In 2023, Texas Tech University became the first university campus in the nation to raise the mast on a fully operational oil rig, becoming a pioneer in providing hands-on experience for petroleum engineering students. One year later, students and faculty are finding that the unique learning opportunities and tools are paying off.
Professors like Marshal Watson, who also serves as dean of the Bob L. Heard Department. of Texas Tech University's Department of Petroleum Engineering — said the Oilfield Technology Center, which houses oil rigs and other machinery, allows students to operate equipment in ways they couldn't before.
It also allows professors to take classes on-site without worrying about logistics, especially if students miss the trip to the rig.
“It allowed me to say, 'I'm going to go run for 30 hours this Monday, and I'm going to review all the research I did with the other students,'” Watson said.
Related:Oilfield research: Texas Tech University raises mast on nation's first on-campus rig
Students still take buses to Midland to see the big oil fields and how operations work there. However, there are limitations.
“Due to safety concerns from the companies that have allowed us to tour the rigs, we are very limited in what we can do in and around the rigs,” Watson said. “They can't go up and touch a lot of things. They can't go under the equipment. They can't walk around the top of the equipment.”
Petroleum engineering is the primary field that utilizes the center for second through fourth year classes for introductory and advanced drilling and production classes, among others.
Tech students will also be able to see real-time data from the rigs, Watson said, because of the equipment the company provided to the students.
“Students on campus can see on their computers what's going on with the rig,” Watson said. “This is going to emulate exactly what oil companies have engineers in their offices.”
Watson said the university is upgrading the rig with more equipment so students can see how rig modifications are properly done.
One of the students taking advantage of OTC is Ashley Leon, a junior majoring in petroleum engineering. He said OTC has helped him better understand what's happening in the classroom.
“When I was asked to calculate something in class, I was at OTC and witnessed the size and scale of complex equipment, which helped me better understand the mechanisms and processes involved,” Leon said. said.
Leon said that while it was important to connect the classroom to the field, he learned valuable lessons about on-rig safety, especially during the most dangerous times: rig-up and rig-down.
Leung said numerous trucks were on site during this time, clearing and removing power lines and heavy equipment at the beginning and end of each day. Knowing where to stand to ensure safety during the process is important in addition to all the other safety measures you need to know when working with equipment like this.
She said this knowledge and practical experience gave her an edge over other students in the field, especially during her internship as a field intern.
“I had actually been on the rig before, so I knew exactly what was going to happen, and I knew the layout,” Leon said. “I knew where I was supposed to be, I knew where I was supposed to be, I knew what kind of machines were being used.
Leon, who is also an undergraduate researcher, said the rig has helped him with that aspect of his studies, and he feels very lucky to have access to such unique teaching materials.
“Texas Tech University is the first and only school with a working rig and a working facility,” Leon said. “I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity.”
