The Implementation of Critical Gas Rate in Liquid Loading Well and Optimization Analysis using the Adequacy Chart

In the gas well, liquid loading occurs when the gas rate is insufficient to lift liquids into the surface such as water and/or condensate. This causes an accumulation of the liquid in the wellbore, supplies additional backpressure to the formation, and may completely kill the well. Meanwhile, the limited space and typically high cost of offshore operations have made a proper study for optimization selection very essential. The selected project must fulfill several requirements, namely: 1) Fit for the purpose, 2) Low risk and uncertainties, and 3) Economic. Hence, this study will describe the pilot project and continuous improvement process of lowering the gas well pressure using a wellhead compressor and a temporary separator to optimize the liquid loading. It also explains the implementation of critical gas rate in predicting the liquid loading event from the well’s production history. A new analysis method utilizing the adequacy chart was proposed to verify the suitability of the available pressure-lowering system unit available in the market with the well candidates. An adequacy chart was constructed from the well’s deliverability, critical gas rate, and lowering pressure unit or system capacity. These three charts will combine to generate an overlapping area, which signifies suitability for the recommended operation. The well’s production data history can be used to predict the liquid loaded-up event due to the continued decline of the generated gas. Also, a combination of the critical gas rate and decline analyses can predict potential liquid loading problems.

EXPRESS: Job Demands and Burnout: The Multilevel Boundary Conditions of Collective Trust and Competitive Pressure

Do high job demands help employees staying challenged at work, or do they challenge their well-being? Despite burnout being an ever-pressing matter in contemporary workspaces, the understanding of the link between job demands and burnout remains limited, especially considering the important multilayered role of context in organizations. Our study develops an integrated perspective on the antecedents of burnout, rather than viewing various elements in isolation. Specifically, we uncover a three-way interaction among job demands, collective trust, and competitive pressure across the three levels of study via a multilevel analysis of 5,485 employees, nested into 2,872 units in 89 German organizations. The three-way interaction of individual-level job demands with unit-level collective trust depends on the magnitude of competitive pressure at the organizational level. In a condition of low organizational-level competitive pressure, unit-level trust can mitigate the positive effect of individual job demands on burnout. Our findings indicate that job demands can be a double-edged sword, bringing with them both benefits and burdens. From a practical perspective, we provide guidance for organizations on how to maintain high job demands by emphasizing collective trust and open communication about organizational-level competitive pressure to mitigate burnout at work.

Trends in bulk compressibility of Mo2-xWxBC solid solutions

The Mo2-xWxBC system is of interest as a material with high hardness while maintaining moderate ductility. In this work, synchrotron diffraction experiments are performed on Mo2-xWxBC solid solutions, where x = 0, 0.5, and 0.75, upon hydrostatic compression to ~54 GPa, ~55 GPa, and ~60 GPa, respectively. Trends in bulk modulus, K0, are evaluated by fitting collected pressure-volume data with a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, finding K0 = 333(9) GPa for Mo2BC, K0 = 335(11) GPa for Mo1:5W0:5BC, and K0 = 343(8) GPa for Mo1:25W0:75BC. While K0 demonstrates a slight increase when Mo is substituted by W, calculated zero pressure unit cell volume, V0, exhibits the opposite trend. The decrease in V0 corresponds to an increase in valence electron density, hardness, and K0. Observations corroborate previously reported computational results and will inform future efforts to design sustainable materials with exceptional mechanical properties.

Study of the membrane capacitive sensor Baratron from the composition of the state primary special standard GET 49-2016 to the state primary special standard of the pressure unit for the pressure difference GET 95-2020

This article is dedicated to the investigation of the membrane capacitive sensor Baratron on the state primary special standards GET 95-2020 and GET 49-2016. The article describes the stages and some results of the work.

Ultrasound Imaging as a Visual Biofeedback Tool in Rehabilitation: An Updated Systematic Review

Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) is used by physical therapists as a feedback tool for measuring changes in muscle morphology during therapeutic interventions such as motor control exercises (MCE). However, a structured overview of its efficacy is lacking. We aimed to systematically review the efficacy of RUSI for improving MCE programs compared with no feedback and other feedback methods. MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were searched for studies evaluating efficacy data of RUSI to improve muscular morphology, quality, and/or function of skeletal muscles and MCE success. Eleven studies analyzing RUSI feedback during MCE were included. Most studies showed acceptable methodological quality. Seven studies assessed abdominal wall muscles, one assessed pelvic floor muscles, one serratus anterior muscle, and two lumbar multifidi. Eight studies involved healthy subjects and three studies clinical populations. Eight studies assessed muscle thickness and pressure differences during MCE, two assessed the number of trials needed to successfully perform MCE, three assessed the retain success, seven assessed the muscle activity with electromyography and one assessed clinical severity outcomes. Visual RUSI feedback seems to be more effective than tactile and/or verbal biofeedback for improving MCE performance and retention success, but no differences with pressure unit biofeedback were found.

Nitrogen-Based Back Pressure Unit Modernizes Managed Pressure Drilling Operations

Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) solutions are no longer the anomaly to Operator strategies, but rather another tool in their belts. With this continual utilization, MPD is evolving to become compact, more effective and safer. The inventive use of a Nitrogen Backup Unit (NBU) has eliminated the reliance of MPD operations on sizable Auxiliary Pumps. The core function of MPD operations is maintaining the total wellbore pressure by manipulating surface applied back pressure. MPD relies on circulating fluid as back pressure is generated by restricting flow against its choke(s). While drilling, fluid circulation is a given; however, that is not the case during static conditions such as drill string connections. The NBU solves this issue by injecting a small volume of nitrogen into the MPD lines upstream of the choke at a pre-set pressure. This supplements the back pressure control at surface should additional pressure be needed after closing the choke or if pressure diminishes during long static periods. Prior to the NBU design, the only effective solution was an Auxiliary Pump setup. This solution doubles the choke manifold footprint, relies on mechanical maintenance, and requires additional dedicated personnel at times. Most critically, the Auxiliary Pump lags the operation minutes before each use and is therefore functioned before static conditions when possible. However, unplanned and sudden events are commonplace – such as Rig Pump failures. When drilling formations with narrow pressure margins, unsafe gases, or crucial hole instability pressure limits, a few minutes can result in considerable and costly outcomes. Once installed during initial rig-up, the NBU is capable of injecting nitrogen-sourced back pressure instantaneously at the literal click of a button – avoiding costly and sometimes hazardous conditions. The NBU modernizes MPD operations and renders the Auxiliary Pump setup outdated in many applications. This paper details this innovative implementation of maintaining wellbore pressure, highlights several field examples of the NBU maintaining back pressure at critical times and shows how the layout used minimizes the operational footprint.