The Industry Forum for Drilling Practices and Technology
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AADE Houston IETG Meeting
When: Oct 8, 2026 @ 1:00 PM
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Attendance of this meeting in entirety could be credited up to 2 professional development hours.
DATE: Thursday, October 8, 2026 - 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Registration/Check-in begins at 12:45 PM.
Registration/Check-in begins at 12:45 PM.
LOCATION: Norris Conference Center – City Centre: Live Oak Room, 816 Town & Country Blvd., Suite 210, Houston, TX 77024
COST: Member: Free to attend / Non-member: $15
Non-members have the option to join as a member or renew your membership before registering, then the meeting cost will be free as well as all subsequent DTC meetings for 2026.
Program Topic:
Join IETG for a two-part Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) Series featuring two distinct technical sessions in October and January. Attend one or join us for both as we explore different aspects of MPD.
MPD Series | Part 1 of 2
"Advances in Offshore Managed Pressure Drilling"
"Advances in Offshore Managed Pressure Drilling"
SPEAKERS:
1. Nitin Kulkarni – Blade Energy Partners
Presenting: "Advances in Deepwater Managed Pressure Drilling"
Managed Pressure Drilling Riser Joints (IRJs) have become a key enabling technology for deepwater operations, providing a safe and efficient means of integrating the MPD system with the marine riser. This presentation reviews the evolution of MPD technology, including below-tension-ring RCDs, annular isolation devices, flow spools, valves, and instrumentation. It will highlight key design and operational considerations, system integration challenges, and lessons learned from the application of different MPD Riser Joint configurations in deepwater MPD operations worldwide.
Nitin Kulkarni is an MPD Expert and Project Manager with Blade Energy Partners with more than 20 years of experience in Drilling, Managed Pressure Drilling and Underbalanced Drilling. He has supported deepwater MPD projects globally, including system design, engineering, modeling, commissioning, and operational assurance.
Nitin Kulkarni holds a master’s degree in petroleum engineering and is an IADC-approved MPD instructor and co-inventor of a U.S. patent related to subsea casing drilling technology.
2. Juan Valecillos North America MPD Engineering – Weatherford International Ltd.
Presenting: "View of MPD in Deepwater Environments"
As deepwater developments continue to push technical and economic boundaries, Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) is increasingly being incorporated as a key well construction enabler rather than solely a risk mitigation tool. This presentation will provide an industry perspective on the evolving role of MPD in deepwater applications, discussing common challenges, lessons learned, operational value drivers, and how MPD contributes to improved pressure management, safety, drilling efficiency, and decision-making. The session will also touch on emerging trends in the industry, including automation and the evolving future of deepwater drilling operations.
Juan Valecillos holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and is currently the North America MPD Engineering Manager for Weatherford. He leads the MPD Engineering organization supporting Canada, U.S. Land, U.S. Offshore, and Caribbean operations. With more than 22 years of oil and gas industry experience, including over 18 years with Weatherford, he has held a variety of field, operational, engineering and management positions supporting drilling, MPD and UBD projects across Latin America, the Middle East, and North America regions. He has authored several industry papers and technical articles on MPD and UBD technologies, with a particular focus on new and practical applications in complex land and deepwater drilling environments.
3. Dave Smith, BD Technical Manager – Expro
Presenting: "Controlled Mud Level MPD Improves Offshore field economics by reducing well cost and improving production"
For drilling offshore where there is a water column between the drilling rig and the mudline, an alternate form of Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) is available called Controlled Mud Level (CML). The CML form of MPD uses a Subsea Pump mounted on the Marine Drilling riser to adjust the fluid level in the riser allowing control over Bottom Hole Pressure. This presentation gives an overview of a typical CML system, explains some of the applications providing value to industry, and provides some case histories of how these application of the CML technology have reduced drilling costs and also improved well production. Specific technologies to be discussed include removal of shallow intermediate drilling liners using a dual gradient method, and allow gravel packing of narrow margin wells.
Dave Smith graduated Texas A&M University with a BS in Petroleum Engineering. He has worked for a major service company in cementing and coiled tubing in Europe. Worked for Operators both offshore and in engineering roles in the North Sea. Mr. Smith currently works for Expro MPD division formerly known as Enhanced Drilling in a Business Development role. He has also worked with Enhanced Drilling as Operations Manager and Project engineer for MPD and subsea pumping projects.
4. Darren Mourre – SVP-Americas – Salos Sunesis
Presenting: “Uses of Drilling Simulators for MPD Training”
Followed by a live demonstration of the simulator.
Followed by a live demonstration of the simulator.
Drilling simulators have become one of the most practical tools for training crews on managed pressure drilling, letting them run choke manifolds, manage backpressure, and work through kick and loss situations in a setting where mistakes don't cost a well. This talk focuses on what the simulator actually makes possible: repeatable scenario runs, real-time hydraulic feedback, and the ability to dial up difficulty, from routine equipment orientation to tight-margin and equipment-failure situations, without waiting for those conditions to occur naturally on a rig. That repetition is what builds fast, reliable judgment in situations where hesitation has consequences. The talk closes with a live demonstration on the simulator itself, running through several of these scenarios in real time. And as time allows the attendees will have the opportunity to try the systems."
Darren Mourre is SVP Americas at Salos Sunesis LLC, a technical and human-performance coaching and training firm serving the onshore, offshore, upstream, midstream, downstream, manufacturing, aviation, and non-oil-and-gas industries. A petroleum engineer with more than 25 years of experience across drilling contractors, rental companies, manufacturers, service companies, and operators, his expertise spans drill pipe, tubulars, subsea systems, onshore and offshore drilling operations, and data analytics. He holds U.S. Patent 10,815,772 B2 for wellsite detection technology, is a Professional Engineer and Chartered Engineer, and has worked in more than 30 countries across three continents.
Register Here.
Reservations are required!
Deadline for reservations is Tuesday, Oct 6.
Location:
Norris Conference Center - CityCentre - Live Oak Room
816 Town & Country Blvd., Suite 210
Houston, TX 77024
Registration begins at 12:45 PM.
Parking:
The Norris CityCentre facility is located at the corner of intersection of IH-10 West and Beltway 8. The location features plenty of complimentary parking.
IMPORTANT NOTE – For your convenience, we encourage you to park in the garage that is attached to the Norris Centers location (enter the parking garage from Beltway 8). Take the “up” ramp in the middle of the parking garage. You will see signs with the Norris name and logo directing you to the correct floors to park. Please note that a number of parking spaces are reserved for other tenants of the complex and have “reserved” signs identifying these spaces, so please avoid parking in these reserved spots. There is plenty of parking on the roof!
For additional driving directions & a map, check their website at: https://norriscenters.com/houston-citycentre-map/
Contact houston@aade.org for any further questions.
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