David Odofin, a Geologist by training holds first and second degrees in Geology with specialisation in Applied Geophysics. Currently studying for an MBA at Quantic School of Business Technology and a Doctoral Programme in Geophysics at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun in Delta State, Odofin who has spent the past 13 years contributing to the successful and safe drilling of economically viable wells through geomechanics and drilling optimisation, speaks on oil-well blowouts which are uncontrolled releases of crude oil or natural gas from oil wells to the earth’s surface due to the failure of pressure control systems leading to catastrophic fire incidents. Excerpts:
You major as a Geomechanics specialist. What does this mean?
Geomechanics is the study of rock properties with its associated stresses and pressures which sometimes results in the deformation of the rocks. Understanding the stress state and the formation pressure is applicable in oil and gas exploration, drilling, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, enhanced oil recovery, and others. Inaccurate estimation of geomechanical properties (such as pore pressure, fracture pressure, and collapse pressure) of rocks being drilled can cause the oil company to lose expensive drilling fluids; drill strings getting stuck; and kicks.
All these drilling incidents have negative impacts on the drilling economy. Beyond the economy, it sometimes destroys lives, and properties and occasionally has huge environmental impacts.
A not-so-popular technology that is gaining traction today is the storage of CO2 underneath the earth. The idea behind this is to capture excess carbon and deposit it beneath the earth as a permanent storage. As you may be aware, as part of the global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, CO2 is captured from the point of generation (like industrial hubs) and injected into porous sands underground.
In the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) project, it is pertinent to understand which formation can permanently store the captured CO2 that is injected into it. Otherwise, it can potentially find its way back to the surface and the entire exercise will be futile. This is another important application of the knowledge of geomechanics.
Is Geomechanics too specialized for an average learner to grasp?
Not really, but because it is applied science, it requires a good understanding of the basic principles of science.
What motivated you to pursue such a career path?
As mentioned before, the risks associated with crude oil and gas exploration are enormous. Despite the heavy investments in its technology and expertise, accidents do occur from time to time. The news of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, also known as the Macondo blowout, was so terrifying that for days, I couldn’t help but repeatedly ask myself why. The more I shuffled the internet for the answers to my questions, the more I understood the enormity of the challenge that caused such a monumental disaster. That inspired me to do something to help avert a future occurrence of blowouts. Two years after the Deepwater Horizon blowout (January 16, 2012, to be precise), a similar incident happened closer home – the blowout involving an Oil field in the Niger Delta operated by one of the major International Oil Companies (IOCs). Like the Deep-Water blowout, this blowout resulted in the loss of lives (who are subject matter experts), and equipment, coupled with the environmental impact. Such disasters must be prevented from happening again.
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Do you mean Macondo and the local blowout you mentioned motivated your choice of career?
You are very correct. We can’t stop drilling for oil and gas because of the fear of blowout. Oil revenue is the backbone of several economies, as such, the only option before us is to engineer solutions that will handle this dinosaur called blowout.
What is being done to ensure that the blowout is stopped?
Thank you for that very important question. There are a couple of things that are being done to ensure that a repeat of the Macondo blowout does not occur, and I will just highlight them. A better understanding of the origin of overpressure –The knowledge of what causes overpressure in the subsurface has resulted in more refined models and workflow for pore pressure prediction.
In monitoring the pressure that we will be drilling through during oil and gas drilling, the application of AI-powered software which could discover early enough that the pressure is increasing will allow the drilling team to put mitigations in place will help drastically in eliminating blowout.
Additionally, the training of more experts by oil servicing companies/producing companies who dedicate their attention to pore pressure and wellbore monitoring.
What role do you see geomechanics playing in the plan of the Nigerian government to increase oil production from the current 1.4 million per day to 2.1 million barrels per day?
To achieve this goal of increasing the daily oil production rate, several oil wells must be drilled. Pore pressure – an output of a geomechanical model is one of the most important parameters of a drilling plan, as such we are relevant in this regard. I will not be wrong to say most of the easy wells (in quote) have been drilled, and with the drilling focus targeting more of deeper and more challenging exploratory targets, no experienced exploration or drilling manager will embark on any drilling campaign without an accurate geomechanical model. It has become the standard that every drilling program must include a geomechanical model. We will collaborate with the team of the producing company to ensure that the optimum mud weight needed to drill a safe and cost-effective well is accurately defined.
What’s your thought on the national oil companies that were awarded oil blocks last year?
It’s a very good initiative that has the potential to boost oil production and create job opportunities. When you consider the capital base of most of the marginal field operators, you will agree with me that with their tight budgets, they cannot afford to experience stuck pipes or the burying of expensive Bottom Hole Assemblages (BHA), I will candidly suggest to them to make sure their geomechanical model is handled by subject matter experts.
How do you juggle two postgraduate degrees alongside a full-time job?
Well, I am the son of a teacher. I was raised to believe so much in education from the cradle. I’m grateful to my parents for this upbringing.