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contents4 MESSAGEFROMEDITORIALTEAM

5 PRESIDENT’SDESK

6 10YEARSOFSPE

10 CORECOMMITTEE2018-19

14 SPE10THANNIVERSARY

16 INDIANGASINDUSTRYWORKSHOP2019

20 SPEWEEK

24 REPRESENTATIONS

25 EVENTS

30 SOCIALINITIATIVES

35 TECHNICALARTICLE

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M E S S A G E F R O MT H E E D I TO R I A LT E A MOn behalf of SPE PDPU Student Chapter, we are delighted to share the April edition of Orbit.

The deadline was approaching and the editorial team was in a dilemma of the selection of the theme of the April edition. The solution was right in front of our nose, but we could not pinpoint it.

When the team was recalling their individual experiences of being associated with SPE, there was an instantaneous gaze amongst the committee members. Convincingly, they had deciphered the theme for the April Edition; “Journey of 10 Years of SPE.”

Digging back into the past, the aim of SPE PDPU Student Chapter has always been upliftment and enhancement of the aspiring young minds. It not only focuses on academic progress but also inculcates professional ethics and improvises soft skills.

Through this edition, we bring to you the amalgamation of profound sentiments and activities carried out throughout the wondrous journey of 10 years.

We hope that the readers find this edition purposive and beneficial. The entire editorial board of Orbit humbly welcomes suggestions and feedback.

Editorial Team,

Orbit.

G R E AT tswithgreatheading,greatsubheading,greattypographyandallothergreatthingsyouwillfindinthisuniversalMagazineTemplate.

Text by John Doe, photos by Doe Johnson

F R O M T H EP R E S I D E N T ’ S D E S KI am hoping that SPE Orbit is serving its purpose as the chapter’s effort to bring you quality for the students, by the student’s magazine. It is a pleasure to write a column for Orbit and get a chance to make acquaintance with you all. We, as a chapter, have been thriving on bringing Oil and Gas industry closer to academia and have left no stone unturned in providing students with the opportunity to get acquainted with the Industry better. The previous year brought laurels to the chapter as we could stay aligned with our goals and provide service to the student fraternity. And it gives me great satisfaction that we are progressing in all our endeavours towards the

overall development of the chapter.

This year, the chapter aims at making the programs more interactive and more member-driven so that everyone can participate and learn while doing so. This approach shall facilitate the members with a choice to select what suits them rather than sitting and waiting for what’s being served.

The chapter, along with the School of Petroleum Technology has set a goal to make the student members more employable in the industry and to make them conscious towards the society and the environment. We believe that every student possesses a unique set of abilities and ambition. The chapter’s aim is to assist the student to unfold his/her true potential and facilitate with a platform to express their brilliance. For this, the chapter has planned a gamut of events throughout the year covering different domains of life and sciences, with the ultimate goal of producing a responsible human being.

At last, I would like to welcome the new elected office bearers of SPE PDPU Student Chapter and express my gratitude towards towards the previous office bearers for bringing SPE PDPU Student Chapter to its present stature.

FACULTYADVISORBhawanisingh Desai

FACULTYMENTORJatin Agarwal

DOCUMENTATIONTEAMAnvesh Nadipelli

Manna ButaniShivam PaliwalJhanvi DesaiKavya Patel

Nupur TripathiParag Bhoraniya

Parth PatelSmeet Patel

DESIGNINGTEAMDhruv Rajvanshi

Harsh JaniMehul Thakkar

Naitik JainAnish Singhi

Het PatelVrutang Shah

PUBICRELATIONSTEAMBhavyakumar JainMukund SharmaVasu Kundariya

Dharti PatelHarjyot SinghRounak JalaliSmit PrajapatiYogini Lakhani

CORPORATERELATIONSTEAMDebajyoti NayakJignesh Maradiya

Sakal MathurHarsh PatelHarsh Shah

Hirensinh VaghelaJenisgiri Goswami

Krupal PatelParikshit PandyaParinder SinghRajat Pareta

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1 0 Y E A R S O F S P EThekeytorealizingadreamistofocusnotonsuccessbutsignificance,andtheneventhesmallstepsandlittlevictoriesalongyourpathwilltakeongreatermeaning.

- Oprah Winfrey

SPE PDPU SC is one of the most dedicated student chapters, which focuses on the key interest of the members

for the advancement in oil and gas industry by delivering and exchanging technical knowledge concerning the exploration, development and production of oil and gas.

JOURNEY OF INITIAL YEARS

The journey of the SPE PDPU SC started with a vision to mark the collaboration of the industry and the academia. Dr. Bhawanisingh Desai was one of the key members responsible for bringing SPE to PDPU as a student chapter in the year 2008. As Bhawani sir said, “It was in our favor having SPE Ahmedabad Chapter (now known as SPE India Section) in our region which brought us closer to our vision of having SPE Student Chapter in PDPU”. Initially it took time to convince the SPE Ahmedabad Chapter to grant the approval for having SPE at PDPU, but then in the year 2008, finally by the approval of Chanchal Dass, secretary, SPE India Section, PDPU became an official chapter of the SPE.

Dr. Bhawanisingh. G. Desai believes that for any course at graduate level, chapters like SPE PDPU plays a vital role in upbringing the understanding and abilityof the students to meet the world’s energy demand in a safe, sustainable manner. Initially SPE PDPU SC started with just 50 members which increased exponentially with the passing years to thousands in number. Active members of the SPE PDPU SC organized many events to help members connect with the well known oil and gas industrial personalities.

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a team and making a team was the first challenge we had; multiple emails, many round of interviews and finally we were set with the best possible team for the fest. This wasn’t an ordinary fest, we wanted to it to be an extravagant event and thus something extraordinary had to be planned.

Next was the planning and execution. We had a great time in dealing with people inside and outside as they were so surprised with our plan. They haven’t heard of such thing ever.

Yes, it was a bit difficult for us to explain people about our fest and events. Countless meetings, countless fights, many sleepless nights and finally came the day of 30th October 2015 when the Dias of PDPU SPE Fest declared open, the day when my fellow classmate and President 2015-16, Mr. Abhishek Juneja addressed the gathering welcoming all the dignitaries and students. Inviting all the participants to give their best performance and chance to win and take the prestigious Chalice to their respective University. I could not even think of a single moment when we didn’t perform as a team well trained. From the President to the Volunteers all gave their time and effort to make this f89est a memorable outing for all the budding contestants. The love which we all have got from the participants and the dignitaries was something which I will never forget. I can proudly say that I had the best team which turned my dream into reality. Although team members are spread all across the globe as of now with this platform I would like to say there will always be immense love for each of you from my side forever.

We kept ‘Imagine Believe Succeed’ as the tagline of our fest. This came from our own experience of fabricating this fest thread by thread. We imagined the fest successfully happening in our University,

I along with Shreya ma’am and Sircar sir believed in our capacities and courage. Finally when I was on the Dias inviting Garvit Rawlani my fellow classmate to receive The Chalice from Sanjay Parulkar sir my dream which I believed along with my extra ordinary teammates really got succeed. ”

PSF 18

PDPU SPE Fest is the colossal of Oil and Gas Industry in India. This year the theme for the fourth edition was “Crossroads of Intellect”. The fest provided a robust platform to the aspirants to showcase their technical skills and revolutionary ideas. The main objective of this fest was to bring together various ideas, innovations and visions under one roof and network between the industry and the academia.The flagship event of the fest included Showcase- Technical Paper and Poster Presentation competition where the students got a chance to present their exemplary ideas. The other events included Apotheosis- The Model Making competition, Examen- The Case Study Solving competition, Mud-O-Gee – The Drilling Mud Making competition, Catechize- International Quiz competition. The fest also included some mind-altering events like Bid your Block- Block Bidding competition, Quid-Pro-Quo- Spot Trading competition, Feud-A-Nation and many more such events that challenged the young minds. The festwitnessedmassive participation from various universities across the country as well as from other nations like Afghanistan,Yemen,Bangladesh, Syria, and Nigeria. There was an atmosphere of zest and zeal amongst the participants and they participated with a tangible amount ofsporting spirit. PSF not only aims at enhancing the fundamentals but also focuses on networking. On that note, SPE PDPU Student Chapter organized Networking Night and Gala

The hard work and the vision of the members of the SPE PDPU SC brought it to this level which have received Golden standard and 3 consecutive Outstanding Student Chapter awards. We can proudly dedicate this successful student chapter to all the active members and the faculty advisor from the last Ten years.

SPE FEST

In 2015, SPE PDPU Student Chapter took the quantum leap when the thought of first ever fest was raised. A fest entirely dedicated to Oil and Gas industry was a novel concept that was going to be introduced which was absolutely distinct from the prevailing fests. The idea that was running in the minds of a few members was about to take the huge leap and transfigure to reality. Certainly, it wasn’t a smooth ride as only the idea had been raised; the execution and planning still had a long journey to success. There were a few hardships faced, exemplary synergistic team work witnessed and an impeccable success story. Someone who was involved since the virtual stage can explain it better and who better than Mr. Palash Agrawal would be able to narrate it.

Mr. Palash Agrawal elucidated,” Some may think we have started it just to copy other universities but definitely it is not. Yes it is true when we used to see other universities launching their fest which makes us feel not too good obviously. One day finally the idea which was in back of our mind was written down on paper and next day I along with Jai, Jani and Palash on the doorstep of Director Sir. Clearly, we didn’t get this going in one try. As they say good things take time so this one also took its time. After many questions, discussions and many budgets, we got permission for the fest.

As we were in for a battle so we needed

The central aim of the Fest has always been to provide a platform to all the aspiring partakers to showcase their proficiency and innovative ideas for the amelioration of the Industry andto examine as well as enhance their professional prowess. There fo re , i t i s an amalgamation of various technical events such as distinguished guest lectures, informative workshops, severa l enthralling competitions, all of which are judged by eminent dignitaries from the Oil and Gas Industry, and informal events which will help the participants to build connections with each other. This year, SPE PDPU Student Chapter is determined to organize a superior PDPU SPE Fest’19 which will

provide an even more remarkable and beneficial experience to all its entrants.

Night where the participants were given a chance to strengthen their professional and intellectual bonds. PSF’18 witnessed presence of the industry stalwarts who enlightened the budding engineers with their reservoir of knowledge. We thanks our all the sponsors who supported us in making this fest a grand success. The sponsors included; ONGC, PepsiCo, Endeavor,Reliance,Myswots, and many others.

PSF 19

Since the outset of the first SPE Fest in PDPU, SPE PDPU Student Chapter has persistently strived to reach for greater heights every year. It has made continuous efforts in moulding the Fest into a marvellous extravaganza, which is eagerly anticipated by the participants who are welcome from all over the world. Taking a step forward in this journey towards another year of success and glory, this year, we will be organizing the fifth edition of PDPU SPE Fest in October.

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MR.PIYUSHNAHARPRESIDENT(2018-19)

A go-getter, an opportunist, and a perfect idealist guy who brings lots of spontaneity with him. He has been an enduring and extremely promising leader, giving his best and striving towards excellence. A person with high work ethics and powerful decision-making skills. He never loses his control and temper even during squeezing situations. Under such visionary leadership, our team has been achieving and setting new benchmarks of success.

MR.MOHITJHIRWALVICEPRESIDENT(2018-19)

He is one of the most ambitious, diligent and generous person that we have witnessed. Under his leadership, our members have achieved proficiency in aspects such as devising a strategy, executing plans flawlessly and troubleshooting problems. His high communication and interactive skills have helped us in connecting with the corporate world, which helped the chapter to bridge the gap between academia and industry actively. Due to his politeness and generosity towards the committee members, the team always felt like a family while working.

MR.DHRUVINKANERIASECRETARY(2018-19)

Super-calm, yet most efficient and innovative approach is his peculiarity. He is someone with whom everyone feels comfortable and sparkled communicating. He also served in Documentation and PR departments. Excellent leadership and down to earth traits justifies him. We are overwhelmed by working under his guidance.

MR.MAANAVSHARMASECRETARY(2018-19)

Excellence can be attained when you have enigma of great vision around you - this line perfectly defines him. He was always ahead in taking spontaneous and integral decisions for the chapter’s advancement. His elegance, dedication and perception to bring pinnacles of success have always been a boost. His perfection, simplicity, vision and ideas has always been an inspiration to young committee members.

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MS.SWETAKUMARITREASURER(2018-19)

She is admired for her jovial nature and positive outlook towards her life as well as for her work. She is an integral part of the Chapter and has worked diligently for the enhancement. Her perseverance and enthusiasm to continually motivate everyone to bring out the best in themselves. She holds the position of Treasurer at SPE PDPU Student Chapter. Her optimism coupled with her dedication has helped the chapter to reach the heights of success.

MR.PARAMPANDYAPROGRAMCHAIRPERSON(2018-19)

He is known for his crisp and creative writing skills. His courteous and sympathetic manners towards the fellow members have been vital for the team spirit building. He is steady and extremely punctual towards his work which is appreciated. His way of communicating with the juniors has been very resourceful which helped up to reach a new benchmark of work ethics towards SPE PDPU SC.

MR.ANKITSINGHSOCIALACTIVITIESCHAIRPERSON(2018-19)

Mr. Ankit Singh is the Social Activities Chairperson. His objectives and visions for the betterment of society were always appreciable. Under his guidance, SPE Cares has always been very close and integral part of the chapter. We will continue to prosper the society remembering, in his strides.

MS.TANYAANNMATHEWSCOMMUNICATIONCHAIRPERSON(2018-19)

She holds the position of Communications Chairperson at SPE PDPU Student Chapter. Her ability to remain calm and composed, regardless of the situation, is commendable. Her steadfast dedication and determination towards her work are highly appreciated. She has immensely contributed to the betterment of the chapter and motivated others to do the same. We are privileged to have an opportunity to work under her invaluable guidance as the chapter has made significant progress under her influence.

MS.KARAMITADALAWATCOMMUNICATIONCHAIRPERSON(2018-19)

It is well said – ‘Politeness is the flower to humanity and a ladder to success’. Invincible, trailblazer and unstoppable are words that perfectly defines her. She is the Communications Chairperson at SPE PDPU Student Chapter. Her charm, kindness and calm attitude has always been to our rescue in toughest of the times. Her high communication and interactive skills have helped us connect with student chapters all around the world. She is prompt, steady and extremely punctual in her way of approach. Her excellent decision-making capability and commitment have always come to our rescue in the toughest times. She has been a constant source of inspiration to everyone at SPE PDPU Student Chapter.

MR.VIVEKTHAKARMEMBERSHIPCHAIRPERSON(2018-19)

Dedication to any work leads to attain pinnacles of any domain. This line perfectly defines him. His ethics, knowledge and perception to any task has always been learnworthy for the committee. Striving to do the best has been a habit of him. His simplicity and ideas has helped chapter to fuel it’s way to attaining the wonders. SPE PDPU will always strive to do the wonders adhering to his perceptions.

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Just like every year, SPE PDPU Student Chapter celebrated the Anniversary. But this year the Anniversary was a momentous occasion for the Chapter as SPE PDPU completed a decade under the umbrella of SPE International.

The event was graced by the presence of SPE India Section Members, Dr. Anirbid Sircar, Director, SPT and SPT Faculties. This anniversary was indeed a matter of colossal pride.

The event was inaugurated and commenced by the inspiring words of Dr. Anirbid Sircar, Prof. Subhash Shah, Mr. Asish Thaplyal, Mr. Rakesh Kumar Mittal, and Mrs. Namrata Bist and was mainly hosted by Mr. Debajyoti Nayak and Mr. Sakal Mathur. The activities of SPE PDPU Student Chapter in this journey were then briefed to the dignitaries.

The event was progressed by heart touching address by Dr. Anirbid Sircar, Director, SPT. He described how SPE Student Chapter was dear to him and where he intends to see it in

future. He also stated how students via Student Chapters play an important role in bridging the gap between the Industry and Academia.

Prof. Subhash Shah, Chair Professor, SPT was then invited to share his valuable experience of 43 years with Society of Petroleum Engineers. He also emphasized on the activities of SPE that helped in

revolutionising this Oil and Gas Industry. He described how SPE had changed his life, how he made great memories by being an active member of SPE International and SPE PDPU Student Chapter.

Followed by this, Mr. Asish Thaplyal, Secretary, SPE India Section and Mr. Rakesh Kumar Mittal, GM, IRS on behalf of SPE India Section congratulated SPE PDPU Student Chapter and praised the work done by SPE PDPU in this journey. They have been part of various events of SPE PDPU including

PDPU SPE Fest. Mr. Rakesh Kumar Mittal also shared his 30 years of experience being a part of SPE. He also portrayed the statistics of growth of SPE members from different Countries all over the world including SPE PDPU Student Chapter which has the highest number of active members in country among all the SPE Student Chapters. He concluded by once again wishing the chapter and encouraging the members to continue this legacy.

All the members of SPE India Section were felicitated and a thanking memento to the SPE India Section was also given for supporting this endeavor of SPE PDPU by being a part of it and tirelessly supporting the chapter.

Then Mrs. Namrata Bist, Faculty Mentor, SPE PDPU SC took the stage and described how she got to know about SPE PDPU Student Chapter, her experience with SPE PDPU SC and how she is dazzled by the work of SPE PDPU Student Chapter. She also appreciated the efforts put up by the Committee members of SPE PDPU in making PDPU SPE Fest’18 a huge success.

With that the speeches came to an end which was followed by Cake-cutting ceremony and photography session with everyone was held.

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INDIANGASINDUSTRYWORKSHOP2019Itistimeforasustainableenergypolicywhichputsconsumers,theenvironment,humanhealth,andpeacefirst.

THE ONE-DAY INDIAN Gas Industry workshop was organized by Pandit Deendayal Petroleum Univers i ty and Gas

Technology Institute, Il l inois, in association with SPE PDPU Student Chapter, on the theme “Natural Gas Industries in India- Opportunities and Challenges” on February 22, 2019 at New Delhi witnessed a colloquium of 72 doyens of the industry. Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi, in his meeting with global Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the World (August, 2017) expressed his wish to initiate a

collaboration between Gas Technology Institute, Illinois and Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar for the development of natural gas in India. Taking this move forward, PDPU and GTI have now organized this workshop whose key highlights are:

• Keynote presentations by Gas Industry Stalwarts

• Global Perspectives on Natural Gas Development by Mr. David Carroll - President - International Gas Union (IGU)

• Panel Discussion on India Natural Gas Supply

• Panel Discussion on India Market Development

• Participants from International Gas Union

The government of India has decided to boost India towards Gas Based economy and many steps were taken in this direction.

One of the recent steps was easing the City Gas Distribution bidding parameters which is an important driver for natural gas value chain development. By the end of the 10th CGD Bidding round, natural gas fuel will cover 400 districts and 70% population of India. Besides this, over Rs. 22,000 crores are being spent on laying new pipelines that will transport natural gas to unconnected eastern states.

With this backdrop, the workshop aims to understand the overview, current status, future challenges and the opportunities present in the robust developing Indian Gas sector.

OVERVIEW OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

Prof. Subhash Shah, Director SPT, PDPU commenced the workshop with an overview of the objectives of the workshop. “This workshop would be instrumental in realizing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of boosting gas consumption from current 6.5% to 15%, almost 2.5 times”.

KEYNOTE ON “THE OVERVIEW AND CURRENT STATUS OF INDIAN GAS INDUSTRY”

Shri S. Rath, Member (I&T), PNGRB (which is the downstream regulatory arm of MOPNG) then enlightened the gathering with his keynote presentation on “The overview and current status of Indian gas industry”. He talked about DGH’s shift in mindset from “maximising profits to maximising production”. The Gas mix of Energy in India is just 6%, whereas global average is 24%. But in Gujarat, the gas mix is 26% which is at par with global standards and far high than the Indian average and so sharing of

best practices by Gujarat to other states is critical.

Sir also talked that keeping benefit of consumer who is the bottom of the pyramids in mind. Just as Autorickshaw drivers can save upto 2-3 thousand per month on adopting CNG.

KEYNOTE BY ASHUTOSH BHARDWAJ

Ashutosh Bhardwaj in his keynote speech touched on role of big data, IOT and cloud platform from Gas perspective. He also taljed about government initiatives to promote gas consumption:

• Marketing and pricing freedom

• Capital grant for pipelines

• Gas trading hub

• Prime minister Ujjawala yojna

• CNG/PNG

SUMMARY OF INDUSTRY SURVEY CONDUCTED BY PDPU AND GTI (KEY INSIGHTS AND ISSUES)

Also, PDPU and GTI together conducted an exploratory survey to gather input and perspectives related to growth of the Indian natural gas industry, including major challenges, growth opportunities, and strategic approaches.

Prof. Anirbid Sircar, Professor, SPT, PDPU and DG, GERMI; then gave a brief summary of the report. The views of 12 different gas companies including GSPC, ONGC, Adani gas, etc were incorporated in the talk based on these 2 perspectives.

1. Opportunities for Indian Gas Industry

2. Challenges for India Gas Industry growth

He is talk threw light on how industry

veterans have credence in government efforts, to transform India into a gas based economy that will increase the share of environment-friendly fuel in the Indian energy basket from 6.2 per cent to 15 per cent by 2030.

From the report, Prof. Sircar concluded that following are the factors that will highly influence the growth of India towards Gas Based Economy:

• Urbanization

• Development of pipelines to import and for the transmission of natural gas

• Construction of LNG terminals

• Bringing the natural gas under GST regime

• Regulatory Compliance Issues

There would be increased use of natural gas in industrial applications, transportation sectors.

Natural gas pricing, use of other energy sources (coal, oil), availability of adequate trained workforce are the key challenges impacting the growth of Indian gas industry.

He also spoke about the urgent need of formulation of new policies, campaigns from the government to support the use of natural gas and move away from polluting fuels.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON NATURAL GAS SUPPLY OF INDIA

The panel discussion was opened by Dr. P H Rao who gave a statistical overview of conventional and unconventional gas potential in India. Mr. Rod Rinholm then gave a brief outlay of US Natural Gas Supply Chain where he emphasized upon the change of US from a Gas Importing Country to a Gas Exporting

LEFTThe dignitaries

during Panel Discussion 1.

RIGHTLamp lightning

duing the workshop.

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Country and its aim to double its exports by the end of 2019. Shri Mukul Shrivastav then talked about the future of Shale Gas in India along with the technical as well as non-technical challenges faced by the companies. The next speaker Ms. Pallavi Adhikari touched upon the Gas Security in India and establishment of strategic Gas Reserve in Geologically Depleted Formations. R. Suresh then brought out points in the pipeline sector and discussed opportunities for development in the transportation business as well as the technical side in the pipeline industry and an opportunity for the country looking to double its pipeline grid to search for better solutions to enhance its capacity. Mr. Anil Joshi then briefed about the role of LNG in the Indian energy basket and how Gujarat alone outscores the World average Natural Gas Share and the role of the LNG Terminals in Gujarat in shifting India towards a Gas Based Economy. He also talked about the 3-D’s of the New Energy Industry being digitization, Decarburization and distribution. Mr. Vivek Mittal then gave an idea about the LNG sourcing and the import scenario of LNG in India. Mr. Akhilesh Magal then talked about the potential of Renewable Energy and Natural Gas going hand in hand to enhance the ramping up of power. At last Mr. Nirmal Sahni talked about the Growing Domestic Production of LNG and the issues faced in developing shale gas in India. At the end of the session there was a question answer session where the audience had a healthy discussion with the panelists on the roadmap and the challenges in the Pipeline and LNG Industry.

KEYNOTE ON GAS APPRAISAL IN INDIA

Mr. Ranajit Banerjee, Adviser, Strategic Planning and Finance at the DGH where he also heads the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) initiative then enlightened the gathering with his talk on “Gas appraisal in India”.

He talked about the framework of appraisal and discussed risks pertaining to: a) reservoir and geotechnical, b) production profile and scheduling, c) gas market and pricing risks, d) time delay and completion, e) facilities design risks, etc.

KEYNOTE ON GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT

Mr. David Carroll, immediate past President (International Gas Union), and CEO (Gas technology Institute) delivered his talk on “Global prospective on Natural Gas Development”. Mr. Carroll began his talk with optimism about “long and strong partnership with PDPU”. A quick review of 2017 world gas conference was highlighted. Demand of Gas has grown substantially in every corner of the world and mainly China. Also, the prices have gone high in Asian spot markets. 2018 data are still emerging but its evident that Asian markets are driving the demands. Also, the supply side has been good with FLNG Prelude just started its production few months back and also the US supplies skyrocketed. Sir than qouted the IEA prediction of 1.6% annual gas increases till 2040. Mr. Carroll then talked about Urbanization and issue of poor quality in air in urban areas affecting majority of population and consequent Natural gas developments in these areas. Mr. Carroll also touched upon topics like role of policy, LNG growth, cost competitiveness, security of supply and sustainability. Decarbonizing natural gas value chain was envisioned by developing low carbon technologies for gas and addressing methane emissions challenge.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON INDIAN GAS MARKET DEVELOPMENT

In the second panel discussion of Indian Gas Market Development the key topics which were discussed were

1. City Gas Distribution

2. Market Drivers and Opportunities

3. New Technologies and Applications

Panel discussion on Indian gas market development included key topics of city gas distribution, market drivers &opportunities and new technology and applications. It has been moderated by Mr. Arun Singhal, Chief Editor, DEW Journal. The panel members were Shri Ashish Kumar, COO Essar oil and gas exploration and production limited, shri E S Ranganathan, MD, Indraprasth Gas Limited, Shri Omkarnath Gyani, head Institute of reservoir studies, ONGC, shri Vinod Tahiliani, CEO India gas solutions, shri Pankaj Pal, VP CGD business, torrent gas, Ms. Shivani Chug, principal associate, J. sagar associates, Dr. Sunil kumar Khare, HOD petroleum Engineering and earth science, UPES, Dr. Suresh Chandra, former OSD, planning commission, GOI, Dr. Sayed zaheer Hasan, principal research scientist, GERMI, Mr. Manish Seth, CEO, enertech fuel solutions.

Discussion started on question whether gas can take from 6 to 15 percent in Indian energy mix? The response from panel members was mixed but inclined more towards optimism. Ms Shivani told it is possible. Dr Sayed said target is achievable. Mr. Ashish also concurs with other two. Mr. Vinod accepted that gas has capacity to fulfil the target. Mr. Gyani agreed with big yes. Mr. Ranganathan told its difficult. Mr Suresh said difficult without government intervention. Dr. Khare said it is achievable. Mr Manish and Mr pal also agreed positively

Ms. Shivani explained about how legislation has changed from time to time especially in last 3 years. Dr. Sayeed put emphasis on how biogas can help in achieving target of 15% and said that calorific value of biogass is 4500 kcal per

kg. Shree Ashish Kumar threw light on how essar CBM is contributing in this sector. Mr. vinod put focus on three key aspects. First, how to increase gas demand. second, what is happening in domestic supply. Third, what government should do to accelerate gas market. According to Mr. Vinod if we can provide same experience to consumer with gas based auto mobil as they get in conventional mobils then there is great opportunity to increase gas market. Mr. Omkarnath coined Two unprecedented events in last 10 years. First, Highest consumer of conventional hydrocarbon fuels has become importer. second, shale, the source rock has become a good reservoir. He also mentioned positively that we are standing at good crossroads. Mr. Ranganathan shared his concerns about air quality and standing of Indian cities among world’s top polluted cities. He also enumerated some domains to shoot up gas market like biogas, HCNG, LNG. Mr Pal took esteemed audience on journey of torrent from fledgling pharmaceutical firm to roaring power distribution and generation player. He also informed about recently started CGD network of torrent. Mr Suresh explained how china even starting import of LNG after India begun in 2004 has now at soaring altitude. Mr Khare has explained how the courses provided by UPES is helping industry in getting skilled manpower. Before giving concluding remarks, Mr. singhal asked Mr Rod Rinholm if the golden age of gas has come for the globe. Mr. Rod said yes it has with deep exuberance.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON “THE PATHWAYS FORWARD”

The third-panel discussion was on “The Pathways forward.” The esteemed panel members for the discussion were Mr. David Caroll, Mr. Rod Rinholm and Prof. Anirbid Sircar. The panel was moderated by Prof. Shubash Shah.

Mr. David Caroll expressed that the

Indian Energy Sector has burgeoning demand and the use of natural gas to produce power is increasing. He believes that Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi vision of boosting gas consumption from 6.5% to 15% is achievable. He had also put forward many points about the unconventional energy sources of India. Mr. Caroll also spoke about the PDPU and GTI collaboration in the development of the workforce, and different research areas which will help in developing the Indian Gas Industry.

Prof. Anirbid Sircar pointed out different places where Indian gas industry is facing issues and how PDPU and GTI collaboration solved a few of them. Few of them were

-No availability of outline courses about CGD, Natural Gas Engineering, Geothermal Energy

-The necessity of skill development courses to generate adequate workforce

-To develop the TSS safety manual that will improvise the safety in the Industry

He proposed to form an umbrella, under which academic institutes, private and public companies work jointly to solve the many issues that are faced by the industry. Prof. Sircar had put forward the creation of a CGD Lab at PDPU, with GTI as the partner which will help in developing manpower, float courses on plumbing, pigging etc. He also spoke about the Industry academia relations in India which are needed to be strengthened.

Mr. Rod Rinholm spoke about the U.S. operative qualifications that must be developed in field scale level in India that help in the growth of the natural gas sector. He spoke about global energy transmission taking place into digitalization, both in unconventional and conventional energy sectors. He also

spoke about the GTI and Shell Technology Centre Bangalore collaboration in the development of Bio Fuels.

Prof. Shubash Shah believes in the development of new courses in Natural Gas Engineering and management, that will help to increase the employability rate of graduating engineers, this point was supported by Dr. Sunil Kumar Khare in designing elective courses, that will help in developing the natural gas workforce.

Prof. Shubash shah also spoke about in creating the Industry advisory boards which will help in reducing the gap between industry and academia. He appealed the industry veterans to provide input in the curriculum and also requested to provide industrial projects.

Dr. Ashish Unnarkat put forward the main issues that an academic institute faces, that are:

• Trust issues between the institute and the company while working on Industrial Project

• Funding Issues

Mr. Arun Shingal had spoken about one of the main issues that India Industry sector faces, retaining the workforce. Due to lack of adequate salaries and proper amenities, most the workforce moves abroad. It is an appealing issue that must be taken care off.

It is indeed a matter of colossal pride for School of Petroleum Technology, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University to conduct PDPU- GTI Indian Gas Industry on Theme: Natural Gas Industries in India- Opportunities and Challenges. The colloquium witnessed participation of several doyens of the Oil and Gas Sector. Throughout the event, notable dignitaries and luminaries shared their technical prowess and thus flowed a cascade of knowledge through the discussions.

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S P E W E E K 1 0 . 01. FEST ORIENTATION

With less than 50 days to PDPU SPE Fest’18, SPE PDPU Student Chapter organized Fest Orientation Session for all the students to make the students familiar about the events to be conducted in the Fest as it would be a great step towards receiving an active participation.

The event began with an introductory presentation about the fest. The students were informed about the distinctive events and the benefits of participating in it. A brief introduction to the informal event of the fest was also given.

Online events were introduced to the students. Later on, proper registration process was also discussed.

The students became more thrilled and curious for PDPU SPE Fest’18.

2. INQUISITE

As a part of SPE Week 10.0, SPE PDPU Student Chapter, in collaboration with Endeavour, had organized Inquisite 3.0 which is a mock aptitude test based on the competitive exams like GRE, CAT and GATE. These tests help the students to examine their proficiency and reasoning prowess and to stimulate their minds. They also help them to understand the process of examination and to get acquainted with the kind of questions that are asked in these exams.

A representative of Endeavour first explained the pattern of the question paper to the students, told them all the rules that were to be followed and that the test should go on for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the mock test commenced with the distribution of

question papers and answer sheets among the students and the atmosphere of the room went quiet. Many students were seen concentrating on the asked questions and making efforts to solve for answers. After the completion of the test, answer sheets were collected, and the representative of Endeavour discussed the solution of some of the questions. He even gave some tips that would be helpful in solving tricky questions.

Later, SPE PDPU Student Chapter gave a vote of thanks to Endeavour and the event concluded.

3. SOCIAL INITIATIVE

Navratri is a festival of celebrating the victory of good over evil. It is a festival of spreading happiness and joy around. In order to this, SPE PDPU Student Chapter organized a donation drive in the slum area of Chandkheda, Ahmedabad as a part of SPE Week 10.0.

A donation box was kept at PDPU so that other students can contribute in this charitable task. Committee members donated clothes, food items and even other things which may be useful in routine to the needy ones.

Elders were cooperative in distributing the things among everyone. Committee members also asked them to stay healthy by keeping the places around them clean. The cheerful faces of children made a day auspicious for everyone. Donation drive ended with clicking some snaps with joyous children around.

SPE PDPU Chapter always feels elated doing such tasks which are beneficial to

society. The growth of society leads to ours growth too – that has always been mantra of SPE PDPU Student Chapter.

4. PRELUDE

SPE PDPU Student Chapter had organized Prelude - Pre-fest informal event, as a part of SPE Week 10.0.

PDPU SPE Fest’18 was just around the corner and amidst all the excitement SPE PDPU Student Chapter conducted a fun informal session. Prelude consisted of some of the most loved games like Futsal, Tug of War, Badminton and Player Unknown’s Battleground (PUBG).

The participation number was humongous as the most trending games were being conducted. The students were very enthusiastic and sporty during the game.

While two LH were fully occupied by PUBG fanatics, even Futsal continued till late as many teams had shown up. Tug of War saw a high spirited environment with loud cheers for the respective teams while some true sportsmanship was seen on the Badminton court.

During PUBG, the participants became so passionate that they were totally unaware of what was going on right beside them. They were fully indulged in the game with rapt concentration. Tug of War was totally contradictory to it. People were hollering out loud their team mates and encouraging them to win. Futsal exhibited an exemplary combination of teamwork and expertise while Badminton was an ideal show of artistry and self-belief. While the mixed doubles in Badminton again showcased prowess of partnership.

Overall the day completed on a virtual note with some bewildering talents and teamwork emerging out. The event was successfully concluded, increasing the zest and excitement for PDPU SPE Fest’18.

Replaceexcuseswithefforts, replace lazinesswithdeterminationandeverythingelsewillfallintoplace.

ABOVEParticipants during Inquisite.

BELOWSnapshot from Prelude.

BOTTOM LEFTPlayers getting ready for Futsal

match.

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S P E W E E K 1 1 . 01. PETROQUEST 6.0

SPE PDPU Student Chapter organized quiz competition Petroquest 6.0 on February 12th, 2019. The competition covered most of the areas of geology and history of petroleum d oma i n . Th e participants got a chance to exhibit their knowledge.

The quiz was conduc ted in two rounds. The first round was a general quiz on Geology. The top 5 teams were selected to appear for the second round which was a Rapid Fire round, for which the teams were given a fraction of time to answer the given questions, by which the winners were selected as per the points gained by each team.

2. LECTURE ON “PETROLEUM ECONOMICS”

SPE PDPU Student Chapter organized Guest Lecture on ‘Petroleum Economics’ by Dr. Bhawani Singh Desai on 5th February, 2019.

The lecture was held to give an overview of all the different aspects of oil pricing and fiscal policies, which presented the lucrative nature of the Oil and Gas Industry Economics. The lecture was an interactive session, where Dr. Bhawani Singh Desai started with the process ongoing behind the Oil pricing.

Further, he talked about the various government policies that were put forward in the history and how it reformed into the current policies in the favor of both the company as well as

government. He expla ined the current scenario of pricing and the geopolitics involved in it. The interactive c o n v e r s a t i o n made students glued to their

seats and clearing their doubts effectively.

3. IMPROMPTU

Impromptu: Extempore competition was organized to provide a platform to present and improve orating and decisive skills of students. It aimed at making the students familiar

with the flexible and spontaneous way of speaking where they can expect questions from the audience at any time. This allows the speaker to make sure everyone comprehends the topic clearly and doesn’t disengage halfway through because of lack of clarity.

The event was divided into two rounds, where students were told to pick out chits and speak on the assigned topic, few topics from round one include “notice board”, “penny”, “crying child gets the milk”, “fashion” etc. Out of nine participants, five of them were selected to go in second and round.

Raising up the level round two included a common topic “US sanction on Iraq” where participants were told to debate. Initially, they can choose any side- For or against depending upon their views but later in the debate, a bell was rung at random intervals and students had to switch their sides at that very moment.

Winners were decided depending on the most convincing and logical arguments, along with that a score sheet was prepared wherein several aspects like body language, confidence etc was evaluated. The event was judged by Dr.

Harmik D Vaishnav, Assistant professor, School of Liberal Studies, PDPU.

4. WORKSHOP ON “DRILLING MUD PREPARATION”

As a part of SPE Week 11.0, SPE PDPU Student Chapter had organized a Workshop on Drilling Mud Preparation, which was conducted by Mr. Anirudh Bardhan. This workshop was aimed at helping the students to get acquainted with the properties and preparation of drilling fluids as it is an essential element of the Oil and Gas Industry.

Mr. Anirudh Bardhan introduced the topic by briefing about the history of oil and gas drilling and then displayed some photographs of different types of rigs. He explained to the students about the functions of drilling fluids and what properties are required for its efficient functioning. Then, he discussed the types of drilling fluids and their composition and even described the role of each component used in the preparation of the mud. Later, he demonstrated the preparation of the drilling mud.

The session was quite interactive as the students kept raising questions regarding the subject and Mr. Anirudh Bardhan enthusiastically cleared all their doubts.

5. SOCIAL INITIATIVE: WALL PAINTING

SPE PDPU Student Chapter always takes up every opportunity of contributing to society in any way that is possible. As a part of SPE Week 11.0, SPE PDPU Student Chapter took an initiative to paint a mural on a wall of a primary school in Valad Village to create a better learning atmosphere for the children studying there.

The objective behind painting the mural was to add some colors to the surrounding which would bring joy to the children and help them to begin their day with freshness and positivity. A pleasant

environment would also encourage them to learn more and be more creative and thoughtful.

The children were exhilarated to see the committee members working on the mural and seemed curious to know how their wall would look like after the completion of the painting. The committee members painted an alluring and eye-catching mural of a tree with hand-prints on it. When the children saw it, they were delighted to see their new wall and the precious look on their faces brought a sense of satisfaction to the committee members.

Immortalityistoliveyourlifedoinggoodthingsandleavingyourmarkbehind.

ABOVEWall painting as a part of social

initiative.

BOTTOM LEFT 1Member of SPE during social

initiative.

BOTTOM LEFT 2Winners of Petroquest.

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RepresentationsatUPESandAMET

It is well-known that participation is an essential aspect of learning and every opportunity of growing and enhancing professional prowess must be seized.

PDPU students represented their University in the UPES SPE Fest 2019 at University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun and in PETRAMET’19 at AMET University, Chennai. The Fests took place from 14th-16th February 2019 and 21st-23rd March 2019, respectively. The students participated in various events of the fests like Technical Paper and Poster

Presentation contest, quizzes related to the Oil and Gas Industry, Case-study solving contest, Drilling Fluid Preparation Contest, Model-making contest, debates and other such competitions which can examine one’s knowledge and professional skills.

In UPES SPE Fest 2019, PDPU Students acquired 2nd position in the Oil and Gas Quiz and Contour Clay Modeling contest and 3rd position in Paper presentation and Poster presentation contests and in PETRAMET’19, the students acquired both 1st and 2nd positions in the Quiz, 3rd position in Paper and Poster presentation and Case-study solving contest. Ultimately,

PDPU secured the sixth position in the UPES SPE Fest and emerged as the Runner-up of PETRAMET’19.

If everyone is moving forward together, thensuccesstakescareotitself.

SPEculate2.0SPE PDPU Student Chapter organized ‘SPEculate 2.0: Enery Investment Competition’ on January 23th, 2019.

The competition was held to make budding petroleum engineers understand the process of investment in the energy sector by prediction of

future availability of different energy resources and learn its effects on the economy of country.

The participants were given a problem regarding different energy sectors. They were asked to predict situation of different energy sectors in the future years and make investments in it accordingly. The data of energy consumption in different years were provided.

Further, all the participants were asked to justify their predictions

which were assessed by Dr. Ranjan Kumar Pati. Following that, he gave a detailed explanation on process of energy sector investments and their effects on economy of any country and also cleared their doubts. The team with the prediction close to actual data was declared as winner.

At the end Dr. Ranjan Kumar Pati was felicitated by Dhruvin Kaneria, Secretary, SPE PDPU Student Chapter.

Greatinvestorsneedtohavetherightcombinationofintuition,businesssenseandinvestmenttalent.

ABOVE LEFTParticipants breifing their investment data in different energy sectors.

LEFTWinners of SPEculate 2.0.

ABOVEPDPU Students with runner-up Trophy of AMET University.

LEFTRepresentating University at UPES SPE Fest 2019.

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INTERNTALKA collaborative event - Intern Talk was organized by SPE, FIPI, SEG-SPG- EAGE and AAPG Student Chapters where students from final year shared their experience of internships in known companies.

Interns shared their experiences and processes to get the internship in a particular company. They also mentioned about the criteria required to be fulfilled for a particular internship program and lot more.

They emphasized on the work and practical activities done

by them. They also discussed about the environment and situations of working as per the requirement of company. They also explained the importance of internship for the campus placement. Some of the interns highlighted on the quality and varieties of internships to be done.

Students from each year attended the session as it was an integral part of their petroleum engineering curriculum. Session was interactive as budding petroleum engineers got the crux of hard work, time management and practicality of work.

and tirelessly supporting the chapter. Then Mrs. Namrata Bist, Faculty Mentor, SPE PDPU SC took the stage and described how she got to know about SPE PDPU Student Chapter, her experience with SPE PDPU SC and how she is dazzled by the

work of SPE PDPU Student Chapter. She also appreciated the efforts put up by the Committee members of SPE PDPU in making PDPU SPE Fest’18 a huge success. With that the speeches came to an end which was followed by Cake-cutting ceremony and photography session with everyone was held.

SKYPE

CONFERENCESPE PDPU Student Chapter believes that it is important to empower the women for their upliftment in their field and for the betterment of the Industry. Therefore, SPE PDPU Student Chapter hosted a Skype

Conference with SPE UPES and SPE GEU Student Chapter to promote and acknowledge the work of women working in the Oil and Gas Industry.

The conference commenced with a discussion about various hardships faced by women in the Oil and Gas Industry. Problems like rejection during placement interviews, the disproportionate gender ratio of employees and the gender pay gap were highlighted. Thereafter, the Student Chapters exchanged their views regarding the solutions to this issue. Some companies are already contributing to the cause. For instance, 180 days

of maternity leave and 730 days of childcare leave are availed to women working in ONGC Ltd.

Moreover, the commendable work of women in the Industry was acknowledged. Shauna Noonan, 2020 SPE President and the Director of Artificial Lift Engineering at Oxy, is one such exemplary woman who should be a role model to other women in the field.

At last, the Student Chapters concluded that gender-stereotypes must be broken by spreading awareness regarding this issue.

There is no limit to what we, as women, canaccomplish.

LEFTA figure of a miniature businessman figure over a white ruler in the background.

RIGHTA figure of a miniature businessman standing over a red arrow.

Theonlysourceofknowledgeisexperience.-AlbertEinstein

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GuestLectureon‘DynamicsofOilandGas’SPE PDPU Student Chapter had organized a guest lecture on ‘Dynamics of Oil and Gas’ by Dr. Rabi Narayan Bastia on 2nd April 2019. Dr. Rabi Narayan Bastia is an Indian geoscientist and global head of exploration at Lime Petroleum, Norway. He is known for his contributions in hydrocarbon explorations in Krishna Godavari Basin in 2002, at Mahanadi Basin in 2003 and Cauvery Basin in 2007. For his work, he has been honoured with Padma Shri in 2007 and also with Young Executive Award.

Dr. Rabi Bastia introduced the topic by explaining the fundamentals of the Oil and Gas Field and described the formation of hydrocarbons under the subsurface. Then, he enlightened the students regarding the factors that affect the change in the dynamics of the oil and gas field. He emphasized on the facts that the future of the Petroleum Industry lies in the hands of the aspiring engineers, that the pace with which India is progressing is too slow as compared to other countries like USA and China and that new technology must be utilized to advance in the field.

The event concluded with an interactive session where Dr. Rabi Narayan Bastia answered the questions of the curious students. It was a great privilege for SPE PDPU Student Chapter to have such a notable dignitary share his gift of knowledge with the budding engineers.

Whenlearningispurposeful,creativityblossoms.When creativity blossoms, thinking emanates.Whenthinkingemanates,knowledgeisfullylit.Whenknowledgeislit,economyflourishes.

ROADSHOWGenerating an idea isn’t a problem but incubation is. So in order to overcome those obstacles, SPE PDPU Student Chapter feels immensely joyous to announce that PDPU and PDPU IIC is extending its support to get involved as an Ecosystem Partner in the endeavor to propagate Make in India culture.

To promote this initiative, PDPU conducted ‘Oil and Gas Start-up Initiative Road Show’ and the topic was Oil & Gas Startup Initiative – Creating an atmosphere of innovation in the country. This initiative includes a startup corpus of ₹ 300+ crore to foster, nurture and incubate novel ideas as a joint venture of ONGC, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, Oil India Ltd., Indian Oil, NRL, EIL, BL and ONGC MRPL. The session aimed at making the aspirants aware about the opportunities and the procedure for the same.

Various aspects were discussed which should be kept in mind while applying for a start up. Mr.Srinavasan from KIIT-TB mentioned the list of categories that this initiative included. Also, he explained the scope for Renewable energy and IoT as these branches will never get outdated and shall always be the area of interest for research and development.

Creativityistheincubationofavision,tonurtureitintoaliving,inspiringreality.

TOP LEFTSpeakers breifing the students on Oil and Gas startup initiatives.

LEFTThe participants during Roadshow.

LEFTSnapshot from the lecture on ‘Dynamics of Oil and Gas’ by Padma Shri Rabi Narayan Bastia.

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S O C I A LI N I T I AT I V E SNoneofus,includeingme,everdogreatthings.Butwecanalldosmallthings,withgreatlove,andtogetherwecandosomethingwonderful.-MotherTeresaText by John Doe, photos by Doe Johnson

GIVING TUESDAY

We at SPE PDPU believe in imparting social awareness and spread the message of equality in the world. As a part of this initiative, we will be celebrated ‘Giving Tuesday’ on 27th November 2018.

This day is celebrated worldwide where society comes together and helps the needy people by donating their clothes, footwear, and other daily essentials. Giving is not just about doing charity but making a difference in the society by lending a hand to prosper.

We requested all the University students to be a part of this initiative in whatever manner they can and be a help because charity is not a duty but a joy of giving.

A Contribution holder was kept at the mess foyer from 15th November 2018 to 27th November 2018. SPE members went to Chandkheda to distribute the clothes and other useful items to the needy people living there. They were all overwhelmed and welcomed committee members with great love and warmth.

CLEANLINESS DRIVE

It was done to take a step towards a better and cleaner environment. All the plastic and waste like bottles, cans, cups, packets were collected in sacks from roads and streets to a to ensure hygienic and safe surroundings.

Students ensured that all the non-biodegradable waste was collected from nearby road and was dumped at a proper place as if not given attention these dirty grounds can be breeding places of mosquitoes and can cause several fatal diseases.

We at SPE PDPU makes sure that we can provide helping hand to our society by conducting social initiatives from time to time in order to inculcate the feeling of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in its members.

Through the initiative, the members of SPE PDPU Student Chapter promoted local peoples with the idea of “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, an initiative taken by the Government of India under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

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T E C H N I C A LA RT I C L EThedigitalfutureofE&Pcanleadtodata-drivenanxietyText by John Doe, photos by Doe Johnson

The constant talk about the data-driven future of the oil and gas business poses a threatening question for some petroleum engineers: What do I need to know to ensure I have a job next year?

Many universities are adding digital data and analytics programs to prepare petroleum engineering students, many of whom are also taking the initiative on their own to master the tools used for this new way of working in the industry.

Jim Crompton, an adjunct faculty member at the Colorado School of Mines who created and taught some of the first such classes, said students who grew up in the Internet era pick it up quickly. He said he worries, though, about working engineers.

“The greater challenge is for those with 10–20 years of experience,” he said, specifically engineers who do not know programming and do not have the vocabulary of digital analysis.

Engineers who survived the mass layoffs of the last downturn are likely to be suffering from digital anxiety, he said. Some have seen warning signs. “They didn’t get the job they wanted or a promotion or something like that,” Crompton said. A major hurdle for many of those engineers is that their demanding jobs leave little time for training.

Managers are more likely than others to be unaware of the need to know digital-data concepts, Crompton said. Decision makers also need to understand digital-analysis methods well enough to get a feel for whether the analysis is legitimate. Failure to detect flawed analysis when approving projects can “waste a bunch of money,” Crompton said.

As digital-data programs proliferate, SPE is developing an online training program and is working on curriculum guidelines for data science and digital engineering

in petroleum engineering schools. Birol Dindoruk, SPE’s technical director for management and information, who has made data-related issues a priority, said he expects to submit the guidelines to the SPE Board of Directors this year.

Need To Know

Making the case for knowing about digital data is relatively easy, but figuring out what a petroleum engineer needs to know can be complicated. The amalgam of petroleum engineering, data science, and information technology has so many elements that finding a short label for it is difficult. Requirements also vary on the basis of job descriptions

One thing is clear: Collaboration skills are required. Companies with data scientists, often from outside the oil business, tend to pair them with an engineer. The range of knowledge those two possess exceeds what each is expected to have, Crompton said.

Engineers managing assets will need to have a working knowledge of the tools and vocabulary used to collaborate with data engineers, and a strong base of traditional engineering concepts is needed because advanced data analysis can generate multiple answers, some of which are unhelpful. “When it is wrong, it can miss by a mile,” Crompton said. Artificial intelligence is “a bit of a leap forward into the unknown,” he added. A person with a firm grasp of the physics of oil and gas exploration and production is required to help identify the good and bad ideas.

“People hiring (petroleum engineering) students do not want to hire data scientists. They want to hire petroleum engineers who are conversant and capable in these areas,” said Jon Olson, chairperson of the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (UT).

The amount of training options available from colleges, SPE, and some oil companies is growing. Still, no hard definition exists for how much an engineer needs to know.

On a recent visit to the Marietta College Petroleum Engineering Department, Jeff Moss, SPE’s technical director for drilling, asked faculty members, “With advanced analytics, is that the domain of petroleum engineering itself or is it a tool to be used in that domain?”

In other words, how much should an engineer be expected to know and do? Writing the code for an advanced analytics program may be asking too much. But, when a significant decision relies on analytics, petroleum engineers likely will need to be able to conduct a quality check to evaluate the process used.

When asked how he would answer the question, Moss said, “I was stirring the pot. I don’t know the answer.”

Keeping Up

Another consideration, said Lloyd Heinze, a petroleum engineering professor at Texas Tech University, is “we are using a computer program and are not sure what it is doing.”

Finding out how the computer is arriving at conclusions requires knowing enough about the inputs, the algorithm, and the processing engine and being able to check the results with petroleum engineering fundamentals. Students must be able to “derive an equation and look at some real data and see if the equation predicts the data,” Olson said. If it does not, he said, “Where do you go from there.”

Educators can have trouble keeping up when adding digital-analysis training at a time when rapid advances in producing oil from terrible quality reservoir

Source: JPT by Society of Petroleum Engineers

Credit: The University of Texas at Austin

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rock—unconventional reservoirs—expands what engineers need to know.

“While a course in data analytics and how to use current software or control-system programming would be interesting and potentially of value in the near term, the physics of the drilling process and its limiters is a topic that will have the longest lasting impact on a student,” said Sam Noynaert, an assistant professor at Texas A&M University.

Colleges need to adapt with the times, but they are never going to be able to keep up with the software business. “The technology, programming languages, and other aspects evolve so rapidly that the curriculum is outdated the first time it is taught,” Noynaert said, adding, “What is successful is teaching the underlying fundamentals, as these will not change.”

University programs are designed to minimize the time spent learning how to use data-analytics tools so students can quickly begin using them to solve problems. The objectives for the Colorado School of Mines course include applying the principles of data analytics, with projects that include interpreting the performance of thousands of wells and building a business plan.

The classes require students to use Spotfire, a powerful data-analysis and visualization tool widely used to analyze large data sets. “Doing their homework with Spotfire allows them to build proficiency,” Crompton said, adding, “They can put that on their resumes,” which will mean they possess a skill many field engineers do not.

Other universities follow a learn-by-doing approach, although the tools used vary. At Texas A&M, Matlab software is used in classes for analysis and visualization. “I have seen many students who realize that Excel is a nice but limiting tool,” Noynaert said. “Since they are engineers,

many are starting to use Matlab for some types of work since we use it in some reservoir engineering courses already.”

Adopting New Tools

At UT, Olson said the emphasis is on programming in Python and R, which are widely used for analytics. Multiple sources mentioned that advanced users, such as graduate students, are likely to gravitate toward those languages, sometimes signing up for private boot camps to learn them.

“In the last 1 to 2 years, I have seen an exponential increase in students who are learning R and Python on their own. This indicates that students realize that, in order to manipulate, analyze, and present large amounts of data, new tools are required and it is worth their time to learn about these tools,” Noynaert said.

At UT, the petroleum engineering department will soon offer an elective course on subsurface machine learning, Olson said.

For one class offered as part of the university’s Rig Automation and Performance Improvement in Drilling (RAPID) consortium, research assistants are hired to analyze big data sets from participating service companies and operators. At the end of the semester, the students advise the companies on the basis of what they observed, said Pradeep Ashok, a research scientist in the university’s Cockrell School of Engineering.

“For the students, working on these real-world data sets and problems is many times more beneficial than just studying statistics and machine-learning theory,” he said. “Here, they apply skills learned on real data.”

Digital Imperative

Working engineers face the challenge of finding the time to solve engineering problems while keeping up with growing responsibilities and the data that come with it.

“The bar is rising for what the industry expects from petroleum engineers,” Crompton said, adding that machine assistance is required to keep up when business plans call for engineers to do twice as much work without adding staff.

Training at work is increasing, too. “Everybody is doing digital, and continuing education of mid-career petroleum engineers (and other engineering disciplines) is a focus,” Crompton said. He said the list of companies with in-house digital-data training includes BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Anadarko, and Pioneer.

To help fill this need for those with such options, SPE has launched its first online course on data science and digital engineering. Crompton is the instructor for the three-part course, which offers an overview of the digital oil field, a review of data management and analytics, and a look at field applications.

Texas A&M recently launched a distance-learning master’s degree in statistics “that is attracting a lot of interest from engineers in all industries,” Noynaert said.

UT is planning to start a digital-data-analytics boot camp for working professionals this summer, Olson said.

Petroleum engineering schools are responding to advances in technology, and industry pressure, by revamping their courses to keep up with digital and unconventional changes.

The SPE Petroleum Engineering Education Colloquium in August saw calls for more training on petroleum

engineering fundamentals—particularly updates on recent advances— plus more training on data and analytics.

Good arguments can be made for why both of those are important, and also why they will be hard to deliver. Enrollment in petroleum engineering programs is down, reducing tuition revenue. Also, petroleum engineering programs already are at the limit for the number of required hours and faculties may lack staff able to teach courses such as data and analytics, said Ramona Graves, SPE’s technical director for academia.

Given the limits, academics are trying to figure out which of the requests is the highest priority; but, Graves said, “It is hard to get a consensus.”

Olson said the digital-data experimentation at multiple schools is likely to progress toward similar endpoints. Olson pointed out that many of the same big companies are on the schools’ industry advisory boards and that the department heads meet regularly to share ideas.

The petroleum engineering program at Louisiana State University (LSU) replaced a single course in probability and statistics with a two-course sequence that included data analysis and visualization, programming, and numerical methods, said Karsten Thompson, department chairperson for the program. The university is also adding an analytics elective for seniors.

LSU was able to revamp what had been just a statistics course because it had a teacher on staff with the necessary expertise. Students there can draw on other resources—for example, those interested in automated drilling can take classes on digitally controlled operations in the mechanical engineering department.

While the expanded data courses

currently are electives, they will be required in the future. This mandate is part of an overall review of LSU’s petroleum engineering curriculum that added more content on topics related to unconventional reservoirs—such as rock mechanics—and more on designing completions in those difficult formations. LSU also added an elective on directional drilling.

Adding new offerings raises the question of what can be cut. Thompson said that LSU has made time for new material by updating some sections and eliminating overlapping material.

At the Colorado School of Mines, creating an oilfield-data elective required recruiting Crompton. He fit the bill because of his career experience with digital oil fields at Chevron. He also helped create and continues to contribute to a class on the subject at the University of Southern California (USC). He said his Colorado roots made moving to the Colorado School of Mines an attractive option after he retired from Chevron.

The undergraduate class there is different than the one at USC for graduate students, whose research work requires the ability to perform advanced analytics.

Digital data emphasizes probability-based approaches, while petroleum engineering math requirements strongly tilt toward calculus. Heinze said that Texas Tech students take four calculus classes and then choose between statistics or linear algebra. Given the importance of statistics and probability, he said, “I am wondering if one statistics class is enough.”

Renewed Focus

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has made a concerted effort to increase its focus on digitalization and automation in petroleum

engineering, said Alexey Pavlov, a professor of petroleum cybernetics at NTNU.

Pavlov’s job as cybernetics professor is part of a collaboration between the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum and the Department of Engineering Cybernetics at NTNU, which is funding research applying the study of communications and automatic control systems to data-driven, digital control systems used in oil and gas. “One needs to know multiple disciplines and understand interplay and interfaces between them,” Pavlov said. He pointed out that “specialists with both a traditional petroleum engineering background and digital and automation expertise are, and will be, in high demand in the near future.”

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