When the phrase “Scientific Drilling” was coined, sometime after World War II, it conjured up the notion that independent scientists could probe the earth’s depths to learn more about the nature of this planet and how its resources developed.
In 1969, James Murray, an engineer living in Houston, TX launched a technology company. He wanted to use the latest scientific drilling practices and navigation solutions to help oil and gas producers, miners, and geothermal companies plumb this planet’s depths for new reserves. Aptly, he named the company Scientific Drilling Controls (SDC).
Murray soon introduced the world’s first downhole electronic steering tool (called “the Eye”) to enable directional drillers to accurately orient downhole motors to deviate wellbores. Building upon its earliest triumphs, in 1977 SDC introduced the world’s first surface readout gyro (SRG) tool, then in the 1980s, launched directional drilling and specialized north seeking gyros.
In 1986, Don van Steenwyck, a World War II navy veteran and electronics engineer, owner of California based Applied Technologies Associates (ATA), acquired SDC as the implementation arm of his engineering designs and concepts in wellbore navigation and real-time communications while drilling. Scientific Drilling International (SDI) was formed. With his guidance, the company would grow immensely and prosper, continuing to deliver cutting edge technology to the industry.
Fast forward to 2017, and SDI, under strong leadership, has a vision “to become the ultimate partner in wellbore placement and productivity around the world.” It continues to produce innovative and robust technologies that deliver the ultimate in accuracy, living up to the founder’s dream. SDI is dedicated to its employees, without whom, none of this would have been achieved.
According to Chip Abrant, SDI’s senior vice president of Global Operations and Sales, SDI has a long and proud history of delivering top quartile results. “We view ourselves as the smallest of the big five international drilling companies. Our workforce of 1,500+ employees consistently delivers a 12-month rolling average of 0.12 incidents for every 200,000 person-hours worked (Total Recordable Incident Rate – TRIR). That’s an exceptional safety record and it’s a major reason why we have repeatable business.”
Abrant, a geological engineer from the Colorado School of Mines, attributes SDI’s achievements to its people living the company’s mission and goals. “We make it easy for our customers to do business with us. We help our employees build great careers by hiring top talent and empowering them to make the right decisions. And, we pioneer new technology to maximize the value we create for our clients.”
Added Service Offerings
In its almost 50 years of operation, Abrant reports, this multi-million company grew and expanded into more than 30 countries – drilling onshore and offshore, logging conventional and non-conventional wells, and manufacturing its equipment to work efficiently in environments ranging from tropical rain forests to environmentally hostile Siberia. Decade by decade, SDI has added new tools to its offerings – survey and steering, measurement and logging while drilling, production logging, active and passive magnetic ranging, directional drilling, wellbore navigation, and surveying and logging services. SDI is a world leader in providing services to the oil & gas, mining, and geothermal drilling industries. It also offers: performance drilling, horizontal drilling, fluid/mud drilling, air/mist/foam drilling, multi-well/pad drilling, underground coal gasification, pipeline/river crossings, and re-entry drilling and measurement. Each offering brought more expertise to the company so that today it provides a unique suite of production logging services to the oil and gas, mining, and geothermal industries.
SDI is the only company in the wellbore navigation/directional drilling business that builds all its systems in-house, down to the sensor level.
Canadian Operations
In Canada, SDI employees and equipment have turned in top performances directionally drilling multi-wells from SAGD pads near Fort McMurray, horizontally drilling and logging the prolific Bakken formation in southeastern Saskatchewan, and using gyro modules in Iceberg Alley to survey Hibernia wells (offshore Newfoundland and Labrador).
In November, 2016 SDI set a Bakken shale well record at Stoughton, SK. The client challenged SDI to horizontally drill a 3,176 metre well in less than five days. Employees analyzed the data from a previous well and determined the operating parameters and wellbore placement. They recommended using the high speed mud pulse Falcon MWD to take full advantage of the reduced survey times that top drive rigs provide.
SDI delivered tangible gains, across all hole-sections, with record average ROP’s in the vertical, build and lateral sections. This was the first well of this design to be delivered in 4.85 days from spud to rig release.
According to SDI’s Abrant, it’s Canadian and global employees live its core values of safety, integrity, teamwork, innovation, passion and humanity. “In summary, every customer counts. Every employee counts. Every job counts.”
Scientific Drilling’s remarkable technical equipment, its brilliant scientists and inventors, supported by its cadre of passionate employees continue to probe the earth’s depths to enable the production of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, living up to its name!
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