Introduction
Petroleum Engineering is a branch of the engineering profession covering reservoir, drilling and production aspects of the exploration, development and operation of hydrocarbon resources.
The Petroleum Engineering Program at the PI has a modern curriculum that emphasizes not only PE fundamentals but also the business processes applied to reach optimal engineering options for field developments and operations. Course contents, projects and other assignments are selected to help prepare our graduates to launch their careers within the ADNOC Group of companies as willing and eager contributors, equipped with knowledge and skills of basic engineering and science, fundamental understandings of reservoir, well and facilities processes. Every activity requires the students to exercise communications skills and frequently gain experience in carrying out multidisciplinary tasks in focused teams.
The teams are usually composed of engineers and geoscientists each of whom has a particular role to play. The geoscientists create a model of the reservoir from which the oil and gas will be produced.
A more detailed description of the different roles can be found on the SPE website:
Drilling Engineers
The job of the drilling engineer is to design and implement a procedure to drill the well as economically as possible. The well will confirm the presence of oil or natural gas in the location selected by the geologists and geophysicists. Drilling engineers work closely with the drilling contractor (the operator of the rig and its crews), service contractors, and compliance personnel, as well as the other members of his internal team. A drilling engineer must manage the complex drilling operation including both the people and technology. Drilling a well can often cost several million dollars and the drilling engineer has the responsibility for making certain that costs are minimized while getting all of the necessary information to evaluate the reservoir, protecting the health and safety of workers and any nearby residents, and protecting the environment.
Well-Log Analyst
Usually, but not always, an engineer, a well-log analyst takes measurements during drilling or after a well is completed to evaluate the well's production potential. The well-log analyst helps take and analyze core samples. He often uses sophisticated electronic, nuclear, and acoustical tools that are sent down the well on a wire-line. Information from these tools is sent up the well bore to a computer system on the surface where engineers retrieve and interpret the data. This information helps the petroleum engineer determine if it is financially feasible to drill deeper, produce the well from explored zones of interest or take additional measurements. Working in conjunction with geologist, reservoir, and production engineers the well-log analyst will work with the team to decide where the next well should be drilled.
Production Engineers
Once the well is completed, the production engineer takes over. His job is to analyze, interpret, and optimize the performance of individual wells. The production engineer is responsible for determining how to bring hydrocarbons to the surface. The production engineer will determine the most efficient means to develop the field considering the viscosity of the crude oil, the gas-to-oil ratio, the depth and type of formation, and the project economics. The production engineer is also responsible for the developing a system of surface equipment that will separate the oil, gas, and water. As the field matures, the production engineer will be responsible for exploring additional technologies to enhance production from wells that are declining. In doing so, the production engineer will work closely with reservoir engineers and those in other disciplines to determine the optimal approach for that particular field.
Reservoir Engineers
Reservoir engineers determine the fluid and pressure distributions throughout the reservoir, the natural energy sources available, and the methods most useful in recovering the maximum amount of oil or gas from the reservoir. The reservoir engineer may develop complex computer-based mathematical programs to model the fluid flow and formation pressures. Reservoir engineers are responsible for estimating the amount of oil or gas that can be recovered from a reservoir. Making good estimates of recoverable resources is crucial to a company's financial position since future recovery is a measure often used by bankers and financial analysts of a company's borrowing power and future worth.
Facilities Engineers
Facilities engineers design and implement all of the supplemental facilities necessary to the separation, processing, and transportation of oil and natural gas. They work with production engineers on all of the surface processing equipment for a field. They design and build natural gas processing plants to remove impurities from the gas and prepare it for transportation. They design and build pipelines to move oil, gas, and produced water around within a field, to processing or disposal facilities, and to the point of sale. They also work on large interstate transportation pipelines for oil, petroleum products, and natural gas.
Offshore platforms are designed by facility engineers. These enormous structures are built at shipyards and then must be transported to the field where they will be deployed. Offshore facilities must be designed to withstand heavy seas and hurricanes, protect the hundreds of personnel who may work there, and assure that all drilling and production operations can take place with the utmost safety. The platform design must consider the number of wells that will be needed for the field, the type and volume of hydrocarbons to be processed, transportation of the oil or gas to shore, and possible future reuse or abandonment. Designing an offshore platform is one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges that a facility engineer can receive.
In order to be successful in our ambitious goals for PE education and research at the PI, a detailed strategy has been developed that will allow us to remain focused on developing international recognition for our activities and to be valuable contributors to ADNOC’s strategic initiatives for developing petroleum engineering competence that provide leadship for the challenging development objectives they have in sight in the coming decades. This web site provides further information for students (current and prospective) and their guardians, PI and other ADNOC employees, PI Sponsor companies Shell, BP, Total and JODCO, prospective faculty and technical staff and other interested members of the petroleum engineering community.
We hope you find it informative and welcome your feedback on improving our communications.
