Petroleum Engineering

Petroleum Technology

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Advances in engineered technologies used for well drilling have made it possible for the energy industry to reach new sources of oil and natural gas. This field is a great example of how engineering can impact the availability of products and resources and improve efficiency.

Consider that first oil well was drilled in 1848 in Azerbaijan using a technique that originated in ancient China. It included a cable-tool drilling technique and was therefore dug by hand.  In 1859, oil was first discovered in the US in Pennsylvania, using a homemade rig.

But once discovered, and as applications expanded, the drive to locate, extract and transport oil and gas expanded as well. The first oil tanker began delivering oil on the Caspian sea in 1878. Over time, engineers advanced the methods for drilling and extracting, developing improved designs for drilling tools and considering different approaches such as horizontal well drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and off shore drilling rigs, which were introduced in 1949. Semisubmersible drilling was introduced in 1962, and deep water coring began in 1965. 1972 saw the development of mud-pulse telemetry, which enabling accurate determination of bit location while drilling. And these are just a few examples.

Now there is multilateral drilling, which allows drillers to branch out from a main well to take advantage of resources nearby. Extended reach drilling allows for drilling under environmentally sensitive areas where drilling directly down would be inappropriate. And, complex path drilling creates well paths with twists and turns to try to hit multiple sources from a single well location.

Find out more:

• SPE: Petroleum Technologies Timeline
• Oil and Gas Portal: Drilling, New Technologies, Innovations

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Large oil and gas companies maintain operations around the world so petroleum engineers have global career options. They work mostly in oil and gas extraction, professional, scientific and technical services, and petroleum refining. Employers include major oil companies and hundreds of smaller companies that focus on production, research institutes, and consulting.

The following is just a sample of some companies, in addition to government agencies, which employ petroleum engineers:

• ABB Oil and Gas
• BP
• China National Offshore Oil Corporation
• ConocoPhillips
• ExxonMobil
• Gazprom
• Indian Oil
• Phillips
• Royal Dutch Shell
• Schlumberger

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For most engineering careers:

• a bachelor’s degree is required
• a master’s degree may be recommended for those specializing or interested in management
• students may also start with a related associate degree and then move on to a bachelor’s when they have settled on a degree path.
• many students are required to participate in a co-op program while at university to gain real world experience in their chosen field.
• education doesn’t really stop…engineers need to stay current as technology changes and materials and processes improve over time.
• many professional societies offer certificates and coursework to support continuing education for their members.

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At the undergraduate level, degrees would cover basic engineering and then specialize on topics such as reservoir petrophysics, petroleum engineering systems, physical geology, drilling and production systems, geostatistics, well performance, reservoir fluids, petroleum project evaluation, engineering ethics, and well completion and stimulation.

It is important to select an engineering degree that has been accredited to meet basic standards.  Find out more and browse TryEngineering’s global database of accredited engineering and computing programs.

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The 1950s saw the development of the offshore oil industry and opened the door to securing oil previously locked under the sea. Petroleum engineers at the time had broad knowledge of land-based drilling but had to expand their knowledge to include how a building and drilling operations could be safely situated in the ocean…especially during hurricanes and other weather events. They partnered with specialists in other engineering disciplines including marine engineering, civil engineering, as well as oceanographers to develop plans and standards to make ocean drilling possible. The original shallow-water drilling barges grew into mobile platforms, barges, and into semisubmersible and floating drilling ships.

Technically, offshore drilling is achieved with a wellbore that is drilled below the seabed. This is done to both explore for oil and to finally drill for it. The same technique can be used to drill under lakes, and other waterways, but is most commonly done in the ocean.

Unlike land-based drilling operations, a rig must be able to both accommodate all the mechanics and technology to complete the drilling and also serve as a housing facility for workers. People working on a rig will live there for weeks at a time and so the rig has to serve as hotel, restaurant, and provide areas for workers to exercise, rest and relax during off hours.

As of 2020, there were 208 active offshore drilling units, with the most rigs in the Asia Pacific region, followed by the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa, and Latin America. This is down globally from the year before as drilling activity rises or falls based on global demand.

Find out more:

• SPE History of Petroleum Technology Timeline
• Life on a Rig

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Clubs, competitions, and camps are some of the best ways to explore a career path and put your skills to the test in a friendly-competitive environment.

Clubs:

• Many schools have engineering clubs or opportunities for students to get together and work on challenges. 

Competitions and Events: 

• PetroBowl is SPE’s largest student competition. SPE Chapters from around the world participate in this quick-fire quiz.

Camps:

• TryEngineering Summer Institute: Attend the TryEngineering Summer Institute to further your core engineering skills.

Many universities offer summer engineering experiences. Reach out to your local university’s engineering department to see what they offer.

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Did you know you can explore petroleum engineering in your community? Consider the pathway of oil from a land or off-shore rig and how it gets to your local gas station:

• Once crude oil is retrieved from the ground it needs to be transported to refineries where it is processed. Where are the closest refineries to where you live? How far is that from the source of the oil?
• Next, gasoline moves from refineries through pipelines to large storage terminals nearer to where the gasoline will be used. Can you determine where the closest storage terminal is to where you live? What is the capacity of that terminal? How far away is it from your local gas station?
• What sort of vehicle is used to move the gasoline from the terminal to your local station? How often do you think they need to receive a delivery to meet the needs of local customers? Is there anything unique about these vehicles? Any safety features incorporated in the design?
• What happens if there is a shortage of oil?
• How are gasoline prices set near you? In other countries? Do you think prices are set globally? Country by country? Locally?
• Why do you think gasoline is sold at different prices at different gas stations near you?
• Did you know that the gasoline a company sells in its branded local gas station is not necessarily produced by that company?

Find out more:

• Gasoline explained: Where our gasoline comes from (US Energy Information Administration)
• Gasoline explained: Factors affecting gasoline prices (US Energy Information Administration)

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Be sure to reach out to professional societies focused on petroleum engineering where you live. Not all will offer membership to pre-university students, but most offer groups for university students, and certainly offer online resources to help you explore the field.

Some examples of groups focusing on petroleum engineering:

• Society of Petroleum Engineers
• Society of Petroleum Engineers Europe
• World Petroleum Council