Curtin petroleum engineering students get insights into artificial lift applications from industry expert

Miri – 14 October 2022 – Third- and final-year petroleum engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) attended a technical talk on ‘Gas Lift Applications’ by Graeme Rae, Director of Engineering at ALECA Sdn. Bhd, at its campus recently.

Associate Professor Hisham Khaled Ben Mahmud of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science said Rae was invited to give the talk due to his over 30 years of experience in the petroleum engineering field.

Rae has held various technical leadership positions including Production Technology Advisor with Integrated GGRE Asia Sdn. Bhd, Production Technology Advisor (Technical Authority on Well Integrity) with Petrofac, and Head of Technology and Engineering with Talisman Energy Malaysia.

In his talk, Rae focused on the different types of artificial lifts commonly used in the oil and gas industry such as electrical submersible pumps, rod sucker pumps, and hydraulic pumps. He said gas lifts are the most common artificial lifts used in Malaysian offshore wells and highlighted the objectives of using gas lifts in oil onshore and offshore wells. He also explained the gas lift operating mechanism and its design approach to optimise hydrocarbon production, gas lift depth, and injection pressure.

According to Rae, designing a gas lift can be challenging as it requires knowledge from many different engineering and scientific fields in addition to a lot of practical expertise. Each step of the process comprises a variety of design processes that require knowledge of well productivity, casing strength, production conduit, and bottom-hole completion.

Rae said he was glad to be given the opportunity to share his vast knowledge and experience with the students and expressed hopes that the lessons learned by industry practitioners like himself would help students better understand the challenges they will likely face as engineers in the future.

The four-year Curtin Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering (Honours) offered at Curtin Malaysia covers a wide range of topics that are essential to the petroleum engineering field. The programme is accredited by Engineers Australia and the Board of Engineers Malaysia and recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. Since its launch in 2011, it has continued to be one of the most popular engineering courses at Curtin Malaysia.

Graduates of the course are highly sought-after by industry in Malaysia and abroad, and many are able to secure jobs immediately upon graduation or even before they complete their studies. To find out more about the Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering, visit courses.curtin.edu.my.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or Tik-Tok.

Rae and Associate Professor Hisham (3rd & 4th left) and two students pose for group photo after the talk