American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2022 - 21

Certain Key Technologies
Stand The Test Of Time
As Oil And Gas Essentials
Recently I hit one of those significant milestones: I turned
50 in June. I swear I don't feel a day over 35; however, these
days tend to give me pause to reflect on where I have been and
am going. The long and short of it all is that I am old enough to
have seen plenty and have learned a lot. And maybe I am just
wise enough to know how much I still don't know.
And that made me think about our industry. Remember when
we used to talk about " The Big Crew Change? " It was during a
particular industry moment in which there was a gap between
the folks who came up through the 1980s and those born in the
80s and even 90s. I am right in the middle of that gap, which
offers me a unique opportunity to have seen a bit of it all.
The oil field is known for inventing its way out of imperfect
markets, troubled politics and overall uncertainty. And this
inventive mentality has positioned me well through the years in
this column as I discover and cover emerging technologies. So
this month, I highlight three technologies that are at least as old
as I am that our industry simply cannot not live without.
When I began my work in the oil field, I had the great opportunity
to work for the University of Kansas Tertiary Oil Recovery
Program or TORP, which I quickly learned was the epicenter
for refining the waterflooding process and early enhanced
oil recovery endeavors. In fact, I remember hearing shortly
after my arrival that TORP founder Paul Willhite " wrote the
book on waterflooding " right before being handed the red SPE
textbook titled Waterflooding by Paul Wilhite. I had thought it
was only a saying, but it's literally true. Later, Don Green and
Paul Wilhite wrote the SPE textbook Enhanced Oil Recovery.
Both books are still among the best fundamental oil field reads
out there. It may not be the sexiest technology, yet when we
think of traditional, conventional oil recovery that only produced
a third of the reservoir, waterflooding and enhanced oil recovery
remain undeniably among the essential oil field technologies
of the last 50 years.
I am old enough to have been required to take a typing class
in high school, and I hate to say it, but it was the only class I
ever failed. The irony is that I type all the time in my career, and
I must say I do it pretty well. In that class, we each had electric
typewriters and little sheets of corrective paper that would
cover a mistake with a perfect spot of white that then could be
typed over with a correction.
One year later, I found myself in another required course
called Introduction to Computing. I spent most of the semester
keying in code that ultimately resulted in sending my animated
name flying up and down across the screen. How things have
changed. As I type this, there may be as many as a hundred
new companies launching software using advanced machine
learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to do everything,
from more accurately modelling reservoir systems, detecting
leaks and forecasting production, to name only a few. That is
not to mention ongoing efforts around digitization and the
sale of historical data to improve simulations and forecasting.
Not invented in (or for) the oil field, the computer is the driver
" The ingenuity of the folks working in the
field and the back office generates ideas; the
ideas lead to innovation and the innovation
leads to a company or service that transforms
everything we thought we knew.
"
behind the development of almost every other technology developed
during the last several decades.
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention hydraulic
fracturing as one of the critical technologies of the last 50
years. Plain and simple, I challenge you to find me a modern
well that does not use the principles of hydraulic fracturing for
improved conductivity, sand control and overall improved
recovery. Developed right after World War II, the fundamentals
of fracturing remain the same: Pump fluid at a rate sufficient to
open the formation, prop it open with your choice of material
and produce. This process has been used for decades to create
mega-success stories among operators and service companies.
Most recently, the pairing of horizontal drilling and multi-stage
fracturing has upended the onshore oil and gas industry in ways
that will only improve over time.
The development of these game-changing technologies has
been accompanied by hundreds of associated technologies, inventions
and products that have not had as much impact, at
least not yet. But that is the best part about the oil and gas
industry. The ingenuity of the folks working in the field and the
back office generates ideas; the ideas lead to innovation and the
innovation leads to a company or service that transforms
everything we thought we knew. I have been blessed to be a
part of this industry for this long and have learned a lot. I look
forward to seeing what the coming decades have in store as we
innovate in the areas of environmental, social and governance,
digitization and global energy demand. I am confident that, true
to form, our innovations and inventions will chart the path. ❒
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.
JULY 2022 21
American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2022

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