Contributions from inventors like Stephen Greci and Dr. Sam Lewis exemplify Halliburton's innovative spirit
Halliburton’s commitment to new technology development started when Erle P. Halliburton first patented the two-plug oil well cementing system in 1921 and later garnered 38 additional patents for his own innovations. Rather than rely on established technologies, Halliburton invents new and better ways to help our customers produce more oil and gas with greater efficiency.
Innovation, technology. That’s the key to winning in this business.
– Halliburton Chairman, President, and CEO Jeff Miller on CNBC’s Mad Money
Contributions from inventors like Stephen Greci, senior technical advisor, Halliburton Completion Tools, and Dr. Sam Lewis, chief Research & Development (R&D) chemistry advisor, Halliburton Cementing, exemplify this philosophy. Read below to see how each of these innovative individuals celebrate the remarkable milestone of issuing 100 U.S. patents at Halliburton:
Greci's journey to 100 U.S. patents began when he joined Halliburton in 2007 as part of the newly launched screens development team tasked with building technology for the product line.
“I was lucky to be in a group with a lot of really smart people,” recalls Greci. “It was a fast-moving team creating products that we didn't have - screens, flow control devices - everything was new.”
His first invention disclosure introduced the crimping process used to seal off the screen ends without extra parts. This premium mesh product, today known as the PetroGuard® Mesh™ screen, remains a standard product line, with variations that include the PetroGuard® Armour Mesh™ screen, a 2022 World Oil Awards finalist.
Halliburton screens and inflow control technology has evolved beyond simple screens and Inflow Control Devices (ICD) with increasingly innovative products. Greci's 100th U.S. patent, co-invented with Distinguished Engineer Michael Fripp, “Density-based autonomous flow control device” is a novel technology that expands EquiFlow® AICD capabilities.
Greci credits open communication and opportunities to collaborate with “outside-the-box” thinkers at Halliburton who have helped mold his ideas into useful technology. He encourages new engineers to speak up when they have an idea, even if they don't think it's “the new wheel” and glean from the wealth of knowledge at Halliburton.
“Sometimes, people don't submit something because they don't think it is revolutionary, so then it never happens. But there are so many innovative thinkers who work here, and the collaboration is incredible. People will help with different parts of your original idea and along the way you might find something that's truly novel or better. There's always another way to do things. The purpose is to make better products.”
With 124 U.S. Patents and additional pending applications, Greci currently ranks No. 11 among active Halliburton employees.
Dr. Sam Lewis is chief Research & Development (R&D) chemistry advisor in the Halliburton Cementing Technology Applied Science & Processes (CASP) group, which is responsible for the research, development, and global technical support of the Cementing product service line chemistry and engineering technologies.
In his 19 years with Halliburton, Dr. Lewis' contributions have directly influenced Halliburton's market-leading cementing position. His work helped develop and launch numerous legacy Cementing additive and spacer products, including Tuned® spacers. His recent projects include research and development for Tuned® Defense™ cement spacer, HalAdvance™ 344 cement additive, and IsoGuard® cement additive.
Some of Dr. Lewis' favorite work includes the foam cement and surfactant chemistry involved to develop the ZoneSeal® 4000 additive and Foamer 1026™ foamer/stabilizer. This product is commonly used by several product lines, and he enjoys the chance to learn and collaborate with colleagues across the Company.
Dr. Lewis approaches problem-solving with a balance of technical creativity and pragmatism, which aids his technological innovations. He uses scientific, objective approaches to identify and implement solutions to address R&D and operational challenges.
“I enjoy innovative development specifically because it is geared towards solving problems,” Dr. Lewis said. “I fundamentally like helping people do their jobs better and meet challenges. Somewhat by definition, a problem that needs to be solved needs innovation – otherwise it would already be solved.”
Dr. Lewis started with Halliburton Cementing in 2003 as a senior R&D scientist and has advanced through technical and leadership roles to his current position. He advises Company leadership in our Technology group and various product service lines, is frequently sought by customer counterparts for his expertise, and actively participates with and is greatly respected by the industry at-large. Currently, Dr. Lewis serves as a technical and field advisor to Halliburton locations around the world, advising teams about environmental compliance, quality control, and technology development and implementation. He also mentors junior scientists and supports strategic Cementing technology initiatives.
In addition to Dr. Lewis' 100 Patents Milestone Award, the CASP group was granted 47 U.S. patents in 2022. Innovation and collaboration, two key values that define the Halliburton culture, are demonstrated by the achievements attained by Dr. Lewis and the CASP group.
“Our commitment to collaborative innovation is evidenced through the synergies among our scientists, technical professionals, and technologists globally,” said Kyris Agapiou, technology manager, Cementing. “These values are critical to effective technology development and commercialization.”
