Academic Catalog 2023-2024

Slippery Rock University

Petroleum/Natural Gas Engineering (PNGE)

PNGE 139 -  Foundations of Academic Discovery  

Foundations of Academic Discovery serves as the entry point to the Rock Integrated Studies Program. With its strong faculty-student interaction, the course promotes intellectual inquiry, critical and creative thinking, and academic excellence. Through varied content, the course introduces students to academic discourse and information literacy while exploring topics such as diversity and inclusion and global awareness. This course will set students along the path to becoming engaged with issues and scholarship important to a 21st century education while they learn about themselves and their place in the world.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Enrollment limited to students with a semester level of Freshman 1 or Freshman 2.
Enrollment limited to students with the ROCK STUDIES 2 STUDENT or ROCK STUDIES STUDENT attributes.

PNGE 190 -  Experimental  

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

PNGE 195 -  Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

PNGE 198 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

PNGE 201 -  Introduction to Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering  

This course provides an overview of different aspects of petroleum and natural gas engineering from generation to exploration of petroleum reservoirs to drilling and production from these resources.

Credits: 1

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

PNGE 290 -  Experimental  

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

PNGE 295 -  Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

PNGE 298 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

PNGE 312 -  Petrophysics  

This course provides an in depth review of the properties of the reservoir rock and fluids. Topics covered will include theoretical and applied phase behavior of hydrocarbon systems and hydrocarbon fluid properties, basic properties of petroleum reservoir rocks and laboratory evaluation of basic and special petroleum reservoir rock and fluid properties.

Prerequisites: CHEM 107D and CHEM 111D and PNGE 201D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 4

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 315 -  Reservoir Fluids  

Thermodynamic behavior of naturally occurring hydrocarbon mixtures; evaluation and correlation of physical properties of petroleum reservoir fluids including laboratory and empirical methods.

Prerequisites: PNGE 312D and CHEM 108D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 325 -  Reservoir Engineering  

This course provides an in depth review of reservoir characteristics and behavior. Topics covered will include fluid flow through porous materials, evaluation of oil and gas resources and the reserves under a variety of production methods, and prediction of reservoir performance to achieve maximum conservation.

Prerequisites: EGEO 327D and PNGE 315D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 330 -  Unconventional Reservoir Engineering  

This course addresses topics that are specific to exploration of unconventional reservoirs - identification and characterization, economics, efficient completion technologies and development strategies. Tight gas and shale gas reservoirs and coal bed methane engineering are addressed.

Prerequisite: PNGE 325D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 390 -  Experimental  

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 395 -  Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 398 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 410 -  Drilling engineering with Lab  

This course provides an in depth review of drilling engineering practices. Topics covered will include functions and design considerations for the rotating system, hoisting system and circulating system; drilling fluids calculations and selections; hydraulic programs; drilling optimization; casing string design; cementing programs; and pressure control; laboratory evaluation of mud weight control filtration, chemical contaminants and rheological models.

Prerequisites: ENGR 301 (may be taken concurrently)D and PNGE 312D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 4

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 420 -  Production Engineering  

This course provides an in depth review of petroleum production engineering practices. Topics covered will include well completion, performance of productive formations, drill stem tests, completion of wells, flowing wells, gas lift methods and equipment, pumping installation design, well stimulation, emulsion, treating, gathering and storage of oil and gas, field automation.

Prerequisites: PNGE 410 (may be taken concurrently)D and PNGE 325D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 430 -  Reservoir Simulation  

Mathematical models governing fluid flow in reservoirs; relevant numerical methods; numerical reservoir simulations; treatment of wells; history matching; simulation project performed using a commercial simulator.

Prerequisites: CPSC 146D and (MATH 309D or MATH 232D)
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 432 -  Formation Evaluation  

This course provides an in depth review of techniques for formation evaluation. Topics covered will include various well logging methods and related calculations with exercises in interpretation of data from actual well logs.

Prerequisite: PNGE 312D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 435 -  Pressure Transient Analysis  

This course provides an in depth review of the well test analysis methods. Topics covered will include pressure transient tests and interpretation methods, unsteady-state fluid flow through porous rock, analysis of the drawdown and buildup tests, wellbore storage, application of pressure derivative in pressure transient data analysis, testing of hydraulically fractured wells, type curve method, testing of horizontal wells, unified method of analysis, well test design.

Prerequisite: PNGE 420D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 440 -  Hydraulic Fracturing  

This course starts with a general overview of different types of unconventional reservoirs and their geological and petrophysical properties. Second part of the course emphasizes hydraulic fracturing design and data collection for proper fracture design. Economic analysis of hydraulic fracturing will be covered as well as more advanced topics such as completion design optimization.

Prerequisite: PNGE 325D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 441 -  Oil and Natural Gas Resource Valuation and Economics  

This course provides an in depth review of the techiques for oil and gas property evaluation. Topics covered will include reserve estimation, decline analysis, petroleum property evaluation, interest calculations, cost estimation, and tax evaluation, investment decision analysis and computer applications in property evaluation.

Prerequisites: PNGE 325D and PNGE 432*D (may be taken concurrently).
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 443 -  Enhanced Oil Recovery  

This course teaches an integrated version of the basics of waterflooding and enhanced oil recovery (EOR), illustrating the connection of each process to a few fundamental principles. It reviews the specifics of thermal and solvent EOR by relating basic principles to the results of cases from the field.

Prerequisite: PNGE 325D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Enrollment limited to students with a semester level of Senior 1 or Senior 2.
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Petro & Natl Gas Engineering.
Enrollment limited to students in the College of Engineering & Scien college.

PNGE 445 -  Natural Gas Engineering with Lab  

This course provides an in depth review of natural gas evaluation and production engineering practices. Topics covered will include natural gas properties, compression, transmission, processing and application of reservoir engineering principles to predict the performance and design of gas, gas-condensate and storage reservoirs. Includes a laboratory devoted to gas measurements.

Prerequisite: PNGE 325D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 450 -  Internship  

Supervised placement and research in selected public and private agencies.

Credits: 3-9

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 459 -  Petroleum and Natural Gas Design/Capstone I  

This course provides a proposal preparation for PNGE 460 which includes defining a comprehensive problem in design involving systems in oil and gas production, field processing, transportation, and storage.

Prerequisites: PNGE 325D and PNGE 410D and PNGE 420*D and PNGE 432*D (may be taken concurrently).
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 1

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 460 -  Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Design/Capstone II  

This course provides comprehensive problems in design involving systems in oil and gas production, field processing, transportation and storage.

Prerequisite: PNGE 459D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 2

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 470 -  Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Undergraduate Research  

Research and design problems of limited scope approved on an individual basis intended to promote independent inquiry.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Enrollment limited to students with a semester level of Junior 1, Junior 2, Senior 1 or Senior 2.
Enrollment limited to students with the SPECIAL APPROVAL attribute.

PNGE 490 -  Independent Study  

Investigation of the theoretical or experimental area following a plan or proposal initiated by the student and approved by the major advisor. Independent Study courses give students the opportunity to pursue research and/or studies that are not part of the university's traditional course offerings. Students work one on one or in small groups with faculty guidance and are typically required to submit a final paper or project as determined by the supervising professor.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 495 -  Workshop  

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

PNGE 498 -  Selected Topics  

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.