james-van-blaricum's Blog - James Van Blaricum - The Wellhead

James Van Blaricum - The Wellhead James Van Blaricum - The Wellhead Jim Van Blaricum (December 28, 1938 – present) is an American entrepreneur, mostly in the oil and gas industry. Van Blaricum was born in Berrien Springs, Michigan to James Van Blaricum and his mother, Simonne. Jim Van Blaricum has gone on to be a successful businessman, creating several companies. The wellhead consists of the pieces of equipment mounted at the opening of the well to regulate and monitor the extraction of hydrocarbons from the underground formation. It also prevents leaking of oil or natural gas out of the well, and prevents blowouts due to high pressure formations. Formations that are under high pressure typically require wellheads that can withstand a great deal of upward pressure from the escaping gases and liquids. These wellheads must be able to withstand pressures of up to 20,000 psi (pounds per square inch). The wellhead consists of three components: the casing head, the tubing head, and the 'christmas tree'. James Van Blaricum James Van Blaricum, the casing head consists of heavy fittings that provide a seal between the casing and the surface. The casing head also serves to support the entire length of casing that is run all the way down the well. This piece of equipment typically contains a gripping mechanism that ensures a tight seal between the head and the casing itself. The 'Christmas Tree' Source: NGSA The tubing head is much like the casing head. It provides a seal between the tubing, which is run inside the casing, and the surface. Like the casing head, the tubing head is designed to support the entire length of the casing, as well as provide connections at the surface, which allow the flow of fluids out of the well to be controlled. The 'christmas tree' is the piece of equipment that fits atop the casing and tubing heads, and contains tubes and valves that serve to control the flow of hydrocarbons and other fluids out of the well. It commonly contains many branches and is shaped somewhat like a tree, thus its name, christmas tree. The christmas tree is the most visible part of a producing well, and allows for the surface monitoring and regulation of the production of hydrocarbons from a producing well. James Van Blaricum - Japanese oil tanker attacked off Yemen LOS ANGELES, Apr. 21 – A Japanese oil tanker was fired upon in international waters off southern Yemen, about 400 km east of Aden, sustaining a hole which leaked hundreds of gallons of fuel. None of the 23 crewmembers was injured. James Van Blaricum When the attack occurred, the 150,000-tonne tanker Takayama, owned and operated by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line), was on a ballast voyage to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, after unloading oil in Ulsan, South Korea. Reports varied in the number of attacking vessels. NYK Line said one unidentified boat was involved in the attack, while a Japan Coast Guard official said the number of vessels had yet to be confirmed. "We heard one big boom at first, and then we were chased by the group for about an hour," a Takayama crew member told Japanese public broadcaster NHK. "We were attacked on the left and the right sides of the ship at least four times." An NYK Line spokesperson said the attack left a 1-in. hole in the tanker's stern which was temporarily patched after fuel leaked. She said that the tanker was heading for repairs in Aden but that its itinerary could change depending on the extent of the damage. James Van Blaricum Japanese transportation ministry officials said the attackers were believed to be pirates whose motive was not immediately known. However, the attackers may also be linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, which attacked the tanker Limburg in October 2002. Jim Van Blaricum Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants have recently stepped up their activity against oil companies and installations in Yemen. In late March, al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombing of an oil pipeline and a separate bomb attack on a Chinese-run oil field. A few days later, in early April, al-Qaeda militants launched another mortar attack on a residential compound in Sanaa inhabited by western oil workers and their families. Responsibility for those attacks has been claimed by Yemeni militants who call themselves the "the al-Qaeda Organization of Jihad in the South of the Arabian Peninsula." Signal OIl and Gas Led by Nasir al-Wahayshi, the group is committed to attacking all installations and institutions that support or cooperate with western powers and to eliminating all western presence on the Arabian peninsula. Signal Oil and Gas James Van Blaricum - Gasoline usage heads down U.S. drivers are doing something they haven’t done for nearly two decades — consume less gasoline. Gas consumption so far this year is down about 0.2 percent compared to last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. The federal agency is predicting that gasoline demand will be down 0.4 percent this summer and 0.3 percent for the year. That may not sound like much, but it would be the first time since 1991 that there’s been a decline in annual gas consumption. And it would be only the eighth year since 1951 in which demand for gasoline has declined. JIM VAN BLARICUM The federal agency noted that the decline was occurring in part because of a slowing economy. But it also said that higher gas prices were having an effect on demand. “Sustained higher gasoline prices are beginning to show up in lower gasoline consumption,” said Tancred Lidderdale, an analyst for the Energy Information Administration. Both gasoline and diesel prices are now at record levels. According to AAA, the national average on Monday for a gallon of gasoline was $3.50 a gallon, or 64 cents higher than a year ago. Diesel was $4.20 per gallon, or $1.27 higher than a year ago. Signal Oil and Gas A gallon of E-85, a blend that contains 85 percent ethanol, was $2.89 a gallon. AAA also gives an adjusted price reflecting the fact that ethanol has less energy than conventional gasoline. By that measure, a price-adjusted gallon of E-85 was $3.81. Crude oil prices were up on Monday for the sixth straight day. Light, sweet crude for May delivery rose to a record $117.76 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange before settling at $117.48, up 79 cents from Friday’s close. Figures that track gas consumption can be volatile from week to week. But the idea that demand for the year will be down is gaining support. James Van Blaricum Lehi German, publisher of Fundamental Petroleum Trends, said the federal agency’s prediction of a downturn was “in the ballpark.” In addition, diesel demand has shown signs of softening as well. Although higher fuel prices were expected to have an effect on demand, it wasn’t clear just how high they would have to go to do so. Many market watchers believed prices would have to stay above $3 per gallon for several months or even a year. That tipping point for gasoline demand may have arrived. Jim Van Blaricum Mike Right, a spokesman for AAA Club of Missouri, said that a decline in gasoline usage shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. A survey conducted in January by AAA found that many motorists were already deciding to change vacation plans for this summer by planning for shorter trips. James Van Blaricum “We are starting to see some signs of that,” he said. Verne Covell of Smithville counts himself as one who’s had enough. Now retired, Covell bought a pickup and travel trailer when he retired in 2000. Long trips with his wife to places like Canada were common. This year, however, there will be at most a trip to south Missouri. The trailer may even stay in storage for the entire year because of fuel prices. “We’re getting on and you don’t know how long you have,” he said. “But this year we decided it just got too expensive.” James Van BlaricumThere are indications that a fundamental shift in consumer driving habits may have started in December, when total miles traveled in the U.S. dropped 3.9 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. Miles traveled in the Midwest were down 5.8 percent. Mainly because of the December drop, the Federal Highway Administration said it was estimating that miles traveled for all of 2007 were down 0.4 percent. James Van Blaricum Topic: GeneralPosted: 6:39 am by james-van-blaricum Rating: 0 0 Reply Permalink Mark as Offensive