The complexity of well design and drilling requires teams of talented individuals, yet individual decisions can make or break a well. We have learned that any individual on the team can be liable for the well and that we need even stronger processes to catch bad decisions and create redundancy to avoid the rare catastrophic event. The next generation of deepwater drilling technology must closely link the mechanics of well design and well behavior to the complexity of the earth with models that are constantly updated with real-time data.
Peter B. Flemings, Research Scientist, Institute for Geophysics, and Jackson Chair in Geosystems at the University of Texas at Austin
Subscribe
