In September, 14 student members of the IADC and SPE chapters at the University of North Dakota (UND) had a remarkable time participating in the annual 4-day UND Petroleum Engineering Bakken Field Trip. This field trip provided wonderful opportunities for students to gain firsthand experience of the oil and gas industry outside the classroom.
When reflecting on the experience, IADC UND Student Chapter President Ahmed Abdelaal stated,
“Stepping out onto the oilfield, we bridged the gap between theory and reality, igniting our passion for petroleum engineering and doing work that really matters.”
During the field trip, the students visited TrainND Northwest, a training network division of Williston State College that provides safety and technical training mainly catered towards the oilfield. Instructor Todd Beard delivered an excellent safety presentation, highlighting key risks and challenges of the oilfield, tailored for students.
The students also visited a Creedence Energy Services facility. Creedence is a production chemical company with a full suite of oil and gas chemicals, specializing in scale remediation and production stimulation treatments. Nicole Monk, Technical Specialist II and UND alumna, hosted the students and delivered a robust presentation about the company. The students learned about the importance of chemicals in the oil and gas industry, their uses, and general operational and technical aspects of the business.
Trips to an Energy Transfer pipeline facility and a Hess Corporation well pad were also on the agenda. The group then visited Nabors Rig X24 operated by Hess Corporation in Ray, ND, and Nabors Rig B06 operated by ConocoPhillips in Watford City, ND. The students were given a tour of the rigs and a firsthand experience of many aspects of drilling, directional tools, and rig logistics. They also got to sit in on a rig safety meeting.
On their last day of the Bakken field trip, the students visited a Key Energy Services facility, where they learned about workover operations for wells, met rig crews and learned more about rig life, and watched a crew of 4 rig up a 107 ft workover rig in less than 20 minutes.
Thank you to all of the involved companies, facilitators, and rig crews for your first-class hospitality, and thank you to the UND Petroleum Engineering Department for organizing this amazing trip for the students.
