Technical Topics

In part one of this two-part series, explore five underdeveloped US shale and tight-rock plays, from the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale to the Brown Dense, and discover why proven hydrocarbons and successful wells have yet to translate into repeatable unconventional development.

Proxy models are transforming reservoir management by enabling engineers to rapidly evaluate and optimize thousands of operating scenarios, helping improve CO2-EOR, carbon storage, geothermal, and underground gas storage decisions while keeping high-fidelity reservoir simulation at the core of validation.

Operational drift in oil and gas starts with small, undocumented deviations that compound over time, making real-time visibility, digital workflows, and frontline execution data critical for preventing safety incidents, compliance failures, and costly operational disruptions.

Rock sample characterization, widely used in hydrocarbon exploration and production, is emerging as a critical tool for understanding and optimizing subsurface mineral extraction through in-situ leaching.

A data-driven look at fuel savings, battery degradation, and net CO2 impact over a 10-year ownership period.

Machine learning is transforming equipment reliability by enabling predictive maintenance, improving safety, and reducing costly downtime across drilling, production, pipelines, and CCUS operations.

Energy security in today’s oil and gas industry goes beyond production—maritime logistics and resilient energy transport networks are emerging as the next critical competitive advantage.

This commentary by the chair of the SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section examines how AI is reshaping petroleum engineering careers, highlighting growing risks to entry‑level training, judgment development, and the future pipeline of subject-matter experts in high‑consequence industries.

Lean Six Sigma, through its DMAIC framework, offers a data‑driven approach for reducing waste and variation in oil and gas operations and is explored here as a practical solution for improving drill-bit inventory and lease management despite limited industry adoption.

Gas chromatography is a proven tool supporting the safe, compliant, and optimal operation of operation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage processes.