WindowMaster<font size="-1">^&#8482</font> System Enables the World's First Commercial Re-Entry Expandable Liner

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 8, 2003) - Baker Oil Tools' WindowMaster™ one-trip window cutting system was a key enabler for a recent successful expandable liner installation for Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp. in the East Breaks Gulf of Mexico field.

Baker Oil Tools' WindowMaster™ System was chosen over the alternatives because of its proven reliability with over 4,000 successful jobs. Using the renowned METAL MUNCHER™ cutting structure, the whipstock system was able to create a full length, full gauge, quality window at the optimum build rate through 9-5/8 in. 53.5 lb. casing. This performance was critical to the successful deployment of the 7-5/8 in. solid expandable liner that was run through the casing exit.

"Expandable tubulars can be sensitive to severe doglegs and longitudinal scratches in the material," said Steve Sparling, Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Deepwater Drilling Engineer. "A clean window is extremely important during the deployment and expansion process. For our project, this window was so clean, there was no indication of a window at all."

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Baker Oil Tools Introduces Tension Cut and Pull Subsea Wellhead Retrieval System

HOUSTON (February 13, 2003) - The new Baker Oil Tools Tension Cut and Pull Subsea Wellhead Retrieval System can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by reducing the number of trips needed to recover intermediate casing strings and wellhead from the seabed.

The Baker Oil Tools Tension Cut and Pull Subsea Wellhead Retrieval System can engage any manufacturer's wellhead, cut conductors in tension, and recover the wellhead from the seabed in a single trip.

"With the costs of deepwater operations, any opportunity to improve efficiencies without increasing risk is welcome," said Baker Oil Tools Fishing Product Line Manager James Sonnier. "Deepwater operators can reduce the number of trips and save rig time and operating expenses with the Tension Cut and pull Subsea Wellhead Retrieval System."

Besides bringing improved efficiency to deepwater operations, the Baker Oil Tools Tension Cut and Pull Subsea Wellhead Retrieval System is reliable and safe. The system uses all hydraulically operated components and requires no motors and no explosives, which means decreased risk and reduced damage to the subsea habitat.

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Baker Hughes to Present at Banc of America Securities 2004 Energy & Power Conference

HOUSTON, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI) announced today that Chad C. Deaton, Baker Hughes' chairman andchief executive officer, will present at the Banc of America Securities 2004Energy & Power Conference in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday,November 16, 2004 at 10:10 a.m., pacific time. A copy of Mr. Deaton'spresentation will be available athttp://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/resources/presentations.htm within24 hours of the presentation.

If you would like to listen to Mr. Deaton's presentation during theconference, please log on to the following website:http://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/resources/presentations.htm . If youwould like to listen to a replay of the presentation, it will be availableimmediately after the live broadcast and archived through Friday,December 3, 2004. Use the same website address above to access the replay.

Forward-Looking Statements

The presentation referenced in this news release and any oral statementsmade in connection with the presentation may contain forward-lookingstatements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, asamended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 asamended. Additional information and risk factors are contained in ourForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 and other filings withthe SEC about the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results tobe different than those in our presentation. The company's SEC filings can beviewed at http://www.bakerhughes.com . The company assumes no responsibilityto update any of the information referenced in this news release.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS
Contacts:
Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

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Baker Hughes Fractures its First Unconventional Shale Well in Argentina

HOUSTON, TEXAS - July 26, 2011 - Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) announced it has completed its first unconventional hydrocarbon shale hydraulic fracturing and stimulation project in Argentina for YPF in the Neuquén basin.

The multistage fracturing operation was performed using over 12,000 hydraulic horsepower and a total fluid volume exceeding 7,000 cubic meters. Baker Hughes also provided coiled tubing services for the project. The firm was awarded the job based on its capabilities and performance in unconventional hydrocarbon plays.

YPF is currently evaluating the well results to determine the potential for expanding its operations. Several operators are developing and executing exploration plans in Argentina's unconventional hydrocarbon plays. Currently, Baker Hughes has the largest available hydraulic fracturing horsepower capability in Argentina and is well positioned with assets, people and technology to support the growing unconventional hydrocarbon activity.

"While the bulk of unconventional shale activity has been in the U.S., interest in shale plays in other parts of the world are beginning to expand and indications are that Argentina will be a promising area for international success," says Rod Larson, president of Latin American operations for Baker Hughes. "We are positioning our operations in Latin America to support this new market and we are leveraging our capabilities and lessons learned in the U.S. to help operators in Argentina develop the country's unconventional resources." Baker Hughes has been active in Argentina for more than 50 years.

# # #

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completion, pressure pumping, and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

CONTACTS:
Media Relations: Teresa Wong, +1.713.439.8110, teresa.wong@bakerhughes.com
Investor Relations: Adam Anderson, +1.713.439.8039, adam.anderson@bakerhughes.com

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Baker Hughes Adds Hydrocarbon Prediction Software to its Consulting Services

HOUSTON, TEXAS - May 5, 2011 - Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) announced today that it will integrate FaultSeal's FaultRisk™ software into its portfolio of reservoir consulting services. The Baker Hughes reservoir consulting group has worked with FaultRisk software developer FaultSeal for two years. In producing regions where its use has been calibrated, FaultRisk has provided a high level of accuracy in predrill studies to predict gas, water and oil/water contacts as well as associated hydrocarbon columns.

"FaultRisk improves the accuracy and utility of geomechanical pore pressure and fault leakage predictions," comments Dr. Chris Ward, vice president of reservoir consulting for Baker Hughes. "One of the key uncertainties for exploration drilling is the size of the hydrocarbon column that will be intersected by a well. Using FaultRisk, we can assess and manage that risk much more successfully in a timely and cost-effective manner."

When the hydrocarbon column is larger than expected, mud weight predictions may be inaccurate. Conversely, if the hydrocarbon column is smaller than expected, there are issues of formation damage for an accumulation that may be economically marginal. FaultRisk enables users to manage this scenario and its associated risks and costs. In addition, understanding where hydrocarbons are prior to drilling is vital for safe drilling and cost-effective well planning. During well planning, FaultRisk provides the added benefit of accurate fluid contacts prediction and, most important, sound assessment of the uncertainty.

FaultRisk adds robust capabilities to Baker Hughes' reservoir software portfolio. Baker Hughes also offers JewelSuite™ geomechanical modeling software and MFrac™ fracture simulation software.

"The addition of FaultRisk to our portfolio will give our clients a significant advantage when they are planning wells on a marginal, fault-bounded prospect or when they are designing step-out wells," Ward says. "With the support of experts at FaultSeal, we are rolling out the use of FaultRisk to our consultants worldwide."

About Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completions, pressure pumping, and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

About FaultSeal
The FaultSeal team is an international group of professional geoscientists, IT specialists, and support staff dedicated to providing the best consulting and software tools to help analyze the impact of fault seal on a reservoir.

Media Relations: Kathy Shirley, +1.713.439.8135, kathy.shirley@bakerhughes.com
Investor Relations: Gary R. Flaharty, +1.713.439.8039, gflaharty@bakerhughes.com

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Baker Hughes Announces October 2004 Rig Counts

HOUSTON, Nov 5, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI) announced today that the international rig count for October 2004was 842, down 24 from the 866 counted in September 2004, and up 52 from the790 counted in October 2003. The international offshore rig count forOctober 2004 was 234, down one from the 235 counted in September 2004, and uptwo from the 232 counted in October 2003.

The US rig count for October 2004 was 1,240, unchanged from the 1,240counted in September 2004 and up 138 from the 1,102 counted in October 2003.The Canadian rig count for October 2004 was 372, up 99 from the 273 counted inSeptember 2004 and down 22 from the 394 counted in October 2003.

The worldwide rig count for October 2004 was 2,454, up 75 from the 2,379counted in September 2004 and up 168 from the 2,286 counted in October 2003.

October 2004 Rotary Rig Counts October 2004 September 2004 October 2003 ---------------- --------------- -------------- Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Europe 30 40 70 7 28 35 63 36 44 80 Middle East 205 30 235 (13) 214 34 248 182 27 209 Africa 34 13 47 (2) 33 16 49 33 18 51 Latin America 230 66 296 2 231 63 294 201 65 266 Asia Pacific 109 85 194 (18) 125 87 212 106 78 184 International 608 234 842 (24) 631 235 866 558 232 790 United States 1,145 95 1,240 0 1,149 91 1,240 996 106 1,102 Canada 369 3 372 99 270 3 273 391 3 394 North America 1,514 98 1,612 99 1,419 94 1,513 1,387 109 1,496 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worldwide 2,122 332 2,454 75 2,050 329 2,379 1,945 341 2,286 ======================================================================== October 2004 Workover Rig Counts October 2004 Var. September 2004 October 2003 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- United States 1,329 36 1,293 1,132 Canada 721 100 621 373 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- North America 2,050 136 1,914 1,505 =========================================================================

About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drillingrigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the UnitedStates, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotaryrig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes ToolCompany began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughesinitiated the monthly international rig count in 1975. In 1987, Baker OilTools began its monthly workover rig count.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon centraltime on the last working day of each week. The international rig count andNorth American workover rig counts are scheduled to be released on the 5thworking day of the month. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughesrig counts are available from our website athttp://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig .

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

Contact:
Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

View the original article here

Saudi Aramco Awards Baker Hughes Contract for Coiled Tubing Drilling Systems

HOUSTON, TEXAS – February 25, 2010 – Saudi Aramco has awarded Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) a two-year contract for two fit-for-purpose underbalanced coiled tubing drilling packages designed to re-enter existing wells in the gas fields of southern Saudi Arabia. Baker Hughes will provide project management oversight and downhole drilling and completion services, including CoilTrak™, a steerable drilling system deployed on coiled tubing.

The contract has an option for a one-year extension and operations are set to begin in the second quarter of 2010. Saudi Aramco plans to re-enter existing wells and drill horizontally into untapped reservoir sections. The horizontal wells will be drilled underbalanced to minimize damage to the reservoir, which is critical to overall reserve recovery.

In addition to CoilTrak, Baker Hughes will deploy its newly developed rib-steering motor, designed specifically for coiled tubing applications. This motor technology allows for more precise reservoir navigation and wellbore quality, enabling longer horizontal laterals and enhanced reservoir penetration. The drilling package will feature drill bits specially designed for increased durability, which is necessary to handle this project's highly challenging formations while providing extreme dogleg capabilities and minimal vibration. Industry-leading slimhole, through-tubing casing exit and fishing completion technology also are part of the downhole package and is key for successful completion of these wells.

"This is an important award for Baker Hughes," notes Khaled Nouh, president of Baker Hughes, Middle East. "The contract will allow us to demonstrate our project management capabilities, both in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the wider Middle East region, on a very important project for Saudi Aramco. We will be drilling underbalanced dry gas zones, which are in high demand to supply Saudi Arabia's local gas market."

Rusty McNicoll, Baker Hughes vice president of integrated operations, says, "By integrating Baker Hughes' technology, as well as other innovations in the market, we were able to offer Saudi Aramco a total technical solution that promises significant efficiency gains. We are anxious to begin work on this project where we will manage a total Baker Hughes solution along with third parties, including the drilling rig supplier."

# # #

About Baker Hughes Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completions and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

CONTACTS: Media Relations: Kathy Shirley, +1.713.439.8135, kathy.shirley@bakerhughes.com

Investor Relations: Gary R. Flaharty, +1.713.439.8039, gflaharty@bakerhughes.com    

H. Gene Shiels, +1.713.439.8822, gene.shiels@bakerhughes.com

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Baker Oil Tools Introduces FLO-PAK&#8482 Inflatable Packer

 HOUSTON (July 8, 2003) – Baker Oil Tools’ new Flo-Pak™ Inflatable Packer is a multiple-set packer system designed to meet the challenges of production logging analysis in horizontal or deviated wellbores. The Flo-Pak can be set and reset on coiled or threaded tubing while maintaining a production or injection path through the tool with minimal pressure loss.

The Flo-Pak packer allows testing of multiple zones in a single trip. The packer is inflated at discrete locations throughout the wellbore to divert all flow through a production logging tool run below the packer. The system’s fixed ID carrier allows for high resolution production logging over a wide range of flow rates.

To learn more about the Flo-Pak Inflatable Packer system and other inflatable products from Baker Oil Tools, visit http://www.inflatepackers.com/.

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Baker Hughes Announces April 2005 Rig Counts

HOUSTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI) announced today that the international rig count for April 2005was 898 up 7 from the 891 counted in March 2005, and up 66 from the 832counted in April 2004. The international offshore rig count for April 2005was 266, up 12 from the 254 counted in March 2005 and up 6 from the 260counted in April 2004.

The US rig count for April 2005 was 1,334, up 28 from the 1,306 counted inMarch 2005 and up 183 from the 1,151 counted in April 2004. The Canadian rigcount for April 2005 was 182, down 238 from the 420 counted in March 2005 andup 29 from the 153 counted in April 2004.

The worldwide rig count for April 2005 was 2,414, down 203 from the 2,617counted in March 2005 and up 278 from the 2,136 counted in April 2004.

April 2005 Rotary Rig Counts April 2005 March 2005 April 2004 --------------- -------------- --------------- Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Europe 25 41 66 -5 25 46 71 30 50 80 Middle East 209 37 246 0 213 33 246 194 32 226 Africa 40 12 52 1 37 14 51 32 14 46 Latin America 254 66 320 6 256 58 314 213 72 285 Asia Pacific 104 110 214 5 106 103 209 103 92 195 International 632 266 898 7 637 254 891 572 260 832 United States 1,241 93 1,334 28 1,210 96 1,306 1,058 93 1,151 Canada 179 3 182 -238 418 2 420 149 4 153 North America 1,420 96 1,516 -210 1,628 98 1,726 1,207 97 1,304 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worldwide 2,052 362 2,414 -203 2,265 352 2,617 1,779 357 2,136 ======================================================================== April 2005 Workover Rig Counts April 2005 Var. March 2005 April 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ United States 1,297 -2 1,259 1,228 Canada 348 -52 718 194 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ North America 1,645 -17 1,977 1,422 ======================================================================== About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drillingrigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the UnitedStates, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotaryrig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes ToolCompany began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughesinitiated the monthly international rig count in 1975. In 1987, Baker OilTools began its monthly workover rig count.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon centraltime on the last working day of each week. The international rig count andNorth American workover rig counts are scheduled to be released on the 5thworking day of the month. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughesrig counts is available from our website athttp://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig .

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

Contacts:

Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

View the original article here

Baker Hughes Announces May 2006 Rig Counts

HOUSTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI; EBS) announced today that the international rig count for May 2006was 920, up eight from the 912 counted in April 2006, and up one from the 919counted in May 2005. The international offshore rig count for May 2006 was275, up six from the 269 counted in April 2006 and unchanged from the 275counted in May 2005.

(A) Excluding Iran and Sudan, the international rig count for May 2006 was920, up eight from the 912 counted in April 2006, and up 59 from the 861counted in May 2005. The international offshore rig count for May 2006 was275, up six from the 269 counted in April 2006 and up nine from the 266counted in May 2005.

The US rig count for May 2006 was 1,635 up 38 from the 1,597 counted inApril 2006 and up 316 from the 1,319 counted in May 2005. The Canadian rigcount for May 2006 was 240, up 42 from the 198 counted in April 2006 and downseven from the 247 counted in May 2005.

The worldwide rig count for May 2006 was 2,795, up 88 from the 2,707counted in April 2006 and up 310 from the 2,485 counted in May 2005. (A)Excluding Iran and Sudan, the worldwide rig count for May 2006 was 2,795, up88 from the 2,707 counted in April 2006 and up 368 from the 2,427 counted inMay 2005.

May 2006 Rotary Rig Counts May 2006 April 2006 May 2005 Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe 25 61 86 5 26 55 81 27 45 72 Middle East 198 31 229 3 201 25 226 211 34 245 Africa 38 12 50 -6 39 17 56 33 13 46 Latin America 268 65 333 6 264 63 327 264 66 330 Asia Pacific 116 106 222 0 113 109 222 109 117 226 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- International 645 275 920 8 643 269 912 644 275 919 United States 1535 100 1635 38 1502 95 1597 1229 90 1319 Canada 237 3 240 42 196 2 198 244 3 247 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- North America 1772 103 1875 80 1698 97 1795 1473 93 1566 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Worldwide 2417 378 2795 88 2341 349 2707 2117 368 2485 (A) Beginning with the January 2006 report, the company has discontinued its rig count for Iran and Sudan. In the third quarter of 2005, our independent foreign subsidiaries initiated a process to prohibit any business activity that directly or indirectly involves or facilitates transactions in Iran, Sudan or with their governments, including government-controlled companies operating outside of these countries. (A) May 2006 Totals excluding Iran and Sudan May 2006 April 2006 May 2005 Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Middle East 198 31 229 3 201 25 226 162 25 187 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- International 645 275 920 8 643 269 912 595 266 861 US 1535 100 1635 38 1502 95 1597 1229 90 1319 Canada 237 3 240 42 196 2 198 244 3 247 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Worldwide Total 2417 378 2795 88 2341 366 2707 2068 359 2427 May 2006 Workover Rig Counts May 2006 Var. April 2006 May 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- United States 1657 88 1569 1336 Canada 526 208 318 466 --- --- --- --- North America 2183 296 1887 1802 About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drillingrigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the UnitedStates, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotaryrig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes ToolCompany began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughesinitiated the monthly international rig count in 1975. In 1987, Baker OilTools began its monthly workover rig count.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon centraltime on the last working day of each week. The international rig count andNorth American workover rig counts are scheduled to be released on the 5thworking day of the month. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughesrig counts is available from our website athttp://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig .

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

Contacts:

Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE: Baker Hughes Incorporated

CONTACT: Gary R. Flaharty, +1-713-439-8039, or H. Gene Shiels,
+1-713-439-8822, both of Baker Hughes Incorporated
Web site: http://www.bakerhughes.com

http://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig

View the original article here

Baker Hughes to Present at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Energy Conference

HOUSTON, Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) announced today that Peter Ragauss, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will present at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Energy Conference in Miami, FL, on November 11, 2010, at 9:45 a.m. Eastern time.  

If you would like to listen to the presentation during the conference, please log on to the following website:  http://investor.shareholder.com/bhi/events.cfm.

Forward-Looking Statements

The presentation referenced in this news release and any oral statements made in connection with the presentation may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. Additional information and risk factors are contained in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 and other filings with the SEC about the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be different than those in our presentation.  The company's SEC filings can be viewed at www.bakerhughes.com. The company assumes no responsibility to update any of the information referenced in this news release.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, pressure pumping, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

Gary R. Flaharty, +1.713.439.8039, gflaharty@bakerhughes.com

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

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Baker Hughes Acquires Equity Stake in Verdande Energy

HOUSTON, Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) and Verdande Technology AS announced today that a subsidiary of Baker Hughes has acquired a minority equity stake in Verdande Energy AS, a subsidiary of Verdande Technology AS, and will become a user of Verdande Technology's case-based reasoning (CBR) software platform for oil and gas applications.

This CBR technology, called DrillEdge™, is a real-time intervention tool constructed on the principle of case-based reasoning, a problem-solving process that identifies similar issues from relevant wells drilled in the past and offers similar solutions. This immediate intervention-while-drilling response provides a thorough, fast and practical real-time bridge between past experience and current operations. Under the terms of the agreement, Baker Hughes will be involved in further developing the capabilities.

"The DrillEdge platform is expected to help operators lower risk, increase their rate of penetration and reduce non-productive time while drilling," says Scott Schmidt, president of Drilling and Evaluation for Baker Hughes. "Integrating this capability into our portfolio of real-time optimization and remote drilling services complements our BEACON remote operations platform. The technology is expected to help our customers expand their understanding of their wells without increasing their workload as they continue to drill more demanding and technically challenging wells."

"This strategic arrangement delivers immense benefits to our customers seeking to improve drilling performance and drive operational efficiencies by joining our technology with Baker Hughes' extensive network," says Lars Olrik, chief executive officer of Verdande Technology. "It helps a small company like ours strengthen its place in the market, access a global support and operational network and further develop the technology at a more rapid pace."

About Baker Hughes

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completions, pressure pumping and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

About Verdande Technology

Verdande Technology AS was founded in 2004 by a group of professors and students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. The technological platform for the products use the so-called CBR methodology (case-based reasoning), and is based on research from NTNU. Verdande Technology is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, with regional offices in Houston, Texas. The company remains privately funded by Statoil Venture/ProVenture Seed AS, Investinor, founders and employees. DrillEdge technology is a trademark of Verdande Technology AS.

Forward-Looking Statement

This news release (and oral statements made regarding the subjects of this release) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (each a "Forward-Looking Statement"). The word "will," "expected," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including successful further development of the DrillEdge platform and the successful integration of the DrillEdge platform with other Baker Hughes products and services. These forward-looking-statements are also affected by the risk factors described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010; the company's subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended Mar. 31, 2011 and Jun. 30, 2011; and those set forth from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE Baker Hughes

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Baker Hughes Centrilift to Provide ESP Systems to All Talisman-operated North Sea Assets

ABERDEEN, Scotland– August 06, 2007 – Baker Hughes Centrilift has secured contracts with Talisman Energy (UK) Limited and Talisman Energy Norge to provide electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems required by Talisman in the North Sea. The two five-year contracts were awarded to Centrilift following competitive tendering processes.

The new contracts include dual-ESP systems and support services for the Auk, Beatrice and Claymore fields in the UK sector and cover power supplies and seven dual-ESP systems – including three subsea deployments – for Talisman Norge’s Yme Field.

“Centrilift was the first company to deploy dual-ESP systems subsea and we have already installed dual systems for Talisman in its Beatrice and Claymore fields,” said William Milne, Centrilift North Sea and Africa Manager. “Our experience and success with projects such as Total Otter and Santos Mutineer / Exeter, combined with the strong working relationship we have with Talisman in the Beatrice and Claymore fields, played a significant part in us winning these contracts.

“We are very pleased that we have managed to secure Talisman’s forthcoming North Sea ESP work,” says Milne. “This is very important for our business and it builds on an exceptionally successful period in terms of Centrilift North Sea contract gains over the past two years. We have been working with Talisman in the UK sector since the operator arrived in the North Sea, but this is the first work we have secured with Talisman Norge.”

“ESP provision isn’t simply a case of supplying pumps and ancillary equipment to operators. It is also about providing expertise and experience. In our business, system run life, reliability and performance are the critical factors that can influence production and, therefore, the return on Talisman’s investment. We are pleased Talisman has put its trust in Centrilift to deliver these requirements by combining innovative and reliable technologies with the experience and understanding of our engineers, who along with Talisman and key technology partners, will design, build and operate the ESP systems,” related Milne.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry. ###

CONTACT:
Centrilift
Kathy Shirley

Senior Marketing Communications Specialist
Baker Hughes Centrilift
(918) 342-7788
Kathy.Shirley@centrilift.com

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Baker Hughes Acquires Zeroth Technology Limited

HOUSTON, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI; EBS) announced today that it has acquired all of the outstandingshare capital of Zeroth Technology Limited ("Zertech"), a privately ownedcompany based in Aberdeen, Scotland. Zertech has developed and patented aunique, non-elastomer, expandable metal sealing element that is currentlymarketed in well intervention applications. Zertech's current customersinclude major oil and gas exploration and production companies in the UnitedKingdom, Norway and the Middle East. Interest in its sealing technology isgrowing in other producing areas of the world.

Zertech was recently awarded the International Coiled Tubing AssociationEuropean Chapter Award for Innovation and Technology. This award is presentedannually to recognize oilfield operating and service companies who demonstratethe application of technical innovation in the area of well intervention.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release (and any oral statements) may contain forward-lookingstatements within the meaning of Section 27A or the Securities Act of 1933, asamended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, asamended. Forecasts regarding the revenues of Zertech are based on informationprovided by the prior owners of Zertech. These forecasts may be substantiallydifferent from actual results. Additional information and risk factors arecontained in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 andother filings with the SEC about the risks and uncertainties that could causeactual results to be different. The company's SEC filings can be viewed athttp://www.bakerhughes.com . The company assumes no responsibility to updateany of the information referenced in this news release.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

**** NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS Contact: Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039 H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

CONTACT: Gary R. Flaharty, +1-713-439-8039, or
H. Gene Shiels, +1-713-439-8822,

both of Baker Hughes Incorporated

View the original article here

Baker Hughes Announces Analyst Conference

 

HOUSTON, Aug 29, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI) announced today that it will hold its 2005 Analyst Conference inThe Woodlands, Texas on Monday, September 26, 2005 and Tuesday, September 27,2005.

The conference webcast will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m. central(9:00 a.m. eastern) on Tuesday, September 27, 2005. Interested parties mayaccess the webcast live over the internet athttp://www.bakerhughes.com/investor , where a link to the webcast will beavailable. To listen to the live presentations, please go to the website atleast 15 minutes early to register and download and install any necessaryaudio software. A replay will be available on our website until Wednesday,October 12, 2005.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

Contacts:
Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE: Baker Hughes Incorporated

View the original article here

Baker Hughes Announces May 2004 Rig Counts

HOUSTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI; PCX; EBS) announced today that the international rig count forMay 2004 was 839, up seven from the 832 counted in April 2004, and up 84 fromthe 755 counted in May 2003. The international offshore rig count forMay 2004 was 249, down 11 from the 260 counted in April 2004, and up 14 fromthe 235 counted in May 2003.

The US rig count for May 2004 was 1,164, up 13 from the 1,151 counted inApril 2004 and up 129 from the 1,035 counted in May 2003. The Canadian rigcount for May 2004 was 187, up 34 from the 153 counted in April 2004 and up37 from the 150 counted in May 2003.

The worldwide rig count for May 2004 was 2,190 up 54 from the 2,136counted in April 2004 and up 250 from the 1,940 counted in May 2003.

May 2004 Rotary Rig Counts May 2004 April 2004 May 2003 --------------- -------------- --------------- Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe 27 44 71 (9) 30 50 80 31 50 81 Middle East 191 34 225 (1) 194 32 226 179 30 209 Africa 37 14 51 5 32 14 46 34 20 54 Latin America 225 68 293 8 213 72 285 180 58 238 Asia Pacific 110 89 199 4 103 92 195 96 77 173 International 590 249 839 7 572 260 832 520 235 755 United States 1,069 95 1,164 13 1,058 93 1,151 922 113 1,035 Canada 185 2 187 34 149 4 153 146 4 150 North America 1,254 97 1,351 47 1,207 97 1,304 1,068 117 1,185 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Worldwide 1,844 346 2,190 54 1,779 357 2,136 1,588 352 1,940 ========================================================================= May 2004 Workover Rig Counts May 2004 Var. April 2004 May 2003 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- United States 1,205 (23) 1,228 1,144 Canada 490 296 194 255 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- North America 1,695 273 1,422 1,399 ========================================================================= About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drillingrigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the UnitedStates, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotaryrig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes ToolCompany began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughesinitiated the monthly international rig count in 1975. In 1987, Baker OilTools began its monthly workover rig count.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon centraltime on the last working day of each week. The international rig count andNorth American workover rig counts are scheduled to be released on the 5thworking day of the month. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughesrig counts are available from our website athttp://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig .

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS Contact: Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039 H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated -0- 06/07/2004 /CONTACT: Gary R. Flaharty, +1-713-439-8039, or H. Gene Shiels,+1-713-439-8822, both of Baker Hughes Incorporated/ /Web site: http://www.bakerhughes.com http://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig / (BHI)CO: Baker Hughes IncorporatedST: TexasIN: OILSU:CJ-JS -- DAM006 --4000 06/07/2004 01:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

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Baker Hughes Updates Conference Call Time

HOUSTON, Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) announced today that the previously announced conference call scheduled for Tuesday, January 25, 2011 to discuss results for the fourth quarter 2010, ending December 31, 2010 has been rescheduled to 10:00 a.m. eastern, 9:00 a.m. central.  Results for the fourth quarter 2010 and fiscal year 2010 are expected to be released on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, before the market opens.

To access the call, which is open to the public, please call the conference call operator at 800-374-2469, or 706-634-7270 for international calls, 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and ask for the "Baker Hughes Conference Call."  A replay of the call will be available through Tuesday, February 8, 2011.  The number for the replay is 800-642-1687 in the United States, or 706-645-9291 for international calls, and the access code is 35151016.  To access the webcast, go to http://investor.shareholder.com/bhi/events.cfm.  Investors can automatically receive e-mail alerts when news releases are posted to the company's internet site.  To subscribe, go to http://investor.shareholder.com/bhi/alerts.cfm.

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, pressure pumping, drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

Gary R. Flaharty, +1.713.439.8039, gflaharty @ bakerhughes.com

Alexey A. Reznichenko, +1.713.439.8822, alexey.reznichenko@bakerhughes.com

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

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Baker Petrolite Launches SureCleanSM Services for Refineries and Petrochemical Plants

SUGAR LAND, TX – May 23, 2006 – Baker Petrolite has launched a new industrial cleaning services offering at the 2006 NPRA Reliability and Maintenance Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

The new SureCleanSM Services expand Baker Petrolite’s existing chemical cleaning capabilities to refineries and petrochemical plants by adding cleaning job engineering support and turnkey cleaning and degassing services. The cleaning services remove deposits and clear hydrocarbon vapors to ensure fast and safe vessel entry. Baker Petrolite plans to initially offer the new services to customers in North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific regions.

“SureClean Services offer significant savings of time and expense on plant turnaround maintenance as a result of our unit-specific cleaning procedures, proven chemical cleaning products and environmentally sound cleaning waste processing procedures,” explained Jerry Basconi, the Vice President and General Manager of the Baker Petrolite Downstream Industrial group. “Our experienced cleaning teams help assure safe, on-time vessel entry so that turnaround schedules can be met or even shortened. Post-project follow up services are also provided, all backed by a global hydrocarbon industry service company with a proven record of safety, integrity, and performance.”

Baker Petrolite is the specialty chemicals division of Baker Hughes Incorporated. Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry. ###

CONTACT:
Baker Petrolite, Communications Services
Susan Bourgain, 281 275 7253
susan.bourgain@bakerpetrolite.com

Baker Petrolite, Marketing
Scott A. Bieber, 281 275 7490
scott.bieber@bakerpetrolite.com

SureClean Services are not available in the UK

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Baker Oil Tools' EXPress<font size="-1">^™</font> Expandable Screen System Enhances Sand Control and Production

HOUSTON (Feb. 26, 2003) – The EXPress™ Expandable Screen System, now available from Baker Oil Tools, is a premium downhole sand exclusion device with a unique combination of mechanical advantages. The EXPress screen combines the proven sand control ability of the Baker Oil Tools EXCLUDER screen with the additional benefits of screen expansion such as annular flow reduction, hole stability, and large inside diameters.

The EXPress Screen's design, based on perforated pipe expansion technology, adds tremendous mechanical strength and reliability to the screen. The EXPress screen can be expanded outward to greatly reduce or eliminate the annular space between the wellbore and the screen. Reduced annular flow lessens the potential for sand migration and development of "hot spots" in the screen. The screen's unique filter membrane construction allows for the production of mud solids without plugging the screen while still maintaining effective sand exclusion.

Baker Oil Tools has published a brochure detailing the unique advantages of the EXPress Expandable Screen System.

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Baker Hughes Announces August 2007 Rig Counts

HOUSTON, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI; EBS) announced today that the international rig count for August2007 was 1,009, down 9 from the 1,018 counted in July 2007, and up 55 from the954 counted in August 2006. The international offshore rig count for August2007 was 280, down 16 from the 296 counted in July 2007 and up 2 from the 278counted in August 2006. The decline in the Latin American offshore rig countreflects the impact of Hurricane Dean in the Gulf of Mexico during the monthof August.

The US rig count for August 2007 was 1,804, up 27 from the 1,777 countedin July 2007 and up 66 from the 1,738 counted in August 2006. The Canadian rigcount for August 2007 was 343, down 6 from the 349 counted in August 2007 anddown 139 from the 482 counted in August 2006.

The worldwide rig count for August 2007 was 3,156, up 12 from the 3,144counted in July 2007 and down 18 from the 3,174 counted in August 2006.

August 2007 Rotary Rig Counts August 2007 July 2007 August 2006 Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total ======================================================================== Europe 26 56 82 3 25 54 79 25 56 81 Middle East 234 36 270 (5) 238 37 275 226 30 256 Africa 55 13 68 8 46 14 60 45 18 63 Latin America 285 63 348 (12) 285 75 360 265 61 326 Asia Pacific 129 112 241 (3) 128 116 244 115 113 228 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- International 729 280 1009 (9) 722 296 1018 676 278 954 United States 1731 73 1804 27 1699 78 1777 1639 99 1738 Canada 341 2 343 (6) 347 2 349 479 3 482 --- - --- --- - --- --- - --- North America 2072 75 2147 21 2046 80 2126 2118 102 2220 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Worldwide 2801 355 3156 12 2768 376 3144 2794 380 3174

About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drillingrigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the UnitedStates, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotaryrig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes ToolCompany began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughesinitiated the monthly international rig count in 1975.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon centraltime on the last working day of each week. The international rig count isscheduled to be released on the 5th working day of the month. Additionaldetailed information on the Baker Hughes rig counts is available from ourwebsite at http://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

Contacts:

Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE: Baker Hughes Incorporated

CONTACT: Gary R. Flaharty, +1-713-439-8039, or H. Gene Shiels,
+1-713-439-8822, both of Baker Hughes Incorporated
Web site: http://www.bakerhughes.com

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CMP<font size="-1">^™</font> Defender - New Completion Tool Prevents Fluid Loss During Sand Control Operations

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 29, 2003) – A new completion component from Baker Oil Tools improves performance on frac pack and gravel pack operations by saving time and preventing fluid loss that can impair well productivity. The new tool, the CMP™ Defender sliding sleeve, has been run successfully in the Gulf of Mexico in both deepwater and shelf operations.

Improving on Traditional Completion Systems

A common completion practice in Gulf of Mexico frac packed and gravel packed wells is the incorporation of a concentric string inside the sand control screen. A mechanical sliding sleeve built into the concentric string is opened with the sand control service tools to provide returns during gravel placement and then closed to control fluid loss as the service tools are removed from the well. After installing the upper well completion, slickline or coiled tubing intervention is required to open an additional mechanical sliding sleeve to allow production.

The CMP Defender sliding sleeve saves time and reduces fluid loss compared to these earlier methods by allowing the well to be brought on production without slickline or coiled tubing intervention.

Advantages of CMP Defender Sleeve

The CMP Defender Sliding Sleeve's improved performance is the result of several innovative design features. The CMP tool is a high-performance, pressure-equalizing, non-elastomeric sliding sleeve with a spring-loaded external housing. In the run-in position, the tool provides positive isolation and pressure containment. A traditional mechanical sliding sleeve run below the CMP provides for returns during gravel placement and fluid loss control after packing.

Once the upper well completion is installed in the hole, a single, remote application of surface tubing pressure releases the CMP tool's outer housing. As the applied pressure is bled off, the spring-loaded housing shifts open to allow the well to produce. By opening when pressure is bled off, the CMP Defender sleeve can be used for multi-zone completions, with only one tool required per zone. After actuation, the CMP Defender Sliding Sleeve can be mechanically manipulated to control production from the well, if required.

Shelf and Deepwater/Subsea Completions

Two recent completions successfully utilized the CMP Defender sleeve on wells operated by Devon Energy Corporation, one a shelf completion and the other a deepwater subsea completion using Baker Oil Tools' InForce™ Intelligent Well System (IWS). Both wells involved dual zones and required fluid loss control and isolation devices that opened from surface.

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Baker Hughes to Present at the Raymond James 31st Annual Institutional Investors Conference

HOUSTON, Feb 19, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) announced today that Art Soucy, Vice President, Supply Chain, will present at the Raymond James 31st Annual Institutional Investors Conference in Orlando, FL, on March 9, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

If you would like to listen to the presentation during the conference, please log on to the following website: http://investor.shareholder.com/bhi/events.cfm. If you would like to listen to a replay, it will be available within 24 hours of the live presentation and will remain available through March 23, 2010. Use the same website address above to access the replay.

Forward-Looking Statements

The presentation referenced in this news release and any oral statements made in connection with the presentation may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. Additional information and risk factors are contained in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and other filings with the SEC about the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be different than those in our presentation. The company's SEC filings can be viewed at www.bakerhughes.com. The company assumes no responsibility to update any of the information referenced in this news release.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS Contacts: Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039 H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

Copyright (C) 2010 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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Baker Hughes, VSFusion Complete Microseismic Fracture Monitoring Survey

HOUSTON, TX – May 18, 2010 – Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) and VSFusion, a borehole seismic processing joint venture between Baker Hughes and CGGVeritas, recently completed one of the largest microseismic hydraulic fracture monitoring surveys ever undertaken. The survey for Apache Canada Ltd. in the Horn River Basin of northwest Canada deployed Baker Hughes' geophone strings simultaneously in two observation wells for over 30 days. Microseismic events were recorded for hydraulic stimulations in 13 wellbores adjacent to the observation wells. In all, over 75 separate hydraulic stimulations were recorded.

The project used a variety of deployment geometries in both the horizontal and near-vertical sections of the observation wells to optimize hydraulic fracture imaging in the reservoir. Operations were conducted 24 hours a day and VSFusion provided real-time display of recorded microseismic events, both on the wellsite and in Apache's offices in Calgary and Houston. Monitoring and analysis of microseismic information during operations provides the ability to optimize the hydraulic stimulation process by modifying the fracture stage design while pumping into the formation.

Apache used the real-time data to experiment with how different perforation patterns impacted fracture propagation and to then make real-time changes in the fracture program as a result. At one point, the data showed an absence of growing microseismic activity, alerting Apache to switch from pumping proppant to flushing the well with water to avoid a potentially costly sanding-off of the fractures.

"The data collected from Baker Hughes' microseismic survey are important to Apache's success in the Horn River Basin," says Ron Larson, senior staff geophysicist with Apache Canada. "The ability to evaluate the effectiveness of our hydraulic fracture program, both real-time and post-project, affords us the opportunity to optimize the spacing of the horizontal wells on future drilling pads, with potential near-term cost savings that may exceed the cost of the microseismic data," he notes.

"We are pleased that this microseismic survey yielded excellent results for Apache," says Mike Davis, president of Baker Hughes in Canada. "We believe microseismic monitoring is a key technology in our growing production enhancement portfolio. The addition of pressure pumping to our wide range of drilling and completion services will further enhance our ability to partner with our customers to create wider solutions on these critical projects."

Recording microseismic events to monitor rock fracturing in 3-D space and time during the stimulation process allows confirmation of the rock volume and formation geometry being stimulated. From this information, future well placement and completion designs can be optimized for cost-effective drainage of unconventional reservoirs.

 # # #

About Baker Hughes Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, pressure pumping, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

CONTACTS: Media Relations: Kathy Shirley, +1.713.439.8135, kathy.shirley@bakerhughes.com

Investor Relations: Gary R. Flaharty, +1.713.439.8039, gflaharty@bakerhughes.com

H. Gene Shiels, +1.713.439.8822, gene.shiels@bakerhughes.com

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Baker Hughes Awarded Horizontal Well Completion Contract for China Gas Field

HOUSTON, TX – June 8, 2010 – PetroChina recently awarded Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) a contract to supply 77 multistage openhole fracture completion systems for horizontal wells in the tight gas sands of the Changquing Field, China's second largest onshore oil and gas field. Baker Hughes was awarded the one-year contract based on successful deployment of its Frac-Point™ technology in the Sulige gas field last year.

PetroChina is expanding its horizontal well, multistage fracturing activities to increase gas production from the tight gas sands in the Changquing Field. Characterized by low permeability, low pressure and low yields, reserve recovery from Changquing is technically complex – requiring innovations like multistage fracture completions to overcome the geologic challenges. Baker Hughes will provide Frac-Point systems for three-quarters of the total 102-well horizontal drilling program.

"We successfully deployed Frac-Point at the Sulige Field after other companies had limited success," says Richard Ward, president of Asia Pacific operations for Baker Hughes. "Based on this achievement, PetroChina chose Frac-Point for the majority of these difficult completions in the Changquing Field."

The Frac-Point system uses specially designed short-radius, openhole packers and frac sleeves to isolate intervals of a horizontal section and pinpoint fracture treatment placement. The one-trip system allows the fracture treatments for each section to be pumped on the same day, eliminating the expense of mobilizing and demobilizing pumping equipment. Frac-Point improves overall production by providing greater control of the frac treatment along the entire length of the horizontal lateral.

# # #

About Baker Hughes

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, pressure pumping, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

CONTACTS: Media Relations: Kathy Shirley, +1.713.439.8135, kathy.shirley@bakerhughes.com

Investor Relations: Gary R. Flaharty, +1.713.439.8039, gflaharty@bakerhughes.com

H. Gene Shiels, +1.713.439.8822, gene.shiels@bakerhughes.com

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Baker Hughes to Present at the 2008 Deutsche Bank Energy & Utilities Conference

HOUSTON, May 23, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) announced today that Chris Beaver, Vice President and President, Baker Oil Tools, will present at the 2008 Deutsche Bank Energy & Utilities Conference in Miami, FL, on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. eastern time.

If you would like to listen to Mr. Beaver's presentation during the conference, please log on to the following website: http://investor.shareholder.com/bhi/events.cfm. If you would like to listen to a replay of the presentation, it will be available within 24 hours of the live presentation and will remain available through June 11, 2008. Use the same website address above to access the replay.

Forward-Looking Statements

The presentation referenced in this news release and any oral statements made in connection with the presentation may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. Additional information and risk factors are contained in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and other filings with the SEC about the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be different than those in our presentation. The company's SEC filings can be viewed at http://www.bakerhughes.com. The company assumes no responsibility to update any of the information referenced in this news release.

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS Contacts: Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039 H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

http://www.bakerhughes.com

Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

News Provided by COMTEX

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HOUSTON, TEXAS – Oct. 31, 2011 - WellLink 3D

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Nov. 4, 2011 – Turning wellbore-related data into real-time imagery for enhanced well planning and optimization, directional drilling and reservoir navigation is now part of Baker Hughes’ digital oilfield offerings through its WellLink™ 3D visualization service.

“Our customers can now see a real-time synopsis of their drilling environment, including Earth models and tool diameters,” says Scott Schmidt, Baker Hughes’ President of Drilling and Evaluation. “Well data is now viewable within its geologic context allowing operators to make real-time corrections of well trajectory and drilling parameters, effectively optimizing wellbore placement and maximizing reservoir contact.”

Powered by the CoViz® platform from Dynamic Graphics Inc., the WellLink 3D visualization service provides a single, integrated 3D visualization and decision support solution that leverages the industry-standard protocol, WITSML. The ability to connect directly to other WITSML data sources enables operators to visualize both off-line and real-time datasets through a vendor-neutral, shared display.

“Data using many curves can be rendered as a single, clear and easy-to-understand symbol,” Schmidt adds. “Objects such as Earth models, well trajectory, logs and reservoir models can all be integrated and viewed in a collaborative environment. It truly is an exciting and user-friendly tool that will facilitate discussions and decision-making, especially between those at a rig site and others who may be providing input from remote locations.”

Baker Hughes’ WellLink 3D visualization service:

Improves the understanding of real-time measurements by displaying them in geologic context.Minimizes risk through better understanding of the formation and its relationship with the wellbore.Provides better understanding of available space between offset well paths and the planned or actual well path for optimal anti-collision planning.

To learn more about the Baker Hughes WellLink 3D visualization service, visit our website at www.bakerhughes.com.

# # #

About Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, pressure pumping, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

View the original article here

/C O R R E C T I O N -- Baker Hughes Incorporated/

HOUSTON, June 5, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) announced today that the international rig count for May 2009 was 993, up 7 from the 986 counted in April 2009, and down 82 from the 1,075 counted in May 2008. The international offshore rig count for May 2009 was 272, down 1 from the 273 counted in April 2009 and down 33 from the 305 counted in May 2008.

The US rig count for May 2009 was 918, down 77 from the 995 counted in April 2009 and down 945 from the 1,863 counted in May 2008. The Canadian rig count for May 2009 was 72, down 2 from the 74 counted in April 2009 and down 63 from the 135 counted in May 2008.

The worldwide rig count for May 2009 was 1,983, down 72 from the 2,055 counted in April 2009 and down 1,090 from the 3,073 counted in May 2008.

May 2009 Rotary Rig Counts May 2009 April 2009 May 2008 Land OS Total Var. Land OS Total Land OS Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe 37 45 82 (4) 30 56 86 47 54 101 Middle East 224 29 253 0 223 30 253 247 31 278 Africa 49 13 62 0 50 12 62 52 14 66 Latin America 280 77 357 8 278 71 349 282 85 367 Asia Pacific 131 108 239 3 132 104 236 142 121 263 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- International 721 272 993 7 713 273 986 770 305 1075 United States 864 54 918 (77) 947 48 995 1795 68 1863 Canada 71 1 72 (2) 73 1 74 135 0 135 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- North America 935 55 990 (79) 1020 49 1069 1930 68 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Worldwide 1656 327 1983 (72) 1733 322 2055 2700 373 3073

About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Counts are counts of the number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the United States, Canada and international markets. Baker Hughes has issued the rotary rig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes Tool Company began weekly counts of US and Canadian drilling activity. Hughes initiated the monthly international rig count in 1975.

North American rig count data is scheduled to be released at noon central time on the last working day of each week. The international rig count is scheduled to be released on the 5th working day of the month. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughes rig counts is available from our website at http://www.bakerhughes.com/investor/rig.

Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

Contacts: Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039 H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated

http://www.bakerhughes.com

Copyright (C) 2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

View the original article here

Baker Hughes Awarded Contract by Woodside Energy Ltd. in Australia

 

HOUSTON, TX – October 12, 2010 – Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) announced today that BJ Services, a Baker Hughes company, was awarded a USD multimillion contract by Woodside to provide casing and tubing running services in Australia. Work associated with the three-year contract began in May 2010 on various wells in Woodside’s operations offshore northwestern Australia. Baker Hughes will support operations from its bases in Perth, Australia, and in Singapore.

To carry out the contract, Baker Hughes will use a comprehensive suite of casing and tubular handling equipment, including flush-mounted spiders and the fill and circulate tool. Diamond Offshore’s semisubmersible rig Ocean America has been fitted with the BJ Services Derrickman™ system, which includes a remotely operated mechanical arm that makes it possible to maneuver tubulars and drillpipe into a vertical position without the need for a crew member to act as a traditional stabber.

“Having supplied similar services to Woodside for assets in the Murzuq Basin in Libya, it is extremely satisfying to have the opportunity to work for them in Australia,” says Kenny Watt, Baker Hughes’ vice president of tubular and completion assembly services. “We look forward to providing outstanding service in a timely and economical manner.”

# # #

About Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes provides reservoir consulting, drilling, pressure pumping, formation evaluation, completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

View the original article here

Baker Hughes Appoints James R. Clark President and Chief Operating Officer

HOUSTON, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI; PCX; EBS) announced today James R. "Rod" Clark was appointedpresident and chief operating officer for Baker Hughes effective today,February 4, 2004. All the division presidents will report directly toMr. Clark.

Michael E. Wiley, Baker Hughes' chairman and chief executive officer,said, "The Board and I are very pleased that Rod will be assuming this keyleadership post. Rod is a person who embodies our core values, has greatbreadth and depth of experience and has a track record of superior performanceand leadership."

Biography

James R. "Rod" Clark, 53, joined Baker Hughes in 2001 as president ofBaker Petrolite. Since August of last year, Rod has served as vice president,marketing and technology of Baker Hughes. Prior to joining the company heserved as president and CEO of Consolidated Equipment Companies Inc.Previously, he served as president of Sperry-Sun, a Halliburton company and healso has held financial, operational, and leadership positions with FMCCorporation, Schlumberger, and Grace Energy Corporation. He earned both hisbachelor's degree and his Master in Business Administration from theUniversity of Texas.

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS Contact: Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039 gary.flaharty@bakerhughes.com Kyle J. Leak (713) 439-8042 kyle.leak@bakerhughes.comSOURCE Baker Hughes Incorporated -0- 02/04/2004 /CONTACT: Gary R. Flaharty, +1-713-439-8039, orgary.flaharty@bakerhughes.com , or Kyle J. Leak, +1-713-439-8042, orkyle.leak@bakerhughes.com , both of Baker Hughes Incorporated/ /Web site: http://www.bakerhughes.com / (BHI)CO: Baker Hughes IncorporatedST: TexasIN: OILSU: PERAW-CD -- DAW025 --5481 02/04/2004 17:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com

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Baker Hughes Names Peter A. Ragauss CFO

HOUSTON, March 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baker Hughes Incorporated(NYSE: BHI; EBS) announced today that Peter A. Ragauss, 48, has been appointedsenior vice president and chief financial officer for Baker Hughes effectiveApril 26, 2006.

Mr. Ragauss currently serves as segment controller of refining andmarketing for BP plc in London, a position he has held since 2003. Prior tohis current position he served as chief executive officer of Air BP and beforethat as assistant to the group chief executive of BP. Prior to joining BP in1998 he served as vice president of finance and portfolio management for AmocoEnergy International, vice president of finance for El Paso EnergyInternational and vice president of corporate development for Tenneco Energy.

Mr. Ragauss earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1980from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration fromHarvard Business School in 1987.

Chad C. Deaton, Baker Hughes chairman and chief executive officer, said,"Peter Ragauss brings a strong background in financial and corporatemanagement as he joins the Baker Hughes team. He is an experienced financialofficer, responsible for external financial reporting, Sarbanes-Oxleycompliance, and management systems for BP's refining and marketing segment.Peter is a seasoned leader, having served as CEO of Air BP's globaloperations. He has also demonstrated his strategic planning skills havingserved as assistant to the group chief executive. I am looking forward toPeter joining our management team as we continue to advance Baker Hughes as aworld-class service company."

"Steve Finley has agreed to continue with Baker Hughes through the end ofApril serving as senior vice president -- finance and administration and chieffinancial officer until Peter Ragauss assumes those responsibilities on April26, 2006. I once again want to thank Steve for his leadership and dedicationto Baker Hughes."

Baker Hughes is a leading provider of drilling, formation evaluation,completion and production products and services to the worldwide oil and gasindustry.

NOT INTENDED FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

Contact:
Gary R. Flaharty (713) 439-8039
H. Gene Shiels (713) 439-8822

SOURCE: Baker Hughes Incorporated

View the original article here

LLOG/EXMAR Who Dat Field Article

 

Through collaborative initiatives between LLOG Exploration Co. LLC and Baker Hughes, a series of three wells in LLOG’s Who Dat field were successfully drilled and completed, including multizone well architecture integrated with intelligent well systems. Optimization of the well architecture and completion design was achieved through a comprehensive understanding of the reservoir requirements and long-term production goals of LLOG’s Who Dat field. The overall technical and operational success of the project can be attributed to a combined team using Baker Hughes’ expertise across multiple technology areas and LLOG’s operational knowledge. Together with LLOG, Baker Hughes devoted some of its most experienced engineers and technicians, with years of experience ranging from 11 to 43.

The Who Dat field’s first well, MC 547 SS01, was completed in June of 2010 and set the bar for subsequent expectations. Well MC 503 SS02 was completed in September of 2010 as an intelligent well, and MC 503 SS01 was completed in January of 2011 with three frac packs integrated with intelligent well systems. The well designs included two intelligent well systems that enabled the operator to produce from separate zones or comingle production, resulting in optimal management of reserve recovery and well performance. Despite the complexity and scope of technology, the wells were drilled and completed with industry-leading efficiency and safety performance while meeting the goals under the planned cost.

Precise wellbore placement

Baker Hughes’ drilling and evaluation team delivered precise wellbore placement and critical formation data integral to the success of LLOG’s Who Dat project by using the AutoTrak G3™ rotary steerable system. In addition, an array of logging-while-drilling (LWD) services were implemented, including Baker Hughes’ OnTrak™ measurementwhile- drilling (MWD) service, LithoTrak™ LWD porosity service, SoundTrak™ LWD acoustics service, and TesTrak™ LWD formation pressure-testing service. To further define reservoir characteristics, a post-processing technique for logging mechanical properties was used to aid in determining reservoir compressibility and its affect on recoverable reserves.

The combined portfolio of technologies and services were implemented to minimize the overall project risk. Baker Hughes’ AutoTrak G3 rotary steering system combined with real-time MWD/LWD data enabled the rotary steering system to drill complex well targets. TesTrak services were used in the first well during the drilling phase to measure formation pressures in an unknown pressure regime, as well as provide fluid gradients and reservoir fluid mobility. The real-time formation pressure testing provides data to update the geological model as well as improve wellsite safety and enhance drilling efficiency. The LithoTrak advanced LWD porosity service was used in all three wells in the 12 ¼-in. and 8 ½-in. reservoir sections. LithoTrak provides neutron porosity, bulk density and acoustic caliper measurements. In addition, the bulk density measurement can be displayed as a borehole image spanning 360°.

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Our rotary steerable drilling system allows you to navigate precisely into the target using superior directional control in the most challenging well profiles.

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Minimize wellbore breakouts and possible collapse using reliable, real-time compressional and shear wave travel times in fast and slow formations.

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2-in-1 bit: Dual cutting structure boosts ROP arti

Drilling at a high penetration rate while maintaining durability to complete abrasive sand sections in the Riverside field of Pinedale, Wyo., has been a challenge. The introduction of a new line of drill bits into the Pinedale area using a combination of tungsten carbide inserts (TCI) and a steel tooth cutting structure has led to increased performance, reduced risk and cost savings for the operator.

By combining the two cutting structure types, the drill bit was able to attack the formation more efficiently while resisting abrasive wear in key areas to drill longer-footage intervals. Improving the durability of the drill bit also helped to reduce the risk of losing cones, decreasing nonproductive time lost to fishing.

A typical well is drilled with an S-curve profile to gain displacement from the multiwell pad. The 8 ½-in. roller cone bits are normally used to drill the directional part of the hole using directionally steerable downhole motor assemblies. Once the well has returned to vertical or reaches casing point, the bits are pulled.

Using the service company’s design application review team process, the team of engineers and field support personnel from the operator and service company was able to identify the key limiting issues and make recommendations for the design of two different drill bits. These limiting issues were related to erosion and coring of the center of the drill bit.

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Offshore Engineer, August 2011

 

Baker Hughes' latest fracturing and stimulation vessel, the Blue Tarpon, is designed for operations in the Lower Tertiary play of the Gulf of Mexico. Katie Jernigan takes a look at the newest addition to the Baker Hughes fleet.

Like sister vessel the Blue Dolphin, Baker Hughes' fracturing and stimulation ultra-deepwater vessel Blue Tarpon was created to carry out multi-zone operations without needing to return to shore for supplies. The Blue Dolphin, launched in December 2009 (OE February 2010) helped kill the BP-operated Macondo well at Mississippi Canyon block 252. ‘[Blue Tarpon] was supposed to be launched in 2010,' Rick Jeffrey, Baker Hughes' product line manager of sand control systems, says. The delay was to allow time for design changes so the Blue Dolphin and Blue Tarpon had the same capabilities and control systems.

Richard Williams, president of Baker Hughes' Gulf of Mexico operations, says the recent ExxonMobil discoveries in 7000ft water depth are an example of why Baker Hughes invested millions in building the vessel. ‘This market is continuing to move into the deepwater and ultra-deepwater,' he says.

Captains can maneuver the DP2 Blue Tarpon with a 1675hp bow thruster, 1200hp Rolls Royce bow drop down and a 1675hp stern thruster. It operates on two 3600hp Caterpillar diesel engines for a maximum of 14.5 knots and a cruise speed of 10 knots.

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Building a “New Normal”

Historically, our industry has been driven by a series of inflection points tore-examine best practices, technologies, or philosophies on how we conduct our business. The most notable of these have often been associated with tragedies such as the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea and, most recently, the Macondo disaster in the US Gulf of Mexico. Piper Alpha led to a wide-scale focus on health, safety, and the environment (HSE), fundamentally changing the way companies viewed safety, and led to orders of magnitude improvement in HSE practices. While the full impact of Macondo is only now being fully understood, it is clear that we will see a similar effect on the way we handle quality, competency, safety critical systems, and contingency planning.

In both of the incidents, external pressure precipitated the cultural or technical shift to a new operating norm, while the capabilities and technology for bridging the gap were available. Until we consider risk management and operational sustainability as business drivers and an equal part of our mission, we will never make the paradigm shift from a reactive to a proactive business model.

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JPT Guest Editorial - September

As our industry pushes the frontiers of hydrocarbon recovery, complexity and risk management are increasingly pervasive dimensions of the landscape. Highperformance computing (HPC) is providing new ways to address complexity and risk by opening more workflows to the "real time" world of operations.

Cray supercomputers—named for inventor Seymour Cray—were introduced in the 1960s and became synonymous with this new breed of computer. Supercomputer performance is measured in floating point operations per second (FLOPS), which measures the number of calculations or instructions performed in a given time. This is generally used with an International System of Units (SI) prefix such as mega-, giga-, tera-, or peta- to describe the machine’s power or class. Today’s supercomputers are "petascale" machines, capable of processing one quadrillion (1015 ) FLOPS. However, they are the size of several rooms and require megawatts of power to operate, making them impractical and costly for all but the most esoteric and specialized problems.

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Factors Key To Deepwater Cementing article

HOUSTON–As deepwater oil and gas exploration expands around the world, well cementing is a critical aspect of well construction with unique considerations because of the deepwater environment and downhole conditions. To minimize risks, well construction costs and nonproductive time, it is important to understand the constraints for deepwater cementing and essential good cementing practices, and to carefully plan for contingencies that may arise when working in locations where cement must be placed properly the first time, every time.

Two of the most frequently asked questions regarding offshore operations are what makes deepwater drilling so challenging, and what is the major difference from drilling on the Shelf? To answer this question, one must understand that deepwater drilling rigs float thousands of feet above the surface location. They are kept on station either by anchors attached by miles of gigantic cables or by an automated dynamic positioning system that operates the rig’s thrusters based on very precise data from global positioning satellites. Both of these systems have limits, but they have propelled oil and gas exploration into water depths greater than 10,000 feet.

Deepwater semisubmersibles deploy two-story-high stacks of blowout preventers that sit on the seafloor and are exposed to extreme cold and external pressure. The floating rigs also carry small unmanned, remotely operated vehicles that monitor operations at the seafloor and use robotic arms to assist when necessary. These technological wonders and dozens more, developed and built by the service industry especially for the challenges of deepwater drilling, add to a huge capital investment by oil and gas exploration and production companies. The cost of developing a deepwater field can exceed $1 billion, and increases with increasing water depth.

The mechanics of drilling a deepwater well are also much different from drilling on land or on the Shelf. In deep water, the first two to three strings of pipe are installed without a connection back to the rig. Riserless drilling essentially eliminates any means of placing pressure on the well, other than the pressure exerted by the well fluids and the natural column of sea water. This means that mud and cement companies must have very specialized systems and training in order to counteract and control the problems associated with riserless drilling.

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Taking the measure of reliability article

Product and service reliability has always been an important criterion for oil and gas operations, but, historically it has been difficult to measure consistent levels of reliability.

Transferring know-how

Other business sectors have a greater maturity in the use of reliability and quality principles. Aerospace and defense, for example, have a mature reliability culture after 60 years of sustained focus on the topic. Flight safety led to mandates on use of processes and procedures in the Military Handbook and Military Standards to execute development programs that meet high reliability/safety requirements. Today, learning from these industries is yielding more costeffective and efficient programs and processes for industrial and consumer products.

In classic terms, Reliability (R), is the probability of failure- free performance over an item’s useful life, for a specified timeframe or mission time (t), under specified environmental and duty-cycle conditions where probability of failure-free performance is greater than 0.9995. For most commercial aviation applications, reliability requirements are very stringent: for a mission time of t = 10 hours, R(10) can be greater than 0.999999, which necessitates use of tools capable of supporting probabilistic engineering and data analysis.

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World Oil | January 2011

David Shakhovskoy, Geodynamics; Aaron Dick, Gary Carter and Martin Jacobs, Baker Hughes

When drilling into oil, gas and geothermal reservoirs located in deep and/or geologically active areas, high temperatures place great demands on the thermal performance of drilling systems. Additionally, the lithologies drilled to gain access to these reservoirs are often hard rock, requiring the use of roller-cone drill bits. Conventional rubber seal components used in roller- cone drill bits are typically rated for temperatures up to 150°C (302°F), and become thermally degraded—leading to bearing failure—when subjected to higher temperatures than these.

To make a roller-cone drill bit capable of operating at higher downhole temperatures, new rubber compounds were developed and tested in laboratory experiments to characterize their high-temperature behavior. Then, drill bits containing these rubber compounds were used to drill the 8½-in.-diameter vertical well section of a geothermal well in the Cooper Basin of South Australia. Maximum bottomhole circulating temperatures were estimated to be 170°C

(338°F) while drilling the granite basement below 3,500 m (11,500 ft); however, temperature indicators showed that the bits were exposed to temperatures greater than 260°C (500°F).

Seventeen drill bits were used: 14 containing mechanical face seals and high-temperature-rated rubber components and three containing mechanical face seals and conventional rubber components. Filtered run data demonstrated that the bits with high-temperature rubber ran for a 62% greater duration and drilled 27% longer intervals than the bits containing conventional rubber components, although changes in formation temperature and borehole deviation may have skewed the results. Post-drill examination of the high-temperature rubber components found them pliable and resilient, suggesting that they were still functional.

The improved performance of the high-temperature rubber components extends the advantages of mechanical seals in high-temperature roller-cone drilling applications. Longer runs and the resultant greater footage drilled positively impact the well installation costs that consume between 42% and 95% of capital expenditures for a typical geothermal power facility.

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PTQ Q1 2011 Article

 

In today’s refining climate, the economics of a visbreaking unit are mainly related to the conversion levels achieved. Conversion is limited by the impact of cracking reactions on the progressive destabilisation of the asphaltenes present in the unit feed. This destabilisation causes fouling phenomena, due to precipitation of the asphaltenes and conversion of some of the asphaltenes to generate coke particles at cracking temperatures above 400°C (752°F), and these phenomena limit unit run lengths. On the other hand, destabilised asphaltenes can easily aggregate over time and, since produced visbreaker resid is often a base stock for the production of heavy fuel oils, this can lead to problems with hot filtration test (HFT) results.

Visbreaker severity is monitored to maximise conversion, taking into account excessive coke generation and the tendency of asphaltenes to precipitate, either inside process equipment or as sediments in the heavy fuel oil produced. As fouling increases exponentially at higher conversions, process control becomes more and more important to prevent drastic negative outcomes.

Severity is a function of operating temperatures and velocity steam. This article presents a case of optimisation of these two variables at the Repsol Tarragona visbreaker, resulting in major improvements to visbreaker conversion.

Courtesy of PTQ Q1 2011, www.eptq.com.

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Expandable reamers - drill cover story

Hole openers are not new to the industry. In the early days of rotary drilling, bits lost gauge as they traveled downhole. To allow for the setting of casing, this tapered effect had to be dealt with. In its origin, a reamer, or a hole opener as they were referred to then, was run to ensure adequate hole size throughout the well bore. As early as the 1930s, stationary reamers were used to open up pilot holes drilled for sidetracks and whipstocks.

Standard hole openers exist in fixed sizes and feature carbide metal teeth insert cutters with sizes ranging from 6-in. up to 26-in., typically with three or four cutters. As technology advanced, the addition of motors, MWD tools, and rotary steerable systems to the drillstring now called for an integrated system. The need for expandable reamers came into play. Today, reamers are designed to pass through a restriction and open up beneath it to expand the hole for the next series of casing to be run, providing sufficient room between the casing and the formation for the cementing to take place. By the mid-1990s, expandable reamers were becoming a viable type of tool. “This is really when the under-reamer came into its own,” said Les Shale, business development manager – Hole Enlargement, Baker Hughes.

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