February 2023 | PEG Savings from New Standpipe Solutions An article from the February issue of Tunnels and Tunneling International magazine by Joel Adams covering two types of high-pressure, grout-free standpipes developed for pre-excavation grouting (PEG).
June 2021 | The Hydraulic Fracturing Method of In-Situ Stress Testing from a Field Equipment Perspective presented by Joel Adams at the 55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium discusses the process of “right-sizing” equipment for hydraulic fracturing for stress measurement.
October 2020 | Down Hole Tool Tale from WA Original for an article published in Australasian Drilling magazine, Volume 39, No. 4, August/September 2020, pages 44 & 45. This article recounts how IPI’s most successful tool to date, across a range of industries, evolved. This version includes a recent 2021 site photo on ST60 used for acid frac stimulation.
October 2019| An Overview of Inflatable Packer Technology as a Cost-Effective Solution for Geothermal Well Completions. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the extensive economic and operational benefits associated with utilizing inflatable packer technology to eliminate riser pipe from geothermal wells completed with ESP pumps in order to reduce frictional losses during production, which exponentially reduces energy consumption while simplifying maintenance operations.
November 2018 | InflataLOK™ SPE Paper Inflatable Packer Anchor System Enables Rigless Installation of an Insertable Progressing Cavity Pump in South Oman. The objective of this paper is to provide a technical explanation of this innovative and unique technology, share the lessons learned from its first installation, and discuss its potential to improve the current capabilities of I-PCP technology while reducing operational cost and optimizing PCP/I-PCP completion design.
July 2018 | | Reaching a global market (125kB) Howard Kenworthy explains that being based in Western Australia is no barrier to Inflatable Packers International being a global business in the GeoDrilling International`s July Issue
November 2017 | Packer testing in Wireline Core Holes (1.00 MB) written by Joel Adams, Published in Coring magazine issue No. 5
March 2017 | Advances in inflatable packer technology and application (2.00 MB) A paper written by our Francis Ford and Clem Rowe, and presented by Francis at Deep Mining 2017: Eighth International Conference on Deep and High Stress Mining held in Perth in March 2017. The paper discusses advances in inflatable packer technology that have been made in response to the demands of the increasingly severe application environments resulting from deeper and deeper underground mining activities.
October 2015 |The Right Direction (1.00 MB) An Article from the October edition of GeoDrilling International magazine featuring Polymetra's use of the STX60 on a HDD geotechnical project in hongkong with NQ SWiPS deploying impression packers, plus some of Aqua Lithos's recent use of STX60 on mining projects.
September 2015 | Inflating Inwards Down Under (623KB) An article from the September edition of GeoDrilling International magazine featuring some recent IPI developments, including annular seals for water shut off and blow out prevention in underground drilling and geothermal drilling. Both are using oilfield product concepts adapted for mineral mining drilling technology.
August 2015 |Oilfield Remedial Cementing Packers offshore NZ(125kB) A brief case study on the use of Remedial Cementing Packers ("RCP") onshore in New Zealand.
Oct 2014 |Water Well Packers(312kB) A technical introduction to inflatable packers for use in water wells, authored by senior mechanical engineer, Clem Rowe. Including what makes inflatable packers more versatile than mechanical and swellable packers. An edited version of this article was featured in Australasian Drilling Magazine October-November 2014.
Feb 2014 | Second Generation Hydraulic Packer System Gets The Thumbs Up (490kB)Further testing in NSW and PNG has proven the operation and advantages of the STX-60 hydraulic wireline packer system. This testing follows on from previous field testing in Ghana in January 2012 (see story below). This article is a longer version of an article published in GeoDrilling International.
Nov 2013 | WOODSIDE Oil & Gas Innovation Award (380kB)
Inflatable Packers International has been acknowledged with one of Western Australia's highest awards for innovation at the recent State Government Innovator of the Year Award. In a field of 80 contestants IPI was today awarded for its latest innovation in inflatable packers - the Inflatable Casing Packer (“ICP”). The award was hosted by the Department of Commerce and resulted in a brief video of our ICP casing packers.
Aug 2013 | IMWA Packer Testing by Brian Titone of Orogen HydroGeo LLC and Eric Swanson of Aqua Lithos Consulting. This video of a ppt slide show demonstrates the various main uses and options for "Packer Testing" with SWiPS. Their web sites are well worth visiting if you are at all considering permeabiilty testing for a mining or construction project. As yet this does not include the further testing and operational options that an STX-60 will enable - Brian and Eric will hopefully do that next! For IPI's own STX-60 animation click here. *
Apr 2013 | Edgardo Leiva Preconditioning and Development Unit Supervisor (160 kB)
An interview by ANSCO with a representative of El Teniente (Chile) about their success in using hydraulic fracturing for mining preconditioning in the world's largest underground copper mine.
Mar 2013 | Differing forms of Hydraulic Fracturing (99 kB)
A paper written by our Joel Adams and Clem Rowe, presented and well received at HF2013, the International Conference for Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing (sponsored by CSIRO). The paper is now a very popular download with other papers from Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing (the paper being Chapter 18). The paper provides an overview of nine (9) uses of hydraulic fracturing providing valuable differentiation as to their principles, benefits and environmental impacts. We expect this work should go a long way to dispelling many of the misconceptions that have been beaten up by the media who appear oblivious to the many types of hydraulic fracturing that have existed without incident or objection for decades. This paper includes a proposal for a much needed nomenclature to clearly classify the many applications of hydraulic fracturing for the benefit of regulators, the betterment of the industry and the peace of mind of the community.
Feb 2013 | ST-Series on Coiled Tubing (2.63 MB)
An article from Australasian Drilling Magazine looking at packer testing in Coal Bed Methane well testing. The article discusses IPI's "ST Formation Tester" for conducting DFIT's (Dynamic Fracture Inducement Tests) on coiled tubing - which was previously not possible with conventional DST equipment.
Oct 2012 | Beyond Lugeon (650 kB) A scientific paper, co-authored by our Joel Adams, regarding advancements in testing equipment which permit the use of more sophisticated tests than the classic Lugeon testing to obtain significantly more detailed hydrogeological characterisation for only a marginal cost increase.
Jan 2012 | STX-60 Ghana field Trials: Comparative Straddle Timings (397 kB)
Reviews IPI's STX-60 packer system through field trials conducted in Ghana and proves the economics of this system in straddle testing. The STX-60 is considered to be IPI’s most versatile and cost effective tool yet. The trial reveals that for remote projects the lowest cost equipment is rarely the right choice since both reliability and total operating costs win out in the end.
Oct 2011 | IPI Profile Australian Mine Article October 2011(3.29 MB)
An overview of IPI, including a background of its foundation and growth, its strengths and what to watch out for when choosing a supplier or manufacturer of down-hole tools.
Jul 2011 | CBM Review: Tools for CBM Permeability Testing July 2011(3.97 MB)
An article from CBM Review discussing the importance and benefits of using unconventional approaches to coal bed methane exploration programs and the cost savings achievable with IPI permeability testing systems.
May 2010 | Use of Packers in Australian Waterwell Construction (1.04 MB)
Discusses the importance of the waterwell industry in Australia, as the most arid continent on earth, with the largest reserves of ground water. The article identifies the tools delivered by IPI for this industry, which are capable of producing low maintenance wells with a minimum life of 50 to 100 years for both shallow and deep wells.
Feb 2010 | Inflatable Packer Performance: coal methane well testing operations (254 kB)
A review of packer failure modes of oilfield packers and how IPI's inflatable packers are achieving long life in Coal Bed Methane applications with previously unheard of operation cycles before the packers were "retired", easily displaying 4 times the durability of competing products.
Nov 2001| A Short History of Inflatable Packers. In this article, IPI’s Managing Director, Clem Rowe, provides an overview of the history of inflatable packers along with a summary of the earliest relevant patents available, dated as early as the 1920’s.
Oct 1992 | Inflatable Packer Fundamentals (746 kB)
A paper presented by our Clem Rowe at the International Drill '92 Conference conducted in Perth, Western Australia. Clem jointly authored this document whilst being Engineering Director at his previous company in 1992. He has since gone on to establish IPI and further developed the inflatable packer technology and its applications. The paper covers the basics of inflatable packers, including types, pressure ratings, inflation systems and methods, and deployment methods.
June 2021 | The Hydraulic Fracturing Method of In-Situ Stress Testing from a Field Equipment Perspective presented by Joel Adams at the 55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium discusses the process of “right-sizing” equipment for hydraulic fracturing for stress measurement.
October 2020 | Down Hole Tool Tale from WA Original for an article published in Australasian Drilling magazine, Volume 39, No. 4, August/September 2020, pages 44 & 45. This article recounts how IPI’s most successful tool to date, across a range of industries, evolved. This version includes a recent 2021 site photo on ST60 used for acid frac stimulation.
October 2019| An Overview of Inflatable Packer Technology as a Cost-Effective Solution for Geothermal Well Completions. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the extensive economic and operational benefits associated with utilizing inflatable packer technology to eliminate riser pipe from geothermal wells completed with ESP pumps in order to reduce frictional losses during production, which exponentially reduces energy consumption while simplifying maintenance operations.
November 2018 | InflataLOK™ SPE Paper Inflatable Packer Anchor System Enables Rigless Installation of an Insertable Progressing Cavity Pump in South Oman. The objective of this paper is to provide a technical explanation of this innovative and unique technology, share the lessons learned from its first installation, and discuss its potential to improve the current capabilities of I-PCP technology while reducing operational cost and optimizing PCP/I-PCP completion design.
July 2018 | | Reaching a global market (125kB) Howard Kenworthy explains that being based in Western Australia is no barrier to Inflatable Packers International being a global business in the GeoDrilling International`s July Issue
November 2017 | Packer testing in Wireline Core Holes (1.00 MB) written by Joel Adams, Published in Coring magazine issue No. 5
March 2017 | Advances in inflatable packer technology and application (2.00 MB) A paper written by our Francis Ford and Clem Rowe, and presented by Francis at Deep Mining 2017: Eighth International Conference on Deep and High Stress Mining held in Perth in March 2017. The paper discusses advances in inflatable packer technology that have been made in response to the demands of the increasingly severe application environments resulting from deeper and deeper underground mining activities.
October 2015 |The Right Direction (1.00 MB) An Article from the October edition of GeoDrilling International magazine featuring Polymetra's use of the STX60 on a HDD geotechnical project in hongkong with NQ SWiPS deploying impression packers, plus some of Aqua Lithos's recent use of STX60 on mining projects.
September 2015 | Inflating Inwards Down Under (623KB) An article from the September edition of GeoDrilling International magazine featuring some recent IPI developments, including annular seals for water shut off and blow out prevention in underground drilling and geothermal drilling. Both are using oilfield product concepts adapted for mineral mining drilling technology.
August 2015 |Oilfield Remedial Cementing Packers offshore NZ(125kB) A brief case study on the use of Remedial Cementing Packers ("RCP") onshore in New Zealand.
Oct 2014 |Water Well Packers(312kB) A technical introduction to inflatable packers for use in water wells, authored by senior mechanical engineer, Clem Rowe. Including what makes inflatable packers more versatile than mechanical and swellable packers. An edited version of this article was featured in Australasian Drilling Magazine October-November 2014.
Feb 2014 | Second Generation Hydraulic Packer System Gets The Thumbs Up (490kB)Further testing in NSW and PNG has proven the operation and advantages of the STX-60 hydraulic wireline packer system. This testing follows on from previous field testing in Ghana in January 2012 (see story below). This article is a longer version of an article published in GeoDrilling International.
Nov 2013 | WOODSIDE Oil & Gas Innovation Award (380kB)
Inflatable Packers International has been acknowledged with one of Western Australia's highest awards for innovation at the recent State Government Innovator of the Year Award. In a field of 80 contestants IPI was today awarded for its latest innovation in inflatable packers - the Inflatable Casing Packer (“ICP”). The award was hosted by the Department of Commerce and resulted in a brief video of our ICP casing packers.
Aug 2013 | IMWA Packer Testing by Brian Titone of Orogen HydroGeo LLC and Eric Swanson of Aqua Lithos Consulting. This video of a ppt slide show demonstrates the various main uses and options for "Packer Testing" with SWiPS. Their web sites are well worth visiting if you are at all considering permeabiilty testing for a mining or construction project. As yet this does not include the further testing and operational options that an STX-60 will enable - Brian and Eric will hopefully do that next! For IPI's own STX-60 animation click here. *
Apr 2013 | Edgardo Leiva Preconditioning and Development Unit Supervisor (160 kB)
An interview by ANSCO with a representative of El Teniente (Chile) about their success in using hydraulic fracturing for mining preconditioning in the world's largest underground copper mine.
Mar 2013 | Differing forms of Hydraulic Fracturing (99 kB)
A paper written by our Joel Adams and Clem Rowe, presented and well received at HF2013, the International Conference for Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing (sponsored by CSIRO). The paper is now a very popular download with other papers from Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing (the paper being Chapter 18). The paper provides an overview of nine (9) uses of hydraulic fracturing providing valuable differentiation as to their principles, benefits and environmental impacts. We expect this work should go a long way to dispelling many of the misconceptions that have been beaten up by the media who appear oblivious to the many types of hydraulic fracturing that have existed without incident or objection for decades. This paper includes a proposal for a much needed nomenclature to clearly classify the many applications of hydraulic fracturing for the benefit of regulators, the betterment of the industry and the peace of mind of the community.
Feb 2013 | ST-Series on Coiled Tubing (2.63 MB)
An article from Australasian Drilling Magazine looking at packer testing in Coal Bed Methane well testing. The article discusses IPI's "ST Formation Tester" for conducting DFIT's (Dynamic Fracture Inducement Tests) on coiled tubing - which was previously not possible with conventional DST equipment.
Oct 2012 | Beyond Lugeon (650 kB) A scientific paper, co-authored by our Joel Adams, regarding advancements in testing equipment which permit the use of more sophisticated tests than the classic Lugeon testing to obtain significantly more detailed hydrogeological characterisation for only a marginal cost increase.
Jan 2012 | STX-60 Ghana field Trials: Comparative Straddle Timings (397 kB)
Reviews IPI's STX-60 packer system through field trials conducted in Ghana and proves the economics of this system in straddle testing. The STX-60 is considered to be IPI’s most versatile and cost effective tool yet. The trial reveals that for remote projects the lowest cost equipment is rarely the right choice since both reliability and total operating costs win out in the end.
Oct 2011 | IPI Profile Australian Mine Article October 2011(3.29 MB)
An overview of IPI, including a background of its foundation and growth, its strengths and what to watch out for when choosing a supplier or manufacturer of down-hole tools.
Jul 2011 | CBM Review: Tools for CBM Permeability Testing July 2011(3.97 MB)
An article from CBM Review discussing the importance and benefits of using unconventional approaches to coal bed methane exploration programs and the cost savings achievable with IPI permeability testing systems.
May 2010 | Use of Packers in Australian Waterwell Construction (1.04 MB)
Discusses the importance of the waterwell industry in Australia, as the most arid continent on earth, with the largest reserves of ground water. The article identifies the tools delivered by IPI for this industry, which are capable of producing low maintenance wells with a minimum life of 50 to 100 years for both shallow and deep wells.
Feb 2010 | Inflatable Packer Performance: coal methane well testing operations (254 kB)
A review of packer failure modes of oilfield packers and how IPI's inflatable packers are achieving long life in Coal Bed Methane applications with previously unheard of operation cycles before the packers were "retired", easily displaying 4 times the durability of competing products.
Nov 2001| A Short History of Inflatable Packers. In this article, IPI’s Managing Director, Clem Rowe, provides an overview of the history of inflatable packers along with a summary of the earliest relevant patents available, dated as early as the 1920’s.
Oct 1992 | Inflatable Packer Fundamentals (746 kB)
A paper presented by our Clem Rowe at the International Drill '92 Conference conducted in Perth, Western Australia. Clem jointly authored this document whilst being Engineering Director at his previous company in 1992. He has since gone on to establish IPI and further developed the inflatable packer technology and its applications. The paper covers the basics of inflatable packers, including types, pressure ratings, inflation systems and methods, and deployment methods.
