IADC Underbalanced Operations & Managed Pressure Drilling (UBO/MPD) Committee
Mission Statement
To promote the safe and efficient execution of underbalanced operations and managed pressure drilling worldwide.
Officers
Chairman
Andre Alonso Fernandes, Petrobras
Vice Chairman
Oscar Gabaldon, Blade Energy Partners
Staff Liaison
Leesa Teel, IADC
Join the Committee
Please contact the IADC Underbalanced Operations & Managed Pressure Drilling (UBO/MPD) Committee.
Meetings are open to IADC members.
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Committee Structure
A member appointed by the Chairman of IADC will chair the IADC Underbalanced Operations & Managed Pressure Drilling (UBO/MPD) Committee. The Committee Chairman may at his discretion appoint a reasonable number of Committee Vice-Chairmen to oversee specific disciplines or issues (e.g., onshore/offshore safety issues, environmental practices, specific regulatory issues, etc.)
General meetings are open to participants from all categories of IADC membership. The Chairman may invite non-members to attend when it furthers the interests of the Committee. At the discretion of the Chairman and IADC staff, the meeting or portions of the meeting may be exclusively reserved for drilling contractor members. Meetings will be held at such times and locations as may be selected by the Chairman with the advice of the Committee.
IADC Committee activities are governed by IADC’s Antitrust Policy and Guidelines. IADC Technical Committee meetings are not open to the Press.
Meeting Minutes
| Date | Function | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ||
| 3-5 December 2024 | General Committee Meeting | Weatherford, Houston, TX |
| 19-20 September | General Committee Meeting | Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro |
| 4-6 June | General Committee Meeting | Blade Energy, Houston |
| 28 February-1 March | General Committee Meeting | IADC HQ |
| 2023 | ||
| 5-7 December | General Committee Meeting | IADC HQ |
| 5-6 October | General Committee Meeting | Grand Hyatt, Denver |
| 28-30 March | General Committee Meeting | Transocean, Houston |
| 2022 | ||
| 13-15 December | General Committee Meeting | IADC Headquarters |
| 29-30 September | General Committee Meeting | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 14-16 June | General Committee Meeting | NOV HQ, hybrid |
| 1-3 March | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 2021 | ||
| 7-9 December | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 17 September | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 1 June | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 2 March | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 2020 | ||
| 9-11 December | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 27-28 October | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 24-25 June | General Committee Meeting | Virtual, online |
| 2019 | ||
| 3-5 December 2019 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 17-19 September 2019 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 4-6 June 2019 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 11-12 April 2019 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 2018 | ||
| 4-6 December 2018 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 18 – 20 September 2018 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 19 – 20 April 2018 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 6 – 8 February 2018 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 2017 | ||
| 5 – 7 December 2017 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 19-21 September 2017 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 6 – 8 June 2017 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 30 – 31 March 2017 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 2016 | ||
| 29 November – 1 December 2016 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 23-25 August 2016 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 14-15 April 2016 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 23-24 February 2016 | General Committee Meeting | Rijswijk, The Netherlands
Houston, TX, USA |
| 2015 | ||
| 8-10 December 2015 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 24-26 August 2015 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 15 -16 April 2015 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 10 – 12 February 2015 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 2014 | ||
| 9-11 December 2014 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 3-5 September 2014 | General Committee Meeting | Bergen, Norway |
| 10 – 11 April 2014 | General Committee Meeting | Madrid, Spain |
| 11 – 13 February 2014 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 2013 | ||
| 3 – 5 December 2013 | General Committee Meeting | Oslo, Norway |
| 10 – 12 September 2013 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 25 – 26 June 2013 | General Committee Meeting | Frankfurt, Germany |
| 15 – 16 April 2013 | General Committee Meeting | San Antonio, TX, USA |
| 2012 | ||
| 3 – 5 December 2012 | General Committee Meeting | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 10 -12 September 2012 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 4 – 6 June 2012 | General Committee Meeting | Oslo, Norway |
| 22 – 23 March 2012 | General Committee Meeting | Milan, Italy |
| 2011 | ||
| 5 – 7 December 2011 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 22 – 24 August 2011 | General Committee Meeting | Houston, TX, USA |
| 13 – 14 June 2011 | General Committee Meeting | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 7 – 8 April 2011 | General Committee Meeting | Denver, Colorado |
Meeting Schedule
| Date | Function | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 25-27 February 2025 | General Committee Meeting | NOV, Houston, TX |
| 10-12 June 2025 | General Committee Meeting | Transocean, Houston, TX |
| 11-12 September 2025 | General Committee Meeting | Hyatt Regency Hotel, Mexico City |
| 9-11 December 2025 | General Committee Meeting | Maersk Training, Houston, TX |
Committee Meetings Policy
General meetings are open to participants from all categories of IADC membership. The Chairman may invite non-members to attend when it furthers the interests of the Committee. At the discretion of the Chairman and IADC staff, the meeting or portions of the meeting may be exclusively reserved for drilling contractor members. Meetings will be held at such times and locations as may be selected by the Chairman with the advice of the Committee.
All dates and times are subject to change.
Subcommittees
Dual Gradient Drilling (DGD) Subcommittee
Chair
Jonathan Thain, Transocean
Vice Chair
Rudy Flores, Enhanced Drilling
As defined by the IADC, DGD is “Two or more pressure gradients within selected well sections to manage the well pressure profile.”
Dual Gradient technology is not a new concept; the technology was thought of and developed on paper several decades ago. A field trial was successfully deployed in 2001 but never commercially developed. Today several developmental projects are under deployment on a commercial scale primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and several areas of the world.
Active Initiatives
Support the planning and organization of the 2015 combined Dual Gradient Well Control Workshop/IADC Well Control Conference of the Americas & Exhibition in Galveston.
Regularly update educational material on the four categories of Dual Gradient Drilling Techniques (click each link for additional information):
- Pre-BOP Riserless Mud Line Pumping
- Post-BOP Seabed Pumping
- Post-BOP Dilution
- Post-BOP Controlled Mud Level
- Post-BOP Positive Displacement Pump
Helpful Links
- Dual Gradient Techniques (Powerpoint)
- Dual Gradient Systems Attributes Handout (PDF)
Riser Gas Handling (RGH) Subcommittee
Chair
Mike Van der Staak, Halliburton
Vice Chair
Austin Johnson, NOV
HSE & Training Subcommittee
Chair
Matt Kvalo, Stasis Drilling Solutions
Vice Chair
Guilherme Vanni, Petrobras
Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) Subcommittee
Chair
Anthony Spinler, Weatherford
Vice Chair
Adam Keith, Patterson-UTI
An adaptive drilling process used to precisely control the annual pressure profile throughout the wellbore.
The objectives are to ascertain the downhole pressure environment limits and to manage the annular hydraulic pressure profile accordingly. It is the intention of MPD to avoid continuous influx of formation fluids to the surface. Any influx incidental to the operation will be safely contained using an appropriate process.
- MPD process employs a collection of tools and techniques which may mitigate the risks and costs associated with drilling wells that have narrow downhole environmental limits, by proactively managing the annular hydraulic pressure profile.
- MPD may include control of back pressure, fluid density, fluid rheology, annular fluid level, circulating friction, and hole geometry, or combinations thereof.
- MPD may allow faster corrective action to deal with observed pressure variations. The ability to dynamically control annular pressures facilitates drilling of what might otherwise be economically unattainable prospects.
Active Initiatives
The MPD Subcommittee is currently drafting the following recommended practices for multiple variants of MPD including:
Category 5: Pressurized Mud Cap – systems used to drill without returns with an annulus fluid column assisted by surface pressure.
In addition, the subcommittee is focused on completing the deepwater supplement to the Category 2 (Surface Pressure) and Category 5 (Pressurized Mud cap) documents.
Future Initiatives
Category 1: Annular Friction – systems allowing for constant circulation during drill pipe connections, thereby using annular friction to maintain constant bottom hole pressure.
Category 3: Delta Energy – systems where energy is added to manipulate the wellbore pressure by the use of equipment within the wellbore.
Category 4: Hydrostatic Pressure – systems creating a non-uniform hydrostatic profile.
Completed Documents
The MPD Subcommittee has completed the following recommended practices for multiple variants of MPD.
Category 2: Surface Pressure – systems manipulating annular pressure at surface to control and manage downhole pressures. This document is currently being reviewed by an API work group.
16RCD Subcommittee
Chair
Micah Spahn, Pruitt
Vice Chair
Joe Karigan, Halliburton
Underbalanced Operations (UBO) Subcommittee
Chair
Antonio Torrealba, Air Drilling Associates
Vice Chair
Martyn Parker, Pruitt
Liaison Reports
Regulatory Liaison
Konstantin Puskarskij, Noble Drilling
Well Control Liaison
Paul Sonnemann, Safekick
Certifying Authority Liaison
Harish Patel, ABS
Resources & Links
This page contains lists of all available resources, documents, videos for the Underbalanced Operations & Managed Pressure Drilling (UBO/MPD) Committee. These may include best practices, guidelines, and/or special reports, as well as documents on topics such as onshore/offshore safety issues, environmental practices, specific regulatory issues and more. Also included is a section for links to useful websites.
Completed Documents
| Guidance for UBO and MPD Techniques for Land Operations | This document has been created to provide a referenced guidance for MPD operations executed specifically on land locations ensuring it remains aligned to API RP 92M that applies to MPD operations executed on drilling rigs/hoists with surface blowout preventers (BOPs) installed. The document also touches on other techniques UBD, RMD & PMCD. |
| Guidance for UBO and MPD Techniques for Land Operations Tool (Zip file) | The purpose of this tool is to give a concise quick reference guidance for MPD land operations. This document is aligned to API RP 92 series recommended practice and aims to give guidance on the recommended level of equipment , planning and competency that is required to mitigate the potential operational risks based on the following: Formation risks, Planning & Execution Competence. The driver / reason for utilizing MPD. Ultimately, the goal is to assist drilling engineers to deliver safe MPD operations. |
| MPD Tool | This is a Selection Guide for Users unfamiliar with Managed Pressure Drilling Techniques and their relative capabilities and limitations. By selecting the appropriate well data and objectives, this Selection Guide will give the User a ranking of potential technologies.
(Register to gain access to the MPD Tool by filling out the form. Your account will be created and a unique password will be assigned for this download. These credentials will be emailed to the email you provide. Once you log in, you will be able to download the MPD Tool.) |
| MANAGED PRESSURE DRILLING OPERATIONS – Question submission form | As you might be aware, the IADC UBO & MPD Committee is working to establish an Accreditation Program on Managed Pressure Drilling Operations, Surface Backpressure, and Pressurized Mud Cap modes. The program will guide core curriculum development in three levels, Fundamental, Operations, and Supervisory, containing a body of knowledge and a set of job skills that can be used as a component of a competency program for Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) operations. The final aim is to build and assure competency within the Industry on MPD operations by setting a standardized curriculum, minimum qualification requirements for instructors, and providing an industry-recognized certificate. This will support the promotion of safe and efficient execution of managed pressure drilling operations, SBP and PMCD, worldwide. We have currently finalized the revision of the Curriculum for the three levels and the next step is to create the test database.
We respectfully invite your participation to support this initiative with your technical expertise. Our intent is to collect questions anonymously from IADC members and industry contributors, to compose a preliminary question collection. These will be processed by the IADC UBO/MPD Committee, HSE and Training Subcommittee task force, building the Test Database for the MPD Accreditation Program. |
| Riser Gas Handling Guidelines | The Gas in the Riser Subcommittee of the IADC UBO&MPD Committee has released the ‘Riser Gas Handling Guidelines’ to address the challenges of handling gas in deepwater rig risers. These guidelines provide practical recommendations for safely managing gas, enhancing operational capabilities, and protecting the environment. The guidelines, developed through the collaboration of industry professionals and research teams, offer valuable resources to improve safety and operational efficiency in deepwater drilling operations, and the IADC encourages industry members to embrace and contribute to these guidelines for ongoing improvement. |
| Riser Gas Tolerance Worksheet | This worksheet is freely provided by the IADC Riser Gas Handling Subcommittee in order to promote awareness and discussion of riser system gas handling capabilities when utilizing the recently published IADC Riser Gas Handling Guidelines. It is “version 1.0,” not intended as final solution, but offered to help quantify related gas behaviors in a way that promotes both better understanding of the FCCO method as well as stimulating further work toward developing reliable modeling and simulation techniques. |
Document Archives
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Committee Initiatives
API 16RCD Task Group
Updating API 16RCD, Specification for Rotating Control Devices
Underbalanced Operations Subcommittee
Updating API 92U, Specification Underbalanced Drilling Operations
Managed Pressure Drilling Subcommittee
Development of Influx Management Annex for API 92S and API 92M, Specification for MPD with Surface Back Pressure
Dual Gradient Drilling Subcommittee
Development API 92C, Specification for Controlled Mud Level Operations
HSE/Training Subcommittee
Seeking funding to implement MPD training program as an IADC accredited course
Riser Gas Subcommittee
Alternative methods for handling gas in the riser
Well Control Committee Liaison
Maintain communication between Well Control and UBO/MPD Committee. Seeking opportunities to create MPD awareness in Wellsharp curriculum
Regulatory Liaison
Maintain communication between regulators and UBO/MPD Committee