Business News for the week of 25 March 2013

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CGG appoints new Latin America regional geomarket director

26 March 2013—CGG has appointed a new vice president, regional geomarket director for Latin America as part of a global reorganization following its recent acquisition of Fugro Division on 31 January 2013. Business development at CGG is structured into nine regional geomarkets, including the newly created regional geomarket for Latin America. In this context, Luiz Braga was recently appointed vice president, Latin America regional geomarket director for CGG.

Active in the oil industry for over three decades, Braga holds a PhD in geophysics from Oregon State University, USA. He worked as a researcher at the National Observatory and held various technical and managerial positions with Petrobras, CGG, and Fugro. Braga is a founding member of SBGf and has international experience in technical management and commercial activities in integrated geosciences.

Based in Rio de Janeiro, Braga will replace Patrick Postal as geomarket director for Brazil and key account manager for Petrobras. After four years in Brazil, Postal will take on new responsibilities at corporate level with CGG in France.

 

Schlumberger launches new ultrahigh-temperature downhole reservoir testing system

27 March 2013—Schlumberger launched the Quartet-HT high-performance downhole reservoir testing system. This latest addition to the Schlumberger portfolio of reservoir characterization services delivers high-quality measurements and reservoir-representative fluid samples in ultrahigh-temperature reservoirs to 410 ºF (210 ºC). The new system combines four downhole technologies engineered specifically for high-performance ultrahigh-temperature reservoir testing: CERTIS high-integrity reservoir test isolation system, IRDV intelligent remote dual valve, Signature quartz gauges, and SCAR inline independent reservoir fluid sampling.

Qualification testing, which included shock, vibration, temperature, and pressure, was performed at test facilities located in France, the UK, and the USA. The quartz gauge electronics used in the Quartet-HT system underwent 3000 hours of qualification testing above the maximum operating temperature limit. The quartz gauges have been used for more than 20,000 cumulative hours of reservoir testing operations including operations in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East where the tool has successfully recorded entire jobs at temperatures exceeding 400 ºF (204 ºC).

 

The 48th edition of the Directory of Geoscience Departments is now available in print or e-book

27 March 2013—The newest edition of the Directory of Geoscience Departments is now available for purchase in print and as an e-book. This reference publication of the American Geosciences Institute, the 48th edition, lists 2282 academic departments and programs from around the world, including 1046 departments from the USA. Of those reported in the 48th edition, 395 U.S. departments identified themselves as two-year institutions. The updated version of the Directory of Geoscience Departments also includes a new section listing geoscience student theses and dissertations published in 2010 from American and Canadian institutions that were reported to GeoRef Information Services.