Aramco joins industry to advance unconventional breakthroughs for sustainability

Aramco participated in the annual Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC), considered the world's premier event for specialists in the field.  Held July 26-28, this year's conference was a hybrid.

Attendees were given the option to join online or in person at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Aramco supported the event as a Diamond level sponsor.

Now in its ninth year, URTeC is a joint effort between the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).

The conference looked at energy transition in a changed world and how the contribution of unconventional resources is critical to help ensure a clean, sustainable future.

Aramco at URTeC
Our company's geoscientists and engineers joined in the discussion on how to optimize unconventional resource plays with new breakthroughs, including such Industry 4.0 technologies as artificial intelligence and deep learning.
 
Throughout the three-day conference, our team presented 15 technical papers representing the collaborative work between Saudi Aramco and Aramco Americas, and others in industry to ensure well integrity and forecast production.
 
For example, Aramco co-authored a technical paper highlighting a joint study to better predict field production by genetically fingerprinting soil bacteria near the surface.  Using machine learning, scientists are capable of tying species counts to underlying hydrocarbon reservoirs to help pinpoint where drilling should begin.
 
Aramco Americas geomechanics specialist Gang Han was the keynote speaker at one of the URTeC topical luncheons.  Han is the new 2021-2023 president of the American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), an international society of scientists, engineers and educators in the field of rock mechanics and geomechanics.  His presentation focused on well integrity, with a perspective on the geomechanics related to casing damage and hydraulic fracturing.
 
Aramco also hosted an exhibit booth at the URTeC Expo.  Our company conducted a series of in-booth technical presentations and engaged with individuals interested in careers with Aramco or opportunities for business collaboration.