Shell Round 1 & 2 Certificates – An Investment in Our Future
41 years ago His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late President of the UAE, had a great vision. That vision has created what the UAE is today: a country that numbers among the top 10 most competitive
nations in the world - just 41 years after its
formation. However, his vision of development went beyond infrastructure and landscaping.
The late Sheikh Zayed always emphasized the
importance of building human capital, saying:
"Wealth is not money. Wealth lies in men. This is where true power lies."
And so he focused on education as a top priority for the UAE, putting all efforts into raising new generations of educated Emiratis, who could work hard to serve their country.
41 years ago Shell also had a vision – to ensure that both people and wells are safe. To achieve this Shell decided to invest in its own future & people and developed a rigorous training program for drilling staff. On the 1st March 1973 Shell introduced the oil industry’s first distance learning program for all its Drilling Engineers and Drilling Supervisors. Today’s Shell's Wells Group employs some 1,700 people overseeing approximately 17,000 active wells that the company operates around the world. On joining the company, every employee working in the Wells Division, is issued the highly-intensive Wells Distance Learning Package (WEDLP) – nine volumes of thick books that deal with the basic knowledge that Shell expect a wells engineer to know. After all these years it still is a unique program in the industry.
Well Engineers are required to study these books during their own time (approximately 800 hours of self-study!), and each chapter has "yellow pages" of questions and assignments designed to make sure they understand the material before being tested in earnest. In addition, classroom and online training is offered to emphasize some of the material.
The entire course takes between two and four years to get through, with the first exam – which Shell calls the "Round 1" exam – taking place after a year or two. In this 1 day exam the candidates prove their knowledge of the key foundations of Drilling regarding rig size limitations, drillstring design, well control, mud & cement engineering, hydraulics, etc. However, the main difficulty is the limited time given, which determines the well engineer’s capability to work under pressure. Anyone employed as a Drilling Supervisor or Completion Supervisor has to have passed
Round 2, which takes place at the end of the course. The 1.5 day Round 2 exam consists of 3 x 3.5 hour papers, on casing and tubing design, advanced well control, and a general paper covering other drilling related subjects.
The Shell training program is subject to continuous improvement and Shell ensures that competency development is achieved with both Shell staff as well as contractors in key positions. One of the improvements was to separate and introduce an additional training path for Completion & Well Intervention (CWI) Engineers and Supervisors with more focus on completion design, wireline and coil tubing operations, etc. to account for the aging wells and mature reservoirs. From a career point of view, it is highly important for a Shell Well Engineer to know the material thoroughly:
1. Failing Round 1 three times or Round 2 twice – means that there is no more career progression for the individual in the Wells Discipline within Shell.
2. While passing Round 1 exam results immediately in a certificate – passing Round 2 exam does not! The Round 2 Certificate is only obtained after a minimum of 1 year of active work as Drilling or CWI Supervisor. Its ownership demonstrates experience and capability to run a rig operation. 3. Since 2006, passing Round 1 and 2 exams has an additional benefit – accreditation that counts toward a Master’s of Science (MSc) at the Robert Gordon University of Aberdeen or the University of Houston.
4. Mature hires are also expected to take Round 2 exam if they are being taken into operational roles. Now about 2300 employees have sat the Round
2 Well Engineering exam since 1973, and more than 250 people have sat the newer Round 2 Exam on Completions & Well Intervention. In recent years, the pass rate for the Round 2 exams has been around 80 percent. ADCO and NDC have so far achieved a 100% passing rate – Yes, ADCO is now part of the Shell Round 1 & 2 story. As consequence of the Macondo Blowout and the ND16 Well Control Incident (2010) ADCOs leadership team decided to further improve their Drilling Engineer’s and Supervisor’s competence by adopting Shells training program with great success.
In May 2012 the 1st ADCO Drilling Engineer, Abdulla Mubarak Bin Shamlan, passed Shell Round 1. He has since passed the Round 2 exam
as well and has been promoted to Teamleader. Additionally, 14 ADCO and 3 NDC staff have passed their Round 1. This effort was recognized by Shell International with the Upstream International Impact Award for ‘Innovation, Sustaining Growth, and Reputation’. The best example for the sustainability of this training program is that ADCO now already has a young Emirati, Ali Mubarak Al Braiki – who successfully sat Round 1, training the next batches of candidates under the guidance of a Shell secondee, Eleonora L. Lichtenecker. With this the training of many more future Drilling Engineers and Supervisors is ensured – in line with the vision of the late Sheikh Zayeds of educated Emiratis, working hard to pass on the knowledge and competence to serve this country.
STORY OF SUCCESS
“A true commitment to tapping all of the available work fields, combined with a high enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge, broadening horizons and benefiting from modern science is necessary for the UAE to succeed in taking a forward step into the 21st century” ...HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahayan-the President of UAE.
In spite of the resilience of the UAE, the outlook for the coming years remains challenging. However, ADCO’s core business remains strong based on its performance in recent years. Furthermore, the Organization has proven its ability to produce stable and robust results. With this industry, we will continue to achieve our goals and further cement our position as the region’s leading onshore oil operations group. Please accept my heartiest congratulations on this glorious achievement - Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) with the highest score in its Gold Category. Having won this high recognition ADCO, confirm its name as the national (UAE) as well as an International leader. Another feather in the cap is Shell Round 1 & Round 2 certifications in Well Engineering. It makes me very proud being the first in ADCO accomplishing that. Those were a product executed by ADCO Drilling Division Vice President Mr. Chris Kuyken, who has pursing continues improvements in our organization. It is an achievement to be the first and others are taking the same steps and do even better. It’s very important at this time when the whole oil industry locally or internationally is expanding is to initiate this program to provide a solid foundation of experiences & knowledge to enhance the learning curves of an employee and assure ADCO employees standard meeting the international ones. And all who passed R1&R2 afterwards are simply my story of success.
In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Abdul Munim Saif Al-Kindy, Chief Executive Officer of ADCO for initiating the program, his valuable confidence and insightful vision. I also sincerely thank the Group’s management and employees for their commitment and efforts this year and our customers and shareholders for their ongoing support and trust. I look forward to another successful year together. ”Despite all the achievements (within the UAE Federation), we still have an ambition for more. That is my way of looking at things.” Our father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. My best wishes for a distinguished and bright future. ABDULLA MUBARAK BIN SHAMLAN Drilling Function Team Leader
This ancient sketch originally from "The Annals of Salt Law of Sichuan Province" shows the structure of the ancient derrick.
Ancient Drilling Technologies 8
T
here are many articles talking about the future of oil and
gas well drilling. However, as the Chinese philosopher Lao
Tzu said 2600 years ago: “A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step.” Knowledge of the past is a key to understanding the present.
So, we would like to use this blog to explore some activities of the earlier pioneers in drilling.
Around 2000 years ago, Chinese in Sichuan province
originated deep drilling. The primary motive for deep drilling in China was the search for salt. Even as recently
as 1965, 16.5% of China’s salt supplies came from brine pumped out of deep boreholes, making this source of supply second only to sea salt.
The ancient percussive cable drilling system was called “churn”. The derrick had height of
~ 33 ft and all parts of the rig were made from wood (mainly bamboo). A large wooden drum had 16 ft in diameter and was used to perform round trips. Rocking movement of
the balancing beam created the percussive impulses on the bit, which sometimes weighted as much as 300 lbs. By alternately lifting this tool and letting it fall, the Chinese achieved a
well depth of 2000 ft. Wonder the rate of penetration (ROP)? 2 feet per day! The Orientals were willing to work as long as 3 years to complete a well. This testified the saying: Man who wants pretty nurse must be patient. BTW, Confucius did not say it.
The deep drilling for brine yielded natural gas (primarily methane) from time to time. The
boreholes producing methane were known to the Chinese as “fire wells”. So the drilling for natural gas followed and was developed at the same time.
The bamboo tubes were used as pipelines, carrying both brine and natural gas for many miles, sometimes passing under roads and sometimes going overhead on trestles. Among
other uses, natural gas was used to heat evaporation pans of brine to make salt: perfect example of killing 2 birds with 1 stone.
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Top 10 Tips on How to Reduce Food Waste
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W
aste in general is a serious global issue!
Abu Dhabi produces around 10.565 million tons of waste per year, over 72 % of which originates from the construction and demolition, 6% from the industrial and commercial sector and 8% from the agricultural sector. The municipal solid waste comprises up to 1.105 million tonnes from Abu Dhabi's overall waste generation per year. According to a report published in 2011 by the Centre of Waste Management —Abu Dhabi, 39% of all the Emirate's municipal solid waste is organic material. This is disposed of each year contributing to landfills, carbon emissions and ultimately contributing to climate change. We aim to encourage the public to make wise decisions when buying their groceries and when cooking their meals in order to waste as little food as possible. By doing this, it will benefit the society and the environment. Follow our Top 10 Tips on how you can help reduce the amount of food waste in the country.
1. Cook less: Make enough food for the number of guests at the table. If you are six people don't cook food for 10. The prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: the food of one person is enough for two, and the food of two persons is enough for four. 2. Buy locally produced food: Flying food across continents increases local transportation emissions.
3. Plan your meals: Keep the cupboards and fridge stocked with the basics (milk, eggs,
yoghurt etc.), so that when it comes time to writing your shopping list you will only buy those ingredients you need. This tip will not only cut down food waste, it will also save you time and money as well.
4. Be aware of expiry dates: Keep an eye on the 'best before' or 'use by' dates.
5. Don’t go grocery shopping when hungry: Ever noticed that if you go grocery shopping when hungry you end up buying unnecessary amounts or kinds of food that might not end up consuming. Avoid impulse buys and take your grocery list with you. 6. Make sure of your leftovers: Go online or get creative and make the most of your leftovers by making delicious, innovative dishes.
7. Be a food saving hero: Make the most of the food you buy and find out what types of food can be frozen, stored, dehydrated etc. so that you avoid throwing anything away. 8. Avoid filing up your plate: When you are out at a social event or gathering which boasts an open buffet, avoid filing food on your plate. Be sensible when choosing what to eat this way you avoid throwing excess food.
9. Think with others: Remember that there are always people out there who are in need of food, so instead of throwing leftovers, give them away to those in need. Please make sure that the food is safe to eat before donating it to others. 10. Compost your waste: By composting your organic waste you are returning nutrients back into the soil, disposal of organic waste in a proper manner and protect the environment. 11