Core Concepts
Reservoir Engineering
The study of how oil and gas flow through porous rock formations to wells.
Drilling Engineering
The design and implementation of well drilling operations, including well trajectory and drilling fluid management.
Production Engineering
Optimizing the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the surface facilities.
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
Techniques to extract additional oil beyond primary and secondary recovery: thermal, chemical, gas injection.
Well Logging
Recording of geological formations penetrated by a borehole to assess hydrocarbon potential.
Worked Examples & Applications
Material Balance Equation: N × Bₒᵢ = (N − Nₚ) × Bₒ + Wₑ − Wₚ × Bᵥ, where N = original oil in place, Nₚ = cumulative production, Bₒ = oil formation volume factor, Wₑ = water influx.
Darcy's Law: q = (k × A × ΔP) / (μ × L), where q = flow rate, k = permeability, A = cross-sectional area, ΔP = pressure drop, μ = viscosity, L = length.
Practice Questions
Q: What are the three stages of oil recovery? A: Primary (natural reservoir pressure), Secondary (water/gas injection to maintain pressure), Tertiary/EOR (thermal, chemical, or miscible gas injection).
Q: What does Darcy's Law describe? A: The flow of fluid through porous media: q = kAΔP/(μL). It relates flow rate to permeability, pressure gradient, and fluid viscosity.