SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference and Exhibition
Each year DSATS and ART together hold a half-day symposium addressing a theme relating to the automation of drilling rigs and well construction. This symposium precedes the 2025 SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference & Exhibition with stand-alone registration. Seating is limited to 100.
DSATS is the Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Their purpose is to accelerate the development and implementation of systems automation in the well drilling industry by supporting initiatives that communicate the technology, recommend best practices, standardize nomenclature and help define the value of drilling systems automation.
ART is the Advanced Rig Technology Committee of the International Association of Drilling Contractors. Their mission is to improve safety and efficiency through sound operating procedures, design of automated systems and standardizing automation.
Drilling systems automation (DSA) is a unique technology that has been successfully applied in multiple well construction operations. The primary drivers for DSA are efficiency improvement, process safety, environmental protection, and further optimization opportunities.
In the past years, new disruptive technologies such as AI and ML have entered the market (and our lives). They demonstrate significant benefits and promise transformative changes, especially for automation, yet they may also introduce new risks along with new opportunities.
Within the context of DSA, how can we leverage these and other technologies? How, if at all, does their emergence change our perspective and approach? Can we afford to ignore them, or should we plan to embrace them to reap the benefits? How and where should we integrate them, considering the known concerns for safety and reliability?
In Norway there has been significant adoption of automation and AI and ML in fields outside of well construction, which provide different views on the application and benefits of these technologies to industrial challenges. In “Automation, data and robotics in other industries” we invite experts from these external fields to describe their successes and challenges, and the benefits realized, in applying advanced automation technologies.
