Downhole chemistry: Q&A with Dow Oil & Gas GM

Dow Oil & Gas has a wide range of conventional products covering functionalities from corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, biocides to fluid loss additives and rheology modifiers. We see more demand for products that operate at higher temperatures, in corrosive environments and with a variety of mud systems that our customers use. An interesting point about this region is that crude types even differ from country to country within the GCC and Iraq. One will find that drilling and production technologies – including chemistry – are often particular to each country, and sometimes even differ between areas within the same country. For example, Oman employs the methods of enhanced oil recovery while the rest of the GCC generally does not need to do so.

What are the most exciting developments happening today?

Product development is being driven by the growth in unconventional wells and extreme environment conditions. We believe that new chemistries and material sciences will be key to meeting the needs of our customers, the oilfield service companies, and their customers. In the Middle East, we are also seeing slow movement towards green chemistries to diminish the effects of formation damage as what is currently done in the North Sea.

What are the pitfalls involved in buying cheaper goods?

New technologies will not be viewed in terms of dollars per kilogram; rather they will be viewed more in terms of total cost to drill or complete a well, as well as the eventual increased production life of the well. Anything we can do to decrease the hours on a rig will result in lower cost to end users. Increasing productivity by reducing damage caused to the formation will increase the value of the overall solution, which is a win for all parties involved.