The Well Log is an independent blog about drilling and well engineering: how wells are designed, drilled and completed, why each engineering decision is made, and what the news from the sector really means.
What it is for
Textbooks explain the theory and headlines announce the results, but the engineering in between is rarely explained. The Well Log closes that gap: how a casing programme is chosen, why a pressure window shapes the whole well, what a drilling announcement says about the work behind it. Every article is grounded in public sources and engineering principles, with a deepwater Angolan perspective.
Who it is for
- Petroleum engineering students who want to see how classroom concepts are applied to real wells.
- Young drilling and well engineers building their understanding of design, operations and well control.
- Industry professionals who want a technical reading of the drilling news.
- Anyone curious about how wells are built and why it is harder than it looks.
How the articles are organised
- Deep Dive: long-form technical articles on how wells are designed and built.
- Drilling Fundamentals: core concepts explained step by step, with worked calculations. A good place to start if you are a student.
- Bottoms Up: technical reactions to drilling news.
- Case Files: engineering lessons from public incident reports and well projects.
- Monthly Tour Sheet: the month in drilling, in one place, also sent as a newsletter.
- Glossary: plain-language definitions of the drilling and well engineering terms used across the site.
Who writes it
I am Kleider Coxe, a petroleum engineer with a BSc (Hons) in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Aberdeen, focused on drilling and well engineering. I started my career offshore on deepwater development wells in Angola, following wells from spud and the 36″ conductor through to completion, intervention and testing. That time at the wellsite showed me how design decisions play out at the bit, and it shapes how I write about wells. Today I work in an enhanced oil recovery laboratory. I am a professional member of SPE and a junior associate of the Ordem dos Engenheiros de Angola.
Independence
The views expressed on The Well Log are my own and do not represent those of my current or former employers. All information is drawn from public sources, and no confidential well data is ever published. When I get something wrong, I correct it and note the date of the correction at the end of the article.