Petroleum Engineering

Petroleum engineers usually specialize in a particular aspect of drilling operations. For example, reservoir engineers determine the best way to recover the most oil or gas from a particular deposit, and estimate how much that will be. Drilling engineers figure out the best way to drill a particular well so that it's economically efficient and safe for people and the environment. Completions engineers decide the best way to finish building a well so that the oil or gas flows upwards from the ground. Production engineers monitor production and figure out how to coax more out of an under-producing well. Petroleum engineers help locate natural reservoirs of petroleum deposits. They work with teams of specialists to develop more effective, cost-efficient methods of petroleum recovery through the application of principles from chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and geology. There are three types of petroleum engineers who differ only by the stage of the drilling process that they are involved in. Reservoir engineers monitor the geological formation for the best strategic method of extraction. Drilling engineers generate computer simulated models of the drilling formation and equipment to ensure they use the best tools for the most effective method of extraction. Production engineers manage the interface between drilling and extraction by managing machinery and production costs.