Agenda

Even though “New Technology” has become the catch phrase in today’s drilling industry, downhole losses still account for an important part of well costs overruns worldwide. Losses not only increase the mud bill, but also in a significant extent, affect the total project cost and quality through rig downtime, poor zonal isolation and well integrity issues, resulting in production impairment and short well life cycle. The risk of the operations that encounter total loss of circulation is also increased. In addition, the continuous demand for improved drilling performance, safety and environmental compliance, magnifies the challenges. Even though new solution were developed over the last several years and applied, loss circulation remains a major challenge. That is, drilling and drilling fluids industry is still encountering significant volumes of fluid lost, with Middle East area being no exception. Consequently, an important question remains to be answered: Do we have all the fundamentals of loss circulation well defined to properly plan the work, and effectively work the plan? The presentations in this section covers the loss volume trends in the Middle East in the last years as well as the most typical formations in which the losses are encountered in the area. The focus will be then on the understanding of the principles of design and selection of the appropriate combination of technology and methodology for different applications. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the current practices will shed light on the residual challenges and clarify the gaps to feed the research and development centres to improve current performance or/and develop new solutions.

Research and development of lost circulation materials (LCMs) play an important role in bringing new technologies and solutions to mitigate or eliminate downhole losses. Current successful solutions being used in the field are not out of any trial and error but extensive focus on specific challenges requires dedicated efforts on research and development, which should carry on. Given the level of importance in planning, drilling and eventual cost savings, background work related to any new technology or successful solution is seldom understood and often downgraded in terms of routine well design and product selection.

In this session, both operators and service companies will be providing insights into New Technologies that came out of R&D efforts, have been tried in their geographic area, and unknown to oil and gas diaspora. The session also discusses any out-of-the-box solutions or LCM combinations like cement, crosslinking polymers, etc.  The information in this session will aid attendees in staying abreast with the latest and most successful LCM solutions that may be applicable to their challenges or allow customisation to their specific geological situation and eventually help reduce their overall well costs.

Case studies will include trials and studies illustrating new technologies, best practices, data analysis, as well as novel applications for existing technologies.  This session is for sharing experience and showcasing ideas for changes or advances in applications, chemistry, equipment, understanding and technique.  Not to be limited to any specific area of expertise, the case study sessions allow for innovative concepts better understand the available solutions. Although many ideas are developed in the laboratory with conceptually poor or even very promising data it is not until applied in the field that they are proven.  This session is the continuation of these concepts to proof through applied science and study.

Data-driven decisions are a new trend that help manage risks in oil well drilling. Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modelling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making. Drilling fluid losses and problems associated with lost circulation while drilling represent a major expense in drilling oil and gas wells. By industry estimates, more than 2 billion USD is spent annually to combat and mitigate lost circulation. In this session we will explore success cases where the use of latest data analysis techniques including data mining, machine learning, etc. has contributed to managing, reducing or eliminating lost circulation.