Drilling and Reservoir EngineeringDrilling Engineering Fundamentals
A new drilling engineer's first well plan usually fails review on arithmetic rather than concept: a kick tolerance that was never calculated, a mud weight window read off the wrong gradient, a hook load that ignores buoyancy. This programme makes those calculations routine. Delegates begin with pressure units and gradients, take formation pressure and fracture gradient as inputs, then size hole and casing programmes, compute hydrostatic pressure and equivalent circulating density, apply buoyancy to string weights and estimate torque, drag and annular velocity. Bit selection, penetration rate drivers and basic well cost estimation follow. Each block ends with worked problems on a realistic well. Engineers leave able to build and check the numerical backbone of a drilling programme and defend it to a senior reviewer.
Course objectives
- Calculate hydrostatic pressure, equivalent circulating density and pressure gradients
- Construct a casing seat plan from pore pressure and fracture gradient inputs
- Apply buoyancy factors to determine hook load and string weight
- Estimate torque, drag and annular velocity for a planned wellbore
- Calculate kick tolerance for a given casing shoe and hole section
- Select bit type and size for the formations expected
- Prepare a time and cost estimate for a drilling programme
- Check a drilling programme for numerical consistency before issue
Who should attend
- Graduate and junior drilling engineers
- Petroleum engineers moving into well construction
- Mechanical engineers joining drilling contractors
- Mud loggers and MWD engineers seeking engineering depth
- Technical assistants who prepare drilling programmes
Course outline
- 01Pressure units, gradients and hydrostatics
- 02Formation and fracture pressure as design inputs
- 03Hole size, casing seat selection and well architecture
- 04Equivalent circulating density, surge and swab
- 05Buoyancy, hook load and drill string weight
- 06Torque, drag and hole cleaning basics
- 07Bit types and drivers of penetration rate
- 08Kick tolerance and the mud weight window
- 09Time, depth and cost estimation for a well plan
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Port Louis, Mauritius | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 30 November to 4 December 2026 | Pretoria, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 18 to 22 January 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | |
| 1 to 5 February 2027 | Maseru, Lesotho | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate |
Drilling Engineering Fundamentals
From R8,500