Shaped charge jet guns are used in perforation operations to create communication between the formation and the wellbore. The efficiency of this technique is very important for flow performance and production. Over the years, using shaped charge guns has shown that this method caused reduction in production and caused damaged zones in the formation around the perforated tunnel. The damage is a result of the high impact from releasing the bullet into the formation. The bullet produces very fine grain particles that plug or reduce the pore throat size and therefore, causes permeability reduction. This process leaves the perforated tunnel with broken rocks, jet metal and explosive products (mostly carbon). Laser perforating, a new technology, has the potential to eliminate this damage and actually increase the permeability. Experiments and studies show that lasers improve permeabilities and porosities of the perforated tunnel as well as the adjacent zone. Lasers can be delivered through fiber optics down hole to the target, which eliminates much of the cleaning process and dealing with equipment management.

We know petroleum hydrocarbons degrade in soil via chemical, physical, and biological pathways. Innovative remediation technologies enhance degradation by one or more pathways e.g., in-situ and ex-situ . The typical goal of degradation is to achieve the applicable regulatory criteria. Some, State Agencies, e.g., Louisiana, Texas, require oil total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination levels be reduced to ≤10,000 mg/kg. However, other agencies, e.g., New Mexico and California, require oil contamination levels reduced to <1,000 mg/kg. Even 100 mg/kg is not uncommon, e.g., Los Angeles, County, CA. Microbial populations and substrate availability often limit biodegradation at petroleum hydrocarbon levels <1,000 mg/kg. Conventional laboratory biodegradation microcosm studies require an inordinate amount of time to evaluate petroleum hydrocarbon treatability (as measured by loss of analyte) and even more time to optimize treatment parameters that facilitate or improve kinetics (lower half-life values). Two studies discussed here demonstrate the utility of oxygen consumption respirometry in evaluating oil impacted soil treatability. In the first study, oxygen consumption rates were measured after a 1-week incubation period at varying TPH levels (5800 and 1000 mg/kg), carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratios (100:1 and 25:1), and manure content (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 5.0 percent). Results showed TPH and C:N ratios significant at < 1 percent level and manure significant at < 5 percent level. The second study, a longer-term study (132 day) showed oxygen consumption resulted from degradation of gasoline range (GRO) and diesel range (DRO) fractions of TPH. These studies provide a means of evaluating treatability of low concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbon and a method for assessing treatment options that are passive in nature, but less destructive to the environment.

Results are presented of an experimental laboratory investigation of the oxidation reactions of heated low velocity streams of homogeneous lean fuel-air mixtures within a packed bed tubular reactor at atmospheric pressure in the presence of non-noble metal oxides catalysts. The main fuel considered was methane, however, other common gaseous fuels, i.e. propane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and ethylene were also examined for comparative purposes. It was shown that binary cobalt oxide/chromium oxide catalysts can be effective in the oxidation of very lean fuel-air mixtures. Furthermore, there is an optimum value of their mass ratio that could produce a significant improvement to the low temperature oxidation of the lean mixtures examined and the corresponding resulting emissions.

Ceramics without oxides (i.e. nitrides) are vulnerable to oxidation in the presence of plasmagenic gases or oxygen from atmosphere during plasma spraying. Initially there were two ways of oxidation’s avoidance: first, modification of powder material and second, limitation of an oxygen’s stream flowing into plasma. The modification of the powder material consisted in covering of ceramic granules with material limiting contact with oxygen or usage of easily oxidizing material getting oxygen away (i.e. a graphite thin layer over carbide’s granule). This method seemed to be less economic due to additional increase in powder’s price. Eventually the second conception of limiting of oxidation was considered as worth developing. Originally the process of spraying was carried out in vacuum (VPS – Vacuum Plasma Spraying). Then application of atmosphere under control was examined (CAPS – Controlled Atmosphere Plasma Spraying). It includes process of spraying with application of different gaseous controlled atmospheres under different pressure (decreased, normal and increased). There are three kinds of atmosphere: neutral (argon, nitrogen), reductive (carbon monoxide, methane) and acting with spraying material. Eventually the process was carried out under atmospheric pressure with gaseous ring-shaped protective gas jet. Moreover the experiments with spraying of nitrides were described (AlN, TiN, Si 3 N 4 ). The most suitable characteristics of the process was chosen and some properties of coatings were examined as well.