General Chair Welcome

Welcome to the official IOR 2012 website. April 14th through 18th, 2012, the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Mid-Continent Section will host the Eighteenth Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This symposium series, which began in 1978, continues its long history as the Society of Petroleum Engineers premier meeting on the topic of improved oil recovery.

The theme of the 2012 Symposium is “Issues and Options in an Uncertain World”, which reflects the state of the world’s economy and its effect on our industry. Throughout the early history of this symposium series, oil prices displayed some volatility but averaged about $20 per barrel. As I write this letter, world oil prices are over $100 per barrel continuing a rise that began in 2003. While oil prices are currently not the highest they have been in recent years they do reflect the continued economic and political uncertainty seen around the world. The world’s economy is on the road to recovery and demand for oil and gas continues to increase.

In the most recent survey of IOR projects around the world, one third of the new projects being implemented were outside of the Americas. This is a clear reminder that understanding the lessons learned from past IOR projects and developing new technologies and methodologies are important the world over. New discoveries are becoming more challenging and increasingly more unconventional. As demand for oil and gas continues to grow the leading-edge IOR technologies presented at this conference will be applied on a global scale.

I invite you to actively participate in the conference, either by submitting a paper proposal, sponsoring an event, exhibiting your services or products, or attending the conference. Whatever your role or interest—producer, vendor, faculty member, student, policy maker, regulator, investment analyst, or other interested party—you can gain insights and knowledge that can be applied immediately, not years in the future. Key elements of the Symposium include the technical sessions, the plenary session and the exhibit hall.

Join us in Tulsa for the Eighteenth Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery. I look forward to seeing you there. I know that we will all learn something, and enjoy it in the process.