The staff of the Department of Geophysics, the Faculty of Geology, Saratov State University, has developed a curriculum on naval geonavigation. This training course is the first and in many ways unique in Russia.
The course contains information about the dynamic process of conducting a borehole with the achievement of geological goals in relation to offshore objects, including geological and geomechanical modeling, drilling design, geophysical and geological-technological research, remote monitoring and management decision-making.
According to Elena Volkova, Chair of the Department of Geophysics of SSU, the practical experience of specialists has shown that geonavigation at sea is significantly different from geonavigation on land, and a future specialist should know not only current technologies for drilling offshore oil and gas wells, but also methods of marine seismic exploration and borehole geophysics. Traditionally, the specialist's tasks include well construction support and remote monitoring – processing and interpretation of incoming data, issuing recommendations, adjusting the geological model and the trajectory of the wellbore during drilling.
At the same time, increased requirements for the safety of work, special environmental conditions, complex logistics, uncertainty factors due to low geological knowledge lead to a significant increase in risks and a multiple increase in the cost of error. All this requires special knowledge, taking into account the significant complication of drilling conditions at sea.
The content part of the course, in addition to demonstrating the obvious advantages of horizontal wells, consisting primarily in a multiple increase in oil flow rates compared to vertical ones, reflects the complex organization of work with increased requirements for the safety of construction and operation of the well, taking into account environmental protection problems.
The presentation of the new academic course of the discipline "Geonavigation at sea" was presented at Saratov University in mid–May - Associate Professor of the Department of Geophysics Konstantin Golovin told about it during an open lecture for part-time students in the specialty "Applied Geology".
The discipline was introduced into the curriculum of the specialty "Applied Geology" and into the bachelor's curriculum in the areas of "Geology" and "Oil and Gas Business".
At the full-time department in the courses in geology of oil and gas and search and exploration of groundwater and engineering and geological surveys, the discipline will appear in the 5th year. For bachelors in the field of "Geology" of the full-time department of the profile "Geophysics of oil and gas", the course is included in the 8th semester. Bachelors in the field of training "Oil and gas business" of full-time and part-time forms of the course in geological and geophysical service will be taught in the third year.
Since this year, the course has been included in the curricula of all specialties and directions. The plans for next year are to adapt the discipline to a master's degree.
The innovative discipline is based on the materials of well-known service companies, including LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft LLC with the participation of the leading geophysicist of this structure M.V. Rakitin. The complex of lecture and visual presentation of the subject of oil and gas education was created on the initiative of the Department of Geophysics of SSU by graduate student A.V. Malyuga on the basis of OOO Neftegazservice Saratov and OOO Geopromalliance.
Of course, everyone is interested in practical training of students. Laboratory classes are work in groups of four people. They are given tasks based on the principle of case studies or production situations based on real data. The teacher informs the children about the situation, the available means and offers to solve the problem collectively. A captain is selected who distributes tasks into groups for data analysis and interpretation. The result is a decision and action to adjust the drilling direction taken by each of the groups.
They solve the problem by working with data and special software. For these purposes, a specialized computer class of mathematical modeling, a specialized classroom with a PC and multimedia equipment of the Faculty of Geology are used.
For independent work, students are offered video materials that are in the public domain – about the device and operation of special equipment aimed at drilling wells.
"The most urgent issue for us is the issue of practical training in the real process of geonavigation," says Elena Nikolaevna. – In this regard, it is planned to develop and create a software and hardware complex according to the type of simulator "driller's chair" for drilling horizontal wells. It will include elements of equipment for geological, technological and geophysical drilling studies.
"The most urgent issue for us is the issue of practical training in the real process of geonavigation," says Elena Nikolaevna. – In this regard, it is planned to develop and create a software and hardware complex according to the type of simulator "driller's chair" for drilling horizontal wells. It will include elements of equipment for geological, technological and geophysical drilling studies.
By itself, Saratov State University or the same Astrakhan State Technical University will not be able to solve the issue of developing and manufacturing such a complex for the educational process. But together, taking into account the Corporate Department of Offshore Oil and Gas Technologies of LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft, established at the Institute of Oil and Gas of AGTU, they may be able to solve this problem in the future."
For further development of the course, it is planned to obtain new materials on geonavigation at the fields named after Y. Korchagin and V. Filanovsky and adapt the program with additional materials for the master's degree.
Training in the real process of geonavigation involves the use of a software and hardware complex for practical and laboratory classes, which is recommended to be purchased by Saratov and Astrakhan State Universities.
According to representatives of the oil and gas industry, the future of drilling for oil and gas is behind horizontal wells, the success of which is determined by geonavigation. This field is developing dynamically, and graduates of the "Geonavigation at Sea" program will always be in demand not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Text by: Tamara Korneva, photos from the archive of the Faculty of Geology
