in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).The focus of this article is the numerical study of particle deposition profiles on a solid substrate during the evaporation of a sessile drop of a colloidal particle suspension. The evaporation flux along the drop interface, the induced fluid dynamics inside the drop, and the particle deposition profile on the solid substrate are solved simultaneously. The governing equations are solved numerically using the Galerkin/finite element method (G/FEM) for discretization of the spatial domain and an adaptive finite difference method for discretization in the time domain. Several particle deposition profiles, such as a ring-shaped deposit and uniform particle distribution, are obtained from the numerical simulations. The particle deposition profile is found to be influenced by the mass transfer (both convective and diffusive mass transfer) of the particles in the bulk liquid and by the deposition rate along the substrate.

No abstract

No abstract

The Paleogene has been shown to contain very large reserves. The characteristics of these reserves however present some unique challenges for operators in producing them in the same economic fashion as other plays within the Gulf of Mexico. Artificial lift in the form of downhole electric submersible pumps (ESPs) or subsea mudline boosting pumps are being sought out to improve the recoverables and overall economics of Paleogene field developments.Small improvements in recovery factor can have a significant impact on the economics given the large size of these reservoirs. Many variables come into play that can impact the overall economic performance of a field development using pumps as a means of increasing recoverables. Downhole ESPs when used in combination with mudline boosting pumps have the potential for delivering the best recovery factors, however poor reliability performance and high intervention costs associated with the use of ESPs in subsea wells can negate the value of those recovery gains. Mudline boosting pumps by comparison, have lower intervention costs, and are generally accepted as having better reliability performance over downhole ESPs.A production performance analysis was performed for a number of configurations for ESP and mudline pumps for Greenfield developments to determine the improvement in recoverables. An economic performance evaluation was then conducted, comparing the value of the increased recoverables against costs for the hardware, the installation, annual operational costs, and intervention and maintenance costs over a 30 year field life of a Paleogene reservoir.

Subsea deep-water oil and gas developments are characterized by the need for long term planning and large capital allocation with delayed returns. Reduced time to first oil dramatically improves field economics and enables the efficient application of capital. Shorter project durations can be achieved by implementing a phased approach to field development. Phased developments allow for reduced upfront Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and moderate returns, followed by the future investment from earned revenues to expand the field. The result can be dramatically improved capital efficiency, substantially reduced financial exposure and maximized utilization of common production facilities across the life of the field. Each subsequent phase can become technically more challenging, as offsets become longer, and reservoir properties begin to differ from those of the initial production fluids. This paper provides an overview of the technologies that can be deployed for such a phased development approach, ultimately enabling the economic exploitation of long tie-backs and discusses the status of the required technologies.