Annual Technology Forum, featuring Wellbore Placement and Rotary Steerable Systems

Over the past year, hundreds of people from operators, service companies, and manufacturers have attended and engaged in discussions at various IADD technical events (MWD technology roadmap forum, mud motors vs. rotary steerables debate, extended-reach/10K+ laterals topical forum, high-capacity BHA extended luncheons, etc.).

While these forums have highlighted the progress that our industry has made [improved efficiency of mud motor power sections, ability to match drill bits with higher HP motors, benefits of running rotary steerables and mud motors together, etc.], they’ve also shed light on some of the “weak links” in today’s drilling assemblies, including (but not limited to) the:

• High cost of rotary steerable systems
• Reliability challenges of MWD systems
• Lack of performance-to-spec of some mud motors
• Understanding where we are in the well

As an industry, we are always focused on the next well that we are drilling; but we also need to understand why, where and how we are drilling it, as well as identify what innovative technologies and practices are required to extend the production results with minimal NPT and costs.

On behalf of the IADD Annual Technology Forum committee, we invite you to join us on October 31 and November 1 at the Marriott Greenspoint Hotel in Houston, Texas. This year’s forum will focus on Wellbore Placement and Rotary Steerable System technologies.

To view the agenda for both days/register, go to http://www.iadd-intl.org/events/69/ 

Event Details

• Tuesday, October 31 – Wednesday, November 1, 2017
• 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Houston Marriott North; 255 North Sam Houston Pkwy E; Houston, TX 77060
• Both days: Members: $495 Nonmembers: $575
• One-day pass: Members: $250 Nonmembers: $290

 Day One

Wellbore Placement is about successfully locating the well [especially in long unconventional play horizontals], drilling in the right spot, and doing it cost-effectively. This Forum will seek to address:

• How do we decide where the well should be located?
• Are there drivers and limitations that need to be discussed when placing a well?
• What reservoir objectives dominate the well planning process, and how can we validate our achievement of meeting those targets?
• Do we truly understand where the well is, anyways, and what best practices need to be implemented to improve this understanding?

Day Two

We truly are at a crossroads when it comes to rotary steerable systems. We have seen a huge increase in utilization in unconventional drilling, but much like the early years of deployment in more expensive markets, users are starting to question the economic rationale of using the systems that are available today. Topics at this year’s Forum will include:

• How do we drill the wells today, and how should we be thinking about drilling them in the future?
• Are we ready for the next technology evolution in shale plays?
• What technologies—new or old—do we need to incorporate into our best-practices approach?
• What does the move towards longer laterals mean in terms of technology, both downhole and surface, including automation’s role, and focusing on rotary steerables and their role?

We look forward to your participation in what will be an enlightening discussion of our current limitations, where the industry is headed, and what technology improvements will be required to meet the challenges of the next evolutionary step in directional drilling.

See you there!

IADD Technical Forum Co-chairs 

If you are interested in participating in this event—as a speaker, participant or sponsor—please contact wendy@graymattermktg.com.