American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 65

Outlook 2015
intracycle stimulation design service helps us deliver more efficient stimulation to a well. This advanced service provides optimized pumping schedules and engineered diversion spacers to
segment multiple proppant cycles placed over a zone. In the Eagle Ford and Bakken, this technology has enhanced compartmentalization by up to 300 percent, and has reduced overall completion time and cost in both plug-and-perforate and open-hole, sliding-sleeve, multizone completions.
We also are addressing historically steep production declines
in shale wells by meshing advanced stimulation service with patented custom coating chemistry to generate targeted fracture
geometries with conditioned stimulation materials to achieve the
greatest drainage potential from each well through long-term fracture conductivity and effective surface area.
In two trials, our stimulation technologies delivered wells that
are number one in production in their respective geographic locations, in both target formations (Bakken and Three Forks). Now,
more than ever, our customers are relying on us to provide technology differentiators to further enhance the economics of their
assets.
In terms of particular areas for future innovation, fiber optics
comes to mind. Halliburton has exceled in delivering fiber optics
solutions to unconventional development. Fiber optics is a lifeof-the-well solution that can give us information about well integrity, stimulation effectiveness and production efficiency in real
time. By utilizing fiber optics, we can generate a well production
log to help understand the true effective fracture geometry at every
producing interval. This level of discrete understanding for effective fracture placement is unparalleled in the industry.

On the other end of the spectrum, what are your expectations for the Gulf of Mexico and other offshore
basins in 2015? What key technical lessons have been learned
in developing reserves in ultrademanding plays in ultradeep water, and how is that learning being incorporated in new technology development? What specific technologies and services are on the drawing board to enhance operational success,
reliability and safety in offshore projects in the Gulf and elsewhere around the globe?

MILLER: The integrated delivery of services in deep water is
critical to helping operators lower costs. Halliburton will continue to reduce uncertainty and increase its reliability in deepwater
operations, and will remain focused on technologies that help us
to do so, such as a new sampling-while-drilling tool that reduces
uncertainty and saves rig time by allowing customers to take multiple fluid samples at once.
Another new technology is a high-performance, invert
emulsion drilling fluid system that stabilizes circulating density in order to drill more complex wells more reliably. The system's rheological profile is designed to provide low, controlled
equivalent circulating density in wells with narrow porepressure/fracture-pressure gradients, reducing the risk of
drilling-induced fractures.
We rely on a strong geomechanical foundation to improve well
design for customers. Predrill pressure and stress predictions drive
estimates of a prospect's viability, and we are increasingly using

more 3-D seismic to construct field-scale models that can improve
production predictions. At the same time, real-time solutions can
reduce dramatically the common problems associated with
drilling, such as kicks, losses and hole-stability issues that account
for more than 40 percent of nonproductive time in deep water.
From a safety perspective, Halliburton is pleased to be the first
company to achieve API Specification Q2 certification for our
Baroid drilling fluids and waste management services in the Gulf
of Mexico. Spec Q2 is a risk-based quality management system
that involves extensive audits of safety practices and service quality, and we worked very hard to help API develop and implement
the standard around the globe. We are committed to reliability and
safety offshore. Our Indonesian facilities also have achieved Q2
certification.

Finally, the industry has undertaken concentrated efforts to recruit and train a new generation of oil and
gas professionals. How do you evaluate the manpower situation with respect to technical professions? Realizing there is no
substitute for experience, are technologies and strategies
available to help operators and service companies minimize the
learning curves associated with new hires, particularly recent
college graduates? Are there additional measures the industry
can take in partnership with academia to further improve the
technical proficiencies and "job readiness" of new industry entrants?
MILLER: Helping to train and develop the next generation of
Halliburton's workforce is very important to us, and we believe
this should start before students reach college. We are involved
actively in creating and supporting K-12 education programs within the industry in conjunction with the Offshore Energy Center
and the Independent Petroleum Association of America/Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association petroleum academies.
Both promote energy education and understanding before students
make their college decisions. Hands-on experiences and high
school internships within these programs expose students to our
company and employees, so they can experience first-hand the
exciting opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
At the college level, Halliburton's University Advisory
Board-part of the Halliburton Foundation-reviews proposals from
universities and makes grants to those partner schools. We have
university partnerships with more than 40 core schools and make
numerous technology grants to these schools each year. Many of
these grants have technical components where our company partners with the schools to teach, mentor and train students.
Diversity is also an important element in building a strong workforce. When it comes to additional measures the industry can take,
I would note that, within the science, technology, engineering and
math professions, we still see shortages in the number of women
entering the industry. We partner with universities and professional organizations to ensure we play a part in shaping the future of
this demographic, with the goal of getting more women interested in this field.
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JANUARY 2015 65

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015

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