Product Description

Designed to demystify the roles of geophysicists, reservoir engineers, etc., in order to make sense to those new to the industry without a technical background. DLC: Petroleum Engineering.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194986 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 289 pages

Customer Reviews

More a guide to the mechanics of petroleum production
This book is essentially a step by step explication of the hows (and to some extent the whys) of commercial oil and gas exploration and production. Of the books 14 chapters, 13 are devoted primarily to how oil is found, accessed and brought to the surface. There is one chapter on refining, and another on marketing, that together occupy less than 10% of the books total space.

If you are interested in this information, this is a very good source to access it. Subjects ranging from geology to the types of pipes, valves and fitting used to connect a wellhead to a pipeline are discussed in adequate detail to understand the process while at the same time not dwelling on information that would be inconsequential for the non-technical reader. Inside you will learn the relative advantages and disadvantages of miscible vs. water flooding, what type of geology drag bits are particularly effective on (soft formations in coastal and offshore areas), how a resistivity log is generated, and how widely gravel-packing is used as a sand control measure (very widely, it seems).

What you won't learn, however, are the geopolitical, financial, and competitive aspects of the industry. The subject of OPEC, for instance, does receive its own sub-chapter heading, but is given only 6 paragraphs. "Refined and Petrochemical product marketing" is dismissed in three paragraphs.

In sum, the title of the book overstates its breadth. As a non-technical guide to the exploration and production PROCESS, this is a very handy guide. It is not, however, a nontechnical guide to the entire petroleum industry, as it claims.

excellent job
Conveys the big picture with enough well-explained technical detail to give you a sense for why. Includes the business implications of various key geological and technical points. The best overview of the petroleum industry that I've come across. I wish other industries had a book like this!

Overpriced and Under-illustrated
For 60 bucks, I expected something better than a book slightly larger than a paperback and printed on cheap paper. The book reminds me of a sociology professor I once had who taught his classes from a set of 20-year-old handwritten notes written on a yellow legal pad. And that's what this book is, a set of instructor's notes.

On the plus side, it is a great layman's text on the petroleum industry and one I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn about the industry that fuels our country. However, I'd try to find it in a library first, or borrow my copy.