Natural Gas and Oil Engineering Courses
The following courses constitute 29.5 required credits in Natural Gas and Oil Engineering (up to 32.5 credits if CEE 1809 is selected as the STEM elective).
GRO 0100 Rock and Fluid Properties (3 cr)
Introduction to petroleum geology, structural geology, and subsurface mapping. Covers fundamental properties of petroleum reservoir rocks including porosity, permeability, and electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Properties of rocks containing multiple fluid saturations (natural gas, oil, water, CO2) including relative permeability, capillary pressure, and rock mechanics. Introduces the difference between conventional and unconventional resource plays and the necessity for different development strategies.
Tiab & Donaldson, Petrophysics, 5th Ed., 2024.
McCain, The Properties of Petroleum Fluids, 2nd Ed., 1990.
Pre-req: ENGR 0011, 0012
GRO 0101 Rock and Fluid Properties Laboratory (1 cr)
Hands-on instruction in determining fundamental properties of petroleum reservoir rocks. Covers core analysis (conventional and shale), porosity, electrical properties, fluid saturation, interfacial and surface tension, absolute and relative permeability, capillary pressure, water content of oil, and BTU content of oil.
Co-req: GRO 0100
GRO 0150 Numerical Methods and Data Analytics (3 cr)
Application of computing technology and numerical methods to solve petroleum engineering problems. Students use programming tools (e.g., VBA, Python) to implement methods for solving algebraic and transcendental equations, systems of linear equations, and curve-fitting problems. Topics include data storage and retrieval, data processing and visualization, tools for integrating geophysical, geological, and engineering data in reservoir modeling, geostatistical principles (including kriging and simulation), upscaling and ranking, forward simulations, and uncertainty analysis. The course also introduces modern data analytics in the context of big data, illustrated using oil and gas case studies and data sets.
Chapra & Canale, Numerical Methods for Engineers, 7th Ed., 2014.
Pre-req: ENGR 0011, 0012, MATH 0230
GRO 0201 Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (1 cr)
Hands-on instruction in high-pressure phase behavior of oil and natural gas, high-pressure viscometry, flash points, centrifugal pumps, single-phase friction flow loop, multi-phase flow loop, and gas metering.
Pre-req: MEMS 0051 and MEMS 0071 (pre-req or co-req)
GRO 0300 Drilling and Well Completions (3 cr)
Covers rotary drilling systems, drilling fluids and hydraulics, drill bit hydraulics, cuttings transport, solids control, well control mechanics, well planning for oil, gas, or geothermal wells, directional drilling, drillstring mechanics, pore and fracture pressure predictions. Also includes casing and tubing design, cementing, completion, well perforating, hydraulic fracturing, sand control, and acidizing. Concludes with high-temperature drilling challenges including geothermal drilling. Mitchell & Miska, Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering, SPE, 2011.
Aadnoy et al., Advanced Drilling and Well Technology, SPE, 2009.
Pre-req: GRO 0100, 0101, 0201, MEMS 0051, MEMS 0071, GEOL 0800
GRO 0301 Drilling and Well Completions Laboratory (1 cr)
Experiments and drilling simulator lab covering controls, operations, data acquisition, hydraulics, blow-out preventers (BOP) and well control, rate of penetration analysis, and modeling simulation software. Includes measurement of drilling mud properties such as viscosity, resistivity, and emulsion stability.
Pre-req: GRO 0300
GRO 0303 Geology, Engineering and Processing of Unconventional Gas (3 cr)
Overview of unconventional basins and plays with emphasis on domestic plays (Marcellus, Utica). Covers unconventional oil and gas resources workflow, strategies for improved production, and natural hydrogen production. Also covers natural gas processing, petroleum processing, and LNG production including methane reforming for H2 production, crude distillation, catalytic cracking, and LNG manufacturing.
Smith & Montgomery, Hydraulic Fracturing, CRC Press, 2015.
Kidnay et al., Fundamentals of Natural Gas Processing, 3rd Ed., 2019.
Mokhatab et al., Handbook of Liquefied Natural Gas, 1st Ed., 2013.
Pre-req: GRO 0300, 0301, 0400, GEOL 0800, 1410
GRO 0400 Reservoir Engineering (3 cr)
Covers volumetrics, fluid contacts, gas and oil reservoir material balance, diffusivity equation, inflow performance relationships, water influx, decline curve analysis, and pressure transient analysis. Includes big data concepts in oil and gas, shale gas from the Marcellus, reservoir simulation, secondary and tertiary recovery methods (water flooding, steam flooding, CO2 enhanced oil recovery), and gas storage (CO2 sequestration, H2 storage).
Terry & Rogers, Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering, 3rd Ed., 2014. Lee & Wattenbarger, Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE, 2014.
Pre-req: GRO 0100, 0101, 0201, 0300, GEOL 0800, 1410
GRO 0500 Production, Injection, Artificial Lift and Handling Fluids (3 cr)
Covers inflow and injectivity performance, single and multi-phase flow in pipes, production and injection system components, and system optimization. Applications to CO2 sequestration, gas storage, and geothermal. Includes artificial lift methods (gas lift, beam pumping, ESP, progressive cavity pumps) and production facilities engineering (storage, separation, metering, transportation).
Economides et al., Petroleum Production Systems, 2nd Ed., 2012. Beggs, Production Optimization, 2nd Ed., OGCI, 2003.
Pre-req: GRO 0301, 0400
GRO 0501 Greenhouse Gas Minimization in Production Facilities (1 cr)
Key environmental aspects of oil and gas production and processing, including GHG emissions, particulates, and water impact assessment. Covers mitigation technologies (CCUS, CO2-EOR, fugitives detection), legislative and regulatory trends, and open-source LCA simulators (OPGEE, PRIMLEM) and inventories (GREET, Ecoinvent).
Manning & Thompson, Oilfield Processing of Petroleum, Vols. 1-2, 1991/1995.
Pre-req: GRO 0400 | Co-req: GRO 0500
GRO 0600 Senior Design Project (6 cr)
Capstone design course involving team projects covering time value of money, profitability measures, engineering analysis, cash flow predictions, life-cycle costs, risk analysis, decline curve analyses, production forecasting, and reserves. Student teams apply knowledge in geology, reservoir engineering, production, drilling, and well completions to design problems based on real field data, preparing oral presentations and technical reports.
Allen & Seba, Economics of Worldwide Petroleum Production, 3rd Ed., 2008.
Hannesson, Petroleum Economics, 1999.
Pre-req: GRO 0400, 0500, 0501 | Co-req: GRO 0601
GRO 0601 Ethics and Safety (1 cr)
Workplace health and safety fundamentals with emphasis on petroleum engineering applications, including lithium battery safety. Covers ethical situations in oilfield, gas field, and CO2 sequestration environments. Principles are applied to the senior design project.
Crowl, Chemical Process Safety (e-book, library.pitt.edu).
Chemical Safety Board reports and videos.
SAChE Level One and Level Two Safety modules.
Co-req: GRO 0600
GRO 0800 Undergraduate Seminar (0 cr)
Provides information on curriculum, registration, programs, cooperative education, and other opportunities. Includes FE exam preparation. Approximately half of invited speakers are from the renewable energy field and half from the natural gas and oil engineering field.
Pre-req: ENGR 0011, 0012
Renewable Energy Engineering Courses
Seven core renewable energy engineering courses are required for all GRO students, totaling 20.5 credits: GRO 0151, 0252, 0353, 0460, 0470, 0480, and 0454.
GRO 0151 Energy Resources: From Hydrocarbons to Renewables (3 cr)
Covers scientific and engineering fundamentals of conventional, nuclear, and renewable energy processes through thermodynamic analysis of energy conversion, power cycles, refrigeration cycles, heat engines, and exergy analysis. Introduces material and energy balances in non-renewable and renewable energy systems, plus energy demand projections, transition strategies, and trends. (0.5 cr Natural Gas/Oil, 2.5 cr Renewables.)
Vanek et al., Energy Systems Engineering, 2nd Ed., McGraw Hill, 2012.
Pre-req: ENGR 0011, 0012, MATH 0230, PHYS 0175
GRO 0252 Environmental, Energetic and Economic Assessment of Energy Systems (3 cr)
Combines mass and energy balance fundamentals with methodological assessment of environmental impact, energetic productivity, and economic viability. Covers LCA, EROI, TEA, and cost-benefit analysis applied to conventional and renewable systems.
SAIC/EPA, Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice.
Vanek et al., Energy Systems Engineering, 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill, 2016.
Pre-req: GRO 0151
GRO 0353 Energy Storage and Chemical Transformations (3 cr)
Explores chemical, electrochemical, and electrical energy storage and grid integration. Covers reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport phenomena including electrochemical cells, fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors.
Newman & Thomas-Alyea, Electrochemical Systems, 3rd Ed., Wiley, 2004.
Pre-req: GRO 0151, 0252
GRO 0460 Solar Energy Engineering (3 cr)
Solar energy collection, conversion, and storage via photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, and solar heating/cooling. Covers system design, operation, technology evolution, efficiency, policy, and economics. ENGR 1066 may substitute if offered.
Kalogirou, Solar Energy Engineering, 2nd Ed., 2013.
Pre-req: GRO 0151, 0252
GRO 0470 Biomass and Biofuels Engineering (3 cr)
Covers biofuels and bioenergy from biomass, including feedstock production and treatment, thermochemical, biochemical, and oleochemical conversion. Includes environmental impacts, economics, and life-cycle analysis. Brown, Biorenewable Resources, 2nd Ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.
Pre-req: GRO 0151, 0252
GRO 0480 Wind and Hydro Energy Engineering (3 cr)
Focuses on wind conversion and hydropower. Covers resource assessment, energy calculations, aerodynamics, optimization, economics, and environmental impact. Manwell, Wind Energy Explained, 2nd Ed., 2009. Breeze, Hydropower, 1st Ed., 2018.
Pre-req: GRO 0151, 0252
GRO 0454 Subsurface Technologies for Renewables and Decarbonization (3 cr)
Fundamentals, design, and environmental implications of major subsurface technologies for renewable and low-carbon energy: geothermal energy, carbon capture and sequestration, decarbonized subsurface hydrogen production, and CO2 enhanced recovery.
Geothermal Energy, 2nd Ed., 2021. Science of Carbon Storage in Deep Saline Formations, 2024.
Pre-req: GRO 0151, 0252
1
responsible for meeting all pre- and co-requisites.
STEM Elective Options (3 cr, 1 required)
courses have more substantial prerequisites.
Any course from the Renewables Elective list above, plus the following: GRO Courses: GRO 1090 (Co-op), GRO 1097 (Undergraduate Research), GRO 1207, GRO 1204, GRO 1221 (if offered)
Engineering: CEE 1809 (Hydraulic Fracturing - highly recommended), ENGR 1607 (Sustainable Engineering in Iceland), ENGR 16xx, plus other ENGR, BIOE, CHE, CEE, IE, ECE, MEMS, PETE courses
Geology: GEOL 0840, 1410, 1413, 1030, 1342, 1460, 1316, 1333
Sustainability: CHE 1016, ENGR 1905, CEE 1610, CEE 1609, GEOL 1333
Climate: GEOL 1030, PS 1364, PS 1542
Other STEM: CHEM 0031/0032, ASTR 100+, BIOSC 150/160/1170+, PHYS 477+
ABET Accreditation Alignment
The GRO curriculum is designed to meet ABET General Criteria and Program Criteria for Petroleum and Similarly Named Engineering Programs (Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2024-2025). Lead Society: Society of Petroleum Engineers.
General Criteria - Criterion 5: Curriculum
(a) Mathematics and Basic Sciences (minimum 30 cr): 39 required credits including Calculus 1-3, Differential Equations, Statistics, General Chemistry 1-2 with lab (CHEM 0430 or 0440), Physics 1-2, Geology, and Exploration Geophysics.
(b) Engineering Topics (minimum 45 cr): 50 required credits including Intro Engineering Analysis, Computing, all GRO core courses, MEMS Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, Statics and Mechanics, Statistics, Seminars, and Senior Design.
(c) Broad Education: Six humanities/social sciences courses (18 cr) including ENGCMP 0210, ENGCMP 0412, ENGCMP 400W, History of Engineering, and two SSOE-list electives.
(d) Culminating Design Experience: GRO 0600 Senior Design Project (6 cr).
Program Criteria - Petroleum Engineering
(a) Mathematics through differential equations, probability/statistics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, and thermodynamics.
(b) Design and analysis of well systems; procedures for drilling and completing wells.
(c) Characterization and evaluation of subsurface geological formations using geoscientific and engineering methods.
(d) Design and analysis of systems for producing, injecting, and handling fluids.
(e) Application of reservoir engineering principles for optimizing resource development.
(f) Use of project economics and resource valuation methods for decision-making under risk and uncertainty.
