The Galapagos Islands is one of the world's pristine archipelago. It has been inscribed as an UNESCO World Natural Heritage since 1978 [1]. This archipelago is also well known because Charles Darwin studied the origin of species in these islands. However, it is in great threat due to the main energy source is diesel. Hence, the Ecuadorian government has an initiative called 'Zero fossil fuel in the Galapagos Islands' which aims to reduce diesel consumption by replacing it for renewable energy. In this context this research will show the electricity sector market mix particularly of Santa Cruz island, in order to indicate how much is done and needs to be done to become an island fossil fuel free in electricity generation. It will present a literature review as well as novel information from electricity generated in 2014 by the solar PV power plant of Santa Cruz and a forecasted wind generation of 2014 of Santa Cruz base on wind speeds from a meteorological tower. It concludes that even though the significant efforts of international cooperation to co fund renewable energy projects in order to increase its installed capacity, almost 80% of the electricity is generated by thermoelectric turbines run by diesel.

In drilling wells of two sections with a low angle in Tiputini Field-Block 43, have been implemented several hole cleaning practices, handling of different drilling parameters and drilling fluid properties in order to get an optimal hole cleaning. This study pretends to determinate and propose the operational ranges of each parameter involved in drilling and hole cleaning through statistical analysis using the main variables that participate during the drilling and cuttings transport in the intermediate section of 12¼" in the next wells with similar characteristic. For the variable selection that will use in the statistic study, it was considered three operational aspects: drilling, drilling fluid and hole cleaning. By means of statistic analysis was determined a regression model that fits the data and describe its behavior. In addition, it was made comparative graphs with each variable, determining the effect of drilling time in each formation. It was statistically determined that the drilling parameters that have the greatest influence in hole cleaning are the gallonage and ROP which will help to optimize the drilling operation of new wells.

The present study compiles a life cycle inventory for Ecuadorian sugarcane-derived ethanol production to quantify its environmental performance and identify the life cycle stages that cause major impacts. The scope of this study encompasses a cradle-to-gate analysis that includes the agriculture, the milling, the distillation, and the co-generation of electricity. This assessment is modeled using the OpenLCA v1.10.3 software. Two functional units (FU) were established in this study: “1 ton of sugarcane at-the-farm-gate” for the agricultural stage and “1 L of ethanol at-the-plant-gate”. A hybrid attributional and consequential life cycle analysis (LCA) approach has been followed. Economic allocation (EA) and system expansion (SE) were used to take co-products into account in the milling and co-generation of electricity stages, respectively. The co-generation stage is analyzed in three different scenarios: (i) average mix displacement scenario where the surplus electricity produced in the co-generation stage is displaced; (ii) marginal technology displacement scenario where the marginal surplus electricity is displaced from the mix and (iii) no displacement scenario. The global warming potential (GWP) impact at the farm gate level was reported as 53.6 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (kg CO2eq.) per ton of sugarcane produced. The two main contributors of the agricultural stage correspond to N2O lixiviation and volatilization with 34% followed by the diesel used in agricultural machinery with 24%. The GWP for 1 L of ethanol produced was reported as 0.60 kg CO2eq. based on the average mix displacement scenario. No displacement scenario has a GWP impact of 0.84 kg CO2/liter of ethanol The distillation stage has the highest contribution to GWP impact with approximately 61% followed by the agricultural stage with 47%. The co-generation stage reports a contribution of −8.4% due to the surplus electricity displacement. The scenarios where the system expansion method is applied have a lower GWP impact compared to the scenario where no surplus electricity is displaced. Regarding terrestrial acidification potential impact, 0.01528 kg of SO2eq. was reported at the ethanol production level especially due to the nitrogen and phosphorous content in the vinasse produced from the distillation process. The marine eutrophication impact for 1 L of ethanol produced was 0.00381 kg of Neq. due to the content of nitrogen contained in the vinasse and the use of nitrogenous fertilizers in the agricultural stage. Finally, to create more eco-friendly Ecuadorian sugarcane and ethanol industries, sustainable and less polluting processes should be sought to reduce the environmental burdens. Companies should apply industrial symbiosis and circular economy strategies to produce lesser environmental loads within the ethanol production chain. The sugarcane industrial sector should also promote the surplus electricity production in order to gain credits.

Microbial activity can lead to problems such as corroded tubing, formation plugging, and decreased effective permeability, especially the sulfate-reducing bacteria that have the formation water as a medium that allows their proliferation. These adhere to the conductive channels of the producing sand and form biomass that restricts the flow of fluids. This work was carried out to design a non-reactive matrix stimulation by injecting biocides that clean the sand face to increase permeability, reduce formation damage, control corrosive environments, and increase daily oil production. By analyzing the total concentration of iron, sulfate, carbon dioxide, sulfide in gas and water, wells with microbial activity were identified, while the behavior of the bacteria was characterized by evaluating bacterial cultures and corrosion coupons. Using economic profitability criteria, the TTT A 011 and TAP 09 wells were selected as the most prospective in the Libertador field since, out of the 94 wells analyzed, they presented the highest index of microbial activity and recovery of oil barrels. The microbial activity in the wells of the Tetete station is more aggressive, since they reproduce in less time, clogging the porous channels at a faster rate. The THPS and GLH bactericides had better functionality against bacteria and the environment, so they were considered in this design of non-reactive matrix stimulation generating $907,976.10 as profit for the company in the 12-month projection.

The selection and application of the different artificial lift systems (ALS) depending on the characteristics of the well, which are specific over time; other criteria for selecting an ALS are the operational and economic parameters. For this reason, a constant analysis should be carried out throughout the productive life of the well to determine which type of artificial lifting system is more effective or if a change of artificial lifting must be performed in some well to improve production. The article focuses on the application of a new pre-selection, matrix of artificial lift systems, based on the reservoir pressure index (InPy) and productivity index (IP) to perform the analysis and evaluation of the artificial lift system (ALS) used in the Pucuna (PCN) field, Ecuador. The results of the determined field that, from the 15-well study, for 9 wells, the most efficient ALS is hydraulic pumping, for 4 wells, the proper lifting is mechanical pumping, and for 2 wells the most efficient system is electro-submersible pumping. It can be concluded based on these results that the active ALS for this field is hydraulic pumping.