Development and Testing of Advanced Drilling Products George H. Medley (medley@maureng.com; 713-683-8227) John H. Cohen (jhc@maureng.com; 713-683-8227) William C. Maurer, Ph.D. (mei@maureng.com; 713-683-8227) William J. McDonald, Ph.D. (mcdonald@maureng.com; 713-683-8227) Gerald T. Pittard (pittard@gbsusa.com; 713-683-8961) Maurer Engineering Inc. 2916 West T.C. Jester Houston, TX 77018 Advanced technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace in the drilling industry. Technologies which are evolving include horizontal, underbalanced, and slim-hole drilling. Proper application of these technologies can reduce the cost of drilling and increase the productivity of natural gas wells. Very few tools have been available to operators to assist with the proper application of these technologies. An additional wide-spread problem in the industry is the inability to keep abreast of developments as they occur. This often results in a duplication of effort and wasted research funds that could be avoided with better technology transfer.
