Department of Petroleum Engineering
PETE 203: Drilling Engineering I
3 credits: 2 50-minutes lectures and 1 3-hours laboratory session per week
required
Catalog Description: The course introduces the basic concepts, theory and practices
in drilling engineering. Topics include an introduction to drilling engineering, rotary
drilling systems and operations, well control and monitoring systems. Specifically,
drilling fluids, drilling hydraulics, formation pore and fracture pressure estimation,
design of mud weight and kick evaluation are discussed. Some practical applications
such as cementing and basic concepts of casing, drilling bits and bottom-hole
assembly are presented. Laboratory sessions cover drilling fluids and cement
formulation and testing. A rig-floor simulator is used to demonstrate drilling
operations and control.
Textbook:
1. Bourgoyne, A.T. Jr., et al. (1986). Applied Drilling Engineering.
SPE Textbook Series, Vol. 2, Society of Petroleum Engineers,
Richardson, Texas, USA
2. Two lab manuals that cover Drilling Fluids, cementing and drilling
simulator exercises.
Prerequisite:
CHEM101: General Chemistry I
PETE201: Introduction to Petroleum Engineering.
Course Objectives:
 Become acquainted with drilling rigs and drilling operations.
 Understand the procedure to plan and design a basic well construction scheme.
 Understand well control techniques.
 Become aware of safety and environmental issues.
Laboratory experiments
Experiments on
Drilling fluids and cementing:
Rig-floor drilling simulator:
Hrs
10
4
Topics and Hours:
Topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Hours
Introduction to drilling engineering and petroleum engineering units
2
Drilling rig systems and components, rig types, rig selection. Well control and
well monitoring systems. Organizational structure, planning and managing
drilling operations.
4
Drilling fluids composition and rheology.
2
Drilling fluid hydraulics (wellbore hydraulics and design of circulation system,
design of mud weight and kick evaluation).
3
Major Exam I
1
Formation pore and fractures pressure estimation (abnormal pressures
1
prediction, well control, fracture gradient prediction).
7. Cementing: composition and testing of cement, cementing equipment and
operations, quality control and remedial jobs.
8. Basic concepts of casing and its properties.
9. Basic concepts of rotary drilling bit, classification, selection and evaluation.
10. Major Exam II
11. Fundamental concepts of drill string and bottom-hole assembly.
12. Drilling problems, safety, and environmental issues.
Total Hours:
Method of Evaluation:
Class attendance and performance:
Field trip attendance, report and presentation:
Homework/assignments and quizzes:
Laboratory experiments:
Major exams:
Final exams:
Total:
3
3
2
3
1
3
3
30
5%
5%
20%
20%
25%
25%
100%
Contribution to Professional Component:
Engineering Science and Design: All topics relate to the application of scientific and
engineering principles to understanding oilfield drilling operations, estimating
subsurface pressures, and design of safe and economic wellbores.
Relationship of Course Learning Outcomes to Program Educational Outcomes:
Course Learning Outcome
1. Become familiar with drilling rigs
and drilling operations.
2. Ability to conduct experiments and
understand the procedure to plan and
design a basic well construction
scheme
3. Understand the importance of drilling
fluids and well control operations.
4. Understand the drilling operations
hazards in terms of safety and
environmental issues.
Program Educational Outcome
 Ability to apply knowledge of math,
science and engineering.
 Ability to design and conduct
experiments as well as to analyze and
interpret data
Prepared by: Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Majed and Dr. M. Enamul Hossain, May 2010.
Instructors: Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Majed, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Department of
Petroleum Engineering, KFUPM, 15-6201, (03) 860-3888, aamajed@kfupm.edu.sa;
Dr. M. Enamul Hossain, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Department of Petroleum
Engineering, KFUPM, 16-273, (03) 860-273, menamul@kfupm.edu.sa.
2