Earth's physical resources: petroleum

This course covers the chemistry of petroleum, key ingredients for petroleum accumulation, exploring for oil and gas, petroleum production, safety and environmental considerations, oil and gas reserves, and non-conventional sources of petroleum. The learning outcomes include understanding the process of petroleum formation, exploration techniques, production methods, and environmental risks. The course teaches skills such as interpreting seismic data, evaluating well sites, and estimating reserves. The teaching method includes lectures, readings, and case studies. The intended audience for this course includes students and professionals interested in the petroleum industry.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 The chemistry of petroleum - what is petroleum?
• 1 The chemistry of petroleum - what is petroleum?
• 2 Key ingredients for petroleum accumulation
• 2 Key ingredients for petroleum accumulation
• 2.1 Petroleum charge
• 2.1.1 Source rocks
• 2.1.2 Kerogen
• 2.2 Petroleum charge (continued)
• 2.2.1 Maturation
• 2.2.2 Migration
• 2.3 Reservoir rocks
• 2.4 Seals
• 2.5 Traps
• 2.6: Combining the ingredients
• 3 Exploring for oil and gas
• 3 Exploring for oil and gas
• 3.1 Detection, exploration and evaluation
• 3.1.1 Surface detection methods
• 3.1.2 Remote sensing methods
• 3.2 Detection, exploration and evaluation (continued)
• 3.2.1 Seismic data and interpretation
• 3.2.2 Exploration drilling
• 3.2.3 Well evaluation
• 4 Petroleum production
• 4 Petroleum production
• 4.1 Appraising the discovery
• 4.2 Development options
• 4.3 Production techniques
• 4.4 Getting petroleum ashore
• 5 Safety and the environment
• 5 Safety and the environment
• 5.1 Safety issues
• 5.2 Environmental management
• 5.2.1 Environmental risks
• 5.2.2 Dealing with environmental issues
• 6 Oil and gas reserves
• 6 Oil and gas reserves
• 6.1 Estimating reserves
• 6.2 Reserves categories and reporting
• 6.3 The global picture
• 6.3.1 World oil statistics
• 6.3.2 World gas statistics
• 6.4 The UK context
• 7 Non-conventional sources of petroleum
• 7 Non-conventional sources of petroleum
• 7.1 Oil sands
• 7.2 Gas hydrates
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• References
• Acknowledgements