Post: #4301

For those looking for a job:

Quote:Are you looking to give back to the Fort McMurray during the fire effort to rebuild the community? Are you willing to work 2 weeks in and 1 week out? Drake International, Edmonton is gearing up to work with a national restoration company that will be a part of the Fort McMurray clean-up. We are currently looking for 150 – 200 general laborers to help with disaster clean up including sweeping, shoveling and hosing down burnt structures. This temporary opportunity will be 14 days in and 7 days out for the foreseeable future, 10 – 12 hours days during your 14 days in with regular wages for the first 44 hours in the week and overtime paid for any hours above and beyond. Drake will provide all protective gear except steel toed boots. Transportation to and from, Edmonton to Fort McMurray will also be provided by Drake as well as the cost of accommodations and 4 meals per day. Pay will be between $15 and $16 per hour commensurate with experience. If you want to be a part of the long work ahead to re-build Fort McMurray, please apply immediately with your resume, to [email protected]

Introduce your friends to Drake and we will pay you $50* if we place your friend in any temporary assignment and they work 80 hours.

* Please see your local branch for details. Referral must be made via a Drake referral form once you have been interviewed and registered with Drake.

Post: #4302

Now the smoke from the fire has filled our camp at CNRL, been up since 1am walking around the camp, people are getting scared anrgy worried etc. We'll see what today brings us, surprised they havnt flown everybody out yet

Post: #4303

http://imgur.com/a/yKm4V

Holy shit, looks like the middle east.

Post: #4304

My buddy is at Horizon now I think they flew him out then two days later flew them back, I can understand why people want to get the fuck out of there since these fires are so unpredictable but of course, the oil companies don't want to shut down if they don't have to. So far I think that Shell, Syncrude and Suncor base plant have shut down, it doesn't surprise me that CNRL hasn't, those fuckers, I hope you guys stay safe up there.

If any of you RVF guys get out and need a place to stay in Edmonton, let me know, I have room at my condo. Even if you don't need a place, if you want to have beers and hang out and talk, I'm there for you guys.

There's a crowd of us Etown RVF guys meeting up tonight, probably on Whyte ave to begin, if anyone wants to meet up just PM me on here.

Post: #4305

(05-07-2016 05:20 AM)musashi Wrote:  Now the smoke from the fire has filled our camp at CNRL, been up since 1am walking around the camp, people are getting scared anrgy worried etc. We'll see what today brings us, surprised they havnt flown everybody out yet

Yeah that was some freaky shit, pretty much same for me.

(05-07-2016 04:17 PM)scotian Wrote:  it doesn't surprise me that CNRL hasn't, those fuckers, I hope you guys stay safe up there.

I haven't been there long and already I'm not surprised.


Very sad to see the destruction

Post: #4306

Regarding the previous discussion about regretting the time in Alberta. If I knew I won't get PR, I wouldn't do it. I made some good money but now I need to start a new career from zero again. If I stayed in Europe I would be a few steps higher on the career ladder already. Additionally it was some pretty bad timing to move to alberta end of 2013. But these were all things I couldn't know in advance.

If everything went well, with a PR and oil prices in the 100s by now I would make serious cash and not regret anything.

Post: #4307

Back to CNRL for a shut down. Whos all here still?

Post: #4308

I'm heading up to the Mac next week and will be staying in the city and working all over, it'll be interesting to say the least, they're saying anyone going back should pack two weeks worth of food.

Post: #4309

So word on the street is that since Saudi Aramco wants to float maybe 10% in an IPO they are going to work their Desert Magic and try to inflate the price of oil. This will hopefully inflate the share price.

I just got a new job as a reservoir engineer after doing geoscience and production the last few years. It will be kind of interesting... In the last decade so much of the easy oil has been produced from horizontal fracs in unconventionals, so many companies will be looking at the feasibility of performing enhanced oil recovery on these properties. A typical Bakken well only produces 7-15% of the original oil in place for example. What can be done to improve recovery? All you oil sands guys know enhanced oil recovery well, as steam injection is a type of EOR. But that also comes into play in my conventional world too, just with different injection methods besides steam. Lots of interesting shit being worked on:
-conventional reservoirs traditionally were waterflooded. Oil and water do not mix, so the theory is that an immiscible displacement process via water injectiob will push remaining oil reserves towards a producer well.
-Low perm rock like the Bakken sees oil stuck in the micro scale pore throats. Water molecules are too big to displace oil. So now they are experimenting with gas floods- the theory is that the gas will dissolve into oil which reduces it's viscosity so it will flow better. Carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, propare and even nitrogen (to emulate a gas cap), are all being considered.
-the first WAG field was in Alberta: water alternating gas. This combines the gas ability to lower oil viscosity with the waters ability to push the oil bank to the production well.
-Sometimes you have what is called an oil wet rock. Lots of limestones are oil wet. This means that oil preferentially clings to the rock instead of water. Just think of dipping your arm into a vat of olive oil. It's hard to wash off with just water. So what do you do? Add soap to the equation. In reservoirs that are oil wet, you can pump down a surfactant with injected water, which literally washes oil from the rock!

Anyways that's what I'll be doing... Just fucking around with lab experiments on rocks and simulation software to come up with strategies for my companies properties. I say this because it shows that there is hope out there!

I was sure I was destined for abandonments for my old company which I would suck at due to my weak understanding of drilling. What a cluster Fuck it is going to be in the future with all these abandonments. Here is a post I wrote a year ago about them in some random thread:
/thread-49442...pid1077403
At this point I think the regulator needs to have companies put up a bond or something to prevent any more operators ignore the cost of abandonments. When a company is deciding to drill a well, they do technically put aside 50-75 grand for the abandonment cost, but they skirt this by optimistically projecting the wells productive life for 50 years using economic simulation software then using a discount rate of like 8% at 1% annual inflation in the year 2066, then bringing it back to present time to find net present value of that abandonment cost (time value of money). So in reality they are setting aside fantasy money for that, zero real dollars. Meanwhile they go bankrupt in two years because the well was crap and the regulator has to deal with this bullshit, aka tax dollars from citizens or regulator fees from companies that don't pull this shit. I wonder if there is a way to monetize this abandonment issue? Seems like the liability issue is really risky... Say Acme Oil Co has a field with a dozen suspended wells. They need to be abandoned asap. Can an undertaker come in and manage the abandonment process and perform the job in a way that is more attractive to the company than doing it themselves? Without any government subsidy? I rack my brain but I come up empty!

Hope all you guys up in Ft Mac are doing ok, and hopefully work picks up soon...

Post: #4310

Do the large scale projects have their own fire departments or do they train the onsite crews in basic fire fighting skills?

Post: #4311

(06-03-2016 01:01 AM)komatiite Wrote:  So word on the street is that since Saudi Aramco wants to float maybe 10% in an IPO they are going to work their Desert Magic and try to inflate the price of oil. This will hopefully inflate the share price.

How long do you think oil will actually last? From what I've heard working in Alberta everyone is saying it'll last a lot longer than the media displays it.

Of course with supply becoming low eventually the price will rise again and make harder methods of extracting viable which will open up new reserves.

But what would you say, how long will it last?

Post: #4312

Tresdus I have no idea but I know people at a major. They had a town hall thing for investors employees and shareholders and this is what their overlords are predicting regarding the Saudi Aramco IPO. Should have clarified that in the post, but I got oil in my veins and once I start rambling about some shit I can go on for ages!

Edit- what do you mean by how long will it last? Like global supply, peak oil stuff? There is still so much hydrocarbons out there, especially in terms of oil shale (difference between that and shale oil, think Green River Formation in Wyoming) and gas hydrates offshore:

The triangle shape represents volumes of oil reserves, so all the easy conventional stuff in the past is small ball compared to the technically difficult stuff we are on the verge of figuring out. Oil reserves are still waiting to be unlocked, so I don't think we are even close to peak oil. I figure that nuclear will make progress in our lifetimes but it takes 20 years to build plants, and demand is very low right now as seen by Cameco closing a mine recently in Sask. Wind and solar are still not Conpetitive with hydrocarbons on the free market but left wing government is trying to change that. The only thing holding back the oil industry is government barriers, regulations and public perception. In terms of energy density and availability, petroleum is still king, so we can only see how it will play out in the next year here... Hope that makes sense.

Post: #4313

Heading up today to resume shutdown. 18 days straight they say. Hopefully my place is not a disaster, heard many conflicting things about nearby apartments, from perfectly fine to totally fucked with ash and soot. I will know in about 6 hours!

Post: #4314

(06-03-2016 01:23 AM)Caractacus Potts Wrote:  Do the large scale projects have their own fire departments or do they train the onsite crews in basic fire fighting skills?

Each of the big oil sands sites has their own fire department, it's a pretty gravy gig until something blows up. CNRL's huge coker fire in 2011 was a pretty bad one, I also saw one of those massive dump trucks that they use to haul oil sands catch fire, we were about 500 meters away but when those tires popped it was really loud, they just let the thing burn in the mine.

(06-03-2016 09:59 AM)christpuncher Wrote:  Heading up today to resume shutdown. 18 days straight they say. Hopefully my place is not a disaster, heard many conflicting things about nearby apartments, from perfectly fine to totally fucked with ash and soot. I will know in about 6 hours!

Will you be staying in the city? I'm going to be moving into a condo downtown on Monday, I should be there for a month straight. I've hear a few different things too, apparently the Superstore downtown is open and a few other places but you still have to boil water. I'm stocking up at Costco today to bring a bunch of food and bottled water up there.

Post: #4315

(06-03-2016 09:38 AM)komatiite Wrote:  The only thing holding back the oil industry is government barriers, regulations and public perception. In terms of energy density and availability, petroleum is still king, so we can only see how it will play out in the next year here... Hope that makes sense.

Yes, sorry I kinda just deleted half of your quote to make it shorter. My questions actually wasn't about the Saudis but what you answered in the second part, thanks.

Post: #4316

Scotian the water ban is lifted now for downtown. I haven't tried to go to the store yet but I hear there's plenty of food. I wouldn't stockup ecessively beyond a couple days food.

Post: #4317

Any leads for a journeyman carpenter or foreman position would be greatly appreciated, pm me if you have a hook up, thanks boys!

Post: #4318

First canada allows bestiality and now this shit? http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/on...-1.3659541

Post: #4319

^Not surprising given that Ontario is run by a militant feminist dyke lol. I just wrapped up a ten day stint in the Mac and was living downtown and working at a couple of sites 30 minutes to an hour north of town. Downtown wasn't really affected by the fires and seemed normal but there's still a lot of stores and restaurants that aren't open because they're having issues getting retail workers to come back. You can't even go into the hardest hit areas (Abasands, Water Ways, Beacon Hill) unless you book an appointment, they have the roads blocked off by security. Still, I saw some damage from the highway, it was pretty nasty seeing a bunch of burnt out cars and the Super 8 hotel and Denny's in Gregoire is a flattened mess of burnt debris. I'll be back up there in a week.

Post: #4320

Heading back to my rig tomorrow fellas! Sounds like activity is very slowly starting to ramp up exploration side. Heard some positives from head office- take that with a grain of salt. Im locked in for a few months of work for now anyway. Nice to see those fat paycheques rolling in again- not to mention the barking diesel engines and all the hoopla that comes with riggin! Lets get it. How is everyone faring?

Post: #4321

Im laid off for over a month now. Getting back into the carpenters/scaffolders union next tuesday so I should be back up there soon. Hearing Fort Hills is going full steam ahead for commissioning in 2017

Post: #4322

I've been up in Fort Mac for about a month now doing call out to several oil sands sites (Fort Hills, Base Plant, Albian, Surmont 2 and some Enbridge terminals so far), a lot of days in orientaion which has been brutal. Overall its slower these days but I'm still working 60-90 hours each week so it isn't too bad, I also just found out today that I'll be here until September with minimal days off. I'm staying at a condo downtown so if anyone wants to grab a beer, let me know.

Post: #4323

Was just at a Stampede party and ended up at a table with an exec at a major company, pretty cool conversation. He outlined an interesting plot a lot of people in the business are whispering about. With the difficulties in expanding pipeline infrastructure east through Quebec and west through BC, they are eyeing a plan to supply the UK with oil via icebreaker ships through Hudson Bay. Pipe from the oil sands to Port of Churchill Manitoba. He gave a cool historical anecdote to set the table.

In the 1660s, New France dominated commerce routes in the St Lawrence River Seaway and wanted to ensure their strong regional position was maintained. As such, the Governor of New France fined and confiscated the prime beaver pelts that two explorers (Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers) had brought back from a new frontier that Cree tribes told them about, near Hudson Bay. They tried to tell their French leaders about the potential up North, but were dismissed. So they eventually ended up in England and met an enthusiastic Prince Rupert after meeting a connection in Boston. Prince Rupert commissioned a ship called the Nonsuch to bypass the St Lawrence and instead, travel through the Hudson Bay into James Bay, opening up the land northwest of Lake Superior to British fur trading. This led to the Hudson's Bay Company.

Can history be repeated by bypassing the French Canadian blockade, so Western Canadian oil can be sent to an ally in the UK which may need a fresh source of oil with declining North Sea reserves and a hostile EU? It would help get them off the Russian and Saudi instability too. And who better to buy oil from than a friendly Commonwealth partner in Canada? New PM Theresa May wisely has put climate fanaticism on the back burner, so maybe the stigma of oil sands bitumen will fade away...

It won't happen anytime soon but a nice little thought to kick off the weekend!


May on climate change: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment...37166.html

Post: #4324

I don't think anything will happen with our oil exporting capacity until we see who is elected state side in November. I'm pretty sure that Trump has already stated that he'll allow the Keystone XL to be built while Hillary will continue to block it for environmental reasons, meanwhile they've built about 20,000 miles of pipeline down there in the past decade, hypocrites!

Post: #4325

(07-18-2016 08:09 AM)scotian Wrote:  I don't think anything will happen with our oil exporting capacity until we see who is elected state side in November. I'm pretty sure that Trump has already stated that he'll allow the Keystone XL to be built while Hillary will continue to block it for environmental reasons, meanwhile they've built about 20,000 miles of pipeline down there in the past decade, hypocrites!

Interesting, I havnt followed that part. If all that comes true but with still low oil prices would there be an increased demand for foreign workers? Not like during the boom of 2012/2013 of course.