Future Students

Petroleum Engineering

Determining the quantity and quality of oil and natural gas in a reservoir is essential, as setting up pretroleum and gas production is extremely expensive, potential recovery must justify the cost.

Petroleum Engineering is concerned with the safe drilling of oil wells and managing the extraction of oil and gas from reservoirs. Petroleum Engineers may specialise in different disciplines such as drilling exploratory wells, the design and building of oil wells and estimating the size, volume and quality of petroleum reservoirs. Petroleum Engineers manage the safe and cost effiecient day to day running of petroleum and gas reservoirs.

Level 1
All Engineering students do common core units such as mathematics, physics and introductory units in resource engineering and professional engineering. These are the essential building blocks of Engineering and Engineering practice.

Level 2
Students acquire fundamental knowledge in fluid flow, heat transfer, and behaviour of engineering materials and structures under different conditions. In addition, they strengthen their mathematical and computing skills to model and solve complex engineering problems at higher levels. They also gain exposure to basic concepts, terminologies, equipment and operations used in petroleum exploration and production, and how the petroleum industry connects to world politics and economics.

Level 3
Students develop further analytical and problem solving skills necessary to describe and study natural gas and petroleum deposits, estimate reserves, assess production potential, and design drilling programs and engineering projects for optimum recovery. Through optional subjects, they also develop knowledge in various facilities used for petroleum production and processing operations.

Level 4
Students develop advanced knowledge to optimise petroleum production, design and execute cost-effective treatments to increase production, design systems to lift petroleum to the surface, evaluate and optimise the performance of the overall production system and explore appropriate alternative options for troublesome operations.

Students also develop an appreciation of issues related to environment, society and economical/technological sustainability. Students gain industry exposure by completion of 12 weeks vacation work.

Career opportunities

As a Petroleum Engineer, you may specialise in different disciplines such as drilling exploratory wells, the design and building of oil wells and estimating the size, volume and quality of petroleum reservoirs. You will also be involved in managing the safe and cost efficient day to day running of petroleum and gas reservoirs. There are options to work all over the world, with some of the biggest mining companies: Worley, Weatherford, Thiess, Technip Offshore, Schlumberger, RISC, Nexen Petroleum, IGL, Clough Engineering, Chevron Texaco, BHP Billiton, Shell, BP, Conoco Phillips and Woodside.