Text “Types of petroleum engineers”.

Petroleum engineers divide themselves into several types: reservoir engineers, drilling engineers, production engineers. Reservoir engineers work to optimize production of oil and gas via proper well placement, production rates, and enhanced oil recovery techniques. Drilling engineers manage the technical aspects of drilling exploratory, production and injection wells. Production engineers, including subsurface engineers, manage the interface between the reservoir and the well, including perforations, sand control, downhole flow control, and downhole monitoring equipment; evaluate artificial lift methods; and also select surface equipment that separates the produced fluids (oil, natural gas, and water).

Reservoir engineering is a branch of petroleum engineering that applies scientific principles to the drainage problems arising during the development and production of oil and gas reservoirs so as to obtain a high economic recovery. The working tools of the reservoir engineer are subsurface geology, applied mathematics, and the basic laws of physics and chemistry governing the behavior of liquid and vapor phases of crude oil, natural gas, and water in reservoir rock. Reservoir engineers also play a central role in field development planning, recommending appropriate and cost effective reservoir depletion schemes such as waterflooding or gas injection to maximize hydrocarbon recovery. Due to legislative changes in many hydrocarbon producing countries, they are also involved in the design and implementation of carbon sequestration projects in order to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases.

Drilling engineers design and implement procedures to drill wells as safely and economically as possible. They work closely with the drilling contractor, service contractors, and compliance personnel, as well as with geologists and other technical specialists. The drilling engineer has the responsibility for ensuring that costs are minimized while getting information to evaluate the formations penetrated, protecting the health and safety of workers and other personnel, and protecting the environment. The planning phases involved in drilling an oil or gas well typically involve estimating the value of sought reserves, estimating the costs to access reserves, acquiring property by a mineral lease, a geological survey, a well bore plan, and a layout of the type of equipment required to reach the depth of the well. Drilling engineers are in charge of the process of planning and drilling the wells. Drilling engineers are often degreed as petroleum engineers, although they may come from other technical disciplines and subsequently be trained by an oil and gas company. They also may have practical experience as a rig hand or mud logger or mud engineer.

Production engineers design and select equipment to extract and treat oil and gas well fluids. They often are degreed as petroleum engineers, although they may come from other technical disciplines and subsequently be trained by an oil and gas company. The production engineer, upon consultation with the petrophysical and reservoir engineers, plans the completion procedure for the well. This involves a choice of setting a liner across the formation or perforating a casing that has been extended and cemented across the reservoir, selecting appropriate pumping techniques, and choosing the surface collection, dehydration, and storage facilities.