Oil and Gas Drilling and Well Control Fundamentals

Production consists of bringing the hydrocarbons contained in the substratum to the surface. This requires the use of many wells.. A traditional well (vertical or slightly deviated) only draws oil or gas from a radius of a few tens of meters. Moreover, such wells only cross the reservoir over the limited height of a vertical or near vertical cross section. Many vertical wells would therefore be necessary to completely extract the contents of a reservoir. The horizontal well technique has totally revolutionized the industry because such wells have a much greater length of contact with the reservoir. Thus, the technique enables a significant reduction in the number of wells necessary for a given development. Production drilling presents several challenges.

What is the principle of extraction?

The basic principle is to generate pressure at the bottom of oil or gas wells, inferior to the pressure in the reservoir. Because of this pressure difference, the hydrocarbons will move towards the well and thence to the surface. In practical terms, the well is totally lined with tubing right down to the reservoir. This tubing, difficult to move once it is fixed into position, guarantees the operational effectiveness of the well throughout its working life. The oil and gas are brought to the surface via another tube, in oil field jargon the (extraction) tubing, placed in the lining. This tubing is detachable and can be changed whenever corrosion or deposition problems appear. Sometimes, the oil field pressure is sufficient for the hydrocarbons to make their own way to the surface; in this case the well is said to be “eruptive”. In other cases wells are never eruptive. And in all cases, the oil field pressure diminishes gradually as production

Minimum Entry Requirements and Targeted Participants.

The participant should have at least an A-Level/ High school diploma or its equivalent. A, diploma, degree or higher qualification in , Health, Environment and Safety, ICT, Engineering, Geosciences, and Computer Sciences would be an added advantage.