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PETROLEUM ENGINEERING (PETE 079)
Ali Ghalambor, Head; Madison 126

 Professors
ALI GHALAMBOR; Ph.D., P.E., Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1980
BOYUN GUO; Ph.D., New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 1992
ASADOLLAH HAYATDAVOUDI; Ph.D., P.E., University of Wisconsin, 1974 CHRISTIAN U. OKOYE; Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 1982
HERMAN H. RIEKE; Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1970

Associate Professor
FATHI BOUKADI, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University , 1991

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

For the thesis option, at least thirty (30) semester hours of graduate credit are required as follows: (1) three to six credits of engineering elective courses that are closely supportive of research work; (2) twelve to fifteen credits of Petroleum Engineering courses; (3) six credits of an approved mathematics or statistics sequence; and (4) six semester hours of thesis (research), and (5) a one hour Petroleum Engineering seminar course. The student must present a full and complete report on a topic of research mutually agreed upon by the department head, the graduate coordinator, the chairman of the committee, and the student. Thesis defense may be used as a substitute for the final examination (comprehensive examination).

For the non-thesis option, thirty-six (36) semester hours of graduate credit are required as follows: (1) six to nine credits of General Engineering courses; (2) eighteen credits of Petroleum Engineering courses; (3) nine credits in Mathematics, three credits of a special problem (research with report) and (4) a one hour Petroleum Engineering seminar course. In addition, the comprehensive examination is required during the semester of graduation.

In both options the selection of courses must be approved by the committee chairman and the graduate coordinator. A maximum of six hours of 400G courses in engineering will be allowed for the degree credit in either the thesis or the non-thesis option.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS  

480(G). PETROLEUM ENGINEERING COMPUTER APPLICATIONS. (3, 0, 3). Computer solutions of petroleum engineering problems. Problem programming and execution. Prereq: CMPS 208, Approval of department head and instructor.

481(G). PETROPHYSICS AND FORMATION EVALUATION. (3, 0, 3). The fundamental principles of the use of borehole surveys to evaluate the formation characteristics and fluid contents of porous strata. Prereq: ENGR 201, PETE 491, 493. Coreq: PETE 392, 483.

482(G). IMPROVED PETROLEUM RECOVERY PROCESSES. (3, 0, 3). Theoretical and practical aspects of processes to increase the recovery of oil and gas in petroleum reservoirs. A basic coverage of water flooding, thermal recovery and miscible and immiscible displacement techniques. Prereq: PETE 486, 488, 494(G), 496. Coreq: PETE 478.

483(G). PETROPHYSICS AND FORMATION EVALUATION LABORATORY. (0, 3, 1). Interpretation of borehole surveys to determine formation character, fluid content, and production potential. Coreq: PETE 481(G).

484(G). WELL PLANNING & CONTROL. (3, 0, 3). Drilling, well planning and control, theory and practice. Drilling program design and technology and pore pressure, fracture gradients, drilling optimization, and well control considerations. Prereq: PETE 392, 394, 481, 483(G).

489(G). WELL COMPLETION. (3, 0, 3). Design of tubing, connections, well geometry, reservoir entry, performation, completion fluids, acidizing, fracturing, and Frac-Packing for single or multiple completions, and fundamentals of sand control. Prereq: PETE 484, 486. Restr: If prerequisites are not met, permission of instructor required.

494(G). RESERVOIR ENGINEERING. (3, 0, 3). Oil and gas reservoirs and reservoir mechanics. Reservoir rock-fluid systems are analyzed, principles of reservoir behavior and control are studied. Theories of fluid flow through porous media presented and techniques of predicting reservoir performance outlined and studied. Prereq: ENGR 305, PETE 392, 394, 481(G), 483(G). Coreq: PETE 496.

498(G). OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES. (3, 0, 3). Includes spacing and field development problems for optimum economic production of offshore reserves. Prereq: PETE 486, 491, 494(G).

499(G). OIL AND GAS LAW CONSERVATION AND ECONOMICS. (3, 0, 3). Basic principles of conservation, utilization, and economics in the development and depletion of oil and gas properties. Environmental considerations in oil and gas drilling and producing operations. Prereq: Approval of department head.

500. PETROLEUM ENGINEERING RESEARCH SEMINAR. (1, 0, 1). A written and oral presentation on research or thesis topics; participation in all presentations made by other students, visiting lecturers and faculty members. Required of all students for graduation. Prerequisites: Two prior informal presentations, permission of student's thesis committee chairman and department head.

501. FORMATION DAMAGE CONTROL. (3, 0, 3). Fundamentals of formation damage mechanisms, damage characterization and control, basic clay minerals engineering, control of screen entrance velocity, well treatment design, and well flow back analysis. Prereq: PETE 486, 489(G). Restr: If prerequisites not met, permission of instructor required.

502. HORIZONTAL WELL ENGINEERING. (3, 0, 3). Environmental remediation with horizontal wells, reservoir or acquirer fluid flow to horizontal wells, modern downhole assemblies and production/injection/completion of horizontal wells. Prereq: PETE 489(G), 491, 494(G), 496. Restr: If prerequisites not met, permission of instructor required.

578. ADVANCED PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL GAS. (3, 0, 3). Covers the theory and practice involving natural gas from its initial location in the reservoir to its final destination, including the design of an optimum development plan for a natural gas field. Unconventional gas sources also covered. Prereq: PETE 478, 494(G).

586. SECONDARY RECOVERY PROCESSES. (3, 0, 3). Theory of multiphase flow, miscible and immiscible displacement mechanisms in porous media. Analysis of various improved recovery methods such as water flooding, gas flooding on digital computer. Prereq: PETE 482(G).

587. NATURAL WATER DRIVE SYSTEMS. (3, 0, 3). Theory of natural aquifer expansion and water encroachment in porous media using classical influence functions for finite and infinite aquifer of linear and radial extent. Numerical simulation of water encroachment in arbitrary shaped patterns with irregular well distributions. Prereq: PETE 494(G), 478.

590. DRILLING OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES. (3, 0, 3). Methods and techniques to optimize drilling hydraulics, bit weight and rotary speed, penetration rates, and minimize drilling costs. Prereq: PETE 491.

591. TRANSIENT PRESSURE BEHAVIOR. (3, 0, 3). Mathematical development and analysis of transient behavior in well and reservoir systems. Factors influencing skin effect evaluation in heterogeneous porous media. Effect of horizontal and vertical factors, anisotrophy and shale barriers on reservoir limits tests. Prereq: PETE 494(G), 478.

592. ADVANCED PETROLEUM PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND OPTIMIZATION. (3, 0, 3). Principles of the development and operation of petroleum production system. Considers the combined behavior of the reservoir, the producing strings, the surface equipment, and pipeline system. Optimization of such a production system for various schedules. Prereq: PETE 486, 494(G).

593. ADVANCED GEOLOGIC WELL LOG ANALYSIS. (3, 0, 3). Study of advanced well logging methods and techniques for qualitative and quantitative use of well logs as geological mapping tools in hydrocarbon and mineral exploration. Prereq: PETE 481(G) or GEOL 410(G).

595. THEORY AND TECHNIQUES OF MATHEMATICAL RESERVOIR SIMULATION. (3, 0, 3). Comprehensive coverage of the mathematical reservoir simulator with special emphasis on the practical application of theoretical techniques on modern-day computers. Prereq: PETE 494(G) and MATH 350 or 455(G) and a working knowledge of FORTRAN or permission of the instructor.

598. SPECIAL TOPICS. (3, 0, 3). An advanced level study of special topics in petroleum engineering. May be repeated for credit. Prereq: PETE 486, 491. Restr: Permission of department head and instructor required.

599. THESIS RESEARCH AND THESIS. (1-6). Grades: S, U, W.

899. EXAMINATIONS ONLY. (3). Required of all graduate non-thesis students taking examinations, oral and/or written, who are not registered for any other course. Fa, Sp, Su. Grades: S, U, W.