Customer Reviews

The Petroleum Industry: A Nontechnical Guide

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

The illustrations in this book are terrible. The few illustrations that this book has look like a junior high school computer graphics class made them. If you are a visual learner like me, then this book might not be the best book for your money. Needless to say, I'm disappointed. Also, the book isn't a standard text book size, so don't let the amount of pages trick you into believing that it has a lot of text and info.

This book is a good starting point for non technical managers who wish to understand the processes in the Petroleum Industry; explains in simple lucid style, both upstream and downstream processes. Even for Oil and Gas professionals, who have a depth of understanding in a narrow slice of the industry, it puts the other aspects of the industry into perspective by providing a whollistic view.The Petroleum Industry: A Nontechnical Guide

A great book for anyone that works in the industry in a supporting role. The book clearly explains the aspects of what it takes to find, develop, produce oil and gas.