Course content

Basic overview of the drilling process with a primary focus on hydrocarbon production, while topics related to exploration, field development, production, and later abandonment are more briefly described. Topics that are discussed in detail are rig equipment, rig selection, wellbore construction, casing design, drillstring design, the circulation system, drilling fluids, hydraulic optimization, well control, cementing, and completion. The course seeks to describe the material in a holistic view with emphasis on sustainability, health, safety, and environment. Digital tools and digitalization of work processes are natural ingredients in the course. Normally, there will be an excursion to industrial facilities in the course.

Learning outcome

Competence: After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• Constructively participate in planning basic drilling operations with consideration for sustainability, health, safety, and environmental factors.
• Apply engineering principles to analyze and optimize drilling processes in both offshore and land-based settings.
• Integrate digital tools and workflows in drilling engineering, contributing to modernized and efficient operations.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams in the context of petroleum and drilling engineering.

Knowledge and Skills: After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• Understand the full drilling process with emphasis on hydrocarbon production, including exploration, field development, and well abandonment.
• Analyze drilling operations such as hoisting, rotation, and pumping, and perform load calculations for drillstrings.
• Evaluate sedimentary formation pressures and apply well control techniques to maintain safe drilling conditions.
• Select and optimize drilling fluids and circulation systems for effective hole cleaning and hydraulic performance.
• Apply engineering principles to design casing and drillstring configurations suitable for various drilling environments.
• Plan and assess basic cementing operations and well completion strategies.
• Use digital tools and programming to perform technical computations and simulations for borehole planning.
• Integrate sustainability and HSE considerations into drilling operations and decision-making processes.
• Identify and select appropriate rig equipment and configurations for both offshore and land-based drilling.
• Interpret and apply knowledge of drilling workflows in real-world scenarios, including potential industrial excursions and case studies.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and group work within the lectures. Compulsory exercises that includes significant amount of programming. Optional excursion when this can be arranged.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Course TKT4126 Mechanics and TPG4112 Geomechanics and Flow in Porous Media or equivalent.

Course materials

Given at the beginning of the semester.

Credit reductions