The Transition Of Petroleum Engineers Into Energy Engineers
Authors: Blevins T.R. , Fiddler C.D. 
Published: December 2007

The transition of the petroleum engineering profession as we know it today into "energy" profession as we know it today into "energy" engineering of the future will require several changes in basic undergraduate curricula. Oil recovery will require increased reliance on enhanced recovery methods. In situ technologies will expand to include shale oil recovery, coal processing to liquids and gases, and tar sand exploitation in the fossil fuel categories. Non-fossil category technology will include geothermal development and solution mining of minerals. Energy engineers will need the basic knowledge to analyze and design processes for renewable surface sources such as solar heating for thermal recovery and bio-mass as energy feed stock. Future energy engineers will also require background in environmental sciences to design for current air and water quality regulations.

Introduction

The purpose of this paper A to discuss the future "petroleum engineer's" role in providing the changing energy sources of the next few decades. The authors' thoughts reflect their combined experience backgrounds of working for major companies in the petroleum industry as opposed to the more academic petroleum industry as opposed to the more academic background of several previous articles dealing with the general subject. The starting point of our study lies in a forecast of future energy demand and supply sources. To forecast the energy future is difficult at best, but the unpredictable roles of government regulations, government subsidies of alternate energy sources, domestic price controls, and imported oil prices all serve to complicate the problem. Therefore, the first step is to define the assumed energy sources of the future. The "average" current petroleum engineering curricula will then be petroleum engineering curricula will then be examined. Finally, the skills necessary to allow the transition of petroleum engineers into energy engineers will be discussed.

Assumed Energy Sources of The Future

In his article titled, "Energy Options to the Year 2000, R. E. Balzhiser concludes that coal and nuclear power will be the primary energy options to supplement oil and gas by the year 2000. He cites 14 energy use forecasts for the United States from 1975 2000 and concludes that 150 quads (one quad = 10(15) Btu), or twice the present consumption, will be needed by the year 2000. As Table 1 shows, 30 to 40 percent of this 150 quad demand would still be met percent of this 150 quad demand would still be met from conventional oil and gas sources as opposed to this source providing over 70 percent in the United States today.

A study published by the Standard Oil of California Economics Department in October 1978 looked at world energy requirements to the year 2000. World crude oil production is estimated to peak in 1990 at about 70 million B/D and begins a gradual decline, as shown in Figure 1. The world energy supply will be nearly 200 million B/D oil equivalent in the year 2000 (Figure 2) which is nearly 460 quads. If Balzhiser's projection is correct, the United States will be projection is correct, the United States will be consuming about one-third (150/460) of the world's energy supply in 2000. Oil and gas is projected to furnish about 57 percent of the total world requirements. This suggests a greater percentage of U.S. energy will be met by non-oil sources (60–70%) than other parts of the world. Figure 2 shows the probable energy sources and their share of demand. Note probable energy sources and their share of demand. Note that oil and gas remains the largest single source.

Both the United States and world energy studies indicate a long range need for "conventional" petroleum engineers. However, there will be additional opportunities in the next 10–15 years for petroleum engineers to utilize their skills for the recovery of geothermal energy, solution mining of nuclear raw materials, in situ technology for recovery of synthetic fuels from shales, coals and from geopressured aquifers.