Two groups of students and postgraduate researchers from the Indian Institutes of Technology in Kharagpur and Dhanbad completed a short-term training program at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University as part of the international summer schools. The academic programs focused on current trends in the oil and gas industry and petroleum geology. The classes were organized by the Department of Petroleum and Gas Geology and conducted in English. For approximately two weeks, the students attended lectures and hands-on sessions in the laboratories and research centers of Russia’s oldest technical university, worked with simulation-based training systems, and went on field excursions to testing grounds and industrial facilities in the Northern Capital.
Several lectures were devoted to drilling technologies and the work of Mining University specialists in Antarctica. The Indian delegation learned about the discovery and exploration of the White Continent, Russian Antarctic stations, and the daily life and routines of polar researchers.
- It felt like watching a three-hour National Geographic documentary without a break. I heard so many fascinating facts about life and work at a polar station—both scientific and everyday, - one of the students shared.
What especially impressed the group was their visit to the university’s Sablino training and research site, a hands-on experience in a real-world setting. The guests noted that no comparable facilities exist at Indian universities, making this a truly unique opportunity for students.
The visitors were shown a wide range of oil and gas, as well as geological exploration equipment available at the site: cementing units, cement mixers, well logging systems, mobile drilling rigs for geological exploration, a drilling rig for oil and gas wells, and a unit for well completion and workover operations.
What sparked the greatest interest among the Indian delegation was the surface complex of real drilled wells created by university staff—one vertical well at 400 meters deep, and a 350-meter deviated well. As the students remarked, they had previously only heard about such equipment in lectures or read about it in textbooks.
Postgraduate student Amit Bajpai is pursuing a PhD in Applied Geophysics at the Indian Institute of Technology. He hails from Dhanbad, a state in eastern India known for its abundant mineral resources. Currently, the region—like the rest of India—is seeing increased focus on sustainable subsoil use and the development of critical minerals. As a result, the demand for geologists and geophysicists is on the rise. Both private and state-owned companies are in need of such specialists. In India, becoming a mining engineer is considered a path to a successful life.
Amit’s own research interests lie in developing algorithms for “modeling and inversion of magnetotelluric geophysical data using a Bayesian approach.” When the young researcher discovered that the Geophysics Department at the Mining University is also actively engaged in similar studies, he immediately enrolled in the Summer School program.
-At the Mining University, we saw high-tech laboratories and equipment, and we were introduced to a number of software products developed in Russia that are used both in scientific research and in industry. For me, this course was a great opportunity to learn from leading experts at the university and opened up prospects for future academic collaboration. And of course, I must mention the warm hospitality we received, - shared Amit Bajpai.
Another postgraduate student, Nishant Singh, came to St. Petersburg with the goal of studying technologies for the development of oil and gas fields. He is particularly interested in Russian equipment—especially pumps. In Russia, 90% of well operations use electric submersible pumps (ESP), which is quite uncommon in India.
Many guests from India noted the differences in teaching methodologies between the two countries.
- There is a strong emphasis on practical training, with the opportunity to gain hands-on professional experience even while still a student. The university also has well-established connections with a wide range of companies. In India, more attention is generally given to theoretical research. I was also impressed by the fact that in the candidate dissertations written by your postgraduate students, a great deal of attention is devoted to the economic aspects. The authors make separate calculations assessing the applicability of certain technologies from an economic perspective. We have this too, but to a lesser extent, - said Nishant Singh.
The students not only enhanced their knowledge in the fields of oil and gas and geology but also became acquainted with the architecture of the city on the Neva River and visited several museums. Their visit coincided with the height of the White Nights season, which left them full of admiration. The guests were also taken on a trip to Vyborg and to Monrepo Park, where they attended a lecture on the geology of the North and simply enjoyed the natural beauty of the surroundings.
This summer, Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University will welcome around 100 participants from India as part of its summer school programs. The next group to take up the baton will be students from the Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad, who have chosen the course “Digital Mining Production”.
It is worth noting that the international short-term educational programs (summer schools) at the Mining University are held under the auspices of the International Competence Centre for Mining-Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO. In total, 320 participants from India, Belarus, China, Iran, and Bolivia are expected to take part.
