Drilling Decision Management in the Age of Drilling Automation
When: Jan 20th, 2020 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (Italian Time), Sala Goliat - V Building Eni
Associated with SPE Italian Section
Drilling Decision Management in the Age of Drilling Automation
by Distinguished Lecturer Richard Meehan, Schlumberger
Abstract:
Drilling automation is coming. Most Drilling Control System vendors have early commercial drilling automation solutions, and many are working on new and improved systems. Forward looking Operators and Drilling Contractors are evaluating these offerings, and many are actively pursuing field tests. Some Operators are even developing their own in-house methods. These systems will help exploit the capabilities offered by modern AC-VFD rigs, but many challenges remain. Automated systems are good at executing instructions – the key to improving performance is to make sure the instructions are suitable for the task in hand, and that they can be easily modified and improved based on actual outcomes. Effective drilling decision management requires a combination of data driven offset well analysis, understanding of the capabilities of automated execution, and the ability to make the link between cause and effect in drilling processes and procedures. Effective decisions also need to consider the contractual and business relationships between the players involved, and the equitable spreading of risk and reward will be key to future progress. Drilling Automation could be a remarkable enabler for our industry. The one key idea to take away from this presentation is that by working together and "focusing on a system approach" we can take advantage of this developing technology to make sustainable improvments to well construction.
Biography:
Richard Meehan is the Drilling Automation Program Manager for Schlumberger, based in Katy, Texas. After graduating in 1985, with a Master of Science Degree in Thermal Power from the Cranfield Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom, Richard joined Schlumberger Cambridge Research where he worked as a Research Scientist. In 2000 he moved to Houston, to lead a team developing Drilling Engineering software applications for both internal Schlumberger and external commercial use. Since then, Richard has held various drilling engineering related positions in Schlumberger in both the US and China, taking the lead role in Drilling Automation in 2013.