Home » Renewable Power » Renewable Energy Sources

How Petroleum Engineers Find New Oil Fields?

Friday,
Dec 19
Petroleum Engineers

How petroleum engineers locate new oil fields? Petroleum engineers have a college education, and they have taken classes in math, geology, physics, chemistry, all aspects of engineering, and other essential areas. These engineers are used to evaluate the potential of an area to contain underground reserves of oil and natural gases. Petroleum engineers are also responsible for all the drilling methods and activities performed, the type of recovery that is used to recover the fossil fuels, and are usually the ones who design any treatment or collection facilities that are needed to receive, store, process, and treat any fossil fuels recovered. Super computers and advances in computer technology are also used by petroleum engineers, to analyze any data and run simulations to try and predict the behaviors of any underground fossil fuel reservoirs.


Petroleum engineers use many exploration methods to find new oil fields. One of the easiest ways to find oil is by surface features of the earth that are visible. This includes noticeable seepage of oil or natural gas from the earth. Unfortunately, most oil and natural gas reserves are not located this way. Instead, sophisticated technology is used by petroleum engineers to evaluate the possibility of new oil fields, and it is never a guarantee until the oil or natural gas drilling shows results. Exploration geophysics is normally the first exploration technique used. Surface testing methods are used to determine if hydrocarbons are even present, and to determine the geological makeup of the area. This will alert the petroleum engineers to the presence of hydrocarbons and ore minerals, which increase the odds of a new oil field discovery.

If hydrocarbons and ore deposits are present, further exploration of the area is done. The next step is usually for the petroleum engineer to conduct a gravity survey. If these survey results are promising, a magnetic survey may also be done. If all of the exploration methods up to this point show promise, a seismic survey may be done by petroleum engineers to evaluate any leads further. Seismic surveys use seismic waves which penetrate the earth. These waves can help petroleum engineers build a virtual map of the geology under the ground, because seismic waves bounce penetrate the earth, bounce off of certain underground features and come back. These waves will return faster or slower depending on what is underground, and petroleum engineers can use this information to determine if there is a high possibility of oil reserves, which may lead to new oil fields.
New Oil Fields

The last step in oil exploration is done when petroleum engineers have a test well drilled. This step is important, because even with all the oil exploration methods available it is impossible to determine conclusively that oil or natural gas is present until a test well is drilled and oil or natural gas is actually recovered and verified. Oil exploration is very expensive, and it can cost millions of dollars with no results guaranteed. Petroleum engineers are crucial to discovering new oil fields, and there are a shortage of these engineers available, partly due to increased energy demand around the world. Because it is so labor and cost intensive to locate new oil fields, and because of the threat to the environment that fossil fuels pose, using renewable energy sources must be considered a priority. Oil reserves are becoming harder to find, and it is taking more money and effort to find new oil fields. Petroleum engineers make really good money, but this field requires years of study and experience in the field. This takes an extended amount of time to do, so filling the petroleum engineer shortage will not happen quickly.

3 Responses to “How Petroleum Engineers Find New Oil Fields?”

  1. 1
    Anonymous Says:

    Who find petroleum is Petroleum Geologist. Petroleum Engineers is responsable by explotation and production.

    June 20th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
  2. 2
    solid sam Says:

    i am a 2nd year chemical engineering student. i need more details on seismic surveys and how they are done exactly.

    May 31st, 2009 at 1:38 am
  3. 3
    tech_girl Says:

    This is a great article for the lay person to read in order to find out more about how oil fields are found. Most people have no idea what it takes to seek out these wells. Thanks for the great work.

    January 19th, 2009 at 8:40 pm

You Can Use This Form to Leave Your Feedback or Ask Additional Question