WorldWide Drilling Resource

46 APRIL 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® New Laboratory Brings the Bakken to Engineering Students Adapted from Information from the University of North Dakota Students at the University of North Dakota’s (UND’s) Department of Petroleum Engineering and Institute for Energy Studies have a new hands-on educational tool which brings virtual oil fields into the classroom. The Hess/Drilling Systems Drilling Simulator Lab features a control panel and levers which replicate a real drill floor envi- ronment in great detail, along with screens mirroring actual drilling fields from the state’s Bakken Formation. This gives students a unique experience as instructors are able to set up any drilling/well control scenario based on actual events experienced in the field. This real-world environment gives students a feel for what is involved in day-to-day drilling operations and how to react and control stressful, potentially hazardous situations in a safe manner. The Hess Innovation Lab allows students to study shale drilling, while the Hess Teaching Labs give students the ability to learn petroleum engineering basics and conduct experiments to develop new drilling technologies. “Our goal is to be the chief opportunity engine in North Dakota,” said UND President Mark Kennedy. “These labs allow students to help advance energy further. Research and experiential learning are core to our strategic plan. Labs like this keep us innovative.” During the grand opening of the four labs, oil executives, state legislators, and other dignitaries, many of which are members of the university’s PetroleumEngineering Industry Advisory Council (IAC), were allowed to experience the labs themselves. The IAC, a group of oil executives who support the UND’s petroleum engi- neering department, is tasked with helping to increase retention and graduation rates, while also increasing research. The overall goal of the IAC is to enlist the petroleum industry in the process of developing and educating the next generation of petroleum engineers. Realizing the value of educating engineers in their home state, Hess Corporation has been in North Dakota since 1951, and values its relationship with UND. “It’s been about seven or eight years since we first started the IAC,” said Will Lehman, director of geological science and engineering development for Hess Corporation in Houston. “We laid out a plan, and formed a partnership with com- mon objectives, and we hope to continue.” Matt Jurgens, VP of operations for Zarvona Energy and currect chair of the IAC, who happens to be a 2005 graduate of the program said, “There is a lot of industry support for this department. You have a world-class resource here and a great opportunity for students to learn. We want to provide the best resources and attract top students. These labs bring the oil field to the students.” Department Chair and distinguished Professor at the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Vamegh Rasouli is proud of the program. “We don’t compete with other petroleum engineering programs,” he stated. “We are different. Shale drilling is number one for us, and our facilities are unique, thanks to our partners.” Derek Vioen with Drilling Systems of Katy, Texas, one of the donors of the Hess/Drilling Systems Drilling Simulator Lab, demonstrates the drilling capabilities to Andrew Eis from Halliburton. Photo by Tyler Ingham. A Geothermal Well Goes Subhorizontal Compiled by Caleb Whitaker, Associate Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® In 2017, the first subhorizontal geothermal well, designed and supervised by GPC IP, was completed on the Paris, France, suburban Cachan site for its customer Dalkia. The well architecture was a milestone in geothermal engineering since it achieved a 3280-foot-long, 87 degree slanted, 8½-inch openhole drain at a true vertical depth of over 5000 feet. Usually, the angle is 40 degrees during traditional drilling, and this is the first time the horizontal drilling technique has been used in this particular way, as it’s typically reserved for oil drilling. The well concept will be replicated with an injection well of similar architecture. The new doublet, managed by a Dalkia/City of Cachan JV will replace two, 34-year-old existing geo- thermal district heating doublets. It will cover the heating and hot water needs of more than 7000 housing equivalents. “This is a world first,” said Jean-Philippe Buisson, regional director of Dalkia. “We have just completed a phase of horizontal drilling over [3280 feet] in the Dogger water table (an aquifer below the Paris Basin) at [5250 feet] depth.” The design allows for more hot water to drain over a long length, meaning the flow will be doubled and the production of heat increased. Subhorizontal drilling also significantly reduces the duration of the work, taking only four months instead of eight to drill two doublets. The City of Cachan has been involved in the deployment of geothermal energy since the early 1980s. As of 2013, the city’s network was positioned among the best French networks in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, with three times less than with gas production, four times less than with an oil boiler, and five times less than coal production. The geothermal net- work supplies 60% of the territory of the Cachanais. Photo courtesy of GPC IP.