Petroleum Engineers
Have you ever sat next to your dad in the car on the way to a gas station to fill up? If you've ever gone with your father to a gas station, you've probably noticed him asking the attendant to put a specific type of gasoline in the car's tank - every gas station carries different grades of gasoline, and each car gets filled with the type that suits it. Gasoline is a petroleum product, or you could say it's one of the most important byproducts of oil, which includes many other products too, like kerosene, fuel oil, and other types of fuel used for airplanes, ships, factories, power plants, and more. Oil and natural gas are the most important energy sources on Earth, which is why there are giant companies and organizations that explore for them in every region of the world. These companies employ specialists called "petroleum engineers" to handle all the tasks related to exploring, drilling, and extracting oil and natural gas found underground or deep beneath the sea.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- Confer with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems.
- Write technical reports for engineering and management personnel.
- Evaluate findings to develop, design, or test equipment or processes.
- Interpret drilling and testing information for personnel.
- Coordinate activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.