INSTRUCTORS:
J. Daniel Arthur, P.E., SPEC
Kenneth Hill, P.E.

Seminar Purpose and Background

Water and energy are two of the most basic needs of society. Our use of each vital resource is reliant on and affects the availability of the other.  Water is needed to produce energy and energy is necessary to make water available for use. 

Oil and natural gas production from shales and other tight geologic formations, continues as one of the most rapidly expanding trends in onshore oil and gas exploration and production.  This has included bringing drilling and production to regions of the country that have seen little or no activity in the past.  New oil and gas developments bring change to the environmental and socio-economic landscape, particularly in those areas where oil and gas development is a new activity.

States have generally acted quickly with additional regulations to protect state interests and manage the developing industry.  Each state has laws and regulations to ensure the wise use of its natural resources and to protect the environment.  In order to meet the environmental protection goals of these requirements, best practices are continually being developed to ensure environmental protection in ways that can be quickly adapted to changes in technology and site-specific conditions.

This course will target three main areas of interest related to well-site environmental protection:

• Well pad design and construction considerations, including containment systems
• Best practices for drilling, cementing, completions, and operations
• Preparedness and planning for emergencies

Best practices in the design and construction of well pads, as well as the drilling and completions of wells have been developed to mitigate potential impacts on the environment.  While drilling activities are increasing, regulations are evolving, and the entire process has become more complicated.  This course reviews decisions, drivers, technical details, and recommendations to manage environmental protection at well sites.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this seminar, you will be introduced to:

• Well drilling, cementing, completions, and operations methods
• Site selection and environmental considerations
• Fundamental civil design and construction considerations for well pad, access road, and site development
• Geotechnical considerations in well pad and site development
• Erosion and sediment control best practices

Benefits for Participants

• Exposure to entire well development process and solutions
• Experience-based information on design and construction practices that are both practical and constructible
• Examine alternatives of well pad design and construction
• Up-to-date briefing on current rules and regulations of various states
• Review of best practices in erosion and sediment controls

Summary Outline

TIME:  8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

DAY 1

• Well casing and cementing design considerations
• Well integrity evaluations related to “stray gas”
• Well integrity testing
• Developing best practices for drilling, cementing, completions, and operations
• Variations between shale plays
• Well siting considerations
• Environmental studies and investigations
• Well pad design and construction
• Access road considerations
• Geotechnical analyses and slope stability

DAY 2

• Best practices in erosion and sediment control measures
• Well pad design alternatives
• Managing well pad design alternatives under varied conditions
• Well pad containment
• Effective well pad containment systems
• Advances in well pad containment related to well cellars
• Use of geomembrane plastics, plastic liners, rig mats, and primary containment
• Preparedness and planning for emergencies
• Spills and spill response
• SPCC plans

Who Should Attend

This is a course for professionals, who are seeking an understanding of issues relating to oil and gas well development and protection of the environment, including:

• Civil engineers
• Construction managers
• Oil and gas producers and operators 
• Geotechnical engineers
• Water resource planners and engineers
• Local (city and county) planning and public works officials
• State and federal regulators