An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering
From Planning to Well Delivery
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Duration
5 days
Price
$ 2,500
Starting From
04 Jan 2027
Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering
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Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering - DC-FDE-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC-FDE-PEA27 | 04 - 08 Jan 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
2500 |
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Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering
This course covers the core principles of drilling engineering. Participants study well planning and design, rig systems, drilling fluids, bits and drillstring design, hydraulics, casing and cementing, directional drilling, pore pressure and well control, drilling problems and cost estimation.
Description
Drilling engineering turns a subsurface target into a usable wellbore, safely and at acceptable cost. It brings together rock mechanics, fluid behaviour, mechanical design and operations planning, and every decision made during well design shows up later in drilling performance, well integrity and production capability.
This course builds that foundation step by step. It starts with the well planning process, trajectory and casing design, then covers the rig and its systems, drilling fluids and solids control, bits and bit selection, drillstring and bottomhole assembly design, and drilling hydraulics. It then covers casing running and cementing, directional drilling and surveying, pore pressure and fracture gradient estimation with well control principles, and the drilling problems engineers routinely deal with: stuck pipe, lost circulation, hole instability and vibration. The course closes with drilling cost estimation, performance measurement and the handover from drilling to completion.
A well is drilled against a set of constraints that tighten with depth. The mud weight must stay above pore pressure to control the formation and below fracture pressure to avoid losses, and that window narrows as the well deepens. Casing points are set where that window closes. Everything else, including hole sizes, bit selection, hydraulics and directional plan, follows from those decisions.
Cost is dominated by time, and time is lost in a small number of ways: stuck pipe, lost circulation, wellbore instability, bit and bottomhole assembly failures, and waiting on weather or equipment. Most of these are predictable from offset wells and controllable through design and practice, which is why drilling engineering spends so much effort on offset analysis and on the practices that prevent trouble rather than cure it.
The common mistakes are well known: mud weight set without a proper pore pressure assessment, hydraulics that do not clean the hole at the rates actually achievable, casing designs that leave no contingency string, cement jobs designed without considering centralisation and displacement, and directional plans that look fine on paper and generate torque and drag problems in practice. This course covers the engineering that avoids them.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe the well planning process and the data it requires.
- Design well trajectories and casing schemes from pore pressure and fracture gradient data.
- Describe rig systems and their capability limits.
- Select drilling fluids and specify solids control requirements.
- Select bits and design drillstrings and bottomhole assemblies.
- Calculate drilling hydraulics, including pressure losses and hole cleaning.
- Plan casing running and cementing operations.
- Apply directional drilling and survey principles.
- Apply well control principles, including kick detection and shut-in procedures.
- Diagnose and prevent common drilling problems and estimate drilling cost and time.
The course is instructor-led. Each topic is developed from its physical basis and applied through worked examples covering casing design, hydraulics, torque and drag, and cost estimation. Field cases and offset well data are used throughout to show how design decisions play out at the rig. Participants are encouraged to bring questions from their own wells for discussion.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Build a common technical foundation across drilling and well engineering teams.
- Improve well design quality and reduce non-productive time.
- Reduce drilling problems through better planning and practice.
- Improve cost and time estimation for drilling programmes.
- Prepare staff for specialist drilling training.
Participants will:
- Understand how a well is planned, designed and drilled.
- Be able to carry out the main drilling engineering calculations.
- Understand rig systems, fluids, bits and cementing.
- Be able to recognise and prevent common drilling problems.
- Have a solid base for advanced drilling study.
- Drilling engineers in their early career
- Well engineers and completion engineers
- Production and reservoir engineers working with drilling teams
- Rig site supervisors and senior rig crew
- Service company engineers supporting drilling
- Graduate engineers entering the industry
Module 1: Well Planning
- Well objectives and subsurface targets
- Offset well analysis
- Data requirements and uncertainty
- Drilling programme content
- Roles in the well delivery process
Module 2: Pore Pressure, Fracture Gradient and Casing Design
- Pore pressure estimation methods
- Fracture gradient and the drilling window
- Casing setting depth selection
- Casing size and grade selection
- Burst, collapse and tension design
- Contingency strings
Module 3: Rigs and Rig Systems
- Rig types and selection
- Hoisting, rotating and circulating systems
- Power generation and transmission
- Pressure control equipment
- Rig capability and limits
Module 4: Drilling Fluids
- Water-based, oil-based and synthetic fluids
- Mud properties and testing
- Functions of drilling fluid
- Solids control equipment
- Fluid-related problems
Module 5: Bits and Drillstring Design
- Roller cone and fixed cutter bits
- Bit selection and performance evaluation
- Drill pipe, heavy weight and drill collars
- Bottomhole assembly design
- Torque, drag and buckling
Module 6: Drilling Hydraulics
- Circulating pressure losses
- Bit hydraulics and nozzle selection
- Hole cleaning and cuttings transport
- Equivalent circulating density
- Surge and swab
Module 7: Casing Running and Cementing
- Casing running practice and equipment
- Centralisation and standoff
- Cement slurry design
- Primary cementing and displacement
- Cement evaluation and remedial cementing
Module 8: Directional Drilling
- Reasons for directional wells
- Trajectory design and dogleg severity
- Steerable systems and rotary steerable tools
- Surveying and tool face control
- Horizontal and extended reach wells
Module 9: Well Control Principles
- Causes of kicks and warning signs
- Shut-in procedures
- Kill methods
- Pressure management concepts
- Well control equipment
Module 10: Drilling Problems, Cost and Handover
- Stuck pipe, lost circulation and hole instability
- Vibration and equipment failures
- Non-productive time analysis
- Drilling cost and time estimation
- Handover from drilling to completion
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
