A company is examining the possibility of using microwave technology for extracting usable hydrocarbons from oil shale.

Unconventional oil resources are increasingly important in the quest for energy security. Global liquids discoveries have failed to replace oil production for more than twenty years, and there is concern that conventional oil resources will not be able to meet growing supply requirements to fuel worldwide economic growth.

Next-generation computed tomography (CT) scanning reveals the actual pore structure of shale reservoirs at the nanometer scale, and breakthrough algorithms compute the physical properties of shale from these 3-D images — all with unprecedented accuracy.

A new three-level well-life system is helping cement-job designers to diagnose problems in advance to build cement sheathes that maintain integrity throughout the life of a well.

Efficient fracturing techniques used with an appropriate multistage fracturing completion can achieve higher initial gas rates, increased recovery rates, and reduced completion costs.

Many of today’s drilling prospects are challenging, expensive, and in some cases undrillable. Managed-pressure drilling techniques are increasingly being applied as a solution to overcome barriers and increase drilling performance.