IADC DEC Tech Forum – “Is the Juice Always Worth the Squeeze for MPD?”

Meeting & Venue Details

All times listed are central (17:00 Houston)

Register now: IADC Drilling Engineers Committee to hold pub-based, debate-style forum titled “Is the Juice Always Worth the Squeeze for MPD?”

The IADC Drilling Engineers Committee (DEC) will hold its Q3 2026 tech forum on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 1^st, in Houston. The venue is TBA but will be a Houston-area pub/bar to allow for a networking happy hour afterwards. Tentative timing is from 1-4pm, followed by the happy hour.

Why isn’t MPD universal after decades of using it? Some project teams have crossed the chasm to realize success previously unattainable. They won’t go back. Other teams bring up using MPD every few years only to reject it (again) when its benefits can’t be definitely quantified in the face of substantial investment. The self-fulfilling reframe is, “We never needed it before and we did just fine.” Drilling engineers are front and center in the discussion, but not necessarily the key decision maker or stakeholder.

Some key questions continue to nag at us:

• Do we drilling engineers understand MPD well enough to integrate it into the well design and operations?
• Is MPD too complex or can it be simplified and still be effective?
• Can you quantify the value MPD brings, especially when a project is successful?
• Where and why do the lines cross between MPD and Well Control?
• Who should own and run MPD systems and where should the expertise lie?
• Are we ready, as an industry, to embrace different MPD improvements?
• Have we over-regulated MPD to the detriment of adoption?

The Debate: Small debate teams will pose their own question, then pitch their position to the audience. Members of the audience will be given opportunity to explore and take exception to that position, and we’ll see where the conversations take us. The only limitation will be the time slots for each team.

Our goal is helping drilling engineers frame their opinions for or against MPD in their own words.

Come join us as we explore using MPD!

For more information, contact Linda Hsieh, linda.hsieh@iadc.org, +1-713-292-1945, ext 219.

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General Committee 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. For any questions, please contact the IADC Committee Coordinator. IADC Technical Committee meetings are not open to the Press.