Technology Focus: Drilling Management (September 2010)

Abstract

Technology Focus Certainly there is not a single JPT reader that has not already read and heard about the Macondo-well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Over the last few months, this accident has been present in almost every conversation about the oil industry. Many articles have been written, and many more certainly will be prepared and presented at future conferences. The subject has been present in the daily media around the world. In the SPE Drilling and Offshore Operations technical interest groups, several posts have generated heated discussions as well as a diverse array of propositions about how our industry should proceed from now on. So it seems natural that this JPT section dedicated to drilling management also should address the subject. For those of us working in the GOM area, it is more than clear by now that this accident will change the industry forever; and not only in the GOM. Members of the industry, managers and technical experts alike, are taking this occasion to reassess operational procedures, equipment safety, and training needs to find opportunities for improvement that will make our operations safer and more efficient. A proficient drilling-management process is now more important than ever. This process must permeate all phases of a project, from early planning to final execution. Risk assessment of all operations must become a routine. Last year, I wrote in this space about the importance of risk management for drilling and completion operations. I mentioned that there are many articles concerning successful projects in which risk analysis was a fundamental part of all operations. Now may be the right moment for all of us to follow those engaging examples. At the risk of being repetitive, I would like to conclude with exactly the same words that I used to close last year: “It is clear to me that drilling management is related closely to risk management. The correct assessment of all risks involved in drilling operations will provide better planning and consequently will improve operational results.” Drilling Management additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org SPE 128288 • “Drilling Efficiency and Rate of Penetration—Definitions, Influencing Factors, Relationships, and Value” by Graham Mensa-Wilmot, SPE, Chevron, et al. SPE 128222 • “High Performance and Reliability for MPD Control System Ensured by Extensive Testing” by John-Morten Godhavn, SPE, Statoil, et al. SPE 128871 • “Real-Time Drilling-Data Analysis: Building Blocks for the Definition of a Problem-Anticipation Methodology” by R.A. Gandelman, Petrobras, et al.