Authored by Brendan McCalpin
We had the opportunity to have lunch all together at the rig to hear about how the students school year had been and what they were looking forward to most post graduation. Overall, the common theme we kept hearing throughout the day from the students was “Wow! No other operators let us all the way on location let alone allow us to walk all through the rig or a facility”. We had a great day with the students and faculty and I know Michael would echo how proud we are of our engineers and field staff for putting on such a great day for the students.
Professors Mike Stafford and Dr. Mohan Kelkar accompanied a group of 13 Petroleum Engineering Seniors in their final semester of their undergraduate degree to the ABU field office located near Geary, OK. The excursion began with introductions and a comprehensive safety briefing at the field office before the group split into two to venture out into the field.
One group was hosted by Michael Swain, Business Unit Manager – ABU, and taken to the Cactus 151 drilling rig. There, they were welcomed by Field Drilling Superintendent, Chris Lloyd, who gave them a thorough tour of the rig and its components, enlightening the students on the mechanics of drilling. Despite experiencing the harsh and windy Western Oklahoma weather with gusts reaching upwards of 50 mph, the students left the rig with an in-depth understanding of drilling operations.
The second group, led by myself, Production Engineer Charlie Fryer, and Production Foreman Jared Swenson, visited the Leota Clark production facility. Here, the two hosts took the students on a wellhead-to-sales tour of the ABU’s “Ultra Low Emissions Facility,” a state-of-the-art facility that is commonly referred to as a “tank-less” facility. Charlie and Jared explained the basic fundamentals of hydrocarbon processing and emphasized the growing significance of flash gas and fugitive emission capturing.
During lunch at the rig, the group had an opportunity to discuss the students’ experiences throughout their school year and their expectations post-graduation. The day ended with students expressing their appreciation for the exceptional opportunity to tour the rig and facility in such great detail, a privilege that they had not experienced with any other operator.
We had a remarkable day with the students and faculty, and we are proud of our engineers and field staff for organizing such a comprehensive and informative excursion.
