DETS Brochure - 2012[1]

DRILLING ENGINEER TRAINING SCHEME

DETS 2012

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Drilling Engineer Training Scheme

Rev 6 – October 2011

Contents 1.0

Introduction ............................................................................................ 3

2.0

Drilling Engineering – a short history........................... ............. ........................... .......................... ............... 4

3.0

What is a drilling engineer? ......................... ............ .......................... .......................... .......................... ................. .... 9

4.0

DETS objective .................................................................................... 12

5.0

Scheme Outline............................ .............. .......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... ................. .... 13

6.0

Mentoring and Appraisals .................................................................... 15

7.0

Engineering Institutions ........................... .............. .......................... .......................... .......................... ................... ...... 15

8.0

Programme Details .............................................................................. 16

8.1

Rig Crew training ................................................................................. 16

8.2

Onshore Assignments ......................................................................... 17

8.3

Further Offshore Training .................................................................... 17

8.4

External Training ................................................................................. 18

8.5

DETS – Advanced Stages .......................... ............. .......................... .......................... .......................... ............... .. 20

9.0

Support Mechanisms ........................................................................... 21

9.0

Drilling Engineer Career Map……………………………………………..21

© Fraser Offshore Ltd 2011

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1.0 Introduction

We will forgive Mr Stott his lack of insight into the advancement of women within engineering; but outside of this, his statement still rings true - and nowhere more so than in the field of well engineering. Offshore drilling is a demanding profession, operating where heavy industry meets the ocean. In today's peak oil environment, oil and gas companies are more than ever looking offshore to meet relentless demand for fossil fuels. At sea, an oil or gas well becomes a major engineering project costing tens of millions of dollars. Day and night, challenges of wind, wave, heat and corrosion, pressure and geology must be faced and overcome. Delivering the job on time and on budget requires world-class equipment, field-proven systems and competent, committed people. Fraser Offshore is home to people who thrive in this environment. Our engineers, wellsite supervisors and support specialists have the skills and professionalism necessary to design and construct wells to the highest standards. We are passionate about our work and focussed on our product: - Safe, clean, cost-effective wells. We believe that well engineering is a true vocation; a lifetime career in which expertise has worldwide application. Mastery of this field takes time - skills and experience must be acquired over several years and many wells in order to achieve a standalone level of competence. Fraser Offshore's Drilling Engineering Training Scheme (DETS) combines classroom training with a structured programme of work. The DETS is delivered over a 3-5 years period, offers entry level drill crew experience and mentoring by seasoned well engineering professionals. Training is flexible and is tailored to meet individual requirements. Duration of training is dependent upon entry-level experience and individual progress.


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2.0 Drilling Engineering – a short history Mankind has for centuries sunk wellbores into the ground in search of water. By the mid-19th century early oil wells were being drilled. “Colonel” Edwin Drake was one of the first pioneers of oilwell drilling. This is the story of his famous well at Titusville, Pennsylvania:“ In 1859 Edwin Drake, a retired railway man, was hired by the Seneca Oil Company to investigate oil deposits in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Drake had the benefit of free railway travel, hence could travel to work cheaply. This was thought to be a factor in his selection by Seneca.

Drake purchased a steam engine to power his primitive cable-tool drilling rig. It took some time to drill through the layers of surface sand and gravel. At 16 feet (5 m) the sides of the hole began to collapse. The drill crew began to despair, but not Drake. It was at this point that he devised the idea of a drive pipe, still used as the starting point for most oil wells. This cast iron pipe consisted of ten foot long joints. The pipe was driven down into the ground. Drilling continued and at 32 feet (10 m) they struck bedrock. The going was slow. Progress was made at the rate of just three feet (1 m) per day. The well was soon nicknamed "Drake's Folly", and crowds of people came to jeer at the unproductive operation. By now the Seneca Oil Company had abandoned their man. Drake had to rely on friends to back the enterprise. On August 27 1859 Drake had persevered with his drill bit, reaching a depth of 69.5 feet (21 m). The men packed up for the day. The next morning Drake’s driller, Billy Smith, looked into the hole in preparation for another day’s work. He was surprised and delighted to see crude oil rising up. Drake was summoned and the oil was brought to the surface with a hand pump. The oil was collected in a bath tub.”


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Much has changed since 1859. Top hats and tailcoats are now scarce at the wellsite. Pipelines, not bathtubs, are used to export the product. However, it is clear from this short story that Drake shared many of the characteristics that still define a successful drilling engineer. 

He had technical skills, ingenuity and determination

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He could hold a team together in the face of adversity

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He understood rigs, people and the downhole environment

Since the days of Colonel Drake, many people have made their living drilling oil and gas wells. Drilling techniques and materials have been greatly refined. Modern wells may be drilled to depths in excess of 5,000m vertical depth and have achieved lateral stepouts in excess of 10,000m. As technology has evolved, so have the capabilities of the men and women responsible for designing and drilling these wells. The early twentieth century saw a huge rise in demand for petroleum products. Oil and gas wells were drilled in ever-greater numbers, initially in the United States, South America and Canada; later across the world. The crews drilling these early wells worked with powerful but simple equipment. Wells were drilled vertically to relatively shallow depths. If control of the well was lost, the resulting blowout was accepted as “normal business” Refinements in geophysics and petroleum geology allowed more precision in choosing well locations so the oil was relatively easy to find. The drilling industry needed practical, hard-working men but had no great need for engineering skills or calculations. The twentieth century marched on and the developed world became ever more dependent on petroleum products. Power generation, home and office heating, automotive and Figure 1 - Spindletop, Texas Ca 1920. Note the aviation industries – all ran on close spacing of these vertical wells oil or natural gas. The strategic importance of oil was underlined during two world wars, where the ability to secure and transport fuel supplies was in many campaigns the deciding factor. As onshore oil from the domestic United States began to peak, new production came on stream from giant fields in South America and the Middle East, where US and European oil companies enjoyed a benign relationship with a series of compliant governments.


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Figure 2 Historic Crude Oil Prices – source: BP

In the latter half of the twentieth century the picture changed. With the developed world now highly dependent on oil and gas, a new wave of nationalism arose in the oil-producing nations. In 1960 the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries – OPEC – was founded. With OPEC willing and able to regulate the supply of oil to the market, the early 1970’s were marked by a series of oil price shocks. The price of oil, static for almost a century at $2 to $3 per barrel, climbed to $10, then $20 and $30 per barrel. Suddenly it became economic to seek oil and gas offshore rather than onshore. Huge offshore plays began to open up, initially in the Gulf of Mexico and later in the North Sea, spreading throughout the world.

Figure 3 – Jackup drilling rig

Figure 4 –Semi-submersible drilling rig


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New rig designs were developed for offshore drilling – jackup rigs suitable for water depths up to 100m, semi-submersibles capable of drilling in far greater depths. Exploratory drilling could now be carried out almost anywhere on the continental shelf Once offshore oil and gas reservoirs were located, giant steel or concrete production platforms were installed and pipelines hooked up.

Figure 5 – North Sea production platform

Well designs became more complex; onshore, a large oil reservoir would be produced by drilling hundreds of low-cost vertical wells to access all parts. Offshore, the field would need to be developed from a central production platform from which wells would reach out directionally to achieve the same coverage.

Figure 6 – Modern “designer ” well profile


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The high costs of offshore drilling dictated a new approach to the previouslyhaphazard business of planning oil and gas wells. The new deviated and horizontal wells had to be custom-designed and carefully constructed. Such wells were stretching the limits of technology in many areas; mud systems, drill bits, directional tools, metallurgy and more. The offshore oil or gas well had become a major engineering project costing tens of millions of dollars. Such wells could only be designed and drilled by companies with the necessary skill sets. The need for trained drilling engineers was evident. The North Sea has been at the forefront of offshore drilling technology since the 1970’s. For some years major oil companies such as BP and Shell systematically trained drilling engineers in well-structured schemes combining classroom training with on-the-job experience. Graduates of these schemes are today found in senior well engineering positions worldwide. Since the mid-1990’s , however, major oil companies have greatly reduced their training programmes for drilling engineers. This stems partly from the fluctuating drilling activity stemming from oil price instability, and partly from the growing tendency for such companies to outsource the provision of drilling expertise. As a drilling project management company, Fraser Offshore L imited (FOL) is one of a small group of companies capable of providing such outsourced drilling expertise. FOL has a fundamental business need to field top-class drilling engineers and wellsite supervisors. Based on a proven template for such programmes, the FOL Drilling Engineer Training Scheme (DETS) is presented below.


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3.0 What is a drilling engineer?

Figure 7 – Rig floor operations on an offshore rig

A drilling engineer is a specialist engineer who plans, costs, schedules and supervises the drilling of oil and gas wells. The drilling engineer’s scope includes initial well design, drilling and completion, testing and workover operations. Offshore drilling operations are expensive; a modern mobile drilling rig can cost up to $500,000 per day to operate. Total cost per well for offshore drilling is rarely less than $10 million and can be several times that. As wells are drilled to deeper, higherpressure objectives the technical challenges multiply. The prime responsibility of the drilling engineer is to ensure the well is both designed and constructed to a standard whereby pressure integrity is maintained. Unplanned release of wellbore fluids (“blowout”) must be avoided both while drilling the well and during the well’s production lifetime . The quality of the drilling engineer’s work has a major impact on the safety of drill

crew members and the overall project spend. The work requires a combination of skills including technical ability, communication skills, team-working and leadership.


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Drilling Engineering is the sum of a number of sub-disciplines or skills, the most important of which are:

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



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

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Well design – Selection of sizes, depths, materials, trajectories and fluid systems in order to achieve well objectives and life-of-well pressure integrity. Well Control – Avoiding uncontrolled release of wellbore fluids Wellsite supervision – Translating the well design into reality at the wellsite in a safe, environmentally sound and cost-effective manner Casing Design – A subset of well design, with emphasis on selection and analysis of casing strings Drilling Fluids – Engineering the drilling and completion fluids used in constructing and completing the well Cementing – Selection of appropriate cement slurry designs and placement techniques to ensure effective long-tem pressure isolation and protection for casings Directional Drilling – Tools and techniques to deviate the wellbore from the vertical Selection of bits and drive systems – Ensuring best cost-per-foot by judicious selection of drillbits and the downhole or surface power systems used to drive them Drilling engineers are employed on land, on offshore platforms or on mobile drilling units, usually by the operating oil company, sometimes by a specialist contractor or a service company. The role involves administering drilling and service contracts, engineering design and the planning of wells, and supervising the drilling crew on site.

Figure 8 - Driller at the brake – disturb at your peril.


Drilling engineers work with other professionals, such as geologists and geoscientists, rig managers and service specialists to agree well objectives, monitor drilling progress, oversee safety management and ensure the protection of the environment.

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Typical tasks performed by a drilling engineer include:

1. Prepare well objective statements 2. Review offset wells for key learnings 3. Perform well design and casing design using specialist software 4. Specify and procure well tangibles such as casing and wellhead equipment 5. Prepare drilling programme 6. Establish and administer drilling and service contracts 7. Monitor the daily progress of well operations, track and control daily costs 8. Prepare emergency response plans 9. Co-ordinate and supervise the work of the drilling team 10. Support the wellsite operation, amending the drilling programme to deal with contingencies and scope changes 11. Liaise with specialist contractors and suppliers, such as cement companies or suppliers of drilling fluids; 12. Promote safety and environmental protection 13. Ensure the long-tem integrity of the well against unplanned escape of fluids


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4.0 DETS objective The objective of the Scheme is to produce competent, motivated individuals capable of following career paths in drilling engineering, drilling supervision or drilling contractor management.

The DETS combines classroom training and a structured programme of work through which trainees will develop a sound grasp of drilling engineering and associated disciplines. In the course of acquiring technical skills, trainees are expected to develop judgement, maturity and vital leadership skills. The DETS runs in partnership with drilling contractors who offer vital entry-level drill crew experience. Following on from this experience, some drilling engineers choose to follow a career path through rig crew positions into drilling contractor management ranks. Whatever route is followed, the Scheme allows trainees to maximise their potential through the combination of hands-on work experience, classroom training and wellinformed mentoring. Duration of DETS training depends upon individual progression and the opportunities presented by the workflow of projects within FOL’s business model.


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5.0 Scheme Outline. The DETS is delivered over a 3-5 year period depending upon entry-level experience and individual progress. The timeframes detailed herein are for guidance only and should not be viewed as set in stone. Drilling engineering is a broad field, embracing several sub-disciplines and specialist branches. There is value in experiencing job roles both onshore and at the wellsite. In some companies an early choice is forced between onshore engineering / management roles and offshore supervisory roles. FOL requires its engineers to be comfortable in either environment i.e. office or wellsite and maintains a mix of the two throughout the DETS. Appendix 1 (Drilling Engineer Career Map) presents a very general outline of the relative seniority and progression between onshore and offshore job roles. In addition to technical competencies, DETS trainees will be expected to acquire and demonstrate top-end skills in vital non-engineering competencies including:

Management of wellsite safety



Environmental awareness



Leadership and motivation

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Team working and communication

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Planning and logistics

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Commercial Awareness


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The basic scheme outline is as follows:Phase

Work Experience

Classroom Training (Typical)

Year 1

6 to 12 months in rig crew, Roustabout and possibly Roughneck positions.

Safety & Survival Well Control Directional Drilling Drilling Fluids Bits Cementing

Year 2

Offshore materials, onshore trainee drilling engineer roles. In-house projects Outplacements with client and service companies

Drilling Engineering Well Design Drillstring Design Prevention

and

Offshore Logistics Offshore supervision

Years 3 – 5

Working as wellsite drilling Advanced Well Control engineer with progression through Stuck Pipe Prevention night drilling supervisor positions Petroleum Engineering to onshore drilling engineering Contracts and Finance


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Failure

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6.0 Mentoring and Appraisals DETS Trainees will be allocated a mentor drawn from senior staff at FOL. Mentors have themselves experienced a similar sequence of training and development within the drilling industry. They are a vital source of advice, information and support. The mentor is a vital sounding-board and is available to the trainee on a routine basis – and if in need, on a 24-hours basis. A competency logbook will be issued and should be completed for each stage of training. The logbook forms a record of progress and assists in identifying further training needs. FOL operates a system of annual performance review; DETS trainees will participate in this process.

7.0 Engineering Institutions All FOL engineers are encouraged to join the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), an international body. SPE does not grant chartered engineer status. At this time the FOL DETS is not accredited by any UK or European-based engineering institutions which can grant chartered engineer status. It is not uncommon for drilling engineers to become chartered engineers, normally through the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (I.Mech.E) or the Institute of Materials, minerals and Mining (IOM3) however; the profile of chartership as a badge of competence within the international oil industry is very low by comparison with the status afforded chartered engineers in other industries within the UK. Successful completion of the FOL DETS will, however, provide trainees with documented evidence of training, experience and managerial responsibility. This will greatly assist with any application to the UK institutions in pursuit of chartered status.


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8.0 Programme Details 8.1

Rig Crew training

DETS trainees are required to start at the sharp end of the drilling business. The oilfield has a culture and vocabulary all of its own, and this phase of the training can be viewed as “learning the language”. Trainees will spend part or all of the first year working on an offshore drilling rig as a member of a roustabout crew. This will typically be on North Sea mobile rig on a two or three-week equal-time rotation. Before going offshore, trainees will attend offshore fire and survival training and will need to pass an offshore medical. The work is physically demanding, working 12-hour shifts at the bottom end of the highly-stratified chain of command. Tasks will include working with cranes, cleaning decks and painting. Subject to job slots arising, trainees showing promise as roustabouts may be able to gain rig floor experience as a roughneck Figure 9 - Roustabout trainees Trainees will take part in the drilling contractor’s competency structure and can

expect to receive formal training in entry-level disciplines such as:

Risk assessment

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Safety observation programmes

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Banksman and slinger

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Forklift operation

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Permit to work

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Waste Management

During this period, trainees are actually employed by the drilling contractor and are treated no differently to any other member of the rig crew. During days off the rig (“field break”) several days may be spent either in formal training or assisting with operations in FOL’s Offices.


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8.2



Onshore Assignments

On completion of basic rig crew training, trainees will be assigned a shore-based position working alongside experienced personnel. As well as training value, assignments will have rea l-life deliverables. Trainees will be expected to keep to deadlines, to interface with clients and service companies and present themselves in a professional manner. Typical assignments will include:

Engineering studies

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Materials and logistics projects

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Offset well review

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Tender analysis

Through interface with mentors, and by reference to competency matrices, trainees will be able to put their growing list of work experience into context with the overall competency framework. Onshore assignments are likely to include short-term work placements with client companies or with service companies.

8.3

Further Offshore Training

From year 2 onwards DETS trainees will be considered for positions in the offshore rig supervisory team. These may include:

Offshore materials man

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Wellsite Drilling Engineer

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Night Drilling Supervisor

Again the job role and support regime will be tailored to allow the trainees to perform a front-line job while accumulating knowledge and experience within the drilling engineering competency framework.


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8.4



External Training

DETS trainees will participate in a number of external training schools which will be scheduled either during field break from offshore assignments or during onshore periods. Year 1 and 2 courses are likely to include:Course Title

BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training)

Duration

3 days

Description

Helicopter escape training Post escape first aid Firefighting (basic extinguishers, smoke hoods and self rescue) Permit to work systems Emergency Breathing Systems

IWCF Well Control

5 days

Kick detection Well control methods Well control calculations Simulator practise IWCF written & practical examination

Directional Drilling

2-3 days

Principles of wellbore surveying Survey tools Wellbore deflection tools Trajectory planning Bottom-hole-assembly (BHA) selection Field practises

Drilling Fluids

2-3 days

Functions of drilling fluids Clay chemistry Formation problems and treatment Solids control Lost circulation Mud systems and treatment Completion brines

Bits

1 day

Bit styles Bit selection Performance optimisation Bit grading


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Cementing

2 to 4 days


Functions of oil well cements Slurry design Cementing chemicals Field procedures

Further classroom training during later stages of the DETS are likely to include:Course Title

Drilling Engineering

Duration

10 days

Description

Drilling Engineer role Well types Rig types Well Design Completion design Tangibles – casing / wellheads / liner hangers Mud / Cement / Directional / Bits intro

Drillstring Design and Failure Prevention

5 days

Drillstring stress regime Drillstring failures Material properties Design & procurement standards Operating practises

Drilling contracts, procurement and logistics

3 days

Contract structures for offshore drilling Contract management Tendering and procurement Sea and air transport Dangerous goods Operations forecasting and call-off Invoice processing Cost tracking

Drilling Supervision

2- days

Rig management principles Legal and contract responsibilities Emergency response Operations management Contingency management


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8.5



DETS – Advanced Stages

A feature of the DETS is early responsibility. While trainees spend considerable time in classroom training, work roles are “real jobs” rather than make -work exercises or passive observation. The later stages of the programme will comprise of a series of job roles through which the trainee will broaden his or her experience and further develop both technical and non-technical skill sets. External training opportunities and cross-posting will continue and the trainee will continue to benefit from mentoring and support of FOL senior engineering and HR staff. Some engineers may wish to specialise in offshore supervision, or in specialist technical areas such as subsea or completion engineering, or in commercial management. These tend to be plateau positions in which engineers are working as a fully-capable part of the project team under the guidance of experienced line management. Over time, as experience is accumulated, the competency matrices are completed. This marks the end of the DETS although there is currently no formal mechanism by which people “graduate” from the scheme. After six to eight years in trainee and standalone engineering positions, some engineers will achieve senior engineer or drilling superintendent status, or will progress to a position as a day drilling supervisor. These positions represent a further step in responsibility, with job holders acting as team leaders and taking on management responsibilities for significant budgets and entire wellsite teams. We never stop learning. Although the formal programme of education and training that goes to make up the FOL DETS stops at the end of Year 5 or thereabouts, FOL will continue to support its staff through ongoing training, periodic appraisal and training opportunities.


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9.0 Support Mechanisms FOL’s DETS scheme makes high demands on the individual – physically, mentally

and sometimes on relationships. We recognise that we expect a lot from you. At some point in our careers any of us may find ourselves struggling. Whether an individual has problems with the work that they have been asked to undertake or their working relationships, whether they have come to the realisation that this line of work is not for them or perhaps a personal matter is causing them some difficulty; no matter how large or small, whatever the problem is, there is always someone here to help. Most problems can be resolved and Fraser Offshore welcomes the opportunity to address with you any issues that may arise.


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Drilling Engineer Career Map

OFFSHORE

ONSHORE

Drilling Superintendent Project Manager 10 Years plus

Drilling Supervisor Senior Drilling Engineer

2 - 10 years

Night Drilling Supervisor or Wellsite Engineer

Drilling Engineer

(Materials Man) Trainee Drilling Engineer 1 year

Rig Crew

Entry Level:- Graduate Engineer


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DETS Brochure - 2012[1]

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