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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2003
CONTACT: Scott Slemmons, scott.slemmons@ttu.edu
(Editors Note: Photo ops available Feb. 18-21)
TEXAS TECH TO
RUN TEST ON OIL WELL
LUBBOCK –
Texas Tech University and Trican Production Services Inc. will be testing
new technology and procedures to extend the operational life of oil and gas
wells at the university’s test well facilities, located at 1001 E. Loop 289,
behind the International Textile Research Center, beginning on Monday (Feb.
17) and continuing to the end of the week.
Texas Tech and Trican will be testing a
procedure of lining oil well tubing with a seamless coil of polyethylene
pipe without having to remove the tubing from the well. Researchers hope
that this will help protect equipment from corrosive well environments.
The planned testing will require
approximately five days of well servicing in order to evaluate the
operational procedure.
James C. Cox, Ph.D., assistant professor of
petroleum engineering, said Texas Tech’s test well could become an important
testing site for future petroleum technology.
“We hope that these facilities will become a
central location for the development and testing of forward thinking
technologies that not only extend the producing life of West Texas oil
wells, but of all the wells around the world,” said Cox.
Steve Taylor, general manager of Trican,
said that his company is looking forward to testing new technology with
Texas Tech.
“We think that the well-lining systems being
tested here will positively change some critical aspects of energy
operations in the future,” Taylor said. “Installations such as the test well
here at Tech are critical to bringing products like ours to the market, and
we are gratified that the university has assumed an industry and academic
leadership position with the construction of this facility.”
Cox said the test well is an important
educational tool, too.
“This also is a great opportunity for our
petroleum engineering students to see these types of operations,” said Cox.
“It will make them more aware of the planning and preparations required for
moving real oilfield equipment onto a location.”
The Texas Tech test well facilities are
located on 8.7 acres of university property in Lubbock. Its purpose is to
provide a location for training undergraduate students in oilfield
operations. The facilities’ construction was funded by donations from the
oil and gas industry, and it is the only test well owned by a university in
the United States.
This spring, the Texas Tech Department of
Petroleum Engineering will continue its expansion of the test well
facilities by installing crude oil and water storage tanks, a gas pipeline
connection, pump stations, metering and measurement packages and separation
and treating units. When completed, the facilities will be capable of
testing all forms of artificial lift.
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CONTACT: Anita
Parks, Coordinator of Special Projects, Department of Petroleum Engineering,
Texas Tech University, (806)
742-1801, ext. 244, anita.parks@coe.ttu.edu
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