NELL LUKOSAVICH, Senior Editor
As the development of shale plays continues to evolve, both in the U.S. and other parts of the world, innovations are being made in shale exploration, drilling, completions and production. And as operators proceed further into these complex formations, new technical milestones are reached. ShaleTech 2012, sponsored by Gulf Publishing Company and World Oil, brings together industry experts to discuss the latest technology and management practices used in the recovery of shale oil, condensate and gas.
Now in its third year, ShaleTech 2012 will be held Aug. 20–22 at the Westin Memorial City hotel in Houston. The three-day event will feature a full day of workshops, nearly 50 unique technical presentations, a series of networking opportunities, and a specialized exhibition, all focusing on the impact of shale development. “We designed this conference to parallel the kind of information we provide in World Oil, technical information that will help improve operating efficiencies,” said Gulf Publishing President and CEO John Royall. “In the case of the shale plays, companies have established fairly efficient drilling and completion operations. The conference board has created a detailed array of information on some of the latest technologies, and some case histories that will help operators learn what others are doing to improve their exploration and production for oil and gas in the shales.”
This year’s show will feature two keynote speakers: Bruce Vincent, president and director of Swift Energy Company, and Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter, who will present on the mornings of Aug. 21 and 22, respectively. Vincent, who joined Swift in 1990 and is a former chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, will introduce ShaleTech2012 and kick off the series of 13 technical sessions. After a successful career providing accounting and tax services to oil and gas producers, Porter was elected in 2010 to serve a six-year term as a Texas Railroad Commissioner. He recently created the Eagle Ford Shale Task Force, and will speak on the topic of “Hydraulic Fracturing, Developing the Eagle Ford Shale and Keeping the Feds Out.”
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| Bruce Vincent, President & Director, Swift Energy Company (left); Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter (right) |
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Show program. On Aug. 20, ShaleTech 2012 will feature a one-day workshop, open to registrants only, that will highlight four technical presentations focused on fracturing technology, including fracturing in operational planning; openhole and cased hole fracturing options; existing commercial systems; and materials and their applications.
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| A leading area of innovation is the Eagle Ford shale of South Texas. Photos by Kurt Abraham, Executive Editor. |
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Following the workshop on Monday, Aug. 20, ShaleTech 2012 will feature 14 technical sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 21–22. Presenters will represent more than 35 different companies from across the E&P spectrum. Specific topics to be discussed encompass a wide array of shale technology, such as seismic data optimization, practical sequence stratigraphy, frontier exploration, reservoir characterization, casing design, drilling fluid selection, specialized drilling systems, managing completions, proppant selection, optimizing transverse fracs, production estimation, water usage and treatment, and more. A complete list of technical sessions is available in the table. 
| ShaleTech 2012 Agenda |
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