Petroleum Engineer
Job Summary
Responsible for designing methods and processes that deal with the extraction of oil and gas from deposits below the earth's surface. Determines drilling methods and monitors drilling and production efforts.
Primary Responsibilities
- Design and implement methods for extracting oil and gas from deposits.
- Research geologic formations and properties of the rock surrounding the oil and gas.
- Determine drilling methods.
- Determine where accessible reservoirs of hydrocarbons are located.
- Monitor and oversee drilling operations.
- Funnel oil and gas into storage tanks.
- Test samples of oil-bearing rock layers.
- Test reservoir to determine if oil or gas will flow out by itself.
- Engineer methods of returning salt water to the ground.
- Design equipment to recover oil and gas.
- Develop various enhanced recovery methods, including injecting water, chemicals, gases, or steam into an oil reservoir to force out more of the oil.
- Perform computer-controlled drilling and fracturing.
- Prevent costly spills that waste oil.
- Research and develop technology and methods for increasing recovery of resources.
- Develop methods that decrease the cost of drilling and make recovery more profitable.
- Supervise stages of natural gas processing.
