College of

Engineering, Architecture and Technology

• 1986: One of seven founding members of Automatic Remote Control team – Next-gen stimulation equipment design  

• 1989: Recognized by Halliburton’s President for role in developing Halliburton’s Automatic Remote Control System  

• 1991: Presented controls tutorial to ISA OKC chapter  

• 1991: Elected Senior Member of Technical Staff by peers for outstanding contributions and recognized by Halliburton’s President for his efforts 

• 1994: Led design of offshore cementing simulator used in North Sea compliance training  

• 1996–2000: Charter member of Halliburton’s Long Range Research Group  

• 1997: Member of focus group for ITP Group structure at Halliburton Houston  

• 1997: Presented offshore cementing simulator at World Petroleum Congress in Beijing  

• 1997–1999: Represented Halliburton at the Center for Virtual Operations Research sponsored by Penn State University and West Virginia University. 

• 1998: Part of winning team for frac work contract in Algeria using Artificial Neural Networks linked to conventional well analysis 

• 1998: Best New Technology award by Hart’s Oil and Gas World magazine for AI-based production prediction and optimization system  

• 1998: Invited by U.S. Navy to help brainstorm future submarines and sensor arrays  

• 1998: Led creation and training for Project Selection/Portfolio Management System for Halliburton’s Long Range Research Centers in the US 

• 1999: MVP Award for developing a neural network-based production prediction and optimization system  

• 2000: Neural network system featured in Halliburton’s Annual Report  

• 2000–2014: Established and managed Reliability Program at Halliburton’s Duncan Technology Center  

• 2003: Inducted into Texas Tech’s Academy of Mechanical Engineers  

• 2003: Winner of Halliburton's CEO for a Day competition  

• 2005–Current: Charter member of Strategic Competitive Intelligence Network (SCIN); review ~8,000 patents annually  

• 2006: Certified Reliability Engineer by ASQ; one of only two in Halliburton at the time  

• 2007: Neural network-based production prediction and optimization included in Halliburton’s 5-year business plan  

• 2007: Invited by Chevron to present a reliability topic of his choice at HPHT Conference and later in Houston due to positive response  

• 2007, 2011: Invited to present tutorials at International Applied Reliability Symposium in San Diego  

• 2007–2011: Adjunct instructor for Cameron University teaching probability/statistics for clinical trial analysis  

• 2010: Guest speaker at Petrobras Reliability Forum in Brazil; only U.S. invitee  

• 2012: MVP award for his part in developing Halliburton’s Q10 pump  

• 2012: 2nd place presentation at International Applied Reliability Symposium – Reliability benchmarking  

• 2012: Invited speaker for ASME OKC – Presented on cavitation causes and mitigation in both centrifugal and positive displacement pumps 

• 2013: 2nd place presentation at International Applied Reliability Symposium – “Relianomics”  

• 2014: Selected to lead Surface Efficiency in Halliburton’s Big Data initiative  

• 2015: Big Data project saved $4.4 million in diesel costs and cut 36 million lbs. of CO₂ emissions  

• 2018: Transferred to Halliburton’s PE Digital Group to implement probabilistic maintenance cost models  

• 2021: Inducted into the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame  

• 2023: Granted 95 U.S. patents by Dec. 2023; 104 patents as of Mar. 2025 with more pending  

The following are examples of some of Stan’s major projects at Halliburton that required continuous learning  

 

• 1981: Electric Powered EOR Equipment  
  Stan designed Halliburton's first automatic control system for tertiary recovery using polymer floods to avoid the Windfall Profit Tax on new oil. The electric-powered system diluted high-viscosity polyacrylamide fluid into a water flood at a constant concentration. Extensive testing ensured minimal shear damage to the polymer, benefiting customers and recovering R&D costs within months.  

• 1983: Radio Remote Controlled Twin Frac Trailer  
  Inspired by a SCADA system seen at a technical conference, Stan developed remote controls for frac pumps, obtaining FCC approval for a specific frequency band. This system, designed for a twin pumping unit, controlled engine speeds, transmission gears, and monitored various parameters. The public disclosure to the FCC later invalidated a competitor's patent claim.  

• 1986-1991: Automatic and Remote Control (ARC) Project  
  During an industry downturn, Stan and a few others selected for a High Performance Team determined that 45% of Halliburton’s fracture stimulation revenue came from 15% of the jobs that required highly complex job execution.  To take advantage of this market segment, Stan and the rest of the ARC team developed next-generation stimulation equipment for complex jobs. He derived differential equations to model new blenders, developed control algorithms, and designed electrohydraulic controls to ensure the automated blender was controllable prior to cutting metal. The project included a digital twin for troubleshooting, significantly improving equipment reliability and operator training. The ARC equipment and processes placed Halliburton’s fracture stimulation technology at least 10 years ahead of their competition.  

  

1996-2000: Long-Range Research Group Development  
Stan focused on AI, data analytics, next-generation equipment, and organizational research.  

• With AI, he developed a production optimization & prediction system that would accurately forecast 2-month post-frac production within 15%. This technology helped displace competitors and significantly increased revenue. Stan also normalized noisy sales data to reveal product life cycles, guiding product support decisions.  

• In gel hydration, Stan identified the relationship between time, temperature, and shear on guar hydration rates, leading to improvements in hydration processes that enabled others to develop an Advanced Dry Gel Processor. Stan also analyzed costs associated with diesel-based Liquid Gel Concentrate, emphasizing the need for a dry gel blender.  

• For organizational management, Stan created tools for project prioritization and employee ranking using anchored scales, pair ticking, and genetic algorithms that extracted tacit knowledge from experienced managers so others less experienced could make the same quality of decisions.  

2000-2014 Reliability Program Development and Management  
Stan organized and managed the Reliability Group for nearly 15 years, continuously decreasing failures and associated costs. The program, modeled after the US Army’s Ultra Reliability Program, achieved significant cost reductions and cost avoidance. The reliability program achieved$1.5 million per year in cost reduction and $2.2 million in cost avoidance in the first two years. This success was due to benchmarking and adapting successful programs to Halliburton's needs.  

 

• Similarities Between Halliburton and the US Army  
  Both organizations are mission-based, with a focus on current performance rather than past successes. Failures pose risks to people and the environment and are costly due to expensive failures and the need for standby equipment to improve the net unreliability costs.  

• Reliability Tools and Exponential Distributions  
  Benchmarking the US Army revealed that many reliability tools, including exponential distributions for mechanical failures, are outdated. These outdated tools do not account for cumulative failure mechanisms and are only applicable to random failures. Actuarial science, used since the 17th century, is more accurate for predicting failures based on past usage.  

• Component Life Modeling  
  Stan developed component life models based on actuarial science, challenging the use of MTBF and emphasizing the importance of considering past usage. This approach proved valuable in various analyses, including high-pressure pump fluid ends, where increased normalized usage explained maintenance cost increases. Accurate usage cost predictions before bidding on contracts became crucial, as demonstrated by a pad frac job analysis that highlighted potentially large financial losses on a single job if the job had been done as originally designed.  

• 2000 to Present: Emissions Analysis  
  Stan frequently assisted with exhaust emissions reporting due to the LIFT (Life Information Transfer) database he started during the ARC Project. In 2009, the Reliability Group began including sound emissions along with exhaust  emissions. He and his team developed capabilities to measure total sound power on equipment. For a frac job in Fort Worth, TX, the reliability group substituted quieter equipment to meet sound regulations, completing the job without issues. In Liberty, TX, the reliability group designed a job layout to minimize sound near a school and library, securing the contract.  

For exhaust emissions, Stan built models for Halliburton high pressure pumping units. In 2013, these models were leveraged to help win a $300 million contract for frac work under an international airport by demonstrating compliance with emissions limits. The models also justified building a new frac spread with more efficient engines that justified a contract completion target of 2 years instead of 3 if legacy equipment had been used. A shorter completion time was financially beneficial for both Halliburton and the customer. 

 

• Fluid End Analysis and Cost Reduction  
  High pressure pump fluid end analysis identified cavitation as a major failure cause, leading to modifications to the manifold trailer feeding the high-pressure pumps. The modifications reduced annualized fluid end costs by $5.3 million in a single field location that was monitored to measure the value. The changes were then implemented at all field locations in North America.  

 

1980 to Present: Forensic Failure Analysis  
Due to Stan’s unique ability to mathematically model both static and dynamic fluid and mechanical systems, he was often called upon to conduct forensic failure analysis on high financial impact failures. The following are a few of those analyses. 

• 1996: Failed Packer  
  During a FracPac job in the Gulf of Mexico, a packer was pumped 50 ft up the hole, leading to a $500,000 bill from the customer for rig time to remove the packer. The customer claimed the cause of the failure was too small of a relief valve on the surface. Stan demonstrated through dynamic fluid models that the downhole failure happened before the downhole water hammer pressure wave reached the surface relief valve. After he explained his findings to the customer, they canceled the bill to Halliburton, paid Halliburton $125,000 for the failed job, and provided additional work for Halliburton as the analysis educated them on the causes and cures of other seemingly random failures they were having on other well treatments.  

1996: Tubing Corkscrewed in Wellbore  
A series of screenouts (flow blockages downhole) in western Oklahoma led to a severe failure where 160 feet of tubing corkscrewed below the packer resulting in many hours of rig time to remove the corkscrewed tubing. The customer blamed Halliburton intensifier pumps, but Stan identified sand concentration spikes from the blender and resulting downhole screenout followed by a water hammer wave as the cause. Due to high employee turnover, the blender operator was inexperienced. Stan ensured on-the-job training for operators, ending the failures.  

 

• 1998: Prevented a Customer’s Vice President from Going to Jail  
  A major customer in the Northeast experienced a hazardous waste disposal well failure due to a water hammer, causing a pressure spike that exceeded fracture initiation pressure. This resulted in a fracture that could possibly allow the waste to migrate to unknown locations. The VP was threatened with jail time and fines. Stan built a model showing the failure was due to the EPA's shutdown sequence of the pumps injecting the waste. Stan developed an alternative sequence that would have prevented the failure. The VP presented Stan’s findings to the EPA, avoiding jail time and fines.  

• 2004: Failed Lines Downstream of Dual Poppet Relief  
  During a frac job, a low-pressure line blew out, causing shrapnel to penetrate the treatment control center near the customer's engineer. The customer halted all work in North America until the cause was identified. Stan determined a failed check valve between the high-pressure pumps and the well that led to a backflow that caused extremely high acceleration of the fluid through the relief valve.  Unfortunately, water was left in the low-pressure line downstream of the relief valve.  The sudden acceleration of the water in the downstream line caused a pressure higher than the rating of the line. Stan modified the relief valve setup to prevent future failures and changed Halliburton processes to avoid trapped fluid. This quick response allowed Halliburton to resume work.  

• 2000: Water Hammer Calculator  
  Stan developed a water hammer calculator to identify overpressure risks before jobs. Demonstrating its accuracy changed a major customer's attitude from blaming Halliburton for overpressure situations to “How can we work together to eliminate these failures”.  

• 2000-2017: Peak Pressure Calculations for a Major Customer  
  Stan frequently provided peak pressure calculations to a major oil company after overpressure situations on wells treated by Halliburton’s competitors. This allowed a major customer to determine potential damage and necessary remedial actions required based on the amount of overpressure. These calculations leveraged additional work for Halliburton.  

• 2010: Pressure from Densometer  
  Wellhead pressures after downhole screenouts often exceeded 15,000 psi, causing pressure readings to flatline. Stan and one of the reliability team engineers developed a patented method to extract pressure data from a radioactive densometer, allowing measurements over 15,000 psi. This method worked until Halliburton stopped using radioactive densometers. A plan B was developed when radioactive densometers were no longer used.  

• 2015: Wellhead Failure Analysis  
  A major customer experienced a wellhead blown off the casing on a well treated by a competitor. The competitor nor a contractor, hired by the customer, could explain the failure. The customer contacted Stan due to his previously recognized expertise and a relevant paper Stan presented at a technical conference in 2014. After discussing the situation with the customer and his contractor, Stan suggested the most probable cause of compounded failures, how the contractor should model them and what the customer should do in the future to minimize a recurrence of this very dangerous failure. The contractor's CFD model confirmed Stan’s hypothesis, predicting the wellhead would be blown off the casing when the two compounded failures occurred.  

• 1994: Gravel Pack Failures  
  Halliburton faced gravel pack failures in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Africa, risking contract losses. Stan discovered that pump pulsation frequencies caused destabilizing beat frequencies, leading to sand bridging and gaps left around the downhole screen. Stan developed a calculator to optimize pump speeds, which, once implemented, stopped the screen failures and secured Halliburton’s contracts.  

• 2001: Offshore Gravel Pack Recovery  
  A gravel pack failure on a deepwater platform led to the development of experimental recovery methods. Stan and others conducted “Lunch and Learn" to educate the customer on bridging causes and recovery techniques. Using the calculator and recovery methods strengthened Halliburton’s relationship with the customer, ensuring continued profitable work.  

• 2009: Hydraulic Workover Failure in Oman  
  A failure during an HWO procedure in Oman led to Halliburton's exclusion from the region. Stan assembled a team to identify the root cause through detailed analysis. The team identified six possible causes and narrowed these to one most probable cause, allowing a quick restart of activities in Oman.  

• 2021: Gross Negligence Lawsuit Analysis  
  A third party was injured during a Halliburton job in 2017, leading to a gross negligence lawsuit. Stan analyzed job data, photographs, and witness statements, proving that two Halliburton processes were not followed. His analysis demonstrated that the third party's later claims were inconsistent with initial statements and modeled the failure to prove that the later claims were physically impossible to happen. This critical analysis helped settle the lawsuit and highlighted the importance of following Halliburton processes.  

• 2004-2005: FMEA for a North Sea Customer  
  Stan led a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis for a managed pressure drilling project in the North Sea. The thorough analysis identifying and mitigating safety risks received compliments from the customer and their North Sea safety contractors. The customer had a few billion dollars at risk if they had a catastrophic failure in this new system provided by Halliburton. 

 

• 1980 to Present: Assisted with Hazardous Well Treatments  
  Stan often assisted with hazardous well treatments due to his experience in failure analysis. By doing many failure analyses, Stan became very aware of what could happen and used that knowledge to identify and mitigate risks to minimize the chance of failure.   

• 1985: Well Blowout – 280 Time Lethal Concentration of Hydrogen Sulfide Gas              If the main kill operation on the blowout failed with a secondary shallow blowout, Stan was onsite with his radio remote controlled frac pumping trailer to pump a few frac tanks of fluid that would destroy the well after everyone else had evacuated. Since the secondary blowout would be shallow the H2S would percolate through earth to the surface.  At this stage, remote operation would minimize this risky operation.  Luckily the main kill operation was successful and the well put back on production to the Sulphur plant. 

• 1987: CO2 Foamed Methanol Frac  
  Stan and his team conducted a foamed methanol frac job near Pampa, TX, addressing risks such as weak casing and potential methanol fires. Surface lines were wrapped in burlap, and garden sprayers with saline solution were used to detect nearly invisible methanol flames in daylight. He designed a temperature measurement system to monitor frac fluid temperature, adjusting flow rates to maintain safe temperatures. The job was successfully completed by controlling risks.  

• 1990-2000: Gelled Condensate Jobs in Canada  
  Stan and others in the ARC team, installed the second ARC frac fleet in Canada. The gelled condensate (very much like napalm) used on many of these frac jobs was highly volatile, requiring strict safety measures. Remote operation of the ARC equipment minimized risk exposure.