Oil and gas companies are continually upgrading drilling and production facilities in response to safety, regulatory, and technology advances, causing the amount of data that an operator must interpret in order to optimize a facility's production to increase exponentially. Trained employees are at premium demand in the field, and companies are willing to pay for skills. However, there are too many skill-specific positions available and too many untrained applicants, and companies within this industry lack the recruiting, training, and experience necessary to train them. Workforce Education at Oil and Gas Companies in the Permian Basin: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential scholarly resource that examines changing technical, data analysis, and decision-making skills required of operations or maintenance personnel, as well as expectations for future changes. The book contrasts these needs against a typical oilfield worker's education level and skillset in order to target potential solutions for the challenges that face today's workforce. Highlighting topics such as economic development, oilfield technology, and employee training, this book is geared toward oil and gas workers, training facilitators, education practitioners, industry professionals, academicians, and researchers.

The book starts with optimum drilling practices, which provide the highest rate of penetration (ROP) at minimum footage cost ($/ft). While these factors are commonly acknowledged in the drilling community, they need to be underscored in any drilling text, especially for those entering the science of drilling and production. These fundamental elements of drilling provide the foundation for more detailed analyses throughout the book. Special features of the book are comprehensive presentation of: 1) Drilling hydraulics, 2) Drillstring mechanics including vibration control, 3) Drilling economics, 4) Maintenance and reliability, and 5) Directional drilling including bit navigation, well path monitoring and directional control. Each of these elements are explained through basic engineering mechanics. Discussions are presented with scientific rigor, but in a form easily understood by undergraduate engineering students. This book is suitable as both a university text and as an industry reference guide.

This publication provides an introduction to piping systems for petroleum fuel pipelines and facilities.

In response to the global increase in the use of biofuels as substitute transportation fuels, advanced chemical, biochemical and thermochemical biofuels production routes are fast being developed. Research and development in this field is aimed at improving the quality and environmental impact of biofuels production, as well as the overall efficiency and output of biofuels production plants. The range of biofuels has also increased to supplement bioethanol and biodiesel production, with market developments leading to the increased production and utilisation of such biofuels as biosyngas, biohydrogen and biobutanol, among others. Handbook of biofuels production provides a comprehensive and systematic reference on the range of biomass conversion processes and technology. Part one reviews the key issues in the biofuels production chain, including feedstocks, sustainability assessment and policy development. Part two reviews chemical and biochemical conversion and in turn Part three reviews thermal and thermo-chemical conversion, with both sections detailing the wide range of processes and technologies applicable to the production of first, second and third generation biofuels. Finally, Part four reviews developments in the integration of biofuels production, including biorefineries and by-product valorisation, as well as the utilisation of biofuels in diesel engines. With its distinguished international team of contributors, Handbook of biofuels production is a standard reference for biofuels production engineers, industrial chemists and biochemists, plant scientists, academics and researchers in this area.

Coal-Fired Electricity and Emissions Control: Efficiency and Effectiveness discusses the relationship between efficiency and emissions management, providing methods for reducing emissions in newer and older plants as coal-fired powered plants are facing increasing new emission control standards. The book presents the environmental forces driving technology development for coal-fired electricity generation, then covers other topics, such as cyclone firing, supercritical boilers, fabric filter technology, acid gas control technology and clean coal technologies. The book relates efficiency and environmental considerations, particularly from a technology development perspective.

This publication provides an introduction to bulk storage facilities for petroleum fuels.