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Show Oil technology exchanged on recent international tour An exchange tour between experts of the world's largest oil producer-the U.S.S.R.-and U.S.S.R.-and representatives of the United States has revealed potential areas of collaborative collabora-tive research in oil Eeld technology. The trip, in which a group from U.S. ERDA and several major oil companies visited technical institutes and oil centers in the Soviet Union, was a part of U.S.-Rus-sian efforts to define possible areas for cooperatives projects pro-jects in energy research and development. John Rawley, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Labora-tory, and J.Wade Watkins, U.S. ERDA, will present an overview of the trip at a technical session during the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Engin-eers, October 9-12 in Denver. The U.S. visitors were hosted host-ed by the Soviet Ministry of the Oil Industry, which directs dir-ects all Soviet exploration, development, production and distribution efforts. While the Soviets produce over ten million mil-lion barrels of oil per day, the country generates most of its electric power from coal, natural na-tural gas and hydroelectric sources; much of the oil is supplied to Eastern Europe. "Demands on the Soviet's oil production are rapidly increasing, especially from their expanding highway transportation network, commitments com-mitments to Eastern Europe, and expansion of energy-intensive industries," states Rowley. "It is apparent that the Soviets are making a very significant effort to expand oil production on every front: exploration, drilling, field development, de-velopment, and enhanced recovery." re-covery." As in regions of the United States where oil and mining booms have paved the way for settlements, bustling oil centers cen-ters have sprung up in the remote regions of Western Siberia. One such example, the town of Nizhnevartovsk, with a growing population of 75,000, was a hunting village of two dozen huts in 1961. This accomplishment is made more remarkable by the fact that no highway or railroad has yet reached the town; all facilities must be erected on special foundations since most of the region is a vast, deep ( swamp and is acessible only j by air. Soviet drilling equipment and parctice proved of immense im-mense interest to the U.S. visitors. "Their drilling efforts are accomplished in a rather methodical, highly planned and institutionalized manner," state the authors. "Indications were that the Soviets' would like to be able to tap U.S. drilling technology and equipment." equip-ment." Rowley will present "A Tour of Russian Oil Field Technology" during a session on Drilling Systems and Fluids Flu-ids at the SPE Annual Meeting. Meet-ing. The three-day Conference and Exhibition in Denver's Currigan Halll is expected to attract over 5,000 engineers, industry managers and government gov-ernment representatives. |