Course overview

This introduction to drilling course is designed to provide non drilling staff with an good understanding of how wells are drilled and completed and what people, equipment and services are required. 

The course is designed for

This course is intended for non-drilling related personnel involved or associated with the drilling and well construction process. This course is suitable for logistics staff, HR, Contracts, Finance, Legal and all of the other support services involved in oil and gas operations.

Course objectives and outcomes

The objectives of this course are to provide candidates with a basic competency in drilling and well operations. Candidates will be taken through the geological aspects of a well in to the complete sequence of exploration, development and production. The course provides rig types, rig equipment as well as the downhole aspects of drilling a well. Drilling challenges, well control and operational aspects are presented and the course ends with completions and workovers and provides a complete overview of the drilling process.

The outcomes of the course are that students will understand;

• Geology, Reservoirs and Traps
• Processes of exploring and developing a reservoir
• Designing wells
• Safety aspects of the drilling and well construction proces
• Rig Types, Rig systems
• Downhole drilling tools
• Drilling fluids and Cement
• Directional Drilling
• Casing and wellheads
• Drilling Challenges
• Well Control
• Completions and Workovers

Course outline

Day 1: Geology

The first day introduces the students to the geology and reservoirs associated with the oil and gas industry. Before we look at the history of the oil and gas industry. Then we introduce the candidates to the explorations and production process which includes an overview of all the teams and people involved.

• Welcome and Introductions
• Geological Time
• Rock Properties
• Pressures
• Reservoirs
• History of the Oil & Gas industry
• E&P process
• Day 1 Exercises: Drilling teams, History
  
  

Day 2: Well Design and Safety

In the second day of the course we look at the planning process of a well and look at the costs, contracts, services and logistics required to get a well design completed. We then look at the safety aspects of the drilling operations.

• Planning the well
• The planning Team
• Costs
• Contracts and Services
• Logistics
• Safety Alerts
• Risk Management
• Handling Major Incidents
• Rig Types
• Rig Systems
• Drilling Equipment
• Day 2 Exercises: Safety Aspects.
  
  

Day 3: Directional Drilling and Drilling Fluids

The third day of the course starts with a look at the drilling fluids and hydraulics in a well. We then move to directional drilling aspects introducing directional wells as well as horizontal and extended reach wells.

• Drilling Fluids
• Water based Mud Systems
• Oil based Mud Systems
• Brines
• Fluid Properties
• Directional Drilling
• Trajectories
• Directional Tools
• Survey tools
• Day 3 Exercises; Fluid Systems, Well Trajectories.
  

Day 4: Casing and Cementing and Drilling Challenges

The fourth day of the course introduces casing and cementing as well as the evaluation with logging and coring before we introduce the drilling challenges such as losses, kicks and stuck pipe.

• Casing and Cementing
• Casing
• Liners
• Wellheads
• Cementing
• Cement plugs
• Cementing Equipment
• Evaluation
• Drilling Challenges
• Day 4 Exercises; Casing and Cementing, Drilling Challenges.

Day 5: Well Control, Completions and Repairs

The last day of the course starts with an introduction to well control before we move to completing a well and then as the last item we introduce the class to repairing a well. 

• Well Control
• Pressure Control
• BOP and Well Control Systems
• Blowouts
• Macondo and what happened
• Completing a Well
• Completion tubing
• Completion tools
• Christmas Trees
• Repairing a well
• Day 5 Exercises; Blowout Considerations.

"Drilling and Ops were well explained with great support from the instructor."
- NCOC, Kazakhstan