American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022 - 23

Return To URTeC
Provides Opportunity
To Exchange Ideas
This month, I am excited to see the return of the Unconventional
Resources Technology Conference to Houston. In its 11th year,
the large conference-put on by the Society of Petroleum
Engineers, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists-combines expertise
in engineering, geology and geophysics to create a crossdiscipline,
three-day dialog around the unconventional oil and
gas production space.
After a couple difficult years for conferences around the
globe, URTeC organizers have assembled 190 presentations
that aim at collaboration and integration among subsurface disciplines,
geomechanics, formation evaluation, wellhead design,
completion design, enhanced recovery, production forecasting,
and environmental, social, and corporate governance factors. In
addition, the exhibit hall will feature more than 100 companies
and organizations showcasing the latest research and technology.
This uptick in presentations and exhibitors is a good sign for
organizers, but more importantly, this is a good sign for the
entire industry. As I write this, I am in the process of building
my itinerary, and here are a few highlights of sessions I plan to
attend and recommend to others.
I must admit I am a bit of a sucker for a good title, and on
day one, I am definitely interested to hear a talk titled
" Protecting our Planet One Frac at a Time " by G. Norton, J.
Nieuwenhuis, M. Van Domelen, Z. West and M. Fueger. According
to the description, Red Bluff Resources will discuss
how it not only optimized its process but has managed to
document its shrinking environmental footprint. According
to the authors, using a unique process of blending powdered
friction reducers at the well site has helped them achieve
considerable cost savings while reducing their carbon footprint
by more than 850 tons, cutting truck traffic by 5,000 miles. In
addition, they have provided a safer work environment for
their employees and contractors. I anticipate this will be one
of many papers of this sort in the coming years, as ESG
begins to take hold and operators begin to use optimization to
drill fewer wells with more production to achieve their environmental
and business goals.
Next on my radar screen is a trend that, like ESG, strikes me
as the future of oil and gas optimization, which is machine
learning and artificial intelligence. On day two, I am particularly
interested in a talk titled " Deep-Learning-Based Prediction of
Post-Fracturing Permeability Field for Development Strategy
Optimization in Unconventional Reservoirs " by J. Wang, Y. Tan
and B. Liang. According to the description, the authors address
why most operators do not take the time to optimize their wells.
Capturing detailed fracture geometry and post-frac permeability
is key to future well success. However, this process can be slow,
and sometimes takes several days. The authors have developed
deep learning that can serve as a faster fit-for-purpose alternative
to full-physics modeling to accelerate the study for more wells
and geological scenarios. Time is still money in the oil field,
and anything we can do to add production in ways that are
" This uptick in presentations and
exhibitors is a good sign for organizers,
but more importantly, this is a good sign
for the entire industry.
"
faster and cheaper should be exciting.
Day three includes " Case Study of Optimizing Oil Recoveries
and Parent-Child Relationships in the Gallup Sandstone, San
Juan Basin, New Mexico " by M. Slowinski, D. Koenig, J.
Rosenthal, D. Hunter, N. Tretheway and N. Li. This paper
examines how older parent wells interact with newer child
wells in the San Juan Basin by considering the dynamics of
reservoir pressure and impacts of strategies on Gallup Sandstone
oil production to validate development techniques and avoid
detrimental impact of offset depletion. The Gallup Sandstone
has much potential and this study looks at methodologies that
are designed to maximize the system's future production.
Finally, the U-Pitch portion of this year's event addresses a
prominent need shared by many startups looking to commercialize
their technologies. Designed to help companies find funding
and attract new adopters and markets, the U-Pitch Technology
Showcase provides a venue where participants can present and
answer questions from potential partners, investors and new
markets. Some of the presenting technologies include analytics,
automation, imaging, leak detection and mitigation, and water
solutions, to name a few.
Many things have changed in this post-Covid environment,
and how and when folks choose to participate in large events
remains to be seen. However, the exchange of ideas is key to
the ongoing success of the oil and energy industry, and events
such as this may not look quite the same, but they will continue
to meet that need. This year's event is poised to be a good one,
and as folks return to the workplace, host meetings and attend
training, I anticipate URTeC will be a success.
❒
JEREMY VISCOMI is a strategic
marketing expert for the oil and
gas industry. Among his many
roles, he serves as the MidContinent
regional lead for the
Petroleum Technology Transfer
Council, providing independent
operators with access to emerging
technology aimed at reducing
risk and growing profits.
JUNE 2022 23
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022

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