“Take an energy excursion exploring the basics of different types of wells, their purpose and construction, associated regulatory, technology and engineering-design controls put in place to prioritize health, safety, and the environment.”
Summary
This lesson examines the basics of a well, different well types, regulatory measures for contamination prevention, and the stages of well construction and completion. Motivation for this lesson is the importance of a well for human activities such as natural resources extraction and waste injection. “What is a Well” lays the foundation for subsequent lessons that focus on different considerations made prior to well construction, controls for contamination prevention, an engineering-design challenge, and a case study on the Macondo Blowout.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the basic definition of a well
- Learn different well types and their purpose
- Extraction Wells
- Injection Wells
- Grasp an understanding of regulatory oversight and some of the agencies who oversee wells in the United States and, more specifically, in Texas
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Texas Railroad Commission (TRC)
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
- Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)
- Learn where oil and gas wells are drilled, who is in charge of and responsible for leading drilling projects, and who receives revenue as a result of drilling
- Onshore Drilling
- Offshore Drilling
- Royalties, taxes, production sharing
- Gain an understanding of the basics of well construction and the required stages
- Learn the steps and importance of proper well completion