Doug Pferdehirt of Schlumberger focused on the role of technology in the future of heavy oil development. His address to the delegates was well received and can be summarized as follows:

With high oil demand and prices and production of most conventional-oil reservoirs in decline, industry focus is shifting to heavy oil resources.

Heavy oil has a wide range of properties and exists in a variety of environments, so a variety of methods have been devised to produce it. Selecting the best one requires a comprehensive study to determine which recovery method will yield the greatest reserves and recovery factor, while considering energy-generation costs and environmental sensitivity. This multidisciplinary effort must incorporate fluid properties, reservoir evaluation, drilling technology, completion options, production simulation, and surface facilities.

A critical step in determining the best recovery method is to characterize and model the reservoir and its fluid properties, and their responses to thermal processes. Schlumberger is investing significant R&D funds in developing laboratory, logging, and sampling methods to improve our understanding of the chemistry and physical behavior of high-viscosity fluids.

Other factors in the success of a given recovery method are well construction and completion, in which technologies such as wellbore guidance, flexible cement, and ESPs for high-temperature environments help ensure productive wells have long lives.

Perhaps the most critical challenge to the heavy oil industry is to manage and optimize the energy applied to a reservoir to produce oil. Energy management requires access to well and reservoir surveillance data to monitor and control energy input.  
 
Ensuring optimal access to and production of subsurface resources while minimizing footprint and environmental impact will also require significant technology contributions.

These challenges are too great for a single company or institution to address. The solutions will require industry collaboration.