Petroleum geology - the origins of hydrocarbons

• The formation of petroleum
• Oil and gas reservoirs
• Reservoir rock and fluid properties

World energy supply and demand

• Oil and gas supply and demand
• Classification of reserves
• Oil pricing and market issues
• Non conventional oil, gas and renewables

Ownership and exploitation of reserves

• Licensing/concessions
• Joint-venture agreements
• Production-sharing contracts

Exploration and appraisal

• Geological and commercial factors necessary for successful exploration and appraisal
• Seismic surveys

Drilling

• Drilling rigs
• Equipment and processes involved in drilling a well
• Completing a well and preparing it for production
• Horizontal drilling
• Well workover operations

Field development

• Onshore/offshore developments
• Shallow/deep water developments
• Gas field developments
• Aspects of well and facilities design

Petroleum economics

• Field development decision-making
• Key economic indicators and their uses

Health, safety and the environment

• Safety
• The environment

Petroleum production and treatment

• Reservoir production mechanisms
• Artificial lift systems
• Well stimulation - fracturing, acidising and sand control
• Production and treatment of reservoir fluids
• Processing the production from oil and gas fields

Maintenance and logistics

• Well and facility maintenance
• Reliability-centred maintenance
• Corrosion and how it is controlled
• Transportation of personnel and materials

Decommissioning

• Possible decommissioning solutions
• Scope of decommissioning obligations

Future issues and challenges

• Meeting future energy demand
• Environmental sustainability
• Security of supply