路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）在石油工程教育和研究领域拥有超过一个世纪的悠久历史，这凸显了其作为石油天然气和碳捕集与封存（CCS）领域领先学府的地位。LSU石油工程研究、培训和测试（PERTT）实验室是这一努力的核心，它位于LSU巴吞鲁日校区，毗邻帕特里克·F·泰勒大楼，该大楼也是克拉夫特和霍金斯石油工程系的所在地。

PERTT实验室占地4.5英亩，设有六口套管井，深度从1200英尺到5200英尺不等。该设施的设计允许在井下条件下进行井尺度多相流测试，并具有在油藏深度注入气体的独特能力，这在学术研究环境中极为罕见。该能力支持对井控、二氧化碳注入、输送和提高石油采收率等新兴技术的研究和_验证。

最先进的测试和监控能力

• 一套完整的油井循环系统，配备泥浆泵、储罐、分离器和多个节流阀，能够模拟深水钻井环境。
• 两台哈里伯顿 HT-400 三缸泵，可实现高压、高速循环，从而实现真实的运行场景。
• 高分辨率分布式光纤传感 (DFOS) 由分布式声学传感 (DAS) 和分布式温度传感 (DTS) 阵列组成，沿管道长度方向部署，用于监测温度梯度并实时检测流入量。
• 多个高分辨率井下压力和温度计，用于在气体流入和注入实验期间精确检测气体前缘和尾部位置、空隙率和速度。
• 先进的实验室规模流动测试装置，辅以定制的内部制造的流动回路，用于多相流实验。

早期根基与学术发展

路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）石油工程项目始于1922年，最初是地质系的一个选修课程，标志着美国最早的正规石油工程教育之一。在这一初期阶段，该项目开设了石油地质学、生产方法和利用等方面的基础课程，以满足石油行业不断涌现的需求。项目发展迅速，于1939年成为地质学院下属的独立石油工程系，并于1956年迁至工程学院，最终发展成为一所领先的学术院校。

路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）石油工程专业的奠基人之一是本杰明·C·克拉夫特（Benjamin C. Craft）。他于1929年受聘成为该校首位全职石油工程系教师。克拉夫特致力于提供与行业紧密相关的实用教育，由此创建了一套严谨的课程体系，树立了全国标杆，并为LSU日后成为一所卓越的研究型和培训型大学奠定了基础。1946年加入的默里·F·霍金斯（Murray F. Hawkins）进一步拓展并革新了油藏工程教育。他们的合作以及里程碑式的教科书，使LSU的克拉夫特-霍金斯石油工程系成为石油工程教育和研究领域的全国领先者。

20世纪70年代，海上钻井活动的日益频繁导致井控事故频发，迫使路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）采取行动。该大学与美国矿产资源管理局（MMS）合作，加强海上安全研究和培训。1978年至1979年间，学校开始规划建设一座专门的防井喷设施，这反映了业界对超越理论教学的实践性、真实性培训的需求。

路易斯安那州立大学井控研究领域取得的行业支持里程碑

这项计划得到了由53家石油和建筑公司组成的财团的大力支持。一个重要的里程碑是Goldking Production Co.向路易斯安那州立大学捐赠了一口10,000英尺深的干井，当时的价值为67万美元。13家大型石油公司提供了总计20万美元的赠款，用于完成该井及其地面设施的建设。这口井被称为1号井，后来被改造成一个6,000英尺深的试验平台，配备了地下设备，能够对在3,000英尺水深作业的浮式钻井船典型的流动几何形状进行全尺寸建模。行业合作伙伴和MMS提供了额外的设备、服务和资金，最终促成了1982年一座耗资200万美元的井控研究和培训中心的落成，该中心以这口井为核心。

路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）的2号井于1985年钻探完成，由MMS公司和多家行业合作伙伴共同出资。该井共钻探了三口2000英尺深的井（3号井、4号井和5号井），并套上7英寸套管，以便压缩天然气用于井控演练。LSU的6号井专门用于研究分流器操作，作为井控研究的一部分。这包括对浅层气井喷发和井卸载期间分流器性能的动态建模、实验评估和系统分析的研究。该井位于一个井架下方，井架顶部设有直达井口的火炬塔。

迈向21世纪的持续卓越

自1982年以来，路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）的井喷预防研究、培训和测试中心一直是海上钻井安全进步的基石。该中心独特地将全尺寸工业设备与学术见解和研究相结合，为行业人员和学生提供宝贵的培训。它是北美大学中唯一此类设施，也是美国唯一一所提供并要求学生进行井控实践培训的院校，培训内容包括理解真实油井中的静水力学和压力控制。学生们使用真实设备，通过观察真实油井中泥浆和气体等真实流体的行为来学习。

该设施提供了一个安全的环境，供行业专业人士测试创新理念、技术和设备，确定哪些方案有效，并在实际应用前对创新成果进行改进。2000 年代中期，油田服务公司利用 PERTT 实验室的测试井和设施进行全尺寸油井测试，并在将微通量控制和压力控制钻井 (MPD) 等创新技术部署到钻井平台上之前对其进行验证。在 2​​010 年墨西哥湾深水地平线漏油事故等事件发生后，该实验室的作用尤为突出，当时路易斯安那州立大学 (LSU) 在防喷和井控方面的专业知识被广泛用于关键分析和培训。

培训和知识转移

PERTT实验室在教育方面也表现出色，为石油工程专业的本科生和研究生以及行业专家提供实践培训。通过逼真的井控场景、流体流动监测、设备测试和作业模拟，学术界和企业合作伙伴都能获得对安全高效的现场作业至关重要的宝贵见解和经验。实验室的会议设施支持协作研讨会、远程培训课程和讲座，从而促进知识交流。

路易斯安那州立大学PERTT实验室近期完成的项目

Pason Systems Inc. 是石油和天然气钻井行业领先的数据管理系统供应商，多年来一直为 PERTT Lab 提供支持。Pason 的钻机显示器和钻井工工作站可实时可视化和记录高频数据，而 WITSML 流媒体和云同步功能（支持 AWS、Azure 和 OneDrive）则为合作伙伴提供安全可靠的远程实验访问权限。这些数字化功能与远程控制的节流歧管系统和专用 MPD 节流系统配合使用，可在高风险条件下测试井控策略。

路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）获得了美国国家科学院、工程院和医学院海湾研究项目490万美元的资助，旨在通过推进深水钻井立管气体动力学研究，提高海上油井的安全性。2号井于2019年完成重钻，配备了先进的仪器设备和注入管线。该实验室利用其配备井下压力和温度传感器以及分布式光纤传感系统的全尺寸井筒，成功验证了新型气体监测和井控方法。这些实验提供了新的见解，提高了压力屏障和井涌控制策略的可靠性，增强了早期检测井涌的能力，并改善了作业安全性和基于风险的油井设计。

对立管气体循环新技术（例如固定节流阀恒定流速法）的全面评估表明，使用不同类型的钻井泥浆可以优化立管气体的控制，从而有助于制定更安全、更高效的钻井方案。实验证实并驳斥了许多关于气体运移导致的最大关井压力、大环空内的流动状态、不同类型泥浆的溶解度影响、吸收和解吸以及开放环空内动态卸载危险性的误解。这些研究的结果和发现已被纳入国际钻井承包商协会 (IADC) 的《立管气体处理指南》。

与此同时，PERTT实验室对加压泥帽钻井的研究结合了现场规模的测试和建模，以预测气体运移速率并确定所需的气体注入速率，这对于在压力下维持井筒完整性至关重要。利用现有钻机设备开展的泄压方法和循环技术研究，进一步支持了MPD和井控作业期间的风险缓解策略。

阀门性能信息交换中心 (VPC) 的流动回路提供了一个符合 API 标准的验证环境，用于验证气举阀。VPC 维护着一个包含 60 种阀门、涵盖 200 多种配置的性能数据库。PERTT 实验室根据 API Spec 19G2标准测试孔板式和 IPO（注入压力操作式）气举阀，并将采集的数据和客观的测试结果提供给联盟成员。PERTT 实验室还拥有一座 40 英尺高的可倾斜塔，能够对不同管材倾角下的流动特性进行详细研究。

这些设施支持两间配备实时钻井平台数据的智能教室和一个用于实时建模的仿真计算机实验室。这些近期项目充分利用了PERTT实验室独特的实验设施和传感器技术，将严格的测试与实时数据分析相结合，以推进油井控制、流动保障和环境友好型能源生产，彰显了路易斯安那州立大学在石油工程研究和技术转移领域的领先地位。

未来方向

路易斯安那州立大学PERTT实验室致力于创新，并不断拓展其实验服务范围。路易斯安那州立大学网络物理实验室（LSU Cyber​​-PERTT）是一个开创性的网络物理研究实验室，它将自动化、控制系统和网络安全与油田作业相结合，是对PERTT实验室全井控制和二氧化碳研究活动的有力补充_。其核心设施“老虎滑橇”（Tiger Skid）能够模拟关键能源基础设施，用于培训专业人员和学生抵御网络物理攻击的能力。该设施使路易斯安那州立大学成为保障能源系统安全和培养未来网络安全人才的全国领先机构。
此外，该实验室还在推进碳捕获与封存研究，即将钻探一口专用二氧化碳研究井，旨在真实井下条件下研究二氧化碳的三个阶段。该项目旨在推进安全技术的发展，并验证对能源转型时代至关重要的预测模型。

2026年初，路易斯安那州立大学工程学院将与哈里伯顿、埃克森美孚、壳牌、雪佛龙和H&P公司合作，在PERTT实验室钻探一口独特的科研井。这口仅用于科研的井将采用大直径碳钢外壳和耐腐蚀合金内管，以确保二氧化碳实验的安全进行_。井身将包含一个5000英尺的垂直段，之后过渡到直径较小的水平段，继续垂直延伸至7000英尺，最后在7900英尺深度处弯曲成一个500英尺至1000英尺的水平段。该井将用于研究井下条件下二氧化碳的_流动特性、安全和监测技术以及模型验证，为学生、研究人员、监管机构和行业专业人士提供宝贵的机会。

此外，还将建造一个具有可调倾斜角度的地面流动回路，用于研究二氧化碳在管道输送过程中三个阶段遇到的挑战_。地面流动回路和测试装置的规模化设计旨在支持提高采收率、化学注入和腐蚀研究。PERTT实验室正在加强与国家实验室和行业的合作，开展联合研究，以应对下一代油田技术挑战。

Louisiana State University’s (LSU) journey in petroleum engineering education and research spans over a century, underscoring its role as a premier institution at the forefront of advancement in the oil and gas and CCS sectors. At the heart of this effort is the LSU Petroleum Engineering Research, Training and Testing (PERTT) Lab, located on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus near Patrick F. Taylor Hall, home to the Craft and Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering.

Spanning 4.5 acres, the PERTT Lab features six cased wells ranging from 1,200 to 5,200 ft in depth. The facility's design allows for well-scale multiphase flow testing under downhole conditions, with the unique capability of injecting gases at reservoir depth, which is a rare feature in academic research environments. This capability supports research and validation for emerging technologies in well control, CO₂ injection, transportation, and enhanced oil recovery.

State-of-the-Art Testing and Monitoring Capabilities

• A full-scale well-circulation system equipped with mud pumps, tanks, separators, and multiple chokes capable of simulating deepwater drilling environments.
• Two Halliburton HT‑400 triplex pumps for high‑pressure, high‑rate circulation, enabling realistic operational scenarios.
• High-resolution distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS), consisting of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) arrays, deployed along the length of tubing to monitor temperature gradients and detect influx in real time.
• Multiple high-resolution downhole pressure and temperature gauges for precise detection of gas front and tail position, void fraction, and velocity during gas influx and injection experiments.
• An advanced laboratory-scale flow testing setup, complemented by custom in-house fabricated flow loops for multiphase flow experimentation.

Early Roots and Academic Expansion

The LSU petroleum engineering program began as a curricular option within the geology department in 1922, marking one of the earliest efforts in formal petroleum engineering education in the US. During this nascent phase, foundational courses in petroleum geology, production methods, and utilization were offered to address the emerging needs of the oil industry. The program expanded rapidly, becoming a full-fledged petroleum engineering department by 1939 under the School of Geology and later relocating to the College of Engineering in 1956, where it evolved into a leading academic program.

A pivotal figure in shaping LSU’s petroleum engineering program was Benjamin C. Craft, hired in 1929 as its first full-time petroleum engineering faculty member. Craft’s dedication to practical, industry-relevant education led to the creation of a rigorous curriculum that set a national standard and laid the groundwork for LSU’s later prominence as a research and training school. Murray F. Hawkins, who joined in 1946, expanded and modernized reservoir engineering education. Together, their collaboration and landmark textbook established LSU’s Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering as a national leader in petroleum engineering education and research.

During the 1970s, escalating offshore drilling activity caused a rise in well-control incidents, compelling LSU to act. The university partnered with the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) to enhance offshore safety research and training. Planning commenced between 1978 and 1979 for a dedicated blowout-prevention facility, reflecting industry demand for hands-on, realistic training beyond theoretical instruction.

Industry-Backed Milestones in LSU Well-Control Research

This initiative received strong backing from a consortium of 53 petroleum and construction companies. A significant milestone was the donation of a 10,000-ft dryhole well by Goldking Production Co. to LSU’s campus, then valued at $670,000. Thirteen major oil corporations provided grants totaling $200,000 to complete the well and surface facilities. This well, referred to as Well 1, was recompleted as a 6,000-ft test bed with subsurface equipment, enabling full-scale modeling of flow geometries typical of floating drilling vessels operating in 3,000-ft water depths. Industry partners and the MMS contributed additional equipment, services, and funding, culminating in the 1982 dedication of a $2‑million facility for well-control research and training centered around this well.

LSU’s Well 2 was drilled in 1985, funded in collaboration with MMS and multiple industry partners. Three 2,000-ft wells (Wells 3, 4, and 5) were drilled and cased with 7-in. casing to allow natural gas to be compressed for use in well-control exercises. LSU's Well 6 was specifically drilled to study diverter operations as part of well-control research. This includes investigations into dynamic modeling, experimental evaluation, and system analysis of diverter performance during shallow-gas blowouts and well unloading. The well sits beneath a derrick that has a flare stack extending all the way to the top.

Sustained Excellence Into the 21st Century

Since 1982, LSU’s blowout prevention research, training, and testing facility remains a cornerstone of offshore drilling safety advancement. It uniquely combines full-scale industrial equipment with academic insight and research, offering invaluable training to industry personnel and students alike. It is the only facility of its kind in North America at a university and the only school in the US that offers and requires hands-on training in well control, including understanding hydrostatics and pressure control in real wells. Students learn from the behavior of real fluids, both mud and gas, in a real well using real equipment.

This facility provides a safe environment where industry professionals can test innovative ideas, technologies, and equipment, determine what works, and refine innovations before deploying them in the field. Oilfield service companies used the PERTT Lab test wells and facilities in the mid‑2000s to conduct full‑scale well tests and prove innovative technologies, such as Microflux Control and managed pressure drilling (MPD), before deploying them on rigs. The lab's role became especially prominent following incidents such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, when LSU's expertise in blowout prevention and well control was sought for critical analysis and training.

Training and Knowledge Transfer

PERTT Lab also excels in education, offering hands-on training for undergraduate and graduate petroleum engineering students alongside industry professionals. Through realistic well control scenarios, fluid-flow monitoring, equipment testing, and operations simulations, both academic and corporate partners gain invaluable insights and experience critical to safe and efficient field operations. The laboratory’s conference facilities support collaborative workshops, remote training sessions, and seminars enhancing knowledge exchange.

Recent Projects Completed at LSU’s PERTT Lab

Pason Systems Inc. is a leading provider of data management systems for the oil and gas drilling industry and has been supporting PERTT Lab for many years. Pason’s rig display and driller’s station visualize and record high-frequency data in real time, while WITSML streaming and cloud synchronization to AWS, Azure, and OneDrive give partners secure remote access to experiments. These digital capabilities work with a remotely controlled choke manifold system and a dedicated MPD choke system to test well-control strategies under high-risk conditions.

LSU received a $4.9-million National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program grant to enhance offshore well safety by advancing riser gas dynamics research in deepwater drilling. Well 2 was recompleted in 2019 with advanced instrumentation and an injection line. The lab has successfully validated novel gas-monitoring and well-control methods using its full-scale wellbores equipped with downhole pressure and temperature sensors and distributed fiber-optic sensing. These experiments have provided new insights that improve the reliability of pressure barriers and kick-control strategies, enhancing the ability to detect early gas kicks and improving operational safety and risk-informed well design.

Full-scale evaluations of new circulation techniques for gas in the riser, such as the fixed choke constant outflow method, have demonstrated optimized control of riser gas using different drilling mud types, contributing to safer and more efficient drilling protocols. Many misconceptions about maximum shut-in pressure due to gas migration, flow regimes in large annuli, effects of solubility in several types of mud, absorption and desorption, and the dangers of dynamic unloading in an open annulus were demonstrated and disproven through experiments. Results and findings from these studies are used in the International Association of Drilling Contactors (IADC) Riser Gas Handling Guidelines.

In parallel, PERTT Lab’s research on pressurized mud-cap drilling integrated both field-scale testing and modeling to anticipate gas-migration rates and determine the required rate of gas bullheading, which is vital for maintaining well integrity under pressure. Investigations into bleedoff methods and circulation techniques using existing rig equipment further support risk-mitigation strategies during MPD and well-control operations.

The Valve Performance Clearinghouse (VPC) flow loop provides an API-compliant environment for validating gas-lift valves. The VPC maintains a performance database of 60 valves covering more than 200 configurations. The PERTT Lab tests orifice and IPO (injection pressure operated) gas-lift valves per API Spec 19G2, delivering data acquired and unbiased findings to consortium members. PERTT Lab also has a 40-ft inclinable tower that enables detailed study of flow behavior at different tubular inclinations.

These assets support two smart classrooms with live rig data feeds and a simulation computer lab for real-time modeling. These recent projects leverage PERTT Lab’s unique experimental facilities and sensor technologies, combining rigorous testing with real-time data analytics to advance well control, flow assurance, and environmentally responsible energy production, highlighting LSU’s leadership in petroleum engineering research and technology transfer.

Future Directions

With a commitment to innovation, LSU PERTT Lab is expanding its suite of experimental services. LSU Cyber-PERTT is a pioneering cyber-physical research lab that combines automation, control systems, and cybersecurity with oilfield operations, complementing PERTT’s full‑scale well‑control and CO₂ research activities. Its centerpiece, the Tiger Skid, replicates critical energy infrastructure to train professionals and students in defending against cyber-physical attacks. This facility establishes LSU as a national leader in securing energy systems and developing the future cybersecurity workforce.
The lab is also advancing carbon capture and sequestration research with the forthcoming drilling of a dedicated CO₂ research well designed to study CO₂ in all three phases under realistic downhole conditions. This project aims to advance safety technologies and validate predictive models crucial for the energy transition era.

In early 2026, LSU’s College of Engineering, in partnership with Halliburton, ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and H&P, will commence drilling a unique research well at the PERTT Lab. This research-only well will feature a large-diameter carbon-steel outer casing with corrosion-resistant-alloy inner tubing to enable safe CO₂ experimentation. It will have a 5,000-ft vertical section transitioning to a smaller diameter section, continuing vertically to 7,000-ft before curving into a 500–1,000-ft horizontal section at 7,900-ft depth. The well will support studies on CO₂ flow behavior, safety and monitoring technologies, and model validation under downhole conditions, offering valuable opportunities for students, researchers, regulators, and industry professionals.

Additionally, a surface flow loop with an adjustable incline will be built to study challenges encountered during CO₂ transportation through pipelines in all three phases. Scaling up surface flow loops and testing rigs are designed to support enhanced oil recovery, chemical injection, and corrosion studies. PERTT Lab is strengthening partnerships with national laboratories and industry for joint research targeting next-generation oilfield technology challenges.