When: Wednesday, December 15, 2021 | 11:30 am-1:00 pm

Where: Denver Athletic Club | 1325 Glenarm Pl, Denver, CO 80204

Title: "SPE Gaia Sustainability Program Overview & Panel Session -
Perspectives on Sustainability in Oil and Gas"

Speakers:
Josh Etkind, Global Deepwater Digital Transformation Manager at Shell;  SPE
Gaia Chair
Johana Dunlop, IOGP Membership Engagement Manager; Founder and 2019-
2021 Chair - SPE Gaia Sustainability Program
Panelists:
Jim Crompton, Professor of Practice, Colorado School of Mines
David Stewart, VP Environmental Solutions and Regulatory Affairs, Project
Canary
Title: SPE Gaia Sustainability Program Overview & Panel Session -
Perspectives on Sustainability in Oil and Gas
Abstract:
As the world charts a path to net zero, the oil and gas industry is at the
epicenter of the pressure to change. A stark example is the need to address
methane emissions across exploration, production, processing, and

Abstract:
As the world charts a path to net zero, the oil and gas industry is at the
epicenter of the pressure to change. A stark example is the need to address
methane emissions across exploration, production, processing, and
distribution activities. Innovation is improving our ability to detect
emissions. The ability to measure what matters is providing engineers and
scientists with the data necessary to take corrective actions. Listening to
the challenges and communicating our progress is essential to establishing
credibility in a world with increasing focus on environmental, social, and
governance (ESG) responsibility. And, this goes far beyond methane
emission to include other challenges such as water stewardship, land
conservation, and the need to invent systems to support the energy
transformation.

This is a 2-pronged sustainability event:

1) Hear how the SPE Gaia Sustainability Program aims to empower those
at all levels within organizations to help address the planet’s
sustainability challenges.
2) Get panelist perspectives on sustainability activities that are impacting
the oil and gas industry. Colorado is active with initiatives that are
helping to make our industry more sustainable.

When: Tuesday November 23, 2021 | 12:00 pm to 1:00pm

Where:  Dominion Tower, 600 17th Street, Suite 2300 Denver, CO 80202

Registration Link

Title: Water Management in the Rockies: Outlook, Trends, ESG, and Way Forward

Discussion Topics:
How does a positive drilling and completion outlook in the Rockies affect the
way water is handled?
What learnings are to be had from increasing regulatory restrictions in the
Permian as it pertains to the Rockies?
E&P behavior in an ESG focused operating landscape
Latest in water management trends and developments for Rockies operators

Bio:
Ryan Hassler is a Senior Analyst on the Rystad Energy Shale Intelligence team,
specializing in oilfield services research and market intelligence. Ryan joined Rystad
in January 2019 coming from a background in the Canadian oil and gas industry
working in operations and engineering roles for heavy oil and oil sands mining
producers. In this role, he is the lead analyst covering the US L48 water
management market, while also contributing to US Land drilling and completions
forecasting and the frac sand market. Ryan currently sits in Denver, Colorado after
having spent 2 years in Houston, TX and holds a BASC in Chemical Engineering
from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

When: Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Denver Athletic Club | 1325 Glenarm Pl, Denver, CO 80204

Title:  "Unified Well Spacing and Completion Design for Unconventionals – A Physics and Data-Driven Approach"

Speaker: Walter C. Dobbs, International Reservoir Technologies, Inc. 

Abstract:

Development of unconventional plays requires an early election of horizontal well targeting and spacing.  As operators fine-tune development plans, changes to that initial framework can take years to implement due to long lead times for land, permitting, and planning.  However, hydraulic fracturing design remains a more flexible design element, representing a powerful force for optimization.

With a combination of accessible physics-based modeling and data analysis, engineers can see through the noise of multi-variate systems to create high-confidence integrated well spacing and completion designs for frontier and mature field development and for campaigns that have been drilled but not yet stimulated.  This approach mixes long-standing reservoir engineering practices with developing ideas about how to represent the hydraulic fracturing process and response.

A Dynamic Stimulated Reservoir Volume modeling workflow constrained against treatment, flowback, and production data enables engineers to interpret the most efficient stimulation fluid volume and forecast performance for any system.  Model predictions and field data are unified in an elegant visualization that illuminates a complex multi-well design space.  Insights about the impacts of geology and reservoir conditions highlight the potential for design customization across the play.

In stacked plays, the application of these techniques becomes even more important.  This workflow was developed and applied extensively in the Denver-Julesburg Basin Niobrara play.  The asset team validated the approach against a 70-well field trial then used it to decipher regional performance and ultimately to post-appraise and design drilling and completion campaigns for the most efficient use of capital.

Bio:

Walter Dobbs has spent over 25 years interpreting and forecasting reservoir behavior in support of programs designed to maximize oil and gas recovery and investment returns.  He specializes in dynamic reservoir modeling, well performance analysis, and reservoir fluids characterization and has participated in field studies of conventional and unconventional plays in several North American and worldwide basins. Walt is passionate about using the practice of reservoir engineering to reveal unique stories told by the dynamics of petroleum reservoirs.  He holds BS and MS degrees in Petroleum Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming.

When: Thursday November 11, 2021 | 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Liberty Oilfield Services, 950 17th St Ste 2400, Denver, CO 80202

FREE! Pizza and soft drinks will be provided, courtesy of Liberty Oilfield Services.

Registration Link

Summary:
A discussion on different types of corrosion and wear (and their associated mechanisms) followed by an overview of commercially available mitigation techniques, including their practical downhole applications are the focal points of this talk. Commonly accepted practices and myths about downhole corrosion and wear mechanisms, and the importance of using preferred life extension procedures and products to maximize the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) by solving the root cause(s) of downhole failures are also included. Available techniques used to determine root causes for downhole failures will also be reviewed. Finally, this talk includes an overview of some useful material selection guidelines for metallic and nonmetallic materials, chemical treatments, mechanical methods, liners and coatings that are currently used downhole, focusing on the advantages and limitations of each approach. The primary objective of this work is to assist subsurface, completion, production, artificial lift and enhanced recovery engineers in understanding and avoiding expensive downhole corrosion and wear failures cost effectively.

Bio:
Rob spent the last forty years (started in 1980) of his career evaluating the interaction of materials with different service environments and comparing the most cost-effective selection strategies to control corrosion and degradation of material properties. Rob began his career as a research engineer recreating various industrial service environments and studying their effects on metals, plastics, coatings and elastomers primarily for the oil and gas industry.
He was the Technology Director, Western Hemisphere at Tuboscope for ten years prior to his current position as Chief Technology Officer at Western Falcon in Houston, Texas USA. At Western Falcon, Rob has developed four new commercial thermoplastic liners to internally protect tubulars from corrosion and wear. He has been awarded four patents and has two pending patents for internal pipe liner technology applications. Additionally, Rob manages the quality testing and technology ventures at Conestoga Supply Co. relating to their steel oil country tubular products.

Rob is a member of NACE (Now AMPP), ASM, ACS, and the Energy Rubber Group. Rob is the Charter and Current Chairman of NACE TEG-524X on Downhole Coatings and Liners and Past Chairman of NACE STG 33 for Nonmetallic Materials in Oil and Gas Production. (edited) 

When: Thursday, October 28, 2021 | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Where: Top Golf -- 10601 E Easter Ave, Centennial, CO 80112

Registration Link

About this event

For $35/person pre-sale before Oct 20th or $45/person regular sale before Oct 25th, this frightfully fantastic takeover includes delicious heavy hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine, and hours of fun! Costumes are strongly encouraged!

Those interested in riding the party bus will meet at Denver Union Station and be dropped off at Centennial Top Golf location. Return trip included.

We look forward to seeing you there for a casual and exciting SPE YP Top Golf event!

We look forward to seeing you there for a casual and exciting SPE YP Top Golf event! 

Visit Denver SPE website  for the latest updates, or feel free to reach out directly to YP Chair Andrew Johnson with any questions (AJohnson23@slb.com).

When: Tuesday October 26, 2021 | 12:00 pm-1:00 pm

Where: Liberty Oilfield Services training room | 950 17^th St. Denver

Registration Link

Title: "Fracture Model Calibration for Conventional and Unconventional Rocks"

Abstract:

Fracture growth modeling has seen two dramatic changes over the last two decades.  First, the completions industry found a way to economically stimulate unconventional rocks. Second, fracture modelers “got their eyes” through commercial development and proliferation of direct fracture diagnostics such as micro-seismic fracture mapping.

Direct observations from fracture mapping enabled calibration of fracture models, resulting in a "roller coaster ride" of changes to frac modelers’ understanding of how fractures grow.  To explain these observations, modelers incorporated new physical mechanisms – simultaneous growth of multiple fractures, fracture tip effects and composite layering effects – into their models.

What the speaker would like members to take away from this lecture is that model calibration has become a vital part of the fracture modeling process, creating ever more realistic fracture growth predictions.  Calibration has made fracture models more valuable as tools to evaluate economic tradeoffs, making fracture models more practical tools than ever before.

Bio:

Dr. Leen Weijers is VP of Engineering at Liberty Oilfield Services and served as its Business Manager at Liberty’s founding. Leen worked at Pinnacle Technologies from 1995 to 2011, where he oversaw development of a commercial fracture growth simulator, FracproPT. Leen has authored dozens of publications, and completed his doctoral research at the Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

When: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 | 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Denver Athletic Club | 1325 Glenarm Pl, Denver, CO 80204

Title: "Integrating Multiple Diagnostic Methods to Determine Limited Entry Treatment Effectiveness"

Speaker:  Dave Cramer, 2021/2022 SPE Distinguished Lecturer and Senior Engineering Fellow for Conoco Philips Global Completions.

Abstract:

This presentation covers the essential elements of limited entry treatment design and reviews a case study of plug-and-perf horizontal well treatments in an unconventional shale play. In the case study, various diagnostic methods were used to better understand and quantify the factors determining limited entry effectiveness. Three diagnostic methods were implemented: 1.) injection step-down tests and pressure analysis of the fracturing treatments, 2.) video-based perforation imaging and 3.) distributed acoustic sensing (DAS).

In-situ stress variation and perforation erosion were determined to have significant impacts on treatment allocation among perforation clusters. Other undesirable effects such as heel-side flow preference were also observed. Camera images confirmed proppant-induced erosion at the scale of individual perforations. Measurements from the digital images provided comparison points for predictive software using surface pressure measurements. DAS results provided cluster level proppant distribution values. Correlations were also observed between treatment allocation values from DAS data and values derived from perforation friction calculated from Bernoulli’s equation using the image-based entry hole diameter data.

The results of the case study indicated that a staggered perforation design using more gradual changes among clusters would lead to a more balanced treatment. This scenario was evaluated along with a job design featuring high excess perforation friction and an equal number of perforations in each cluster. Fracture-simulation runs indicated that both tactics are likely to improve slurry allocation.

The key take-away from this lecture is that limited entry treatments can result in effective stimulation along the entire wellbore when the best practices disclosed in the presentation are followed.

Bio:

Dave Cramer is a Senior Engineering Fellow on the ConocoPhillips Global Completions Engineering staff in Houston, TX and specializes in hydraulic fracturing applications.  He has published 65 technical papers and holds 2 U.S. patents.  He is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado. Dave has been selected as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer on two occasions, in 2003-2004 and for the upcoming 2021-2022 campaign.  He was the SPE Region Director for the U.S. and Canada Rocky Mountain region from 2004-2007.  His industry recognitions include the SPE International Cedric K. Ferguson Certificate (2020), SPE International Distinguished Member Award (2019), SPE International Completions Optimization and Technologies Award (2011), and SPE Denver Section Henry Mattson Technical Achievement Award (1993).

When: Thursday, September 16 2021 | 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Where: Recess Beer Garden | 2715 17th Street #103 Denver, CO 80211

Registration Link

Join SPE to kick off the 2021-2022 term!

Join the Society of Petroleum Engineers-Denver as we kick-off the 2021-2022 session with an in-person summer social. This event will celebrate the accomplishments of our Regional Award winners and the continuing participation of our members who have been a part of the organization for over 25 years. Reconnect with other SPE members as you share light appetizers and drinks in a networking environment!

When: Wednesday September 15, 2021 | 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Denver Athletic Club | 1325 Glenarm Pl, Denver, CO 80204

2020/2021 SPE Distinguished Leturer

Speaker: Anthony Allison, Senior Artificial Lift Advisor at Occidental Oil & Gas

Abstract:

Gas/liquid ratios (GLRs) typically increase later in the life of a sucker rod-pumped well, and unconventional reservoirs may have high GLRs from the beginning of production.  How to handle that gas production is important for sucker rod pumps, as the efficiency is reduced when gas enters the pump.  A project was undertaken to quantify several methods used to handle gas production with sucker rod pumps and the effectiveness of each.

This project focused on three areas of design or operation intended to improve gas handling:

·       Gas separator design:  The sizing of downhole gas separators was reviewed, and steps were taken to match the pumping system with the proper separator.  In cases where the separator was not pulled, the pump displacement was adjusted to ensure it was within the capacity of the existing separator.  Where there was an opportunity to replace the separator, the design was modified to ensure the separator capacity matched the expected well production.

·       Variable speed drives:  Horizontal wells do not provide consistent inflow, but rather exhibit slugging behavior as portions of the lateral load up with liquid or gas.  This makes pump-off control difficult with conventional rod pump controllers, which stop the pump completely when there is a lack of fluid at the pump.  The performance of variable speed drives was studied to determine if continuous operation while adjusting the speed to accommodate slugging would improve production.

·       Backpressure valves:  Backpressure has been used as a method to improve the performance of wells with gas interference, but the benefits have been questionable compared to the negative impacts on equipment loading.  Wells with elevated tubing backpressure were identified, the backpressure was reduced to line pressure, and the impact on performance was monitored.

Bio:

Anthony Allison is a Senior Artificial Lift Advisor for Occidental Oil & Gas, where he provides in-house support for the analysis, optimization, and troubleshooting of sucker rod pumps globally.  He has thirteen years of experience with sucker rod pumping systems, and currently serves as chairman of API Subcommittee 11, which oversees standards related to artificial lift equipment.  Anthony has previously served as chair of the SPE Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition-Americas and as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer.  He holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering Technology and master's degree in Petroleum Engineering, both from Texas A&M University.