Curtin Malaysia petroleum engineering students learn about well completion

Miri – 14 September 2021 – Third-year petroleum engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) were recently given a talk on ‘Well Completion Hardware and Techniques’ by guest speaker Senior Production Technologist Lim Hwei Fung of Sarawak Shell Berhad.

Lim, who gave the talk at the invitation of petroleum engineering lecturer Associate Professor Hisham Ben Mahmud, spoke about equipment and techniques used by oil and gas operators in their well completion operations, which are relevant to the Petroleum Production Technology unit the students are studying in their petroleum engineering course.

She explained the purpose of well completion and design, describing the two common parts of well completion, lower and upper-part completion. She also described the main components of tubing strings that are installed in wells to maintain well performance and integrity, as well as primary and secondary well barriers that secure well and production facilities from any undesirable events. In addition, Lim provided many real-life examples and applications based on her work experience in the field.

Lim is a chemical engineering graduate of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) with 15 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry. Her expertise includes mature oilfield well reservoir facility management, well delivery and interventions in various locations in Malaysia and internationally.

In thanking Lim for her support of the petroleum engineering programme at Curtin Malaysia, Associate Professor Hisham said that by imparting their knowledge and experience, industry experts like Lim not only support the learning outcomes of students by helping them connect what they learn in their course to real-life scenarios, but also inspire them to be knowledgeable and competent engineers themselves in the future.

Curtin Malaysia, Curtin University’s largest global campus and hub in Southeast Asia, offers Curtin’s four-year Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering (Honours) where students learn how to evaluate, drill, develop and mine oil and gas reserves. They study chemical engineering, drilling, fluid flow through reservoirs, formation evaluation, geology, hydrocarbon phase behaviour, oil and gas field development, petroleum production technology, thermodynamics and well completions engineering.

In addition, they undertake practical study in fluid and reservoir rock and drilling laboratories, and gain industry exposure through field trips to service company offices, and drilling, exploration and production operation sites. They also gain an understanding of global economic trends and corporate profit margins through the study of economics, risk and project management. In their final year, they undertake a major research project, as well as a field development planning and design project.

A screen capture taken during the talk with A/Prof. Hisham at far left and Lim in the middle, top row.

Lim showed the students examples of well completion activities at an offshore platform.

Images of offshore well completion activities shown by Lim to the students.