Topic 1

• A brief overview of developments in drilling technology, current challenges and technology perspectives

Topic 2

• Oil and gas wells, their elements and functions in petroleum exploration and production. Classification of wells. Well design and well planning

Topic 3

• Methods of oil and gas well drilling (cable drilling, rotary-percussion drilling, rotary drilling, drilling with bottom hole engines and top drives, coil tubing, underbalanced drilling, rotary steerable systems, casing drilling). Advantages and disadvantages of these drilling methods

Topic 4

• Casing and bit size program
• Well design for particular conditions
• Construction of the casing string, the types of casing pipes. Operational requirements to casing strings, general approach to casing string strength evaluation

Topic 5

• Physical and mechanical properties of sedimentary formations (strength, elasticity, hardness, plasticity, creep, abrasiveness) and their influence for selection of drilling bits

Topic 6

• Modern drilling bits (polycrystalline diamond bits, modern roller bits, diamond bits), their construction and features. Efficient fields of their application. Bit wear. International Association Drilling Contractors (IADC) classification

Topic 7

• Drilling practices
• Drilling parameters: weight on the bit, RPM, flow rate, mud properties. Effects of these factors on the rate of penetration, trip rate, cost per meter, bit life
• Criterions of drilling practices optimization
• Mathematical models of drilling process

Topic 8

• Drill string, its elements and their functions
• Drill pipes. Heavyweight drill pipes
• Drill collars
• Drill string design
• Drill string calculation. Drill string vibration and its influence on drilling process and its performance

Topic 9

• Drilling fluids. Main properties of drilling fluids and equipment for its definitions. Modern drilling fluids
• Preparation of drilling fluids and control of their properties. Solids control. Choosing proper drilling fluids for particular conditions

Topic 10

• Lost circulation; oil, gas and water shows; shale instability; pipe sticking
• Blowouts, accidents with drill string and bits and measures to prevent or eliminate complications and accidents while drilling

Topic 11

• Straight holes drilling. Undesirable deviation of bore holes and its causes
• Types of the bottom hole assembly and its design

Topic 12

• Directional drilling. Application of directional drilling. Methods of directional drilling
• Kickoff equipment
• Horizontal and multilateral drilling

Topic 13

• Cementing. Objectives and methods of well cementing. Cementing outfit. The ways of improving cementing quality. Testing cementing operations
• Well construction quality

Topic 14

• Well completion
• Drilling in pay zones. Choice of proper mud fluid
• Methods for opening up a pay zone and construction of a bottom well zone
• Formation testing
• Drill stem testing and its stages
• Casing perforation

Topic 15

• Characteristic features of offshore drilling engineering and technology. New trends of development offshore drilling technology