NELL LUKOSAVICH, Senior Editor
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| SPE ATCE 2010 in Florence, Italy |
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In its 87th year, the 2011 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) will focus on developing shale resources, particularly the special requirements in the Rocky Mountain Niobrara and Bakken shale formations. Whereas SPE ATCE 2010, held in Florence, Italy, attracted almost 4,800 attendees and presented 255 technical papers, this year’s show is expected to draw more than 8,000 attendees. Also, out of the 1,550 paper proposal submitted this year, more than 400 have been selected for presentation.
Another focus this year is safety and environmental industry standards. “In the wake of incidents around the world and the resulting changes in the regulatory environment, focusing on standards is imperative,” Gaurdie Banister, ATCE 2011 program chairman, told World Oil. “The time is right to have a conversation about standards within our profession and, at the same time, look at the appropriate role for SPE in the broader standards conversation industry-wide.”
The annual conference’s three-day program brings together upstream professionals, including engineers, scientists, academics and executives, to discuss and showcase emerging technologies and current best industry practices. Held this year in Denver, Colorado, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 at the Colorado Convention Center, the upcoming event features more than 300 technical sessions and 350 exhibiting companies in a 91,000-sq-ft exhibit space.
Special events. ATCE 2011 will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 29, with a series of training courses and the SPE Petroleum Engineering Certification Exam, which allow upstream professionals an opportunity to validate technical knowledge, obtain a recognized credential, and achieve employer and peer recognition.
On Sunday, Oct. 30, SPE will present its 50th Anniversary Distinguished Lecturer Reception. The event, by invitation only, will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and will honor past and current lecturers, Distinguished Lecturer committee members and other guests for their contributions to the program.
The 25-Year Club, a special lounge dedicated to SPE members with 25 or more years’ experience, will host a breakfast on Monday, Oct. 31, from 7 to 9 a.m. The breakfast will feature former SPE President T. Don Stacy as the keynote speaker.
From 7 to 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, ATCE will host its annual reception and banquet, where SPE will recognize distinguished members for their accomplishments and innovations in the industry. The President’s Luncheon and Annual Meeting of Members, held on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., will feature a presentation by 2011 SPE President Alain Labastie and will provide an opportunity for attendees to meet SPE Board members and 2012 SPE President Ganesh C. Thakur, and learn more about outstanding sections, student chapters and volunteers. Tickets for the luncheon may be purchased for $50.
Attendees are invited to a one-day field trip on Thursday, Nov. 3, to the giant Wattenberg gas field, which is a classic basin-centered petroleum accumulation located in the bottom of the Denver basin. The trip will explore outcrop exposures of the Muddy (J) sandstone, Codell sandstone and Niobrara formation, which are the main producers in the field. Participants will be provided a guidebook, lunch and beverages as part of the trip. The ticket price is $130.
Student program. On Sunday, Oct. 30, there will be a series of events dedicated to student development. Following a student meet-and-greet and a section officer workshop, the student general session will introduce the SPE Outstanding Student Chapter regional winners. The guest speaker will be Luechai Wongsirasaward, executive vice president of human resources and business service for PTT Exploration & Production in Thailand.
In the afternoon, students will have the opportunity to participate in a mini-series where industry professionals will discuss their career paths, their individual experiences in the petroleum industry and advice on entering the workforce.
The following morning, Oct. 31, the International Student Paper Contest will give students an opportunity to present their technical papers to a specially selected SPE committee. In a tournament-style format, the PetroBowl will host student chapter teams to compete on a variety of topics related to the industry and SPE history.
Special sessions. There will be six special sessions throughout ATCE 2011, covering a wide array of topics including the future of CO2 standards, completion strategies in liquids-rich basins and economic modeling. On Monday, Oct. 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., moderator Chad Deaton, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes, will lead a panel discussion on the importance of industry standards and best practices in ensuring safety, environmental protection and sound regulatory oversight. Other issues to be addressed include the role of industry associations, identifying which aspects of E&P need greater attention, sharing and leveraging technology solutions, and the relationships of the industry with government agencies and other stakeholders. Panelists include Matthias Bichsel, director of projects and technology, Royal Dutch Shell; José Formigli, presalt executive manager, Petrobras; US Sen. Mary Landrieu, Louisiana; and William McArthur, safety and mission assurance director, Johnson Space Center.
“This year we have invited professionals from outside of our industry to be part of our program,” Banister told World Oil. “The external environment is so critical to our business that we need to hear and learn from the experiences of NASA and the impressions of those in Congress. My hope is that by including different perspectives we will be inspired to challenge industry assumptions in ways that will help us become even more successful.”
On Monday, Oct. 31, from 2 to 5 p.m., Carol Dahl of the Colorado School of Mines will lead a panel discussion on the statistical analysis of super-cycles in oil prices, an optimization model that minimizes bidding risk, simulation of the effect of shale gas on world LNG markets and a game theory model related to environmental policies and oil spills.
On Tuesday, Nov. 1, from 8:30 to 11:55 a.m., Gene Narahara of Chevron will lead all six of the technical directors of the SPE Board in a discussion of issues involving carbon capture and storage, including technology, public acceptance, international collaboration and financial considerations. Technical topics discussed will include the use of aquifer storage for CO2, the use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, and the role of CO2 injection or storage as a viable solution to the greenhouse gas problem. In the afternoon, Mike Eberhard, manager of completions engineering for Anadarko, will discuss recent information from operators (management and completion engineers) on various North American liquid-rich shale formations such as the Niobrara and Bakken.
The last two special sessions, held on Wednesday, Nov. 2, will focus on environmental considerations in shale play development and workforce challenges in 2012. Halliburton’s Ana Djuric will moderate a panel discussion on current HSE legislative, regulatory and social issues in the US and how these challenges may translate around the globe. The final session will focus on SPE initiatives related to petroleum engineering education, gender diversity and technical knowledge for graduating petroleum engineers.
Technical program. Beginning on Monday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. and ending at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2,400 technical papers will be presented within 33 technical sessions. In keeping with the show’s 2011 theme of developing unconventional resources, a series of sessions will present topics such as pore and reservoir characterizations of shales, predicting shale reservoir response to stimulation, strategies to minimize frac spacing, acidizing oil and liquid-rich shale, and new technologies for treating and recycling frac water.
Other topics to be discussed include sand control technology, well performance monitoring, production operations and optimization, artificial lift, integrated reservoir characterization, multiflow phase and assurance, petrophysical interpretation methods, and multi-prospect reserve analysis.
SPE training courses. New for 2011, SPE will hold a series of training courses before and after the ATCE event. The 21 courses vary from one- to two-day programs, covering topics such as reservoir simulation for practical decision making, hydraulic fracturing/pressure analysis, offshore and onshore oil spill prevention, and control and countermeasures. Some training courses require special materials and/or equipment. For one-day courses, 0.8 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) are awarded. Two-day courses are awarded 1.6 CEUs. 
| SPE ATCE conference sessions |
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