Students of the University of Guyana’s (UG) Faculty of Engineering and Technology are now able to gain practical experience in the development of drilling fluid (MUD) for the Oil and Gas Sector following the launch of a MUD lab at the Turkeyen Campus.
The lab which was officially launched on Saturday is part of a US$2 million agreement between UG and United States oil and gas service provider Halliburton for the development of the faculty through a series of measures. These measure include the purchase and maintenance of laboratory equipment, staff development and software programme support for teaching.
Speaking at the launch Vice Chancellor Paloma Mohammed credited Halliburton petroleum engineer Celia Garcia-James for believing that UG could be the first regional university to house such a lab.
“As small and simple as it may seem these bits of equipment and software are quite expensive [and with them] we can give students a wonderful experience not just in theoretical science but to begin to give them the practical so needed and so valued by clients…we don’t want to see them only coming out with theory but to be able to do things having had a little bit of making mistakes under their belt,” Mohamed explained.
This sentiment was reiterated by Dean of the Faculty, Verlyn Klass who stressed that the launch is timely.
“The Bachelor programme in Petroleum Engineering should be starting in the coming academic year and this lab will support this programme,” she said, adding that mechanical engineers can also benefit, gaining an added advantage should they seek employment as MUD technicians or MUD engineers.
Short lab courses can also be developed, Klass explained noting that the faculty is excited to learn about and participate in the oil and gas industry.
Halliburton, Country Lead Vahman Jurai explained that the fluid solutions provided by his company all start in the lab.
“The foundations in designing of the fluids is carried out in the drilling lab. It all starts here in the lab- understanding the properties, working closely in fine tuning and tailoring design for well properties,” he said.
Jurai explained that the gift of the lab is part of Haliburton’s initiative to build capacity in Guyana.
“We view it as an investment in the future of the students who will grow to be potential industry leaders and who will shape the sustainability of the industry in Guyana. The gift of information and technology means empowering Guyana’s future,” he stressed, adding that the company will continue to work with the university to provide technical support and equipment management for the lab.
