Petroleum Engineer Jobs
Petroleum engineering is a field of engineering concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Exploration and Production are deemed to fall within the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry.Exploration, by earth scientists, and petroleum engineering are the oil and gas industry's two main subsurface disciplines, which focus on maximizing economic recovery of hydrocarbons from subsurface reservoirs. Petroleum geology and geophysics focus on provision of a static description of the hydrocarbon reservoir rock, while petroleum engineering focuses on estimation of the recoverable volume of this resource using a detailed understanding of the physical behavior of oil, water and gas within porous rock at very high pressure.
The combined efforts of geologists and petroleum engineers throughout the life of a hydrocarbon accumulation determine the way in which a reservoir is developed and depleted, and usually they have the highest impact on field economics. Petroleum engineering requires a good knowledge of many other related disciplines, such as geophysics, petroleum geology, formation evaluation (well logging),drilling, economics, reservoir simulation, reservoir engineering, well engineering, artificial lift systems, completions and oil and gas
Petroleum Engineer Jobs
The profession got its start in 1914 within the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). The first Petroleum Engineering degree was conferred in 1915 by the University of Pittsburgh.[1] Since then, the profession has evolved to solve increasingly difficult situations, as much of the "low hanging fruit" of the world's oil fields have been found and depleted. Improvements in computer modeling, materials and the application of statistics, probability analysis, and new technologies like horizontal drilling andenhanced oil recovery, have drastically improved the toolbox of the petroleum engineer in recent decades.
Deep-water, arctic and desert conditions are usually contended with. High Temperature and High Pressure (HTHP) environments have become increasingly commonplace in operations and require the petroleum engineer to be savvy in topics as wide ranging as thermo-hydraulics, geomechanics, and intelligent systems.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is the largest professional society for petroleum engineers and publishes much information concerning the industry. Petroleum engineering education is available at 17 universities in the United States and many more throughout the world - primarily in oil producing regions - and some oil companies have considerable in-house petroleum engineering training classes.
Petroleum Engineer Job Salary
Petroleum engineering has historically been one of the highest paid engineering disciplines. In a June 4th, 2007 article, Forbes.com reported that petroleum engineering was the 24th best paying job in the United States. The 2010 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey showed petroleum engineers as the highest paid 2010 graduates at an average $125,220 annual salary. For individuals with experience, salaries can go from $170,000 to $260,000 annually. Petroleum Engineers make an average of $112,000 a year and about $53.75 per hour.
Petroleum Engineer Jobs
Petroleum engineers divide themselves into several types:
- Reservoir engineers work to optimize production of oil and gas via proper well placement, production rates, and enhanced oil recovery techniques.
- Drilling engineers manage the technical aspects of drilling exploratory, production and injection wells.
- Production engineers, including subsurface engineers, manage the interface between the reservoir and the well, including perforations, sand control, downhole flow control, and downhole monitoring equipment; evaluate artificial lift methods; and also select surface equipment that separates the produced fluids (oil, natural gas, and water).
Petroleum Engineer Job Description
A petroleum engineer is involved in nearly all stages of oil and gas field evaluation, development and production. The aim is to maximize hydrocarbon recovery at minimum cost while maintaining a strong emphasis on reducing environmental impact.
Petroleum engineers are divided into several groups:
- Petroleum geologists find hydrocarbons by analyzing subsurface structures with geological and geophysical methods.
- Reservoir engineers work to optimize production of oil and gas via proper well placement, production levels and enhanced oil recovery techniques. They use computer simulations to assist in the identification of risks and to make forecasts on reservoir potential.
- Production engineers manage the interface between the reservoir and the well through such tasks as (but not limited to) perforations, sand control, artificial lift, downhole flow control and downhole monitoring equipment. They also select surface equipment that separates the produced fluids (oil, natural gas and water).
- Drilling engineers manage the technical aspects of drilling both production and injection wells. They work in multidisciplinary teams alongside other engineers, scientists, drilling teams and contractors.
Petroleum Engineer Job Activities
The actual tasks carried out will vary depending on the specific role but may include:
- liaising with geoscientists, production and reservoir engineers, and commercial managers to interpret well-logging results and predict production potential;
- compiling detailed development plans of reservoir performance using mathematical models to ensure maximum economic recovery;
- selecting optimal tubing size and suitable equipment within the well for different functions;
- designing the completion - the part of the well that communicates with the reservoir rock and fluids;
- designing systems that help the well to flow, for example using submersible pumps;
- managing problems of fluid behavior and production chemistry;
- evaluating and recommending flow rate enhancement by using, for example, hydraulic fracturing (to force fluid into a well and fracture the rock) and acid treatment (to erode the rock and improve flow path);
- managing and controlling wells with branches at the bottom (horizontal and multilateral wells);
- using well and reservoir remote sensing technology and surveillance data to manage the value of the reservoir and decide on appropriate engineering interventions;
- understanding and managing how a set of wells interact;
- managing contractor relationships in relation to health, safety and environmental performance;
- supervising well-site operations personnel and managing staff at all levels, including the training and supervision of crew members, to ensure that everyone works as a team in order to meet deadlines to clients' satisfaction;
- liaising with separate departments to ensure correct progress with projects;
- taking responsibility for the maintenance of equipment;
- liaising with clients to keep them informed of progress.
Petroleum Engineer Job Training
Large organisations recruit candidates annually onto graduate training programs. They also have ongoing recruitment programs aimed at graduates with more than five years' relevant experience. Trainees in large organisations can expect to work on projects in other countries as part of their training program.
Generally speaking, training opportunities vary and are determined by the company's needs and the individual's career plans. Programs typically last three years and will include exposure to several different programs, working on a variety of tasks.
Companies usually provide on-the-job training, as well as formal courses to supplement practical offshore/field experience and develop core skills. Trainees also normally have access to personal mentoring and a 'buddy' system for work and career advice.
There is a strong emphasis on obtaining chartered status within respective disciplines, e.g. membership of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) . For further information on skills, training and workforce development, see the Energy Institute (EI) andOPITO .
Petroleum Engineer Employment Vacancy
Oil and gas exploration is an international activity and many jobs are based overseas. In the extraction phase, recruitment and training patterns and job titles vary from company to company. For example, some employers do not distinguish at entry level between petroleum, drilling and support engineering. Instead, they prefer to recruit people with wide potential and deploy them after training where individual preference and company need coincide.
The work of a petroleum engineer can take you all over the world, from Africa to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Employment is usually in one of the following settings:
- operating/producing companies, especially a large international oil company, although some are smaller and less well-known;
- engineering consultancies;
- integrated service providers, providing staff in varied disciplines;
- specialist drilling contractors, from multinationals to one-person companies, who undertake drilling work on an international scale.
A number of new entrants join oil and gas operating companies. However, service companies are gradually undertaking more of the work traditionally done by operators.
Oil companies vary in size from multinationals to small, nationally based groups. They tend to own or lease exploration permits, decide where to drill, monitor the drilling and run the production facilities. Owing to the specialized nature of the business, contractors do much of the actual drilling and construction work.
In this industry, recruitment can be sensitive to global political and economic pressures. Wars, or the rumors of war, can affect prices on the world's market, as much as the effects of supply and demand, but in a more unpredictable way. Inevitably, the market price of a commodity influences investment in the exploration and development of new sources of supply. These factors can have a direct effect on employment, leading to fluctuating demand at short notice for qualified people.
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