Comments: Join Us at ATCE in San Antonio
Authors: Boschee Pam 
Published: September 2023

We’re looking forward to attending the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) next month in San Antonio, Texas, at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. It kicks off with the opening general session, “Expanding the Opportunities to Sustainably Fuel the World,” on Monday, 16 October. The offerings in a roster of 45 technical sessions begin Monday afternoon and continue through Wednesday.

More than 15 pre-conference training courses are available, 1-day courses on 15 and 19 October and 2-day courses on 14 and 15 October. All will take place at the convention center meeting rooms and tickets must be purchased separately. Discounted pricing for advance registration is available until 14 September. Participants receive 0.8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for 1-day courses and 1.6 CEUs for 2-day courses.

Special sessions are scheduled daily. Among the topics on Monday is the 11th SPE Comparative Solution Project (CSP). The call for participation was announced in March at the 2023 SPE Reservoir Simulation Conference. The goal is to provide a common platform and reference case for numerical simulation of geological carbon storage (GCS), specifically development of simulations of realistic complexity. This session will provide an overview of a recently completed forecasting and validation study conducted on a laboratory-scale proxy GCS system.

The annual PetroBowl championship competition on 16 October pitches SPE student chapter teams against each other in a series of quick-fire rounds, answering technical and nontechnical industry-related questions. The contest has grown in size and popularity since its debut in 2002, and in 2015 expanded globally with the introduction of six regional qualifier contests.

Regional qualifier competitions now take place in the Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, South America and Caribbean, Middle East, and North America SPE regions, and the top 32 teams are invited to the PetroBowl championship.

The Annual Awards Banquet on 17 October will recognize our members who were selected as the 2023 SPE International Awards recipients.

The President’s Luncheon and Annual Meeting of Members on 18 October will feature 2023 SPE President Medhat Kamal’s “state of the Society” presentation and conclude with President Kamal passing the gavel to 2024 SPE President Terry Palisch.

In this issue, JPT introduces President Palisch’s inaugural podcast episode and transcript in which he discusses the theme he has selected for his presidency, “Creating Our Energy Future.” He highlights the challenges facing our industry and SPE members, his outlook for our industry, and what his goals will be during his presidency. He will be recording podcast episodes which you can find with transcripts in the monthly digital editions of JPT and on the JPT website.

Also on 17 October, the Startup Village Energy Startup Competition and the Competition Awards Ceremony will occur in person. The competition will begin in the morning, and a reception and award ceremony will take place in the afternoon.

Be sure to visit the Exhibition Hall to learn about the latest technologies from a wide variety of companies. And swing by the SPE Pavilion, booth 630, where you can learn more about SPE with staff available to answer your questions.

Southwest Research Institute facilities (SwRI) is offering attendees a tour of its facilities on 19 October. SwRI is an independent, nonprofit research company headquartered in San Antonio with world-renowned test facilities and expertise that have been used by the oil and gas industry for more than 75 years. Tour registration is required.

On the lighter side, when you’re ready for some downtime, San Antonio offers many attractions and restaurants.

Before you go, take a look at the variety of pre-ATCE content available to watch on SPE Energy Stream. For example, Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes, shares industry insights in an interview. Sushma Bhan, SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section chair, moderates a panel discussion about generative AI and its value for the energy industry. Nayeem Chowdhury, head of CCUS at Project Canary, discusses the enabling of startups and innovative entrepreneurs in oil and gas with a panel of experts.

Enjoy the show and your time in San Antonio!