V.I. Graifer was born on November 20, 1929. He graduated from Moscow-based Gubkin Oil Institute as a mining engineer in development of oil and gas fields. He started his professional career in Tatarstan in 1952 as an oil production subforeman and finally reached the post of chief engineer and deputy head of state-run company Tatneft. V.I. Graifer took an active part in organization of the development of Romashinsky, one of the biggest fields in Russia.

In 1972-1985 Valery Isaakovich was the head of economic planning administration in Soviet Ministry of Oil Industry and was a member of the Ministry college. In 1976 V.I. Graifer became a laureate of Lenin's Premium for ACS development in oil industry.

In 1985 V.I. Graifer was appointed Deputy Minister of Oil Industry of the USSR and the head of principal oil and gas producer in Tumen, Glavtumenneftegaz, where he showed himself as talented manager of the national level, capable of creating a staff of high quality professionals.

During the difficult period of transitional economy, V.I. Graifer managed to demonstrate his extraordinary professional qualities and organizational talent once again. In 1992 he became the head of the Russian Innovative Fuel and Energy Company (RITEK).

 

Coiled Tubing Times: Valery Isaakovich, how does our complicated economic situation affect the technological policy of your company? What corrections have been made to the new projects?

V.G.: All pilot projects will be continued. They are our future and we must make it closer. A high priority will be given to state contracts. You know that we've got a grant for development and production of complex deposits of Bazhenov formation. At the moment we are launching experimental production there. The operations will be continued against all the odds.

C.T.T: How will new CT technologies designed by RITEK develop in the offing?

V.G.: RITEK specializes in the development of difficult oil fields and counts on innovation technologies. In May 2007, the company won a contest "Creation and implementation of an innovation technology for hard-to-get and unconventional raw material (kerogen, tar sands, high-viscosity oil)". The contest was organized by Federal Agency on Science and Technology. A special attention should be paid to WAG bed stimulation technology. WAG stimulation implies pumping gas under high pressure (up to 300 atm). Pumping gas is usually accompanied with condensate dropout and well bore freezing. In order to solve these problems we have acquired a new CT unit lately. We successfully apply it in WAG technology and other methods of production enhancement.

C.T.T.: What equipment will be more in demand during the crisis: Russian or foreign? What equipment do the oil producers lack? 

V.G.: Unfortunately, our domestic equipment can not boast of wide assortment and high quality. That is why we have to purchase foreign equipment, though a number of legislative acts encourage support of Russian producers. Unluckily, we have no choice. Another problem is that there is no equipment at all for some operations. For example, there are no reliable high pressure compressors. Another big problem is the complete use and recovery of the accompanying gas. We don't have gas processing units that could be installed at small sites to solve the problem of gas recovery. We also need equipment to pump gas in the productive formations, saving it from burning out and using it as oil stimulation agent.  Currently our industry demonstrates slow response to changing situation with more complicated orders, necessity in the advanced technologies, requiring extreme high or low pressures. We often mentioned that one of the key national priorities is creation of facilities for petroleum engineering. Only this can help to keep high production levels and replenish of stabilization fund.

C.T.T.: What would you recommend to your colleagues from other companies?

V.G.: I witnessed many ups and downs in the role of service organizations. Today I would recommend my colleagues not to rush for outside service, though it may sound surprisingly.

C.T.T.: Do you believe that service divisions should remain within oil producing companies?

V.G.: Absolutely. When the prices of oil are low, you prefer to do the job with your company's own efforts, which is cheaper and faster.

C.T.T.: Thanks a lot for the interview.

P.S. Graifer's idea that in hard times service divisions should rather remain within oil and gas producing companies is not shared by everybody. Our magazine opens a wide discussion of the issue. You are welcome to e-mail your opinion to the address cttimes@cttimes.org.

RITEK applies various oil stimulation technologies including bottomhole treatment with various agents (hydrochloric acid, MA, acid microemulsion Polisil-P, caustic, isopropyl alcohol) MA treatment with further mud-pulse procession, acid hydrofracturing, cement squeeze with various reagents (cement, Polisil-DF, Ijat technology); bed reperforation, acoustic, mud-pulse, thermal/pressure/chemical treatment of the bottomhole zone. We do about 150 flow stimulation operations a year.