Petroleum Engineering 355

Drilling Engineering
Credit 3: (3-0)
Required for Juniors
Catalog Description: The design and evaluation of well drilling systems; identification and solution of drilling
problems; wellbore hydraulics, well control, casing design; well cementing directional drilling, offshore drilling.

Prerequisites(s): PETE 225 and 314

Co-requisites(s): PETE 321 and 325

Textbook Required: Robert F. Mitchell and Stefan Z. Miska: Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering, Society of
Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX, 2011.

Topics Covered:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Types of drilling rigs and drilling platforms

Drilling problems and solutions
Wellbore hydraulics and design of circulation system
Casing design procedures; collapse, burst, tension, triaxial design
Abnormal pressures prediction, well control
Fracture gradient prediction
Rock mechanics for drilling and wellbore stability
Well design for safety and efficiency
Design of primary and secondary cementing jobs
Liner cementing, setting of cement plugs, cementing from floating drilling rigs
Directional drilling, wellbore surveying techniques
Coiled tubing drilling
Offshore Drilling
Contemporary issues

Class Schedule: 150-min (total) lectures per week.

Contributions to Meeting the Curriculum Requirements of Criterion 5

Math and Science
Engineering
General Education

None
Provides students with the skills to design and execute drilling, casing and cementing
operations. Emphasizes the use of modern rheological models in hydraulics
calculations. Provides tools to ensure operational safety. Discusses environmental
and legal issues related to drilling and well abandonment.
None

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Course Learning Outcomes and Relationship to Program Outcomes:

At the end of the course, students will be able to
Design and evaluate well drilling systems; identify and solve drilling problems for all well
geometries including directional and horizontal wells.
Calculate the pressure requirement at every stage of the drilling operation from the pump to
the bit and back to the surface based on rheological models and drilling hydraulics procedures
and the API recommended practices.
Design casing, taking into consideration the pore pressure and the fracture gradient of the
formation.
Establish a proper procedure for well control to ensure the safety of the personnel and to
protect the environment.
Design a proper cementing procedure for cementing the casing or abandoning a well, taking
into considerations the environmental and legal issues.

Program
Outcomes No.
1, 2, 3, 5
1, 2, 5
1, 2, 3
1, 3, 5, 7
1, 3, 5, 6

Related Program Outcomes:

No.
1
2
3
5
6
7
10

PETE graduates must have

An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints
such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and
sustainability
An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
An ability to communicate effectively
A knowledge of contemporary issues

Prepared by: J. Schubert, September 13, 2013. Approved by UGCC, September 19, 2013.

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