Browsing by Subject "circulation"
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Item COST-CUTTING AT THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: WHAT IMPACT HAS DECLINING CIRCULATION HAD UPON CRIME COVERAGE?(2012-04-19) Smith, Kese; Olson, Beth; Vardeman, Jennifer; Curtis, RussellThis study investigated the effect declining circulation at the Houston Chronicle had upon local news coverage- especially crime coverage. In 1995, it became the sole daily metro newspaper in Houston. In the ensuing years it has seen a steady erosion of paid circulation and its publishers responded, as have many newspapers in the United States, by making a series of cost-cutting moves including closing news bureaus and laying off long-time editorial staff. Story content for the years 1996 (the first full year in which the Houston Chronicle became the sole daily) and 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 was examined using content analysis. Particular attention was paid to crime stories as the crime beat is an entry-level reporter position, one which pays less and requires less experience than other specialized beats. Cultivation theory postulates an increase in crime coverage, which is cheap and plentiful, can lead the public to view the world as a more dangerous place than statistics indicate. Two constructed weeks per year were examined. Layoffs at the Houston Chronicle coincided with a 40 percent decrease in local stories. During that same period, stories produced by wire services or other newspapers increased, indicating they replaced some, but not all, of the shortage of local stories. Crime stories accounted for a greater percentage of local stories, although not significantly. They were eight percent of local stories in 1996 rising to a high of 10 percent in 2009. However crime stories became significantly longer over that same v period of time, suggesting crime became a greater staple in filling the newspaper's newshole. Consistent with other literature, violent crime accounted for the clear majority of all crimes reported. Crime stories were also individually coded to determine to what extent details were included which would allow a reader to determine the randomness of the crime and be extension his/her own possible risk. Such variables did not go down as expected, and in some years were even higher than in 1996. This study suggests the Houston Chronicle has responded to declining circulation by cutting staff and local content. Crime coverage has helped fill the remaining local content, but not to the extent expected. Moreover, details which allow readers to gauge their personal risk were present in greater amounts than anticipated.Item Kick circulation analysis for extended reach and horizontal wells(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) Long, Maximilian MarkWell control is of the utmost importance during drilling operations. Numerous well control incidents occur on land and offshore rigs. The consequences of a loss in well control can be devastating. Hydrocarbon reservoirs and facilities may be damaged, costing millions of dollars. Substantial damage to the environment may also result. The greatest risk, however, is the threat to human life. As technology advances, wells are drilled to greater distances with more complex geometries. This includes multilateral and extended-reach horizontal wells. In wells with inclinations greater than horizontal or horizontal wells with washouts, buoyancy forces may trap kick gas in the wellbore. The trapped gas creates a greater degree of uncertainty regarding well control procedures, which if not handled correctly can result in a greater kick influx or loss of well control. For this study, a three-phase multiphase flow simulator was used to evaluate the interaction between a gas kick and circulating fluid. An extensive simulation study covering a wide range of variables led to the development of a best-practice kick circulation procedure for multilateral and extended-reach horizontal wells. The simulation runs showed that for inclinations greater than horizontal, removing the gas influx from the wellbore became increasingly difficult and impractical for some geometries. The higher the inclination, the more pronounced this effect. The study also showed the effect of annular area on influx removal. As annular area increased, higher circulation rates are needed to obtain the needed annular velocity for efficient kick removal. For water as a circulating fluid, an annular velocity of 3.4 ft/sec is recommended. Fluids with higher effective viscosities provided more efficient kick displacement. For a given geometry, a viscous fluid could remove a gas influx at a lower rate than water. Increased fluid density slightly increases kick removal, but higher effective viscosity was the overriding parameter. Bubble, slug, and stratified flow are all present in the kick-removal process. Bubble and slug flow proved to be the most efficient at displacing the kick.