For over ten years, oil tool manufacturer GEODynamics has helped operating and service companies complete more profitable oil and gas wells through the use of advanced technology; an approach making the company an industry leader and which has enabled it to grow in this competitive field.
~
“We’re always focused on new technologies to solve problems and reduce costs,” says Cameron Kirkpatrick, VP of Sales and Business Development for GEODynamics. “We have a robust technical team, industry experts, and consultants that make us dominant in the industry. We apply the solutions, resulting in more economical well completions.”
Headquartered in Millsap, Texas, GEODynamics maintains numerous distribution facilities in diverse oil-producing regions globally, including Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as Canada and Mexico.
David Wesson and Michael Potter founded GEODynamics in 2004, with the vision of being the technical leader in downhole perforating. In order to achieve their goal it was necessary to emphasize new product development, a task which the engineers of GEODynamics have set out to achieve and continue to conquer. Both with impressive backgrounds, Mr. Wesson has been in the oil and gas industry since the early 1980s and previously worked with Geo Van, Halliburton, and later served as President/CEO of Owen Oil Tools, giving him much experience in this line of work. Mr. Potter has also been present in oil and gas through Exploration & Production, sourcing materials for production, and in the business and sales management of this vast industry.
GEODynamics is the global technology leader and solutions provider in four key markets: perforating systems, completions tools, intervention tools, and wireline tools; according to the company website, www.perf.com.
GEODynamics’ CONNEX® Reactive perforating shaped charges are designed to deliver clean, open tunnels, regardless of rock type. Every tunnel receives its own cleaning action independent of other perforations, resulting in a much higher percentage of clean tunnels and an ideal flow path between the undamaged reservoir and the wellbore. CONNEX® charges eliminate acid treatments, reduce breakdown and treating pressures, improve treating rates, eliminate tortuosity, and minimize the risk of screen-out, says the company. GEODynamics also distributes detonators and detonating cords, wireline accessories, and wireline tools for perforating.
The company’s FracPlane™ system uses angled perforations to place fracture points on the same plane, taking “the guesswork out of limited entry perforation design,” says the company. Available in 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 shot designs, FracPlane™ can also be combined CONNEX® charges.
GEODynamics’ SmartStart PLUS Time Delay Test + Frac Valve is a time delayed pressure-activated sliding sleeve that eliminates the need for tubing-conveyed perforating when completing the toe stage of horizontal wells; this allows the operator to meet maximum casing pressure test requirements. Key features include an optional time delay setting of 15 or 30 minutes, enabling the operator to exceed regulatory casing integrity test requirements. It also improves efficiencies further by operating two or more tools and fracturing the first stage of the well.
In addition to its quality products, GEODynamics also offers a Perforation Simulation Consulting service, a strategy for perforating that has evolved into a focus on overall optimization of well performance. The way charge performance is measured, analyzed, modeled, and evaluated is evolving and advancing, thanks to GEODynamics’ iPerf modeling software, advanced laboratory facilities, and elite team of engineers.
The experienced GEODynamics Simulation Services team uses iPerf and other software tools to provide guidance and insight in the development of a perforating strategy that is specific to an individual well or an entire field. Users of the iPerf system can import log data files and build models at log resolution instead of using average reservoir properties. They can also select and compare gun systems from a database that includes over 1,200 systems from major manufacturers as well as calculate rock, reservoir, and fluid properties. The iPerf system can also be used to predict situational system performances at log scale and model clean tunnel penetration as well as total target penetration for more accurate inflow prediction.
The iPerf system can also be used to compare inflow performance for alternative systems or different downhole conditions, to use nodal analysis to evaluate surface outflow performance with upper completion constraints, or to easily create multiple wells and perform detailed scenario and sensitivity studies. Users of the system can use software models to select well candidates and optimum perforating system designs.
GEODynamics also has a state-of-the-art technology evaluation facility that delivers the data clients need to develop and select perforating systems to maximize well performance. Within the lab, the company’s team of experts help clients minimize uncertainty and maximize asset value. The GEODynamics engineering laboratory was constructed to provide consistent, reliable assessment of perforating charge and system performance. Clients can perform tests that can be carried out on single charges or fully‐loaded systems, and targets can be shot under ambient or stressed conditions. GEODynamics follows industry standard test protocols, and can perform customized tests engineered to represent the client’s specific downhole situation.
GEODynamics leads the industry in the development of perforating systems yielding optimum flow performance under downhole conditions, and such systems can only be developed and manufactured with the support of an advanced perforator evaluation facility. The company has an “open door” policy at its laboratory, as the lab is seen as an essential tool in helping clients develop, identify, and deploy the right perforating systems for their wells. Tests can be executed economically and efficiently; supporting clients in their decision-making processes.
To meet the needs of all their clients, GEODynamics offers customer-specific tests to evaluate perforating products under specific conditions representative of the actual downhole environment in which the product will ultimately be deployed. This allows clients to evaluate a perforating system before running it in a well, reducing risk and optimizing results.
With the recent downturn in oil prices, GEODynamics has had to address a shrinking market and new challenges that are impacting the entire industry. However, Mr. Kirkpatrick believes that the team’s dedication to technology will help them weather the storm. “We’re on the upstream side of the business,” he explains. “The market has shrunk, rig counts are down and inventory well counts are up, but we are muscling through it. Our technology sets us apart, and we are constantly looking for new opportunities to help operators reduce lifting cost.”
Mr. Kirkpatrick says GEODynamics will focus on staying competitive by continuing to diversify and reach new markets, and he is confident there is “room to grow” in the sector.
Indeed, the company’s achievements in the oil and gas sector have not gone unnoticed. The company has made the Texas A&M University’s Aggie 100 List several times and was named #1 in 2006. The Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world.
In spite of the challenges faced in today’s oil and gas market, GEODynamics will continue to prosper thanks to a focus on innovation and technology. The company’s holistic approach to engineering, testing, and manufacturing ensures the most reliable perforating and completion tools on the market.
“We are heavily focused on customers and customer service,” Mr. Kirkpatrick says. “We care about our customers and want to help them be successful. The only boss in our organization is the customer.”
