David Rathgeber - Department of Petroleum Engineering

David RathgeberLab Director/Instructor II
Petroleum Engineering
NRB 348/S&E 210
Phone: 406-496-4810
Contact David Rathgeber

Biography

Dave is a Lab Director in the Petroleum and Environmental Engineering Departments at Montana Tech.  In addition to managing and teaching labs, he is currently pursuing his PhD in Materials Science & Engineering, studying the effects of drill pipe rotation on cuttings transport.

Dave has over 6 years of technical field experience in both drilling and completions spread out across Canada and Mexico. Originally from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, he completed a technologist diploma at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) before transferring to Montana Tech to complete his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering.  Upon completion, Dave pursued a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering through the design proposal of an experimental flow loop to help better understand the effects of drill string rotation on cuttings transport in Extended Reach wells.

Dave currently resides in Butte, with his Fiancé, 3 children and 3 dogs. Dave is an active ice hockey goalie and Montana Tech Digger Hockey Club Alumni.

Research Interests

Dave is currently active in researching the effects of drill pipe rotation on cuttings transport in horizontal and high angle wells, particularly in large-diameter extended reach wellbores. He has a keen focus in combining empirical data with computer modeling to identify flow regime changes, and additional cuttings transport mechanisms

Research Categories

  • Drilling
  • Sustainability
  • Innovation Engineering

 Non-Research Academic Interests

  • Advisor for Montana Tech Student SPE chapter

  • Vice President for Montana Tech Digger Hockey Club

  • Head Start Policy Council Chair

Courses Taught

  • PET 446 - Petroleum Project Evaluation

  • PET 453 – Petroleum Production Lab

  • EENV 243 – Environmental Sampling