Types of Petroleum Engineers
In this video, Derek and Sebastian go through the four different types of petroleum engineers: drilling, completions, reservoir, and finally production engineers. As current college students and future petroleum engineers, understanding the four main types of petroleum engineers is a necessity when looking for internships and future full-time jobs. Below is a quick overview of the four main types of petroleum engineers for those of you who don’t have the time to watch the whole video! Please watch the video for an in-depth discussion on the four types.
For those of you in college or looking at petroleum engineering as a possible major or career choice, it is important to note that any college offering petroleum engineering should introduce you and educate you on each of the four types of petroleum engineers.
The first type we will discuss are reservoir engineers. Reservoir engineers look at characteristics of the reservoir and try to determine such things as how much oil and or gas can be extracted. They also are responsible for predicting the decline of the well and for determining the most economical areas to develop. Typical reservoir engineers spend most of their time in the office working on computer simulations and models.
The second type we will discuss are drilling engineers. Drilling engineers are required to design the overall drilling and casing plan for each well. The target is pre-determined by a mixture of reservoir engineers, geologists, landmen, and management while drilling engineers work to make sure the well is drilled to the target efficiently and safely. Depending on the company, drilling engineers spend a mix of their time in the office and on active drilling locations.
The third type we will discuss are completions engineers. Completions engineers take over after the well has been drilled and cased accordingly. They oversee the overall completions design (typically hydraulic fracturing) and determine the overall strategy for executing their design. Completions engineers will have a mix of office and field time but like drilling engineers, it really depends on the company and where operations are taking place.
The fourth and final type are production engineers. Production engineers take over the well after it has been fraced by the completions engineers. Right after the well has been fraced, the well is flowed back and production engineers make sure that the well is choked back and flowed back without damaging the formation. Later in the well’s life, as natural decline occurs, artificial lift may be used to extend the life of the well and the production engineer is required to determine the type of artificial lift as well as which would be most economical. Production engineers will have a work-life both in the field and office but it really depends on the location of operations and type of company. Many production engineers will spend most of their time in the office.
We hope that by now you can identify and describe the four main type of petroleum engineers. Be sure to watch our video for a more in-depth discussion.