Drilling and Reservoir EngineeringGeothermal Well Drilling
The East African Rift has made geothermal drilling a growing part of the continent's well activity, and those wells punish oilfield habits: hard fractured volcanic rock, temperatures that can exceed 300 degrees Celsius, total losses and steam kicks. Delegates study geothermal resource types and well objectives, then the design consequences: large diameter casing programmes, thermal stress and casing buckling, full length cementing and wellhead growth. Drilling practice covers aerated fluids and drilling blind through total losses, bit and BHA selection in basalt and rhyolite, and cooling and temperature limits on tools. Well control for steam and hot water kicks, quenching and the hazards of H2S are addressed. Completion with slotted liners, discharge testing and scaling close the course. Delegates leave able to plan and supervise geothermal drilling.
Course objectives
- Describe geothermal resource types and their implications for well design
- Design large diameter casing programmes for thermal loading
- Plan full length cementing that tolerates thermal cycling
- Select aerated fluids and procedures for drilling with total losses
- Choose bits and BHAs for hard fractured volcanic formations
- Apply well control methods suited to steam and hot water kicks
- Manage H2S, scaling and high temperature hazards at the wellsite
- Plan slotted liner completion and initial discharge testing
Who should attend
- Drilling engineers in geothermal development companies
- Oil and gas drilling staff moving into geothermal projects
- Geothermal reservoir and resource engineers
- Drilling supervisors on geothermal rigs
- Power utility project engineers overseeing drilling campaigns
Course outline
- 01Geothermal systems and well objectives
- 02Casing design for thermal loads
- 03Cementing for high temperature service
- 04Drilling fluids and total loss circulation
- 05Bits and BHAs in volcanic rock
- 06Steam kicks and geothermal well control
- 07H2S, scaling and temperature hazards
- 08Completion and discharge testing
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 to 23 October 2026 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 30 November to 4 December 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 4 to 8 January 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate |
Geothermal Well Drilling
From R8,500