Technology Focus: Drilling and Completion Fluids (November 2013)
Authors: Jan Badrul Mohamed 
Published: February 2015

Technology Focus

This year has been a great year for me; I was able to play more rounds of golf than expected! I was also successful in sealing a few research collaboration agreements within the oil and gas industry. In September, I completed my 2-year tenure as deputy director of the University of Malaya Center of Innovation and Commercialization (UMCIC). UMCIC is the technology-transfer office at the University of Malaya, and it is responsible for protecting inventions through intellectual-property registration (patent, copyright, trade secrets) as well as promoting ideas through commercialization activities (licensing, outright sale, creation of spinoff companies).

It is no secret that commercializing research output is not as easy as 1, 2, 3. One important lesson I learned is to ensure that each patent filed originates from a great, novel idea. Ideas that are not new are considered prior art. A patent cannot be filed on previous ideas. Even if filing were possible, it would be a huge challenge to commercialize it. Thus, new steps have been introduced by UMCIC, leading to a panel of select experts of various backgrounds who perform comprehensive patent screening and evaluation. The experts also provide valuable advice to researchers.

The reality is that innovative ideas facilitate commercialization of the idea itself. Brilliant ideas are one of the main elements that drive the technological advancements in the industry. This is particularly true in upstream oil and gas. The scarcity of natural resources and increases in the demand for oil and gas cause the industry to rely heavily on novel technology.

To stay relevant and competitive, companies tend to focus on four key initiatives: the use of technology as a means to innovation, sound management through flawless execution, integration of a broad range of functional areas, and application of best practices. In this feature, I highlighted four interesting papers on innovative ideas and technology in the upstream oil and gas industry.

Innovation is everywhere—and the game of golf is no exception. Novel ideas and technological breakthroughs have helped many golfers enjoy their game much more as they shoot lower scores. A golfer like me needs the technology out there to ensure “green in regulation” and to “get up and down.” Selecting the right technology will allow you to lower your scores, lengthen your career, have more fun, and, most importantly, walk and smile like Tiger Woods on the golf course.

I hope you enjoy and benefit from the selected and highlighted papers. There are other interesting papers on the recommended reading list. For further reading, the OnePetro online library has additional papers.

Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

SPE 156575 Development of Environmentally Friendly Lost-Circulation Materials for Riserless Drilling by Hitoshi Matsui, Waseda University, et al.

SPE 164748 Engineered LCM Design Yields Novel Activating Material for Potential Application in Severe Lost-Circulation Scenarios by Sharath Savari, Halliburton, et al.

SPE 165335 A Novel Mud Formulation for Drilling Operations in the Permafrost by Ahmed H. Kamel, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

SPE 161914 Evaluation of Nonreactive Aqueous Spacer Fluids for Oil-Based-Mud Displacement in Openhole Horizontal Wells by Peter Osode, Saudi Aramco, et al.