World Oil’s HPHT Drilling and Completions Conference

ROGER JORDAN, Contributing Editor

World Oil’s very own High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT) Drilling and Completions Conference is to be held in Houston later this month. The annual event will take place on Sept. 26–27, at the Norris Conference Centers-CityCentre. This industry-leading event will provide a forum for oil and gas professionals, who are looking to learn more about the latest developments in technology from the HPHT arena.

The 2013 conference program is devoted to knowledge-sharing and best practices in HPHT drilling. It will offer both a local and global perspective. It will equip attendees with the latest information on a variety of topics, including:

• International HPHT operations
• The impact of regulatory changes on operations and policy
• Effective solutions for pressure and temperature challenges, specific to HPHT settings
• Technological advancements and best practices for improved HPHT drilling, completions and production
• Lessons learned by professionals on active operator and service company projects.

With a two-track agenda, one focusing on drilling and one on completions, delegates will be able to identify and attend the sessions that will be most beneficial to their careers. Topics slated for discussion this year include: operator responsibility; materials and materials testing; equipment design, development and implementation; subsea technology; MDP applications under HPHT conditions; real-time production monitoring; and case histories.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

The conference will feature keynote speeches delivered by Russell Hoshman, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and James Pappas, Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America.

Russell Hoshman, BSEE

Mr. Hoshman’s presentation will be entitled, “How did we get here?” In his session, he will review the development of HPHT in the Gulf of Mexico, and the relationship between BSEE requirements, engineering standards and the oil industry.

James Pappas, RPSEA

Previously, he held the positions of global technology coordinator, facilities engineer (Deepwater & International Well Engineering & Facilities Division), and deepwater project coordinator for Devon Energy, as well as production engineer in the Gulf of Mexico Division for Devon and Santa Fe Snyder, prior to their merger. He has also held drilling, completions, production, operations superintendent, reservoir, and acquisitions and divestitures (A&D) positions with several operators.

DRILLING AND COMPLETIONS

The conference’s two-track agenda allows attendees to choose and attend the sessions that will be most beneficial to their professional development. The first track will focus on challenges and solutions relating to exploration and drilling, while the second track will concentrate on completions and production.

Track 1. Concentrating on issues related to exploration and drilling, this track will include a series of talks and case studies presented by professionals from leading industry players. These include companies such as ConocoPhillips, Repsol, Shell, Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Weatherford and Maris International. The case studies will look at real-life field examples, drawn from areas as diverse as the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Guyana. A sample of the technical topics covered in this track includes:

• The future of well control for deepwater HPHT drilling
• Using closed-loop techniques throughout the wellhead construction process
• Managed temperature drilling.

Track 2. The second track will focus on completions and production. It will include contributions from organizations, such as Anadarko Petroleum, BP, CNPC, Kuwait Oil Company, FMC Technologies, Halliburton, DuPont, Emerson and Glasgow Caledonian University. A sample of technical topics covered in this track includes:

• Difficulties of, and solutions for, designing HPHT load-bearing interfaces
• Design guideline strategies for HPHT equipment
• HPHT fracturing and reservoir monitoring tool.

Panel discussions. Attendees at both conference tracks will also have the opportunity to benefit from panel discussions. The discussions, which will follow the afternoon break, will be immediately followed by a question-and-answer session. On the conference’s first day, the panel discussion will focus on the topic of “Differential Pressure.” On the conference’s second day, the panel discussion will examine “Requirements for HPHT Design Criteria.”