Natural gas innovations: Cabot, high school students team to develop training tool

Rick Hiduk

Cabot employees Adam Vogt, left, and Ryan Bennett worked closely with SCCTC welding instructor Ray Ingaglio (not pictured) to develop the plunger lift training unit.

Keeping wells productive is imperative to the natural gas industry. To help older wells keep producing, Cabot Oil & Gas teamed with students from the Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center (SCCTC) at Elk Lake High School in Dimock, Pa., to develop a plunger lift training mechanism.

“To get an idea of what’s involved in the gas industry is good because many of them are thinking about what they are going to do after school,” SCCTC welding instructor Ray Ingaglio said.

Cabot external affairs coordinator Bill desRosiers said these tools will help increase production from 2 billion to 3 billion cubic feet per day. That’s necessary to meet upcoming demands from Atlantic Sunrise, Lackawanna Energy Center in Jessup and the Caithness Moxie Freedom Power Generation facility in Berwick.

“All those wells have to be managed, plus the new ones that are being drilled and brought online,” desRosiers said. “These innovations will allow for the field to meet its daily goals.”

Learn more about the project and how Cabot helps prepare students for the natural gas industry on Cabot’s Well Said blog.

SCCTC welding students (from left) Jake Peters, Jason Salmini and Markus Newberry were among a half dozen students involved in construction of the new plunger lift training unit to be used by Cabot Oil and Gas.

A computerized plasma cutter created the embossed base of the unit.

Rick Hiduk

Rick Hiduk is Managing Editor of EndlessMtnLifestyles.com.