The well construction environment is becoming more challenging with deeper, hotter wells and longer reach sections in more complex geologies. Drilling and completion fluids need to adapt to support the well construction and its integrity. The next generation drilling rigs will include greater degrees of mechanisation and process control to manage more complex fluid systems and this trend is likely to accelerate. The head count at the rig site will be squeezed and reduced. Real estate on platforms is at a premium and we will need to increase efficiency and decrease the footprint. Environmental concerns will drive zero discharge and manual mixing of chemicals will become less common. There are also shortages of some essential components that make up our mud systems. All of these challenges require us to anticipate changes to well construction processes and fluids. This forum will look forward to help frame progress and changes to our well construction fluids. We will discuss the evolution of current systems as well as revolutionary new fluids.

Our future challenges include:

• Lost circulation management (due to the growth in depleted zone drilling) and wellbore strengthening

• Novel chemistries and materials

• Measuring, monitoring, automating and controlling mud systems

• Completions fluids, non-damaging reservoir drilling fluids, HTHP completions

• Mud systems for future logging needs

• Overcoming materials shortages and cost, e.g., Bbrite and synthetic base oil

• Managing nanotechnology and other advanced alternatives

• Managing high density muds

• Managing the return of water based fluids

• Greater demand for hydraulic simulation with more complex wellbores and fluids

• Zero discharge areas will be increasing as the oilfield moves aggressively in arctic, jungle and other sensitive environments; how will we cope with such demands?

• Fluid requirements for alternative drilling technologies, like managed pressure drilling, underbalanced drilling, continuous circulation and casing drilling. What advantages/disadvantages do they give us in terms of flexibility of fluid design—are there new fluid opportunities?

In this forum we will look at what is needed to transform a traditional service to meet these 21st century challenges, i.e. how can the cost, complexity and environmental impact of fluids be reduced whilst still supporting the more challenging drilling and completions?

Who should attend?
The Forum is a limited attendance meeting for up to 75 people, designed for professionals in the oil and gas industry interested in the types of rig required to reduce the existing footprint and expand the technologies required to make them competitive. The forum is aimed at people whose principal job falls into any of the following categories:

• Drilling

• Mud

• Reservoir

• Chemists

• Production

• Safety/environmental

• Well control

• Academics

• Researchers