Career In Petroleum Engineering

Petroleum is one of the main sources of energy that is widely used in the 21st century. The career in this field is attractive and challenging.

“Petroleum Engineering is the branch of engineering courses that deals with the study of production of hydrocarbons such as crude oil or natural gas”.

Graduates in Petroleum engineering are called Petroleum Engineers.

Petroleum engineers are involved in the production and exploration of oil and gas. They also work with geo-scientists and other specialties.

Petroleum engineering needs a knowledge of many other disciplines such as geophysics, petroleum geology, formation evaluation, drilling, economics, reservoir simulation, reservoir engineering, well engineering, artificial lift systems, etc.

Petroleum Engineers work in drilling oil wells, safe and economical recovery of oil and natural gas, development and processing of petroleum, and management of the production process. Work in specialist capacities as reservoir engineer, drilling engineer, production engineer

This field was first introduced in 1914 at American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). The first petroleum engineering degree was awarded in 1915 by University of Pittsburgh.

Petroleum Engineers are of the following types:

• Reservoir Engineers enhances the production of oil and gas.
• Drilling Engineers deals with the technical aspects of drilling.
• Production Engineers handles the interface between reservoirs and wells.

Shortly, we can say that Petroleum Engineers locate, recover and maintain oil and gas resources of the country.

Courses & Eligibility

 How to become a Petroleum Engineer?

To become a petroleum engineer, you must have a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. Candidates possessing bachelor’s degree in mechanical or chemical engineering can also work in this field but bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering is preferred first.

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Most sought undergraduate and postgraduate petroleum courses are listed below:

Bachelor’s Courses – 4 Years

• B.E./B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering – 4 Years duration
• B.Tech in Petrochemical Engineering
• B.Tech in Applied Petroleum Engineering
• B.Tech in Petroleum Refinery Engineering
• B.Tech in Petroleum Reservoir and Production Engineering

Master’s Courses  – 2 Years

• M.E./M.Tech in Petroleum Exploration
• M.Tech Petroleum Refinery Engineering
• M.Tech in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemical Engineering

M.Tech + B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering – 5 Years Duration (Dual Degree)

Eligibility Criteria

It must be necessary for the candidates to pass the higher secondary examination (12th) with science stream from a recognized educational board in order to take admission in bachelor programme.

Minimum educational prescribed for admission to the master course is bachelor degree in relevant field.

Subjects of Study

Subjects involved in the course curriculum of Petroleum engineering are as follows:

• Material & Energy Flow Computation
• Applied Geology
• Mechanics of Solids
• Environmental Studies
• Fluid Mechanics
• Basic Electrical Engineering
• Basic Electronics Engineering
• Introduction to Petroleum Operations
• Drilling Engineering & Well Completion
• Surveying
• Reservoir Engineering
• Production Engineering
• Heat Transfer Processes
• Natural Gas Engineering
• Applied Numerical Methods
• Chemical thermodynamics
• Industrial Management
• Material Science
• Well Log Analysis and Well Testing

Admission

Interested candidates can apply for the bachelor degree in petroleum engineering through the entrance test. Admission process of every college/institution vary. Candidates can take JEE Main 2024 that is the national level entrance examination organized for admission to the B.Tech programme.

Candidates whose desires is to get into the master’s courses in the field of petroleum engineering are informed that admission is done through the entrance test. Entrance exams are conducted at national, state and University level. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE 2024) is the most popular entrance test that provides entry to the first year Master of Technology/Master of Engineering courses. Most of the institutions of India consider GATE scores for granting admission.

Some of the Universities/institution conducts their own entrance test for providing admission. UPESEAT 2024 is one of the reputed entrance examinations administered by the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun for granting admission to its engineering courses.

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Names of some of the reputed institutions that offer courses in petroleum engineering are mentioned below:

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
• Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
• University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun
• Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar
• Dibrugarh University
• Aligarh Muslim University
• Anna University, Chennai

Jobs & Career Scope

Is Petroleum engineers future bright…??…

A degree in Petroleum Engineering can open many career paths. Petroleum engineers are demanded globally. Plenty of jobs are available for the professionals of this field. Many petroleum and gas companies offer the job to petroleum engineers.

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Petroleum engineers can also work in drilling sites. Job opportunities for the professionals of this field also exist in foreign countries like the United States.

Petroleum engineering degree holders can also start their career in teaching field.

Skills Required

• Problem Solving Skills
• Team Working Skills
• Numerical and analytical skills
• Conceptualization skills
• Communication skills

Jobs are also offered in the government sector. Companies that come under government and recruits petroleum engineers are as follows:

• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL
• Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL)
• GAIL
• Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Ltd (HOEC)
• Essar Oil

Job titles for a petroleum engineer are as follows:

• Drilling Engineer
• Production Engineer
• Chief Petroleum Engineer
• Offshore Drilling Engineer
• Reservoir Engineer

Role of Petroleum Engineers

• They develop equipment used for extracting oil and gas from the earth in an efficient way.
• Develop the techniques that can be used for enhancing oil recovery.
• They have the responsibility to ensure that oilfield equipment is working properly.
• They design technologies and new ways to recover the hydrocarbons.

Salary

Petroleum Engineering is one of the highest paid engineering disciplines.

Petroleum engineers will get the attractive pay. In India, an average salary of a petroleum engineer is Rs 6,99,027 per year. As you gain experience, your salary will also high. Remuneration in this field is offered high in abroad.

In the US, the average salary of a petroleum engineer is $104000 annually.

Books & Study Materials

You can refer these books for studying petroleum engineering:

• The Petroleum Engineering Handbook: Sustainable Operations by M. Ibrahim Khan, M. Rafiqul Islam
• Petroleum Production Engineering, A Computer-Assisted Approach 1st Edition by Boyun Guo
• Fundamentals of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering by Uttam Ray Chaudhuri
• Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering by Ronald Terry, J. Rogers
• Petroleum Engineering Handbook for the Practicing Engineer, Vol. 2 by M.A. Mian
• Petroleum Reservoir Engineering Practice by Nnaemeka Ezekwe
• Introduction to Petroleum Production by D.R. Skinner
• Principles of Petroleum Reservoir Engineering by Chierici, Gian.L.
• Fundamentals of Petroleum Refining by M.A. Fahim, TA. Al-Sahhaf, A.S. Elkilani

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