Training Courses

Enhance your conference journey by enrolling in a pre-event training course. Choose from a diverse array of courses listed below, ensuring you align your selection with your unique learning and professional growth requirements. SPE collaborates with esteemed industry experts to curate training programs that span a broad spectrum of relevant subjects. Participants can earn 0.8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for one-day courses and 1.6 CEUs for two-day courses, further enriching your educational experience.

Pre-show courses are scheduled for Sunday, February 2nd, and Monday, February 3rd, both taking place conveniently at the conference venue.

Training courses are not included with the purchase of conference registration and must be purchased separately during the registration process.

Fees

Length	By 6 January	7 January - 2 February	3 February
1 Day Technical Courses (In-Person)	USD 550 Member USD 750 Nonmember	USD 750 Member USD 950 Nonmember	USD 750 Member USD 950 Nonmember
2 Day Technical Courses (In-Person)	USD 1000 Member USD 1400 Nonmember	USD 1400 Member USD 1800 Nonmember	USD 1400 Member USD 1800 Nonmember

Two-Day Course on Sunday, 2 February – Monday, 3 February

Hydraulic Fracture Simulation and Optimization - Conventionals, Shale, and Geothermal

Instructors: Mark McClure

This course is designed as both an introduction and a refresher on the topic of hydraulic fracture modeling. It includes both theoretical fundamentals and practical applications. The course focuses on topics that help engineers drive practical value. Lectures are interspersed with hands-on examples using a commercial fracturing simulator.
Topics include:
- Objectives and types of hydraulic fracturing treatments
- Types of hydraulic fracturing models
- Key physical processes, such as fracture propagation, proppant transport, and limited-entry
- Strategies for practical optimization of fracturing design, including: conventionals, unconventionals, and Enhanced Geothermal Systems
- Thermoelastic fracturing during long-term water or CO2 injection

Learn More

One Day Training Courses on Monday, 3 February

Casing Deformation Associated with Multi-fracturing - Causes and Methods of Reducing the Damage

Instructor: George E. King

Hydraulic fracturing places both static and dynamic stresses on casing and completion components that may not be apparent in conventional design programs. Non-uniform loading of formations, casing and cement may be driven by cyclic pressures of several thousand psi, temperature swings of over 100o F, erosion by proppant, and shock loading of the completed well. These problems can result in both temporary and permanent deformation or even well failure in rare cases. This course examines real-world case histories of casing deformation and isolation failure linked directly or indirectly to fracturing-induced stresses and covers the design and operational changes necessary to mitigate these problems. This 1-day course is example based and delivered as a lecture with videos, downhole measurements, and case histories.

Learn More

Fluid Compatibility Mini-Workshop

Instructors: Dr. Kimberley MacEwen, Roberta Wasylishen, Stuart Kinnear and Dr. Jennifer Adams

Compatibility of fracturing fluids with injection water, commingled chemicals and formation mineralogy is a key driver of well performance that is challenging and specific. What if improving your frac fluid compatibility could substantially accelerate your reserves recovery or even increase your EUR?

Completion engineers are overloaded - tasked with the assessment of frac fluid chemical formulations, the substitution of chemicals due to supply chain disruptions, the oversight of the completion process, the procurement of service providers, and all while staying within the AFE. This workshop will provide practical lessons learned from the lab and field, delivered by experts from both sides of the border. It is tailored to the interests of completions, exploitation, reservoir, and production engineers alike. Participants will exit with a solid understanding of fluid chemistry, the chemical selection process and how to manage fluid variability – often a critical factor in production optimization. Registrants will also be better equipped to engage in future fluid chemistry discussions with their pumping companies; talks essential to optimizing their frac fluid "cocktail." Our presenters are looking forward to candidly sharing their best practices and of course the common pitfalls and costly mistakes caused by incompatibility that they have encountered in their careers.

This interactive mini-workshop will be moderated by a guest presenter, TBA soon.

Learn More

Critical Geomechanics Concepts and Applications to Unconventionals Completions

Instructor: Dr. Neal Nagel and Dr. Marisela Sanchez-Nagel

Geomechanics – in both completions and drilling operations – has become a critical technology in the development of Unconventional Plays. This course presents the basics of oil field geomechanics and its application to unconventional developments, specifically, the role of stress, pore pressure, mechanical properties, and natural fractures on hydraulic fracturing operations. The first portion of the course will focus on the fundamentals of oil field geomechanics including stress, mechanical properties, and failure. The latter part of the course will focus on hydraulic fracturing for Unconventional Resources with an emphasis on the characterization, geomechanics, modeling, and field aspects of Unconventionals hydraulic fracturing (hydraulic fracturing in heterogeneous rock masses with the presence of discontinuities and weakness planes).

Learning Objectives:

Understanding of the key concepts of stress and deformation in rocks
Understanding of the critical role of pore pressure and effective stress on rock behavior
Review of the critical geomechanics components/inputs for hydraulic fracturing
Understanding of the critical geomechanical inputs for hydraulic fracturing in Unconventionals

(Learn More)