A Full-Scale Testing and Training Ground for the Petroleum Industry, on LSU’s Campus

The only one of its kind in North America, the LSU Petroleum Engineering Research & Technology Transfer (PERTT) lab is a 2.5-acre on-campus industrial-scale facility to simulate oil and gas drilling and production operations. This is where industry can safely test new tools and methods, train staff in optimal well control and blowout prevention, and explore a wide range of drilling environments to ensure success in the field.

For LSU students, the PERTT lab is a real-world classroom, on-campus employer, and opportunity to connect with LSU industry partners, such as Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Baker Hughes, General Electric, BP, Marathon Oil, Phillips 66, Halliburton, Schlumberger, and Murphy Oil Corporation, where LSU petroleum engineering graduates have secured jobs.

This type of hands-on experience is part of the story of how LSU’s Society of Petroleum Engineers team beat out 33 other universities worldwide to capture the 2019 World Championship in SPE’s annual PetroBowl. During COVID-19, the LSU petroleum engineering program has also gone to extraordinary lengths to adapt its labs to a hybrid teaching environment to keep students safe and engaged.

“Investing in the LSU PERTT lab is important to us because it provides students with hands-on industry exposure and sets the right expectations for them to begin their careers. Starting new jobs, these students will have solid industry knowledge and a foundation for success. These future leaders will fully understand the value of a close university-industry partnership and continue our industry’s commitment to attract top talent.”

Benton Knobloch, Gulf of Mexico operations manager, Halliburton