Petroleum Engineering Technician

Petroleum doesn’t just leap out of the Earth, convert itself into oil, and scurry over to the nearest Chevron station: The transformation from petroleum to gas is a process that requires an entire team of key players. A Petroleum Engineering Technician plays a key part in the process by locating wells, collecting geological samples, and helping to design collection and transport systems.

Petroleum Engineering Technicians work with groups of Engineers, Engineering Technologists, and Scientists to isolate the most probable locations to find oil and natural gases. Since this won’t be in the middle of L.A., as a Petroleum Engineering Technician you travel to some pretty exotic locations, such as deserts, oceans, and foreign countries.

Once you’ve settled in on a location, its off to the races Since petroleum is found underground, you start your search by lowering specialized equipment, such as sonic and electric measuring devices, into the wells. Then you take readings and record your findings.

Success! You’ve located a well. Now you collect geological information from the area. This is done through tests on mud, rock, and other samples.

You collect these samples, evaluate their makeup, take careful notes, and report the information to the Engineer. You also take samples of the oil to evaluate how pure it is. For example, how much water will need to be separated out? This information is vital to the Petroleum Engineer, who decides what technique will be used to draw the oil out of the Earth.

Of course, the Engineer doesn’t do the extraction alone. You help by creating maps and diagrams of the well. You also assist in the creation and construction of lighting and drainage systems.