Introduction

Petroleum engineering is a branch of engineering concerned with oil exploration, extraction, and production. Petroleum engineers create and develop techniques for obtaining oil and gas from reserves under the Earth’s surface, which is becoming increasingly important. Oil and gas reserves are evaluated by petroleum engineers to assess their profitability. They look at the geology of potential drilling locations to figure out the safest and most efficient way to drill and retrieve oil. They are in charge of equipment installation, maintenance, and operation. They are also in charge of well completion. They evaluate yield during manufacturing and develop adjustments and stimulation plans to improve it. They’re also in charge of resolving any operational issues that may develop.

Petroleum engineers also create novel drilling and extraction technologies since existing extraction procedures only retrieve a portion of the potential oil or gas in a reservoir. Petroleum engineers often focus on one element of drilling operations. Petroleum engineers are divided into a number of different roles:

• Reservoir engineers – engineers who decide where to place an oil well.
• Production engineers – engineers who manage how the well and oil rig work together.
• Drilling engineers – engineers who manage the process of drilling for oil.

Nature of work

• Designing gas and oil extraction equipment for both onshore and offshore locations
• Creating methods for drilling in fields. Developing strategies to recover oil and gas
• Methods for getting more oil or gas from older, lower-producing wells are developed
• Assuring that oilfield equipment is designed, installed, utilised properly, and maintained in good working order
• Working in groups to gain a better understanding of the geological location where they are digging
• Ongoing monitoring of operations in numerous locations
• New methods of extracting resources from existing wells (which only drain partly) are investigated
• Identifying methods to keep production costs low

How to become a petroleum engineer?

After passing intermediate in the science stream with mathematics, you’ll need an undergraduate degree in engineering. Many companies also expect you to have a postgraduate qualification specialising in petroleum engineering.

For details on institutions offering petroleum engineering as a program, visit

Career Prospects

Today’s economies rely heavily on petroleum engineers. They protect people, communities, wildlife, and the environment during the drilling process. They also improve efficiency and make pricing more accessible to clients. They contribute to energy independence by ensuring compliance with best practises, industry standards, and environmental and safety laws. Engineers might work in offices, labs, industrial plants, or on field. Oil and gas engineers usually have a bachelor’s degree and a licence in engineering. Engineers in this field may work for companies that specialise in exploration and extraction, as well as equipment makers.

Skills required

• Teamwork
• Technical ability
• Problem solving
• Physical fitness
• Organisation
• Numeracy
• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Analytics
• Discipline
• Mechanical knowledge
• IT