R&D/innovation
The newest recipient of the title SPE Legend of Hydraulic Fracturing talks about his career, the evolution of fracture stimulation, the development of increasingly useful simulators, and the future of the oil and gas industry. The honor was given at the 2026 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference and Exhibition.
Findings from two new SPE papers argue that the tight-rock sector needs to rethink longstanding assumptions about how hydraulic fractures form underground.
SLB's and Baker Hughes' partnerships with NVIDIA and Google Cloud, respectively, will develop advanced AI-enabled power optimization and sustainability solutions for the global data center sector.
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One of the defining features of the 21st century will undoubtedly be the changing relationship between humans and automated machines. -
At the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, one of the most innovative ideas discussed was a liquid proppant designed to turn into strong spherical balls to keep a fracture open.
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The US government is working on regulations to reduce oil industry methane emissions by more than 40% over the next 10 years.
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Add a new possible use for downhole casing: It can serve as broadcast antennae.
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In the northeastern desert of Utah, a new type of oil sands extraction technology has been born. The company behind it claims the process is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to develop oil sands.
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Saudi Aramco’s plan to create a global network of research centers is becoming a reality. It recently celebrated the opening of its Houston center that the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer Khalid Al-Falih described as “an upstream research center like no other.”
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Last year, lawmakers in the United States sent a blunt message to the oil business: If it wants new exploration and production technology, it will need to pick up more of the cost.
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Saudi Aramco is on a mission to increase the amount of seismic data that it collects by fourfold, while reducing costs and acquisition time by half of what it spends today.
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A destructive run of three hurricanes has been a catalyst for a flurry of innovations in decommissioning shallow-water wells in the US Gulf of Mexico.
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Diamond-tipped cutters are the leading edge for technology development as companies seek an advantage that will allow customers to drill faster and longer before changing bits.
