Fred Florence is the Product Champion at National Oilwell Varco (NOV), ensuring that machine controls are compatible not only with each other, but also with new industry-developed drilling models. Florence joined NOV in 1996 and has held a number of engineering, project management and operational positions, including managing the design of control stations to link drilling machines to mechanize surface drilling activities.  A new control system was used in 2004 to demonstrate remote drilling when a service company’s engineers in England drilled part of a well on a rig in Central Texas. Florence led the commercialization efforts for worldwide deployment of those new systems. Prior to joining NOV, he worked for Sedco-Forex, now Transocean, where he held various positions in engineering and operations. 

Florence is a member of the Society of Petroleum Enginners (SPE) and is the Deputy Chairman of the new Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section (DSATS).  He was a panelist at a plenary session of the 2010 IADC/SPE Annual Conference in New Orleans. Florence holds a BS in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University, Texas, USA, as well as an MA in international management and an MBA in marketing from the University of Texas at Dallas, Texas, USA.

Fred Florence, National Oilwell Varco

Drilling Automation: New Prospects and Prospectors?

Rig automation is often seen only as drillfloor robots that mechanize pipe handling to improve safety.  By integrating surface and downhole data with dynamic drilling models and the rig's drilling machines, we can automate and optimize the drilling process occurring below the rotary table. The resulting efficiency gain and reduced risk lowers drilling costs and creates new drilling opportunities.  

This presentation outlines the current industry efforts in automation to develop and implement automation tools and real-time models connected to rig control systems, for conventional rigs as well as high-end deepwater units. Florence looks at the changing roles for the rig crews, addressing concerns when deploying this new technology to various locations around the globe. He closes by discussing how drilling automation can add value to various types of drilling programs.