Michael H. Weatherl

Engineering Consultant and President Well Integrity

Michael H. Weatherl, SPE, is an engineering consultant and president of Well Integrity in Scott, Louisiana. He holds a BS degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Tulsa and has been a registered petroleum engineer in Texas since 1993. Before starting Well Integrity in August 2014, Weatherl worked as a drilling and completion team leader for Hess’ New Ventures Unit in Houston following assignments in Norway and offshore Americas. Before Hess, he worked for 25 years for Chevron, including in a number of positions in production and drilling in Louisiana and Texas. Weatherl is a member of the JPT Editorial Review Committee and serves on the SPE Deepwater Drilling and Completion Conference Committee. He has been a member of SPE for more than 30 years, has authored several papers, and served as a technical editor for SPE Drilling & Completion from 1991 to 2013. Weatherl can be reached at weatherlsr@yahoo.com.

Drilling

Drilling Automation and Innovation-2022

Changes in our industry have accelerated at a dramatic rate in an array of key technologies. Some of these initiatives have been under way for years and are familiar themes to SPE readers: artificial intelligence, automated decision making, data analytics, and visualization to name a few. Papers selected for this feature were chosen to highlight some of these areas of…

February 1, 2022 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling

Drilling Innovation-2020

Without exception, the featured articles reflect increased volumes of surface and downhole data that are being captured and analyzed to enable deep learning, improved efficiency, safety, and value.

January 31, 2020 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling

Drilling Innovation-2019

Examples of evolution in well construction during the past several years include new horizontal-well applications, breakthroughs in bit and directional-drilling technology, synthetic fluids, fracture-stimulation advancements, managed-pressure drilling, and the digital revolution.

January 31, 2019 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling

Drilling Technology and Rigs-2018

Phrases such as “dawn of the new age of the oil and gas industry,” and “the fourth industrial revolution” echoed through halls of SPE events in 2017 and into the new year, with rapid advancements in big data management, digital connectivity, and high-performance computing.

January 31, 2018 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling

Drilling Technology and Rigs-2017

Sustaining innovation and well performance during economic downcycles is a hot topic right now. However, the severity of this downturn has resulted in an unprecedented purging of existing paradigms. In this context, it is important to reveal and highlight new initiatives and success stories.

January 31, 2017 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling

Drilling Technology-2016

Implementation of new technology can require that leadership and key team members be willing to step outside their comfort zones.

January 31, 2016 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling Technology-2015

As is often said, all of the easy reserves already have been produced. Long gone are the days when low-risk, low-cost wells were drilled, completed, and put on production for a quick payout.

January 31, 2015 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Drilling Technology-2014

Once again, we find ourselves in a time of extreme challenges on many fronts in the arena of well construction, with corresponding needs for technological advancements.

January 31, 2014 • Michael H. Weatherl • Journal of Petroleum Technology