The key disciplines and technologies involved in the development of North American resource plays will be brought together for the launch of the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) to be held 12–14 August at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. URTeC is a joint venture of three leading oil and gas professional societies: SPE, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. The event is designed to deliver expertise and best practices from all technical backgrounds, including geochemistry, rock mechanics, seismic technology, horizontal drilling, completion methods, cost control, and project management.
Scott Tinker of The University of Texas at Austin will moderate the opening plenary session, “Unconventional Resources: Breakthrough Integration Changes Everything,” on Monday, the first day of the conference. The panelists are Scott D. Sheffield of Pioneer Natural Resources, John Richels of Devon Energy, Vello Kuuskraa of Advanced Resources International, and Bill Scoggins of the Colorado School of Mines. This session will set the tone for URTeC by exploring how multidisciplinary integration can lead to innovative breakthroughs, pragmatic prospecting and assessment tools, and optimized development.
Technical Program
The technical program features 20 themes selected by a multidisciplinary committee and 340 technical presentations including oral and ePaper reports. Themes cover unconventional project development and reservoir characterization; tight oil and tight gas; unconventional coal seam/coalbed methane and shale plays; formation evaluation; fracture and lateral well characterization; flow mechanics in tight reservoirs; fluid behaviors; laboratory methodologies; health, safety, and environmental issues; organic geochemistry; geomechanics; three-dimensional seismic applications; well performance prediction; drilling and completion optimization; and reservoir monitoring.
Topical Sessions
Each day will offer a breakfast and/or lunch topical session. On Monday, Michael J. Economides of the University of Houston will present “Impact of Unconventionals in the US Energy Future,” discussing the impact of unconventional natural gas and tight oil and the potential of the US to become energy self-sufficient. A topical luncheon titled “When the Rubber Hits the Road—Where Does the Proppant Go?” will be copresented by Norm Warpinski of Pinnacle Technology and George King of Apache. Thomas A. Blasingame of Texas A&M University will discuss new modeling software to simulate fluid flow and production for unconventional reservoirs in “New Frontiers in Modeling Unconventional Reservoirs.”
Three topical breakfasts will be available on Tuesday. In the first session, Jeff Meisenhelder of Schlumberger will discuss the latest developments in technologies associated with unconventional resources. Randy Miller of Core Laboratories will present “A Scorecard for Ranking Unconventional Plays” to help identify key indicators of productive unconventional resources. The third topical breakfast, titled “New Methods for Unconventional Well Performance Prediction,” will be presented by Hossein Kazemi of the Colorado School of Mines.
On Tuesday afternoon, three topical luncheons will be offered. Gervasio Barzola of Pioneer Natural Resources will discuss lessons learned in well spacing and drainage areas in “Eagle Ford of South Texas: Well Spacing, the Multibillion $ Question.” Additional luncheons include “Niche Strategies for Unconventional Resources,” covering strategies for selecting unconventional plays presented by Mark E. Ellis of Linn Energy, and “Unconventional Plays: It’s all About the Petroleum System,” a discussion of how the petroleum system approach improves the success of unconventional resources by Harris Cander of BP.
Sessions will end Wednesday morning following three topical breakfasts. James King of Baker Hughes will present “Oilfield Services for Unconventional Resources II,” a continuation of Tuesday’s session. “Trends in North American Unconventional Resources A&D” will be presented by Ward Polzin of TudorPickeringHolt, and “Geotechnical Insights into the Bakken” will be presented by Julie A. LeFever of the State of North Dakota.
Panel Sessions
The event will host four interactive panel sessions on Tuesday. Morning panel sessions include “Nimble Independents: ‘Moving the Needle’ with Innovation and Execution Excellence,” which shares insights and lessons learned when applying the Agile methodology, and “Technologies that May Transform the Future,” which updates attendees on current and promising technologies. The afternoon sessions include “Making It Happen in the Field: Converting Technology into Dollars,” an exploration of how top-tier organizations lead the way through the improvement and development of technologies, and “Sustainability, Job Creation, and Public Image,” a discussion of advances in recovery techniques, their impact on job creation, and the sustainability of these technologies.
Two panel sessions will be held Wednesday morning. The first session, titled “Transportation and Processing Capacity of Market Infrastructure in Emerging Plays,” will discuss the current transportation infrastructure and innovative techniques to improve the process. The final session, titled “Energy Policy Forum: Government Regulations That Affect Unconventional Resource Development,” will delve into the regulations that guide hydraulic fracturing and provide a moderated question-and-answer session.
In addition to URTeC’s technical program, panel sessions, and topical sessions, the exhibition hall will display booths from more than 100 companies showcasing technologies, products, and services for all aspects of unconventional exploration and production.