Petroleum Engineering labs lead the way toward safer, more environmentally sound drilling

Students and faculty in engineering and related fields can address challenges to making onshore and offshore drilling safer and more environmentally sound in three hands-on labs run by UT Austin’s Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. The facilities, overseen by Prof. Eric van Oort, include the Real-time Operations Center, capable of processing around-the-clock data from operational wells; the Drilling Automation Lab, which houses a state-of-the-art drilling simulator; and the Zonal Isolation Lab, where researchers can test new methods and materials for improving drilling. Read more.