Oil States Wins 2026 OTC Spotlight on New Technology Awards

Continuing its legacy for developing innovative solutions that solve operators' greatest challenges in the field, Oil States received two 2026 OTC Spotlight on New Technology Awards.

MPD Drill Ahead Tool

The Drill Ahead Tool, the first tool of its kind for Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) operations, represents an important technological advance as it allows drilling to be initiated faster which reduces both operating expenses and the time spent installing packer assemblies. The technology—which can be retrofit with current MPD joints—promotes faster MPD deployment by sending the tool downhole rather than retrieving it from the drill floor. This reduction in handling activities also promotes greater safety on site.

An MPD riser joint is a special piece of drilling equipment, integrated into a marine drilling riser string, used to monitor and control downhole pressure in real time. It uses independently inflatable double packers, seated within the joint, to contain pressure. Currently, a packer assembly requires a dedicated running tool run on drill string that must be retrieved to the surface after packer deployment, forcing the drill string to be re-run downhole. This slows operations. Oil States’ Drill Ahead Tool allows the packers to be installed without the removal and re-installation of the drill string.

The technology contains a lower tool section attached to the pre-existing packer assembly with six pistons and springs that push the pistons into the internal bore of the assembly. When pressure is applied, the pistons retract. The modified running tool has a notch used to lift and apply set down force during assembly installation. Using the MPD Drill Ahead Tool produces substantial time savings when deploying the MPD Joint and Packer Cassette, reducing costs.

GeoLok™

GeoLok™ is a high-temperature geothermal wellhead with an integrated tensioning system designed to improve geothermal well integrity, reduce operational costs, and enhance geothermal energy production.

With a traditional geothermal approach, placement is often inhibited by thermal profiles and retarder requirements. Such wells use reverse cementing which is prone to void creation and relies on expensive increased casing weights for greater wall thickness to manage elastic collapse. GeoLok™ decreases casing requirements and employs a ‘cut and pull’ approach that reduces material costs, heat loss, and cementing voids to lower both geothermal well downtime and operating expenses. It also rapidly detects corrosion to provide greater protection for shallow aquifers.

Whereas standard equipment typically fails above roughly 150°C, GeoLok™ leverages field-proven oil and gas technology to withstand extreme conditions in deep geothermal wells over 400°C. This enables Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) by supporting artificial fracture creation in hot dry rock, expanding viable sites beyond limited hydrothermal zones and accessing potentially 100x more resource globally. It also allows access to supercritical geothermal environments, delivering 5–10x more energy per well via higher thermal density and efficiency, driving lower costs and applications like fossil plant repowering.

GeoLok™ solves current challenges in the geothermal sector. It boosts thermal energy output and overall project efficiency as well as provides 24/7 well health monitoring, empowering crews to initiate immediate shutdowns or interventions if needed, and rapidly detects corrosion to provide greater protection for shallow aquifers.