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Overview The industrialized world relies heavily on a plentiful supply of oil and gas, and the petroleum industry in turn relies heavily on petroleum engineers. Petroleum engineers are responsible for the practical details of oil production, from evaluation of the original discovery to decommissioning the site after it's been exploited. The field contains several sub-disciplines focusing on different aspects of oil production, such as reservoir engineering and drilling engineering. Reservoir engineers and drilling engineers use geological data to
determine the distribution of oil and gas reserves in the reservoir and
create simulation models to predict the flow of fluid through rocks to
ultimately develop economically viable plans to extract them.
Petroleum engineers plan, design and oversee the
operation of petroleum extraction facilities such as oil and gas rigs. They
study and map geological formations to determine where petroleum deposits
are located and how they should best be extracted.
They plan and design ways of extracting and
transporting petroleum from deposits beneath the seabed or underneath the
earth's surface. They determine at what rate deposits can be extracted, and
the most cost effective ways of controlling the flow of oil and gas.
Petroleum engineers may work in mining company offices, or on oil and gas
rigs off the coast. Specialisations: Mud Engineer, Petrophysical Engineer Knowledge, skills and attributes
Duties and Tasks
Working conditions
Tools and
technologies Education and
Training Activity
in the petroleum industry is cyclical, fluctuating with the world price
of oil. Oil prices have largely been strong since the turn of the
century, making petroleum engineers in demand.
Drilling engineers are vital to the petroleum industry, managing the safe and efficient drilling of wells to procure oil or gas. Drilling engineers are petroleum engineers that specialize in the drilling process. Drilling engineers plan, develop and oversee the drilling operations of oil and gas wells. They contribute throughout the lifecycle of a well, from the design stage to testing, completion and abandonment. They also plan and administer the budgets of drilling operations.
When a new oil or gas
discovery is made, drilling engineers are responsible for designing and
creating the wells that will exploit it. They must understand the
geological structure of the oil reservoir and the techniques needed to
drill into it without destabilizing the area. They'll choose appropriate
drilling and well-construction techniques and design a well based on
those criteria. They'll also estimate construction costs and oversee the
construction process. When a well is fully exploited and ready to be
decommissioned, drilling engineers either "mothball" the well or return
the site to a stable and natural condition.
Drilling engineers plan and organise all the operations that take place in the drilling of oil and gas wells. They draw up plans for drilling operations, taking account of costs and deadlines. They specify the drilling program and plan the wells, supervise the drilling crew and are responsible for safety management and ensuring that an operation follows all environmental regulations. They are involved from the initial stages of well development, through to the testing and operations phases, until the completion and abandonment of an oil and gas deposit. They are involved in the entire drilling life cycle, from initial well design to testing to supervising a drilling crew. Drilling engineers often work on teams of geologists, drilling contractors, and other construction managers. People with good communication and engineering skills who are willing to travel can succeed in this role. Most drilling engineers work full time both in the office and the field. Their shifts can include long, late hours since drilling is a 24/7 operation. They may work in onshore or offshore drilling environments.
ANZSCO ID: 233612Alternative names: Drill Engineer
Knowledge, skills and attributes
Drilling engineers should have strong math and communication skills. Employers seek candidates with at least seven years of drilling experience, a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and the following skills:
Cindy MacDonnell: Drilling
Engineer
Duties and Tasks As a drilling engineer, you'll need to:
Detail:
Working conditions Drilling engineers usually work on-site on oil and gas rigs, either on/ offshore. These facilities are usually extremely isolated and weather conditions at sea may be harsh. They usually work regular hours, but will often work for extended periods at a time, before taking leave to return home. On-site conditions may be cramped and rig workers usually live and work in close proximity to other staff for extended periods.
What to Expect
Tools and technologies
Drilling engineers use computer-aided design
(CAD) software, as well as word processing, data management and
mapping software. They also use other office equipment such as
phones, faxes and photocopiers. They need to have a good
understanding of the equipment used on rigging sites. Education and training/entrance requirements
To become a drilling engineer you usually need
to study a degree in engineering, majoring in petroleum, chemical or
mechanical engineering.
Reservoir engineering is a branch of petroleum
engineering. Reservoir Engineering is the science that studies how to
effectively/optimally extract the Hydrocarbons from these reservoirs.
It applies scientific principles to the fluid flow through porous
medium during the development and production of oil and gas reservoirs
so as to obtain a high economic recovery.
Reservoir engineering involves more than applied reservoir mechanics.
The objective of engineering is optimization. Reservoir Engineer is responsible for identifying oil and gas reserves and developing strategies to maximize recovery. Designs and tests new wells and monitors and predicts performance. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. The Reservoir Engineer works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Work is closely managed.
ANZSCO ID: 233612 Alternative names: Entry Reservoir Engineer, Pipeline Engineer, Specialisations There are several types of Reservoir Engineers:
A day with Gulmira Urazova -
reservoir engineering
Knowledge, skills and attributes
Duties and Tasks
Reservoir engineers adopt various strategies in the development of low to ultralow permeability reservoirs, including the unconventional reservoirs. Some of the methods are as follows:
Another major duty of engineers involves the
analysis of the amount of fuel in reserve and the duration of
reserve viability for investment purposes. This information
frequently involves combining several mitigating factors, such as
extraction costs and profit comparisons, into these forecasts. Oil
and gas companies often use this type of analysis in making
decisions about whether or not to go ahead with drilling ventures.
In some instances, engineers may have to adjust their analysis for
outside factors, such as machine efficiency or fluctuations in the
price of oil.
Working conditions Although reservoir engineers can complete some work off-site using computer models of reservoirs and frac sites, you typically travel to different job sites as needed and work long hours as projects develop.
Tools and technologies Reservoir engineers use their knowledge of geology and fluid mechanics to determine the location and amount of fuel in underground reservoirs. Often, engineers work with advanced equipment, such as computer modeling and imaging programs, to locate reserves of oil and natural gas. As companies drill and tap these reserves, changes occur in the physical structure of the reservoir. In response to this, engineers need to make adjustments throughout the entire drilling process. Often, these engineers work with advanced equipment, such as computer modelling and imaging programs, to locate reserves of oil and natural gas.
Education and training/entrance requirements Those in this field will typically have a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering, but may also need a professional engineer license if they intend to work in the public sector.
Drillers move, set up and operate
drilling rigs and related equipment on offshore facilities such as
oil or gas rigs or drilling platforms.
ANZSCO
ID:
8219 Specialisations:
To become an oil & gas drilling worker, you would need:
Duties and Tasks As a driller, you would supervise the drilling team and control the rate of drilling. Your work in this highly skilled role would include:
Working conditions
Oil & gas drilling workers typically live and
work on a drilling rig or platform for several weeks, followed by
the same amount of time as a rest period onshore. On a drilling rig
you would work up to 12 hours a day, on a roster system.
Education and training/entrance requirements
You would normally be promoted into this job
after first working with the drilling crew as a roustabout and / or
roughneck. You will usually need at least two years’ experience and
be aged 18 or over to apply for jobs.
Employment Opportunities Little growth in employment opportunities for
oil & gas drilling workers is expected over the next five to ten years.
Future employment prospects for this occupation are largely
dependent on oil prices. Oil prices stimulate the drilling of new oil
and gas fields and the re-drilling of existing fields. Lower oil prices
limit or suspend this activity.
A Day in the Life
Offshore - Golden Eagle [Scottish]
Roustabouts and roughnecks take care of a lot of cleaning, maintenance, painting, rust removal, and all kinds of other ‘peripheral’ tasks. With these things out of the way others on the crew can worry about getting the oil out of the ground efficiently and safely.
ANZSCO ID: 821912 Alternative names: Roughnecks may also be known as driller's assistants or roustabouts; leasehand; floorhand Specialisations: The crew of a land-based oil rig can be further divided into several positions:
Iron Roughneck is also a piece of specialized equipment used in oil drilling operations. Whether the pipe is being fed into the wellbore or it is being taken out, the iron roughneck uses a rotary table and torque wrench (es) to make up or break downpipe.
Knowledge, skills and attributes To become a roughneck or roustabout, you would need:
Duties and Tasks In oilfields, a roughneck’s duties can include anything involved with the connecting pipe down the well bore, as well as general work around a rig. There are usually 3 or 4 crews per oil rig, all working eight or 12 hour shifts. There might be 2 roughnecks or roustabouts assigned to each of the crews. In a given day here’s what a roughneck or roustabout might do:
Roughneck may be a promotion from
roustabout. As a roustabout, you would:
Working conditions
Roughnecks typically live and work on a
drilling rig or platform for several weeks, followed by the same
amount of time as a rest period onshore. On a drilling rig you would
work up to 12 hours a day, on a roster system.
You could work on a fixed production platform, or on a
smaller mobile rig. Facilities can include living accommodation,
canteens and recreation areas. Alcohol and smoking are banned on
these structures.
Tools and technologies
Roustabout, Oil and Gas Career Video
Education and training/entrance requirements
You do not need formal qualifications to work
as a roughneck. You may have experience as a roustabout or in areas
such as shipbuilding, construction or engineering. Employment Opportunities
Little growth in employment
opportunities for oil & gas drilling workers is expected over the
next five to ten years. Future employment prospects for this
occupation are largely dependent on oil prices. Oil prices stimulate
the drilling of new oil and gas fields and the re-drilling of
existing fields. Lower oil prices limit or suspend this activity.
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