The E&P editors and staff proudly presented the winners of the 2018 Special Meritorious Awards for Engineering Innovation in May at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. The awards recognize service and operating companies for excellence and achievement in every segment of the upstream petroleum industry. The following pages spotlight the 14 winners the independent team of judges picked that represent a broad range of disciplines and address a number of problems that pose roadblocks to efficient operations.

Schlumberger’s StingBlock technology won in the drillbits category. On hand to receive the award from Hart Energy’s Russ Laas (fifth from the left) were (from left to right) Jonathan Hird, Ryan Mushinski, Allen White, Robert Onyejekwe, Dwayne Terracina, Wiley Long, Philip Trunk, Vinay Malhotra and Maria del Mar Portela.

From left to right, Halliburton’s Alban Duriez, Lisette Vitta and Derick Zurcher accept an award from E&P’s Jennifer Presley (second from the right) for the company’s JetPulse, one of the two winners in the drilling systems category.

From left to right, Schlumberger’s Farid Hamida, Sherif Shohdy and Bryan Coryea receive an award from Hart Energy’s Russ Laas (second from the right) for its Lift IQ service, winner of the artificial lift category.

Weatherford’s Endura dual-string section mill was one of the two winners in the drilling systems category. From left to right, Delaney Olstad, Michael Smalley and David Teale receive an award from Hart Energy’s Russ Laas.

Saudi Aramco garnered two awards: Its DrillCam technology won in the exploration category and its CO2-EOR and sequestration project with a comprehensive monitoring program won in the HSE category. Ashraf Al Tahini (middle) received the awards from Hart Energy’s Peggy Williams (right) and Russ Laas (left).

Reveal Energy Services won in the nonfracturing completions category for its IMAGE Frac. On hand to accept the award from E&P’s Jennifer Presley (middle row third from the left) were (front row left to right) Erica Coenen, Paloma Das, Justin Mayorga and Brent Vering; (middle row left to right) Larry Jones, Michael Capparelli, Sudhendu Kashikar, Charles Kahn, Eric Zenero, Rebecca Hand and Bruce Goldfaden; and (back row left to right) Scott Senften, Jeff Kopp, Sean Spicer, Steven Wells, Scott Miller and Rusty King.

Hart Energy’s Russ Laas (left) presented Schlumberger’s Stephany Siswanto and Bengt Arne Nilssen an award for its Pulsar multifunctional spectroscopy service, winner of the formation evaluation category.

In the drilling fluids/stimulation category, Pegasus Vertex Inc. won an award for its CEMPRO+ technology. Pictured from left to right are Gefei Liu, Hu Dai and Hart Energy’s Russ Laas.

Stage Completions won an award for its SC Bowhead II in the hydraulic fracturing/pressure pumping category. From left to right, Danny Jimenez, David Nordheimer and Daniel Rojas accept the award from Hart Energy’s Russ Laas.

For the subsea systems category, Diamond Offshore and Trelleborg Offshore won an award for their Helically Grooved Buoyancy and were on hand to accept the award from Hart Energy’s Russ Laas (far left). Pictured from second left to far right are John Drury, Geir Otto Amundsen, Collin Gaskill, Harris Reynolds and Antony Croston.

E&P’s Jennifer Presley presents (from left to right) Todd Jackson, Chris Hales, Roy Woudwijk, Toby Begnaud, Miguel Paz and Ed O’Malley an award for Baker Hughes, a GE company’s Torus valve, which won in the IOR/EOR/remediation category.

Schlumberger’s WellWatcher Advisor took the honors in the intelligent systems and components category. Pictured from left to right are Farid Hamida, Varma Gottumukkala, Hart Energy’s Russ Laas and Graham Watson.

Weatherford won an award in the onshore rigs category for its AutoTong system. From left to right, Scott McIntire, Karsten Heidecke and Mainer Herrera accept the award from Hart Energy’s Russ Laas.