MPD has been successfully deployed throughout the world since the early 2000s. Today's improved and updated technology addresses all types of wells, including deepwater wells. The main factor driving current changes: the aim to reduce the number of workers needed to operate machinery on the rig.  Consequently, integrated MPD systems are now permanently installed on several rigs and are primarily managed by the rig crew with the help of just two or three specialists.

UBD, less frequently used than overbalanced drilling, is a speciality drilling technique that reduces formation damage and improves reservoir characterisation by deliberately setting the bottomhole pressure to be lower than the pore pressure. Nitrogen producing units (NPU), 2 or 4 phase separator units, and other equipment are commonly used in UBD operations and must be carefully planned for.