Ronald Ledbetter, professor of practice and director of Subsea Engineering, began working for Texas A&M University in August of 2019.
Ledbetter’s credibility stems from more than 40 years of a successful career in the oil and gas industry. His experience provided him a broad and strong foundation for helping new generations learn engineering processes, specifically in subsea engineering.
“Subsea engineering offers the chance to work on real-life challenges posed by an environment rivaling the space program,” Ledbetter said. “A few of the challenges include remote operation of equipment hundreds of kilometers away in water depths of 3,000 meters and more, external pressures exceeding 1,500 pound-force per square inch (psi), internal pressures exceeding 15,000 psi, and a corrosive external environment combined with a highly corrosive internal environment where temperatures range from extremely low to extremely high.”
Subsea engineers are responsible for the control and direct flow of oil and gas from deep marine wells. In addition to broadening their engineering skills, students will learn about the economic and operational drivers that are critical to designing, selecting and configuring subsea systems. Students will also learn subsea project management and execution, including experience-based lessons learned.
According to Ledbetter, the department focuses on taking challenges subsea engineers have come across in the industry and creating innovative solutions.
If you are interested in learning more about the subsea engineering program, visit the About The Subsea Engineering Program page.