WorldWide Drilling Resource

35 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MAY 2013 University of Wyoming Develops Drilling Simulator Lab Adapted from information provided by the University of Wyoming A drilling simulator teaching lab is expected to expand course offerings in engineering at the University of Wyoming (UW). The 1296-square-foot lab, expect- ed to open this fall, will provide UW stu- dents with the full simulated experience of drilling oil reservoirs. “A number of oil companies do the same thing,” says David Bagley, head of the UW Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. “It’s really a good way to train people. Drilling now has be- come so much more advanced.” The lab, which includes a raised rig floor, can be separated with a partition to include a classroom and a laboratory. In addition to the $1 million drilling simulator with a classic console station, the depart- ment is purchasing 20 software licenses for drilling simulation software to run on computer stations. “You can have one student sit at the full simulator with all of the bells and whistles, and you can have the other students sitting at the comput- ers,” Bagley said. Joe Leimkuhler, vice president of drilling for LLOG Exploration in Covington, Louisiana, graduated from UW with a master’s degree in petroleum engineer- ing in 1987. He sees a lot of practical advantages to the lab. “A simulator pro- vides the opportunity to experience and appreciate what could go wrong in a drilling operation and well design,” he said. “A simulator is an excellent way to test the skills of the [drill operator] and, even more important, verify the integrity of the engineers’ well design. Simulator training is a way to safely throw curve balls at the drill crew and the engineer to see how well they can quickly identify problems, properly respond to shut the well, and ensure the incident does not elevate to a total loss of well control and a blowout. A simulator is an excellent tool to develop the skills to expect the unex- pected, and help ensure blowouts remain a well-managed risk and not a reality,” Leimkuhler added. A series of panels and screens, drilling controls, drilling gauges, a remote choke, a BOP (blowout preventer) console, a sur- face diverter, as well as choke and stand- pipe manifolds will also be included in the lab. “This is not just buying a piece of equipment. It’s how we implement this into the curriculum,” said Bagley, who formed a departmental committee to ex- plore such options. The laboratory will be used for the Basic Drilling course, which is currently the only class UW offers on the subject. The lab will be on the second floor of the new Energy Innovation Center. It will also will be utilized as part of the Drilling Fluids Laboratory course. The sim- ulator will include a package to allow stu- dents to design drilling fluid properties (density, viscosity, and components). “The reason you have a separate course for this is that the design, prepa- ration, and maintenance of the drilling flu- ids needed to drill successfully is pretty special,” Bagley says. “In the lab, the stu- dents actually prepare the drilling fluids, measure properties of fluids, and conduct computer simulations.” The engineering program also has a course cal led Advanced Dr i l l ing Engineering on the books, but there are no faculty members to teach it. According to Bagley, they are cur- rently conducting two faculty searches. “The plan is, with these hires, that one of them will become the person in the department and the university who man- ages the drilling simulator.” In addition, the department wants to develop an elective Well Control course which could utilize the Drilling Simulator Lab. The new laboratory could eventually offer professional well control certification for industry onshore drilling professionals and rig crews. Bagley hopes the Drilling Simulator Teaching Lab will raise the profile of UW’s engineering program and put it in the ranks of Colorado School of Mines and TexasA&MUniversity, both of which have similar laboratories. Core Barrel Assemblies Wireline - large diameter conventional DCDMA - split inner tubes chrome tubes - overshots thin wall core barrels Wireline Drill Rod Heat-treated - five to ten foot sizes B-N-H-HWT casing Reamer Shells & Subs Core Boxes Core Barrel Parts Lifter cases - lifters, broached, dia- mond coated, and slotted - landing rings - brass stabilizers - bearings springs - spear points - IT connectors Core Bits - Drill Bits Casing Bits & Shoes Surface set - impregnated - PCD - TC - TSD Hole Openers & Stingers Special Bits & Equipment Design Quality products manufactured in the USA and Canada ISO 9001:2000 You can pay a lot more for the same quality from the big boys, BUTWHY? www.scorpionengineering.com