Petroleum and Petroleum products are valuable for any country. Shortage of petroleum could make Industries, automobiles and households come to a
standstill. They are dependent on petroleum in some way or the other. There is a need to find more petroleum reservoirs to meet the growing demand. But the search for petroleum is not an easy task in complex geological locations. This has resulted in a huge demand for professionally trained personnel to meet the challenge.
Petroleum engineers search the world for reservoirs containing oil or natural gas. In other words, Petroleum engineers are involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas and also in each stage of oil field evaluation, development and production. Where as Engineering is the art and science of making practical application of the knowledge of pure sciences, like Physics or Chemistry, as in the construction of engines, bridges, buildings, mines, ships chemical plants, etc; Petroleum Engineering is the discipline in which the principles of Geology, Physics and Engineering are applied for the recovery, development and processing of petroleum. It is basically mining Engineering, but deals only with oil and gas.
Petroleum Engineering covers a wide range of activities from the discovery of natural sources, examination of the natural characteristics and the development of modern machinery for the extraction and processing of petroleum. The work of a petroleum engineer begins with the exploration of reservoirs. After the reservoir is discovered, they are involved in working with geologists/ geo physicists and other specialists for examining the geologic formation and the nature of the rock containing the reservoir, determining the drilling methods to be used, and monitoring the drilling and production activities. They also work on designing tools and operation procedures in order to gain maximum efficiency in the recovery of oil and gas. Computers are used extensively by petroleum engineers in order to calculate the next possible method of recovery of petroleum from different reservoirs. Models and designs of drilling and other equipment are also simulated on computers.
The petroleum industry is broadly divided into two major sectors – the upstream sector and the downstream sector. Work in the upstream sector consists of the exploration, production and exploitation of oil and natural gas. The downstream sector comprises the refining, marketing and distributing functions. Petroleum Engineers function within the upstream sector & Petroleum Engineering is involved in the exploration and production activities of petroleum as the upstream end of the energy sector. It is an increasingly technical profession that involves procuring reserves from places that predecessors deemed too difficult or not economic with the technology of the day, or commodity prices. Their goal is to achieve the maximum profitable recovery of oil and gas from a given petroleum source by determining and developing the best, most efficient production methods.
Educational:
Successful completion of 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as subjects, is the minimum eligibility criteria required to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering. One must also pass the qualifying entrance exam of the particular institute or AIEEE, or JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) conducted by the IIT's which will be an added advantage for admission to top institutes. For pursuing a masters i.e M.Tech degree in Petroleum Engineering, one must complete B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) or B.E. (Bachelor of Engineering) in chemical or petroleum engineering. Those who have completed M.Sc. in Chemistry are also eligible to pursue a M.Tech degree in Petroleum Engineering.
In Petroleum Engineering, students will learn subsurface activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. The two key area of learning will be oil exploration and processing of crude oils. Oil refining and distribution are also taught in this course of engineering. Course areas for M.tech programme include Geology of Petroleum, Exploration & Development of Oil & Gas Fields, Reservoir Engineering, Drilling Technology, Production Engineering, Exploration Geophysics. Refining Engineering & Computer Fundamentals, Petroleum Economics & Environmental Management, Field & Laboratory Training, Practical & Project Works and Dissertation.
Personnel attributes:
Most of the jobs in engineering require team work, so they should embody the quality of team spirit. They often have to interact with specialists in a wide range of fields outside engineering. Hence must have the ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing. At the same time they should be creative, inquisitive, analytical and have an eye for detail. Apart from all these one should have research skills in order to pursue a course in petroleum engineering. Decision-making and problem-solving skills are of great importance in Petroleum Engineering, which are part of managerial skills. The ability to work in tight-schedules and meet deadlines is another important skill required if one wants to make a career in Petroleum Engineering.
JOB PROSPECTS:
Petroleum engineering degrees are not very popular in India because of fewer universities offering courses in petroleum engineering and less awareness of this engineering field among the aspirants. Employment opportunities are also not that great due to scarcity of oil in the market and low oil prices. But job prospects are expected to rise for petroleum engineers as the number of graduates passing out petroleum engineering would be less than the number of jobs available. In India, almost all the job openings are expected to arise out of the need to hire petroleum engineers in place of those who leave due to retirement and transfer to other jobs and locations. With a rise in oil prices, opportunities are likely to increase.
It is inevitable that most of the petroleum engineers would be employed in places where oil and gas are located. So Opportunities in oil and gas sector are ample in the Middle East with very high annual income packages. Other countries and areas where much of the oil exploration and production activity is taking place includes Africa, South America, Russia and the north sea. In the USA; Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alaska, and California, and certain offshore sites employ most of these engineers. But as Oil prices are low as compared to the cost of exploration in the US, the growing demand for petroleum is mostly met by imports. It is cheaper to purchase needed oil from other countries, hence oil production firms may not hire petroleum Engineers to look for oil and gas reservoirs.
Petroleum engineers are employed in jobs which are mainly concentrated in oil and gas extraction, professional, scientific and technical services and petroleum refining. Major oil corporations, both central and state; and innumerable small and independent oil exploration, production, and service companies are the employers for this profession. They may also work for companies that produce drilling equipment, supplies and refining processes. Those with higher degrees can opt for the research field. He/she may join research labs as scientists or research fellow to carry out the R&D processes. Research and development work in petroleum technology is carried on at the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) in Dehradun. They can also find jobs in educational institutions. One with a professional degree in petroleum technology can find employment opportunities in government undertakings like Indian Oil, Oil India Limited, HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited), BP (British Petroleum) and ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation). Freshers may find opportunities in in public undertakings as well as in corporate sector that deal with petroleum exploration and extraction.
Petroleum engineers focus on a wide range of projects and activities. Some focus on production challenges, identifying, testing, and implementing methods for improving oil and gas production/ recovery. Others may focus on safety issues, or maintenance support, identifying and planning upgrades of equipment or systems.
The type of job a petroleum engineer has will often determine whether how much they work indoors or outdoors. Many petroleum engineers work on job sites, but others work in an office setting. There are strong international travel opportunities for petroleum engineers, as it is very much a global business. Many companies have offices and sites in multiple countries and transfers are common.
As Petroleum, known as 'black gold' is very important for the overall industrialization and development of any economy, this industry may have rich prospects both at global and domestic levels in the future.
REMUNERATION:
Earnings for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry and education. Petroleum engineers regularly top the list of highest starting salaries. The reason for the high remuneration is due to relatively low number of qualified workers in the industry. In India, Petroleum engineers are paid monthly salary between Rs.25, 000 and Rs.40, 000 apart from other perks and benefits.
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