PE School Faculty Shortage Needs Immediate Remedy

Excellent employment prospects at salaries well above their peers have created a rapid increase in the number of students enrolling in petroleum engineering (PE) programs at US universities. But a severe PE faculty shortage has resulted, one that cannot be eliminated in the short term through normal recruitment. On 13 April, SPE sponsored a workshop of PE department chairpersons and industry representatives to discuss the problem and determine if and how industry might help fill the gap.

The problem can be summarized as follows:

PE student enrollment has increased by more than 60% since 2003, while faculty numbers have increased by only 7%.
More than 40 positions for faculty are vacant in 19 PE departments.
Faculty teaching loads are as high as four courses per semester, while top programs in other science and engineering disciplines have teaching loads that are normally one course per semester, if research activity is significant, and two courses, if research demands are low.
Starting salaries for PE faculty are as much as USD 30,000 per year below offers to top undergraduates, making it difficult to attract and retain faculty.

The workshop group proposed two main areas where the oil and gas industry could provide short-term PE faculty support: supplying adjunct faculty and providing financial assistance for faculty hiring and retention. The group also recognized the need for increased research funding, especially considering the proposed elimination of funding from the US Department of Energy. However, that issue will be addressed later as a longer-term problem. For adjunct faculty, the group made the following recommendations:

Establish a “clearinghouse”—a website for posting adjunct faculty needs by PE schools. Companies also could post available lecturers and their subjects; spe.org could be the Web home, with open access to the clearinghouse site.
Consider team teaching (e.g., on a 28/28 rotational schedule) for PE schools distant from an adjunct faculty member’s home as an alternative to relocation.
Use distance teaching for certain courses, preferably in a real-time format allowing direct interaction between lecturer and student. This would be especially attractive for PE schools remote from industry centers.
Create a short course for training adjunct faculty in teaching skills, such as testing and assessment techniques.
Maximize the use of graduate-student teaching assistants to support both on-site adjunct faculty and distance teaching.

Regarding faculty hiring and retention, the workshop committee made these recommendations:

The industry should augment salaries of junior faculty with faculty fellowships of USD 10,000 to USD 30,000 per year. Funding could be annual or in the form of endowments.
Support teaching assistants with fellowships and internships. In addition to an important role in assisting adjunct faculty in the near term, graduate students are the primary source for future permanent faculty.

The committee established two areas needing immediate action:

Adjunct faculty needs for the 2007–08 school year are to be posted by the PE departments to the clearinghouse website on spe.org immediately. Companies are urged to respond with offers to supply needed adjunct faculty in time for the Fall 2007 semester.
Schools also may post needs for faculty and teaching-assistant fellowships on the clearinghouse. Alternatively, companies may prefer discussing these needs directly with the PE departments.

Global Coalbed-Methane Issues Discussed

The importance of coalbed methane (CBM) to world energy needs was the focus of industry technology experts worldwide at the SPE Applied Technology Workshop (ATW) “Coalbed Methane—Unlocking a Resource of Global Significance,” held recently in Beijing. Forty-six persons attended, representing 34 organizations and 11 countries. Sun Maoyuan, President, China United Coalbed Methane Corporation, delivered the opening address. Marc Bustin of the University of British Columbia gave the keynote speech, setting the stage for the workshop’s technical sessions.

The first session, “Geologic Controls for CBM Reservoirs,” provided a foundation for discussion throughout the ATW. With geologic controls as the context, the session focused on understanding gas content in coal, the importance of using the right technology at the right time, and the importance of geochemistry and geological studies to these issues. It was noted that in evaluating prospects, the industry has progressed from simply using net coal thickness to including gas-content analysis. Also highlighted in the session was the critical importance of fracture and cleat modeling to future CBM development.

Another session, “Maturing CBM Field Case Histories,” examined the knowledge gained from mature basins such as Black Warrior, Powder River, Raton, San Juan, Appalachian, and Piceance. Discussion dealt with strategies and technologies that had proved effective in developing basin resources and also noted approaches that had not worked. The effectiveness of horizontal completions was emphasized.

A session titled “New Global CBM Provinces—Finding the Key” looked at CBM provinces in Australia, China, India, and Canada. The huge production potential of Australia was contrasted with the market issues there. Discussion of China and India centered on the formidable technical challenges to CBM development in both countries.

The “New Drilling and Completion Practices” session provided in-depth examination of completion techniques for CBM wells. Surface-to-inseam drilling was heavily discussed and viewed as quite promising. The use of mining and civil-engineering rigs was presented as a very cost-efficient way to complete these wells. China was described as a highly challenging environment for horizontal drilling. It was pointed out that more than 10 bottomhole assemblies have been lost in drilling attempts there. Additionally, there was spirited discussion of fracture treatments in which participants questioned the present ability to model CBM fracturing and the benefits attainable through shear fracturing. The importance of proper prejob compatibility testing was highlighted, and the effectiveness of cavity completions and of underreaming was also discussed. In addition, John Cameron of PCM Technical raised the challenging question of whether shear stimulation is feasible in coals.

A session was also devoted to “The Role of Coal Reservoirs in CO2 Sequestration.” Six speakers discussed various aspects of sequestering CO2 in coal. Subjects examined included the CO2 and CH4 adsorption of coal, the analysis of models used to predict CO2 sequestration, laboratory experiments measuring physical parameters of coal during CO2 adsorption, and a report on pilot projects where CO2 has been injected into coal seams. Comments generally suggested that simulators must be improved, that a better understanding of how coal reacts during CO2 adsorption is required, and that laboratory experiments need to reproduce in-situ conditions more accurately.

The Program Committee was cochaired by Chris Cornelius, Verona Development Company, and Raymond Tibbles, Schlumberger. Committee members included Mohinudeen Faiz, CSIRO Petroleum; Saikat Mazumder, Shell International E&P; Carolyn Seto, Stanford University; Dario Stemberger, BJ Services; Jinlong Wang, Petro-King Oilfield Technology; Ziqiong Zheng, Baker Hughes Inteq; Marc Bustin, University of British Columbia; John Cameron, PCM Technical; Steve Lambert, Schlumberger; Dave Mathew, Arrow Energy; and Barry Ryan, British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.