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SME and SPE co-hosted a Local Pittsburgh Meeting, May 2009

Laurance A. Beck, PhD, PE, PG
SME Pittsburgh Section

In partnership with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Pittsburgh Petroleum Section, the SME Pittsburgh Section co-hosted a technical meeting on May 20, 2009. The meeting attracted over 34 mining and petroleum industry professionals as well as members from regulatory/research agencies and academia. The joint event consisted of a social hour, dinner, and then a technical presentation at Cefalo’s Restaurant in Carnegie, PA.

The presentation was given by SME and SPE member, Stephen Kravits, President and CEO of Target Drilling Inc. (TDI). It was entitled "A Unique Well Strategy that Maximizes Estimated Ultimate Recovery(EUR) and Enhances Plugging Effectiveness Using Polymer Gel Prior to Mining". The presentation provided a better understanding of the difficult CBM drilling technology and specifically described TDI’s dual coal bed methane (CBM) well technique, resulting gas production benefits, and the effective sealing of CBM dual wells using a reformulated poly-acrylimide cross-linked gel uniformly mixed and pumped into the coal laterals. The meeting concluded with a question and answer session where the audience learned more about the challenges of directional drilling and plugging techniques for coal seams.

The SME Pittsburgh Section appreciates and thanks Steve Kravits and the SPE Pittsburgh Petroleum Section for their leadership and assistance in making this meeting a successful endeavor. For more information about the SME Pittsburgh Section activities, upcoming events, and membership information, please visit www.smepittsburgh.org.

SPE Section Chair and SME-member Chuck Boyer, SPE member ?, and SPE Program Chair Kirby Walker (all from Schlumberger) enjoy dinner before the technical presentation.

Steve Kravits (standing) shares his expertise, skills, and knowledge with professionals from the mining and petroleum industry.