felt privileged
and happy. During my two years in
Yemen, I was fortunate to be able
to get to know my surroundings
and my neighbors quite well. I even
spent five amazing weeks traversing
the country from Sana’a to Mukalla,
via Marib and the old sabean ruins
of Shabwa – a fantastic journey
through time, following the 4,000
year old incense trade route.
From the sea port of Mukalla,
I crossed over to Socotra, a fabulous
‘lost world’ of unique landscapes,
endemic bird and plant species
(like the amazing dragon blood
tree), and a very special people
born from a mixture of Arab, Indian
and African traders who speak a
unique language (Socotri). This is a
place definitely worth a visit while it
remains unspoiled.
From Yemen, it was an easy
jump to cross the Bab El Mendab
to visit other extraordinary
countries like Uganda and Ethiopia.
Approaching on foot the mountain
gorillas in the Virunga range;
kayaking and rafting the Nile white
water rapids below Victoria Lake;
paddling around Lake Albert in
search of the elusive dinosaur-like
shoebill stork, and finding it;
trekking in the Bale and Siemen
Mountains of Ethiopia looking for
the Abyssinian wolf, mountain nyala
and gelada baboon – all endemic,
rare species; bird watching along
the little known Rift Valley Lakes
of remote southern Ethiopia . . .
SVALBARD CALLING
Despite all these adventures, and
a very challenging job as field ➥
Field Engineers
Field Engineers work globally, in some of the most extreme
environments, to provide oil companies with expert advice
on which to base multi-billion dollar production decisions.
The job is challenging but it is one of the most rewarding
and respected jobs in the industry. As on-site team leader
you must use a combination of technical and leadership
skills to both manage your crew and deliver high quality
service to Schlumberger’s customers.
Required: Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering
or applied science.
29
service manager at the Masila base,
my thoughts turned more and more
to Svalbard. I had been there three
years earlier to participate in a
dog sledging expedition through the
glaciers and sea ice. And now the
Arctic was calling me, demanding
that I spend a year there, as a dog
sledging guide! It was an MBA of
sorts – a Master’s in the Blizzards
of the Arctic! The time spent there
was another highlight of my life.
But after ten months, I was ready
to move on again.
THE SULTANATE OF OMAN –
ANOTHER FANTASTIC COUNTRY
This assignment, once again, was a
combination of very hard work and
great opportunities to discover a
country from the inside. Trekking
along the ‘Omani Grand Canyon’ in
the Jebel Al Akhdar; diving among
schools of thousands of swirling
fishes; sea kayaking through deep
fjords at sunrise, surrounded by
dolphins; wandering through long
abandoned Omani villages; tracking
the fabled white Arabian oryx in
the Jiddat Al Harasis with an old
Bedu Harasi.
On days off, I was able to visit
surrounding countries I had not yet
been to: beautiful and varied Iran,
Tanzania, and the UAE. Flying a
small Cessna low over the red sand
dunes of the Sharjah desert and over
flocks of pink flamingoes in flight,
beautifully highlighted against the
ERIC AYACHE
1995 – 1999: Africa
As a Field Engineer for exploration wells, Eric worked
in nine countries.
1999 – 2003: The Middle East
General Field Engineer, Field Service Manager and
Service Quality Coach for Wireline. He took 2001 off to
be a dog-sledging guide for expeditions below the
North Pole.
2004: Angola
Quality, Health, Safety & Environment Manager
2005: The Netherlands
Wireline Location Manager
2006 – 2008: North America
Training Center Manager in Canada
2008 – the present: France
Wireline Rapid Response Manager at the
Schlumberger Riboud Product Center in Paris. Eric is
in charge of developing technology to meet needs in
the field for technical solutions where no other viable
option exists, and where developed solutions are
limited in application or constrained in time and where
a full development project is impractical. Sounds like
a challenge indeed!
30
vivid blue of the Umm Al Quwain
lagoons, was a dream come true!
DUAL CAREER MOVES
After a year in the Sultanate of
Oman, a new kind of adventure
awaited me: embarking on a dual
career move with the woman I met
in the Gabonese jungle – remember?
This adventure took me to join
Catherine in Dubai for a few months,
where she was working as training,
development and staffing manager
for recently hired engineers,
before we were both transferred
back to Africa, this time to Angola.
Highlights of our time there were
spending vacations on safari in
neighboring Namibia, in a roof
tented 4x4 Toyota! I also volunteered
for one month deep in the Congolese
jungle helping anti-poaching units
protecting chimpanzees.
The time we were able to spend
together, first in Dubai, then in
Angola, and later in the Netherlands,
confirmed that we were made for
each other. In summer 2005, we
got married in a small mountain
village in France, and had a great
honeymoon, at 6,000 meters,
trekking the glaciers around the
famous K2, in the Karakorum
mountain range of Northern
Pakistan.
More recently, our Schlumberger
dual career adventure took us to
North America and the city of
Calgary in Canada. Catherine
worked for the Wireline sales
organization there, while I had
the immense privilege of managing
the Schlumberger training center
in Airdrie.
For us, this was a completely
different part of the world – one
where we had never worked or
lived before – and we have enjoyed
every minute of it. Especially our
weekends skiing or camping in the
Canadian Rocky Mountains, and
our vacations sea kayaking the
fjords of southern Alaska along
calving tide water glaciers, amid
scores of sea birds, sea otters and
seals, and with an occasional
exciting encounter with a hump
back whale or killer whale! Our last
vacation saw us return to Alaska for
a few days of camping and trekking
in the pristine wildernesses of
Denali National Park and Katmai
National Park, where we had close
and heart stopping experiences with
wolves and grizzly bears!
Other highlights of our time in
North America included a week dog
sledging and camping in the Yukon,
in temperatures of 42 degC below;
a week of canoeing in the pristine
wilderness of northern British
Columbia, accompanied by moose,
black bears and eagles; and flying
in a small private plane above the
huge ice fields of the Canadian
Rockies and over migrating caribou
in the Northwest Territories.
THE BIGGEST ADVENTURE
OF ALL
Our latest and most recent
adventure may very well be the
most challenging and enjoyable
of all: the arrival of our first baby,
little Inès Ayache!
And, for the first time in our
Schlumberger career, we are being
transferred to our home country.
To Paris, where the world of a
product center awaits me, while
Catherine completes her maternity
leave before coming back to
Schlumberger in a new position.
This will give me time to
discover my daughter, Paris and
its surroundings, as well as the
new Schlumberger Engineering,
Manufacturing and Sustaining
organization that I am now part of.
Until we are ready to go back
overseas to share new adventures –
this time the three of us – and take
up challenging new professional
positions . . .
. . . Looking forward to that! ■
31
IVAN KHLESTOV
Nationality:
Russian
Age:
27
Degree:
Geological Engineering
University:
Novosibirsk State University
Languages:
English, Russian and Ukrainian
Recruited:
1993
Current post:
Ukraine Country Manager
Unwinding route:
Kayaking in the Altay Mountains with a bunch of Schlumberger mates
Favourite iPod track: Sweet Child o’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses
A graduate ‘rock sniffer’, Ivan joined Schlumberger as a Well Services cementer in Siberia.
“For the first few years I knew everyone who worked for Schlumberger in the CIS (the
Commonwealth of Independent States – the alliance of eleven former Soviet republics),”
Ivan says, recalling earlier times in his home region. “Now I’m back in the same kind of
start-up situation here in Ukraine. The difference is that, this time, the responsibility rests
largely on my shoulders . . . and I love it!”
“Getting the operating licenses in place was the toughest hurdle. The government
administrators had very little experience with such things as importing oilfield equipment,
and the regulations were constantly changing. It made things difficult.“
This particular hurdle was cleared in mid 2007, making Schlumberger the only oilfield
services company with an established presence in Ukraine, and with the necessary paperwork
to do business. This was a real head start in the race to gain a hold in a market that is opening
up to foreign investment, and one which is critically aware of the need to modernise.
“My career development plans?” In all honesty I have a very interesting time and job right
now. As for the future, there are so many parameters to consider – my wife, the kids’ school, and
my professional future. So right now, I am in thinking mode!”
32
UTS.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGMARKETS.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGMARKETS.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.EMERGINGMARKETS.SC
SCHLUMBERGER HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF SUBSURFACE PROSPECTING SINCE
ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER 80 YEARS AGO. TODAY RUSSIA IS ONE OF THE COMPANY’S
MOST IMPORTANT MARKETS, BUT BACK IN THE 20s AND 30s, IN THE PIONEERING DAYS
OF THE SCHLUMBERGER BROTHERS, CONRAD AND MARCEL , THE SOVIET UNION,
AS IT WAS THEN, WAS ARGUABLY EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT AS IT HELPED SAVE
THE COMPANY FROM POTENTIAL BANKRUPTCY.
n the 1920s, a chance encounter took place
between Conrad Schlumberger and Vahe
Melikian, a Soviet student at the Ecole des Mines
in Paris. The meeting eventually led to Soviet
interest in the Schlumberger technique and to
contracts for its services in the oilfields of
Chechnya and Azerbaijan. The resulting work,
which lasted from 1929 to the mid 1930s,
became a lifeline for Schlumberger when the
stock market crash of 1929 brought most of the
company’s other business to a halt.
I was lucky enough to know one of the original
teams of five engineers dispatched to the Soviet
Union in 1929. They left from Marseille, sailed
across the Mediterranean in appalling weather,
through the Bosphorus and across the Black Sea
to the Georgian port of Batumi. From there they
traveled by road across the Caucasus to Groznyy.
My friend, Raymond Sauvage, was the only
logging engineer in the group. The others were
there to perform surface measurements. Their
equipment was primitive in the extreme, and the
living conditions dire. During the first year
Sauvage logged 100 wells, station by station,
35,000 stations in all.
With Melikian as the local coordinator, the
Schlumberger team persevered. In time, logging
became preferred by the Soviet prospectors to
surface measurements, and just two years later
Schlumberger had 19 teams of logging engineers
working in the area. There were occasional visits
by Conrad and Marcel Schlumberger and by
Henri Doll to confer with Soviet geophysicists,
bring the crews much needed improvements in
their equipment and test out new measurements.
But life continued to be hard. It took one meal
with Sauvage to convince Conrad to order regular
food parcels from Paris.
Activity spread to other Soviet oil provinces,
in particular to the Baku area of Azerbaijan. This
province was the first major Russian oil producer
from Tsarist times. Oil seepages had been known
from antiquity, and the oil industry developed
rapidly during the latter part of the 19th century,
rivalling the Rockefeller monopoly in the US in
terms of size and ambition. The driving force was
a branch of the Nobel family, a Swedish clan
which had earlier emigrated to Russia and which
is now more commonly associated with the
invention of dynamite and the Nobel Prizes.
Work continued apace with 1,200 wells logged
in 1931 alone. Baku could also boast one of the
world’s pre-eminent petroleum institutes, where
experiments by Vladimir I Kogan on partially
saturated sand packs provided key data later
used by Gus Archie to derive the renowned
Archie equation that allows oil saturation to be
derived from resistivity. In 1935, the combination
of Schlumberger measurements and this new
understanding of saturation led to some
remarkably sophisticated reservoir monitoring
of the Surakhany field, one of Baku’s most
prolific.
In spite of these remarkable advances,
soon thereafter the Soviet contracts began
to peter out, for reasons too mysterious
to fathom at the time. Beset by this news
during a final visit to Moscow in 1936,
Conrad collapsed during his return to
Paris and died in Stockholm. He was 58.
Vahe Melikian, the key to the Soviet contracts
and ultimately to the survival of Schlumberger
at the time, disappeared from view despite
frantic correspondence from Marcel and Henri.
Some 70 years later, after the collapse of the
Soviet Union, it would be revealed that Melikian
had been assassinated during a Stalinist purge in
1938, aged 35. Raymond Sauvage retired in 1968
in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where he had worked
with Henri Doll on log interpretation. An avid
gardener until he was rendered blind by
Parkinson’s disease, he died in 1990, aged 85.
Today, I count all these men to be heroes,
and it is because of people like them that
Schlumberger lives on. ■
■ Above: Schlumberger engineers and the ubiquitous
wireline logging truck . . . 1930s style! ■ Below (top):
Sauvage and Poirault on their way to the rig site in
Grozny; (bottom): Roger Jost on an exploration tour
around Federovska.
33
BALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERG
At Schlumberger, global citizenship reflects the rich diversity and quality of our workforce. Drawn
from 160 nationalities and working in more than 80 countries, our employees share a willingness
to contribute to the progress and well-being of the people impacted by our activities, including
employees themselves, contractors, clients, shareholders, suppliers, and the members of
the communities in which we live and work. As a business and a community of individuals,
Schlumberger is connected to a number of global challenges. We’ve developed a global
citizenship framework that is focused on six of the key global issues to which we are connected.
We believe that, through thought leadership and our own best practices, we can make a
difference in the areas of: climate change, the environment, driving safety, malaria, HIV/AIDS
and science education.
34
GERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GL
FOCUS ON NIGERIA
According to the World Health
Organization, approximately 20%
of the world’s malaria cases occur
in Nigeria, and that the disease is
responsible for 29% of child deaths
and 11% of mortality among
pregnant women.
As the intermediary between
Schlumberger employees, families
and contractors and Nigerian
healthcare providers, Dr. Uche
Okorocha holds an important role
in combating malaria. “Malaria is
the number one health concern
in Nigeria,” says Dr. Okorocha.
“We take it very seriously and form
our healthcare service around
controlling this level of risk.”
It is through the targeted
Malaria Prevention Program that
Dr. Okorocha supports Schlumberger
in working to safeguard the
company’s employees. “Education
is fundamental in combating the
disease. Before the distribution
of the Schlumberger curative
malaria kits, fatalities were among
employees who had returned to their
home countries where detection
and treatment of the disease was
often belated.
Dr. Okorocha and the
Schlumberger Health, Safety &
Environment (HSE) team organize
health days to raise awareness
of the threats posed by malaria.
“It is through events like these that
we can pass on the message and
facilitate a concentrated forum of
exchange, particularly to young
children and the elderly,” says
Dr. Okorocha.
In his role as practitioner and
educator both to local Nigerians
and newcomers to the country,
Dr. Okorocha is steadfast. “Malaria
is a global challenge whose
prevention is based on availability
of resources and the spread of
education. We have achieved a
great deal in Nigeria, but there is
more to do, and by remaining
focused and attentive to cuttingedge scientific knowledge, I am
confident we can do more.”
40% of the world’s
population is exposed
to malaria. The disease
kills over one million
people a year and is
endemic in about 100
countries . . . many in
which Schlumberger
operates.
n 2002, an African-based Schlumberger employee
died of malaria while on vacation at home in Mexico.
Investigation into this and previous cases showed that
over the last three years the company had lost at least
one person a year to the disease.
In an attempt to eradicate malaria fatalities among
the workforce, a Schlumberger task force was set up.
The innovative prevention program they designed
focuses on awareness raising, mosquito bite prevention,
early diagnosis/treatment and 24/7 access to expert help.
Implemented within Schlumberger in 2003, the
program has been recognized industry-wide as an
effective way of reducing fatalities. The program has
subsequently been adopted by over 20 other major
international companies and was honored by the World
Petroleum Congress with a Social Responsibility Award
in 2005.
“A key program element is a self-help malaria curative
kit,” says Dr. Alex Barbey, global health coordinator at
Schlumberger. The kit includes a thermometer,
disinfectant wipes, lancets, three diagnostic strips for
rapid blood testing, three-day treatment, and 24-hour
hotline numbers. There are many documented instances
of the kits being used in cases that previously would
have potentially resulted in fatalities.
Since the program’s inception in 2003, Schlumberger
reports a remarkable reduction in occupational malaria
fatalities from four in the preceding two-year period, to
just one in the past five years. ■
Malaria prevention checklist
Indoors
■ windows and doors are kept closed
■ doors and windows are fitted with screens and
regularly checked for holes
■ air conditioning, where available, is working and
on cold
■ electric diffusers are plugged in and working,
particularly in bedrooms, at night
■ coils are burned on verandas
■ accommodation is sprayed regularly with
insecticide
■ chemically treated bed nets are provided, checked
regularly for holes, and used correctly
Outdoors
■ long sleeve shirts/tops are worn
■ long trousers/skirts are worn
■ feet and ankles are covered when outside at night
■ insect repellent is applied to any uncovered parts
of the body
35
BALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERG
36
GERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GLOBALCITIZENSHIP.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.GL
he 2004 Asian tsunami was
one of the world’s worst natural
disasters. It hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Thailand and India, and resulted in
the loss of hundreds of thousands
of lives.
The people in the Indian state
of Tamil Nadu suffered more than
most. Akkaraipettai, a traditional
fishing village in the region, was the
worst affected village in India.
No one was spared the loss of an
immediate family member or a
close relative; many of the village’s
children were left without one or
both parents.
The disaster moved people
worldwide and prompted pledges of
more than US $7 billion in aid over
the following weeks. One of the
challenges has been to deal with the
longer term impacts and ensure that
ongoing aid is used in a way that is
sustainable and self-supporting.
Raju Eason, a Schlumberger
employee from the Sugar Land
Product Center (SPC) in Texas, who
was born and raised in the Indian
state of Kerala, was determined to
Raju Eason, a
Schlumberger
employee from the
Sugar Land Product
Center (SPC) in Texas,
who was born and
raised in the Indian
state of Kerala, was
determined to help
in the aftermath of the
disaster. He looked
for ways to help
those affected and
gathered support
for fundraising
efforts among his
colleagues.
help in the aftermath of the disaster.
He looked for ways to help those
affected and gathered support
among his colleagues.
Through their research, they
learned of the work being done by
the Suyam Charitable Trust, whose
projects include providing education
to street children in Tamil Nadu’s
main city, Chennai.
In collaboration with Suyam,
the team decided to support the
construction of an education
center in Akkaraipettai. Opened in
temporary accommodation in 2005,
the center needed a permanent
home. A plot of land was acquired,
and the contract for construction
of the new building was given to
Habitat for Humanity, a not-forprofit housing organization.
Schlumberger supported
the initiative with a donation of
US $82,000 from its Disaster
Reconstruction Fund, and a client
charity golf tournament also
contributed to the project. The
center was officially inaugurated
in September 2007.
What started as a small
fundraising effort by a group of
employees with a desire to help
people affected by the catastrophe
has developed into a long-term,
sustainable project. The center has
gradually expanded and had 200
pupils at the end of 2007. A second
center opened in 2008.
In a region where children as
young as 12 have traditionally left
school, boys to become fishermen
and girls to help at home, the center
has provided a new focus on the
value of education. Volunteers
report that the program has helped
to eliminate school drop outs and
that the children have improved
grades. Other local schools are
now in negotiations for access
to the center. ■
Schlumberger has a number of initiatives underway across the
company to enhance environmentally sustainable work practices.
A recent example is an initiative introduced at Schlumberger’s
Stonehouse Technology Center (SHTC) in the UK that has led to
a significant reduction in the amount of packaging used to pack
drilling tools, which the center assembles and dispatches to the
field. Major components for the tools arrive at SHTC in wooden
crates from a supplier in northern England. When the tools are
fully assembled, however, they are too long to fit back into the
original crates. This forced SHTC to discard the crates and
purchase new, longer ones. A project team was established to
solve this problem. "The solution was simple,” explains says
Kevin Hancock, one of SHTC’s stores clerks. “We asked the
supplier to replace the existing packaging with a longer crate,
capable of housing the assembled tool." The center has not only
reduced wastage considerably but has, in addition, saved the
company some US $74,000 a year!
SHTC’s initiative falls under the umbrella of the Schlumberger
Environmental Management Program. The program's first task
was to establish monitoring systems in most of Schlumberger’s
field locations. Results showed that the company’s environmental
impact affects six main areas: fuel, natural gas and electricity
consumption, CO2 emissions, water consumption, and waste
management. "We identified the most significant risks and, since
then, we have been working towards managing and mitigating
them," says Ian Sealy, environmental programs manager at
Schlumberger.
In 2007, over 95% of Schlumberger’s sites (of which around
550 are considered to be environmentally significant) achieved
compliance with the company’s environmental management
standards. "There is still a long road ahead, but we are making
progress," notes Sealy.
37
EMANAGEMENT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RESOURCEMANAGEMENT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RESOURCEMANAGEMENT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RE
f the total volume of
water on Earth only
around 1% is accessible to us as
useable, freshwater (around 97% of
the remainder is saltwater contained
in the oceans and 2% is freshwater
that is locked up as ice in glaciers
and the polar ice caps). Most of the
freshwater we use is taken from
lakes and rivers (so-called surface
water), but in fact 100 times more
water actually lies beneath our feet!
This ‘groundwater’ is the result of
precipitation that has permeated
down below the surface and
collected in spaces between particles
38
in materials such as gravel, sand,
silt, or clay; or in the bedding planes,
cracks, and fissures of permeable
rocks such as sandstone, limestone
and chalk. In both cases, the result
is an underground zone that is
totally saturated. Groundwater
occurs almost everywhere on Earth
– in swampy areas it is very close to
the surface, while in arid areas such
as deserts, it can be hundreds of
meters down. Subsurface areas in
which groundwater can be usefully
extracted are called aquifers. Some
aquifers contain fossil water reserves
which, like oil and gas reservoirs,
cannot be replenished, while others
are constantly being recharged by
precipitation and infiltration.
Globally, we already utilize
groundwater but it is likely to
become necessary to exploit more
and more of this 'hidden' resource
to satisfy the increasing demand.
Schlumberger’s extensive experience
gained during its oilfield operations
means it already possesses much
of the know-how needed to assess,
characterize and optimize not
only groundwater but also existing
surface water resources. In the
last decade, Schlumberger Water
Services (SWS) has brought
together technologies and expertise
that are specifically relevant to
addressing the overall issue of
'water stress': advanced logging,
and sampling and modeling
techniques are proving vital to
evaluating and managing supplies
of freshwater. SWS is also developing
specific water engineering solutions
such as managed aquifer recharge,
and aquifer storage and retrieval
technologies (see opposite).
ESOURCEMANAGEMENT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RESOURCEMANAGEMENT.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.RESOURCEMANAGEMENT.SCHLUMBERGE
CASE STUDY
DIVER-NETZ: WIRELESS
GROUNDWATER
MONITORING NETWORKS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
In 2000, the Government
of Mauritius in West Africa
initiated a major scheme to
improve the sewerage and
sanitation system in the southern
part of Port Louise, the capital city.
A new wastewater treatment plant
was constructed on the coast, with
the treated effluent disposed of via
a sea outfall.
As an alternative approach,
Water Management Consultants Ltd,
now an integral part of SWS, was
commissioned to undertake an
environmental impact assessment
for disposing treated wastewater
using borehole injection. The project
included the detailed design of a
marine environmental monitoring
program; a full qualitative risk
assessment of potentially significant
environmental impacts; and design
of realistic mitigation measures.
A team of experts, led by Project
Manager and hydrogeologist Richard
CASE STUDY
Continuous field observations
provide water supply managers
with the baseline information
needed to plan for future demands.
Schlumberger’s experience in the
subsurface environment has yielded
advanced groundwater monitoring
technologies that have been
instrumental in delivering
successful water management
strategies around the world.
Traditionally, field technicians
measured and recorded groundwater
information manually at the wellsite.
This process proved costly and
physically challenging, and often
produced inaccurate data. As a
result, water quality may have been
compromised and supply shortages
could have occurred. In response,
SWS engineered Diver-NETZ* – a
wireless field technology designed
exclusively to supply continuous
collection of groundwater
parameters (water elevation,
temperature and conductivity)
in the field.
Diver-NETZ is being adopted
globally to help manage water
resources efficiently and offer long
term, sustainable use. The city of
Guelph, for example, in Canada
adopted Diver-NETZ to ensure
accurate, reliable groundwater
monitoring for its 110,000 citizens.
The solution enables the city's field
technicians to connect wirelessly
and download time-varying data
from Diver* dataloggers in 23 wells.
Precise measurements of
groundwater levels, temperature,
and conductivity are downloaded to
Diver-Pocket* and later transferred
to Diver-Office*. The result is a
ten-fold increase in the collection
of monthly data points and a 70%
reduction in the cost of collection.
Boak, also carried out a detailed
survey of the marine environment
to establish a baseline against which
the impacts of the construction
and long-term operation of the sea
outfall can be evaluated.
The marine aspects of the project
were undertaken in association
with the School of Ocean Sciences
at the University of Wales, Bangor,
and the Department of Marine
& Environmental Sciences at
the University of Mauritius. ■
39
E.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLI
■ Home for the duration of the project was the ANDRILL rig site, which
was on about 8 m of multi-year sea ice, covering about 400 m of water
in the Ross Sea. The drilling rig was wrapped in a nylon encasement
to protect both it and the drillers from the elements . . . the average
temperature ‘outside’ was -10 degC! ■ Above right: And here I am,
inside the nylon encasement, sitting at the logging controls of the rig.
The ANDRILL rig site was approximately 30 miles from McMurdo Station,
the biggest US base in Antarctica and close to the site of the base camp
hut used by Captain Scott on his ill-fated journey to the South Pole in 1911.
■ Inset: Some of our close ‘neighbors’ . . . three Adelie penguins at the
ice edge, around 11 miles north of the rig.
40
FE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE
e’re exploring a whole
new universe right here
on Earth. A world in white and black.
A place with no defined civilization.
No trees. No grass. No warmth. But,
despite all that, a world that is full
of life,” says Dr David Handwerger,
senior geophysicist for TerraTek,
a Schlumberger company.
In late 2007, Handwerger took
six weeks of personal development
leave to work as one of two
logging scientists for ANDRILL
(ANtarctic geological DRILLing),
an international research project
on the world’s most mysterious
continent.
Handwerger likes to say that,
at TerraTek, he studies very low-
SENIOR SCHLUMBERGER GEOPHYSICIST
DR DAVID HANDWERGER FEELS AT HOME AT
THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. HE SHOULD DO . . .
HE SPENT SIX WEEKS THERE AS ONE OF
TWO LOGGING SCIENTISTS WORKING ON
AN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT
porosity rocks for their reservoir
potential while, at ANDRILL, he
studies very high porosity ‘rocks’
as proxies for geologic and climatic
changes.
“ANDRILL is the latest
incarnation of a large, multidecade
scientific effort to core and log in
Antarctica is an enormous
“storehouse
of frozen water.
If those ice sheets melted, sea
levels would rise dramatically.
”
and around the Antarctic to
understand the evolution of
the continent’s cryosphere,”
Handwerger says. “Each effort
builds on the last.”
One of the motivations for
the project, beyond understanding
the climatic, tectonic and
paleoceanographic factors that led
to the development of the Antarctic
ice sheets, is to predict how the ice
sheets will respond to anticipated
climate changes, such as global
warming. “Antarctica is an
enormous storehouse of frozen
water,” says Handwerger. “If those
ice sheets melted, sea levels would
rise dramatically: about 70 meters,
compared with about seven ➥
41
NGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLU
meters if Greenland melted. Also,
the presence and extent of the ice
sheets is a major driver of ocean
and atmospheric circulation, which
in turn drives climate.”
ANDRILL’s recent exploration
phase funded two drilling seasons
in the frozen south. In late 2006,
scientists collected about 1,250
meters of core underneath the ice
shelf to look at a high-resolution
sediment record for the past five
million years. In late 2007, when
Handwerger participated, the
project cored and logged 1,134
meters of the seafloor sediments
underneath the multiyear ice sheet
(eight meters of ice, on top of 400
meters of water).
This produced a high-resolution
record covering mostly the middle
42
Miocene (about 13 million to
20 million years ago), a time when
many distal records suggest that the
Antarctic ice sheets reached their
present size and achieved stability.
“We suggest otherwise,” says
Handwerger.
The data suggest a temperate
climate in Antarctica’s past, with
forests and animals, including
dinosaurs. “We think the massive
ice sheet that is Antarctica today
got its start 15 million to 20 million
years ago, and we’re trying to
answer questions about how stable
it’s been since then.”
Handwerger developed an interest
in all things Antarctic when he was
a graduate student at the University
of Utah in Salt Lake City. “When I
was working on my PhD, I used
core-log integration to look at
changes in ocean circulation and
its effects on Antarctic ice sheet
development during the Neogene
Period.
“I sailed on a couple of drilling
expeditions in the Southern Ocean
through the Ocean Drilling Program
(ODP). I had even been to
Antarctica once before
– on the ODP drillship JOIDES
Resolution which Schlumberger
operates – for two months while I
was working on my PhD. But I was
never on, or within sight of, land.
This time, I got to go to McMurdo
Station, which is the largest US
base in Antarctica, and the drilling
rig was on the ice about 30 miles
offshore.”
Handwerger applied for a
position with ANDRILL in 2004.
UMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATINGONTHEEDGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.OPERATI
■ Main picture: The photo I took inside
Captain Scott's Hut at Cape Evans. It is
from this hut in 1911 that Scott’s team
(inset) left for their push to the South Pole
only to be beaten by the Norwegian Raould
Amudsen. Scott and his men all perished
on their return journey only 11 miles from
a food cache. ■ Left: More than a century
later, the Andrill base camp seems very
luxurious by comparison with a fully
equipped office, dining room & kitchen,
showers, laundry, rec-room, and a bunch
of snowmobiles. ■ Below left: Me relaxing
at the rig with Mt Erebus in the distance
at 3 am. (remember, 24 hr daylight during
the Austral summer). It was a sunny and
calm ‘night’ and only -2 degC!
Once he was accepted, he had
to wait about three years for the
Antarctic field season to arrive.
“McMurdo Station is in darkness
four months of the year, so only a
skeleton crew remains during that
time. When the summer field
season arrives, the population of
McMurdo Station increases by a
factor of about six to support all the
science that takes place.”
In addition to ANDRILL
scientists and staff, McMurdo
Station plays host to hundreds of
other scientists and support staff.
“People are conducting seismic
studies, studying penguins and
birds, studying sea ice,” said
Handwerger. “It’s interesting to be
there with so many scientists – all
trying to understand the extreme
climates of the planet.
The logistics and infrastructure
are also fascinating, he says. “It’s
very different to live in an entirely
self-supporting environment. The
communication and transportation
infrastructure operates unsupported
by the rest of the world.” McMurdo
Station is similar to a military
installation, but for four months
of the year, it’s completely isolated
from the rest of the world. It’s
resupplied by cargo ships and
planes, but nobody can sail or
fly in for a large part of the year
because the sea is frozen.
“It certainly makes you think
about what it must have been like
for the early explorers, who had
nothing but the ship they sailed in
on and a hut they built themselves,”
says Handwerger. “I’ve stood in the
hut that Robert Falcon Scott built
in 1911 and looked, half a mile
away, at a cargo plane landing at
McMurdo Station. Scott and his
colleagues didn’t have the
communication technology we
have, didn’t have the infrastructure,
didn’t have much of anything.
Yet they paved the way for what’s
there now.”
After his time on the ice,
Handwerger says he would go back
for any reason at any time. He hopes
to be selected to return for the next
drilling program, currently scheduled
for 2011, pending the receipt of
new funding.
“I took advantage of
Schlumberger’s development
leave policy to do this in 2007, and
I hope, in three or four years, that
Schlumberger will be generous and
let me do it again. That’s what
personal development leave is for:
the work I did for ANDRILL is
related to the modeling we do at
Schlumberger and helped me
develop my skills . . .
. . . And, frankly, if you have the
chance to go to Antarctica, you just
don’t say no!” ■
43
OGYCHALLENGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.TECHNOLOGYCHALLENGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.TECHNOLOGYCHALLENGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.TEC
One quiet classroom experiment is providing
valuable clues to the future of innovative
product development . . .
t looked just the same as always,
the Schlumberger Riboud Product
Center (SRPC) in Clamart, France,
when I was up there the other
day. The vast glass and granite
reception area was empty but for
the occasional scientific looking
passerby. Little did I know, however,
that a change was in the works.
I'd been invited to a presentation
of the first ever International
Engineering Design Project Course,
on which students from France's
best engineering schools are
spending the 2007/08 school year
working with students from Rice
University in Houston – by
telephone, e-mail and Internetbased messaging services such as
Skype, but not in person. Throughout
the school year, the students never
actually meet. Their challenge?
To overcome this considerable
communications obstacle and
successfully design, prototype,
document and demonstrate a
sophisticated electromechanical
product based on a given set of
specifications. No small feat,
considering that the teams are
separated by two languages and
seven time zones.
Working under the guidance of
Rice Professor Fathi Ghorbel, who
holds the Schlumberger Chair in
Mechatronics and Robotics, and
44
who moved to Paris for the year
to oversee the course from offices
at SRPC, the student teams had
obviously been busy. In the ensuing
two hours, they used a real-time
teleconference system to unveil
their progress on some frighteningly
complex looking projects. For
example, there was the Permanent
Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM)
Control System for use in downhole
tools, and a project entitled Robotic
Deployment of a Bi-Stable Reeled
Composite, which looked like a
simple roll of tape but seemed to
promise near miracles. Other
projects were more transparent,
like the Scrubster Window Washing
Robot, whose makers claim will
clean tall glass buildings while
avoiding expensive insurance
premiums on human window
washers.
The one thing that was clear
about all six projects, even to a
non-engineer, was that it would
be easier for one half of any team
to complete its project, rather
than have to work with foreign
teammates on the other side of
the Atlantic. By mixing the teams
and forcing them to work in less
than ideal conditions, the course
organizers had seriously
handicapped these students'
potential for success. Or had they?
A few days later I returned to
SRPC to visit Physics Metier
Technology Manager Fadhel Rezgui,
who is acting as chief advisor to one
of the student teams, which has
undertaken to make a money saving
Disposable Logging Sensor.
"The technical problems aren't
the hard part of this design project,"
said Fadhel. "Pretty quickly it
became clear that the tricky bit is
getting everybody to understand
the project in the same way.
Communicating effectively, in spite
of the fact that you can't see your
teammates or understand
everything they say – that's the key.
Only then can you move a project
forward constructively."
Rezgui admits that his team
has had some problems getting
everybody on the same page;
but progress has come, and he's
encouraged by the experience.
"This is the way our world is going,"
he says, holding up a toy model of
the US space shuttle, which is
roughly the size of the prototype
tool they are planning. Rezgui and
team have jammed some electronic
goodies into the toy to show what
their device might look like when
it's done. "We have to learn these
new work methods. We can't keep
working alone in our holes,
cloistering our ideas among
ourselves. We have to open up and
look outside. In the coming years,
more and more engineers will work
via the Internet, with people they've
never seen, on projects of which
they'll own only tiny parts. This is
the future."
Of course, this would mean some
pretty big changes for a company
like Schlumberger, wouldn’t it?
For the definitive answer, I left
Fadhel and walked across campus,
through the glass and granite
reception and into the office of
Yves Morel, longtime European
innovation manager at SRPC.
"We're not just talking about big
changes. This represents a massive
transformation!" said Yves. "But it's
a transformation Schlumberger
must embrace."
Morel now works as recruiting
network manager for mid-career
hires, but he remains an
enthusiastic believer in open
innovation and the need to
sponsor classroom experiments
like the International Engineering
Design Project Course. "Working
via networks is not a choice,
it's an imperative," he says.
"Today's younger generations are
born networkers. They can learn
from us, obviously. What is less
obvious is how much we can learn
from them." ■
CHNOLOGYCHALLENGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.TECHNOLOGYCHALLENGE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.TECHNOLOGYCHALLENGE.SCHLUMBERGER
■ Page 44: Professor Fathi Ghorbel. ■ This page:
The student teams are based in both Paris and
Houston, with an equal number, plus their advisor,
in each location. In May 2008, students in teams
of six demonstrated their six prototypes and
final projects to Schlumberger management
and faculty at participating universities at the
Schlumberger Riboud Product Center outside
Paris.
Research & Development Engineers
In a technology driven business, research & development
is crucial to maintaining our position as the world’s leading
oilfield services company. We employ the very best people
to create, design and build the most advanced technology
available anywhere in the industry. If you have vision and
imagination, and the necessary expertise, come and talk
to us about how you could help us shape our world.
Required: Master's degree or PhD in engineering
or applied science.
45
PAUL WYMAN
Nationality:
American
Age:
29
Degree:
Chemical Engineering
University:
Pennsylvania State University
Languages:
English and a bit of Spanish
Recruited:
2001
Current post:
North America Recruiter and
Internships Coordinator
Unwinding route:
Mountain biking, snowboarding,
scuba diving, skydiving
Favourite iPod track: Me and My Guitar by Ian Moore
Can you describe what ‘early responsibility’ means at Schlumberger
and give some examples from your own career?
“Early responsibility for me was working with new technologies, new procedures, million dollar
contracts – and all that while living and working in a country far from my own.
The company challenges every engineer to excel in environments very much outside of their
comfort zone . . . and they expect results. Within eight months of joining Schlumberger Drilling &
Measurements, I was the lead engineer on job with a trainee as a 2nd engineer. That was my first
taste of being responsible for a project worth several hundred thousands of dollars in revenue, on a
rig with limited support, managing a fellow co-worker with less experience than myself and having
to finish the job . . . what a rush!
Even though responsibility found me early, I have been tested in many ways by taking on more
and more responsibility as my career progressed. In my current position as a recruiter, I took on the
internship coordinator role in 2006 in addition to duties as a recruiter. This challenged me as I had
to work towards my recruiting objectives while at the same time, managing an ever changing
program with as many as 125 interns.”
How does this compare to the experiences of friends from university?
“Apples and oranges. Most of the engineers I graduated with were placed in training programs that
slowly gave them more and more responsibility whereas with Schlumberger, it was like being
thrown right into the deep end.”
What three words or phrases would you say best defines Schlumberger
and Schlumberger people?
“Schlumberger People are exceptional; Schlumberger Engineers are resourceful . . .
. . . Schlumberger is Technology.”
46
UEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGERPEOPLE.SCHLUMBERGERLIFE.SCHLUMBERGE
hope that you have enjoyed this
edition of Schlumberger Life
and that it has given you a feel for
what a career in Schlumberger is
like. When I joined the company in
1995, I was attracted by the same
promise of challenge, variety and
opportunity that you have read
about in these pages, and 13 years
on, I have not been disappointed!
Today, I am as excited about my
career as I was on the day I first
walked through the door. I am also
very proud to work for a company
where our culture and principles
are so vibrant and strong.
As I am sure you have seen in
this magazine, the heart of our
culture is our diversity. We work in
over 80 countries and employ people
from more than 160 nationalities.
Our principles on recruiting,
training and development were
established more than 40 years ago,
so our diversity spans the entire
organization, at every level. Every
time I attend a meeting or join a
team, I know I will meet new people,
from different places and with
different experiences and ideas
from me. I cannot overstate how
rewarding it is to be in this kind of
work environment.
Our diversity is reinforced by
the way we develop people during
their careers. We use the term
‘borderless careers’ because we
impose no boundaries on geography,
department, function, or rate of
progression. My first assignment
was as an engineer working on
offshore oil platforms. Since then
I have experienced positions in
Management, Product Development,
Marketing and Personnel, and
during this time I have lived on
four different continents. When you
ask anyone from Schlumberger to
describe their career, they will tell
you a different and unique story.
I remember that the one concern
I had when I chose this career path,
was related to the overall image
of the oil and gas industry, in
particular, towards the environment.
I would be lying if I said I am not
still worried about these things
today; however I now appreciate
that there is a genuine desire in the
industry to raise energy efficiency
and reduce the impact on our
environment.
As a Schlumberger employee
I have learned that safety, ethics
and the environment are all integral
to the way we do business. This is
another major component of our
culture and again I think this is
influenced by our diversity, giving
us a real sense of global respect
and responsibility.
These are the kind of qualities
and opportunities that first attracted
me to Schlumberger and the great
thing is that they are not just
‘company visions’ or words in a
brochure; they are tangible in
every location where we work and
they touch all of the 84,000 people
who make Schlumberger.
If you are preparing to embark
on your own career, I wish you
the best of success. If you are
considering a career with us,
contact our recruiters, and ask
them more about life and work
with Schlumberger. I look forward
to your future contribution towards
making us who we are.
Best regards
Catherine MacGregor
Vice-President Personnel
Schlumberger Limited
47

slb LIFE - Schlumberger

Transcription

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