01 April 2026 — JPT April Issue
(VOL. 78, NO. 4)

April 2026 Issue of JPT — Now Available to SPE Members

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is excited to announce the release of the April 2026 edition of the Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT), the flagship magazine serving energy professionals around the globe. Active SPE members can now access the full digital issue online for the latest insights, case studies, and expert perspectives in oil and gas technology, exploration, and production.

What’s Inside the April 2026 JPT (VOL. 78, NO. 4)?

Key Features and Editorials

• Energizing Tomorrow: SPE’s Value Proposition
  What makes SPE membership truly worthwhile? Technical resources, professional development, global networking, and industry recognition—SPE membership offers more than meets the eye. In this month’s column, discover how SPE benefits members at every career stage—and why investing in your membership (or your team’s) pays off long-term.

• Comments: How AI’s Power Appetite Is Opening a New Market for Natural Gas
  Data centers could add up to 6 Bcf/D of US gas demand by 2030, creating a new opportunity for producers and reshaping how oil companies think about electricity supply.

• Guest Editorial: Guyana Then and Now—How Energy Is Reshaping Its Future
  The chair of the SPE Georgetown Section outlines how balanced, apolitical dialogue can support development amid rapid energy expansion.

• Faster, Smoother, Longer: Higher Standards for Daily Drilling Performance
  Improved bit and bottomhole-assembly technologies and designs have helped turn what used to be record-breaking drilling runs into routine expectations.

• New Answers to Tight Rock’s Biggest Mystery: What Do Hydraulic Fractures Really Look Like?
  Findings from two new SPE papers argue that the tight-rock sector needs to rethink longstanding assumptions about how hydraulic fractures form underground.

• SPE Board Announces Nominees for 2028 President and 2027 Directors
  Ian Phillips is the nominee for 2028 SPE President. He and six others make up the new slate of nominees recommended for positions open on the SPE International Board of Directors.

• Q&A With a Legend of Hydraulic Fracturing: Bob Barree Opens Up on His Journey
  The newest recipient of the title SPE Legend of Hydraulic Fracturing talks about his career, the evolution of fracture stimulation, the development of increasingly useful simulators, and the future of the oil and gas industry. The honor was given at the 2026 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference and Exhibition.

• Case Study: An Agentic AI Framework for Large-Scale Well Modeling of Offshore Field Developments
  Two examples from ONGC show how supervised AI-driven automation scaled well modeling across hundreds of offshore wells, saving more than 1,000 engineering hours.

• Case Study: Field Deployments of AI-Based IOCaaS Advancing Artificial Lift and Flow Assurance
  Examples demonstrate how an Integrated Operations Center as a Service (IOCaaS) model, powered by artificial intelligence, reduced costs by 5% and increased production by 6% in Canada.

• E&P Notes
  Updates about global exploration and production activities and developments.

• People
  This section lists with regret SPE members who recently passed away.

Technical Focus Synopses

• Natural Gas Processing and Handling by Adaobi Stephenie Nwosi-Anele, SPE, Senior Lecturer, Rivers State University

  • Emissions Reduced, Recovery Enhanced From Permeate Stream Using Integrated Process

  • Tax Incentives for CO2 Storage Alter Midstream Operations in the Permian Basin

  • Field-Proven Mobile LNG Technology Shifts From Flaring to Power Generation

• Completions by Shahril Mokhtar, Head of Technology and Digital, Malaysia Petroleum Management, Petronas

  • Engineer-Centered Process Creates Digital Twin of Completions Operations

  • Well Completions Optimized by Agentic Conversational Analytics

  • AI-Enhanced Multiphysics Imaging Advances Perforation-Erosion Analysis

• Heavy Oil by Sahar Ghannadi, President, Ashaw Energy

  • Steam-Sensitive Flow-Control Device Implemented in Surmont SAGD Project

  • SAGD Performance at Blowdown Phase Optimized With Autonomous Inflow Control Valves

  • Dynamic Gas Separation Integrated Into SAGD for Improved ESP Performance

• History Matching and Forecasting by Zhenzhen Wang, Lead Research Scientist, Chevron

  • Adjoint Gradient, Commercial Simulator Combine for Efficient History-Matching

  • Embed-to-Control Reservoir Surrogate Used To History-Match Geological Models

  • Near-Real-Time CO2-Plume Monitoring, Visualization Approach Considers Geologic Uncertainty

Plus:

• SPE Technical Papers Available for Download — March 2026 – April 2026
  The complete SPE technical papers—synopsized in each monthly issue of JPT—are available for download for SPE members for 2 months.

Don’t miss this month’s JPT for unparalleled analysis, technical content, and thought leadership — keeping you at the forefront of the energy industry.