Euromoney Energy Training

This 3-day course is designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of non-conventional petroleum resources (oil, gas and synthetic petroleum fuels) with the application of technologies that establish their commercial viability.

The ability to extract non-conventional oil and gas and to manufacture non-conventional petroleum fuels are based on well-established technologies that date back to the 1930s. However, recent years have heralded a game changing shift in petroleum markets that recognise the commercial and strategic importance of these 'difficult' resources. The course will feature:

• Understanding non-conventional costs, prices and margins
• Technological innovations and cost reductions
• Processes for recovery
• Present and future impacts on global markets
• Strategic considerations
• Environmental issues
• Non-conventional petroleum fuels

Non-conventional Petroleum Course Overview

The past decade has seen a major shift in sentiment in favour of the largescale commercialisation of non-conventional petroleum. Specifically these include bitumen, ultra-heavy oil, coal-bed methane, shale gas and gas-to-liquids projects. Within the last 18 months major corporate acquisitions of shale gas and coal-bed methane assets have been made by companies such as ExxonMobil, Total and Statoil. These transactions underscore an industrywide 'dash for unconventional gas' that currently shows no sign of abating.

This course will guide you through the various processes to recover natural gas, oil and petroleum fuels from a commercial perspective. Attention is focused on the economic factors required for commercial success and the potential threats posed by price volatility and competition from the conventional petroleum resources. Sensitivity to costs and prices are reviewed.

The various non-conventional resources are reviewed using Powerpoint presentations, video clips and case studies that will reinforce your understanding and knowledge.

Non-conventional Petroleum Course Objectives

• Deepen your understanding of nonconventional petroleum resources
• Recognise the opportunities and threats to commercial viability of non–conventional petroleum.
• Know the market conditions (costs, prices, markets) required to develop the resources

Day 1

The global impact of non-conventional petroleum

• The non-conventional petroleum spectrum
• Global occurrence of non-conventional petroleum resources
• Drivers for market growth
• Strategic and geopolitical factors

Non-conventional natural gas

• Categorisation- coal bed methane, shale gas, tight gas, hydrates
• Processes to recover non-conventional gas
• Subsurface reservoir description and engineering
• Technological advances
• Economics- costs, prices and margins
• Cost and price comparisons with conventional natural gas
• Environmental advantages of non-conventional gas
• Growth markets- gas for power generation

Case Study: -The Marcellus and Barnett gas shale plays, U.S.A.

Day 2

Non-Conventional Natural Gas (contd.)

Case study: The Queensland coal seam methane to LNG projects, Australia

• Future Non-conventional gas provinces- Europe, South Africa, China

Non-Conventional Oil

• Bitumen and Ultra-Heavy Oil (UHO)
• Global occurrence
• Markets
• Processes of extraction and upgrading
• Technology advances
• Synthetic crude oil, synbit and dilbit
• Costs, prices and margins
• Threats and opportunities

Case study: The Athabasca Oil Sands Project, Canada

Day 3

The synthetic petroleum fuels

• Natural gas to middle distillates (GTL); diesel, naphtha and waxes
• Coal to Liquids (CTL)
• Coal and natural gas to Dimethyl Ether (DME)
• Natural gas to gasoline
• Biofuels- bioethanol and biodiesel

Case study: The Pearl GTL Plant, Qatar

Putting it all together

• Comparison of conventional and non-conventional costs and prices
• Future trends for non-conventionals
• Impacts of global markets
• Group discussion with delegates

Course summary and close

• William J. Pyke

  Bill Pyke has over 37 years of experience in the international oil and gas business. He qualified as a petroleum geologist at Imperial College, London and gained upstream operating experience while working for North American oil companies including ARCO, Marathon and latterly Talisman Energy in the U.K.
  
  International assignments included operations in Europe (including UK and Netherlands North Sea), Africa and the Middle East. In more senior management positions he broadened his experience to include all aspects of upstream activities that also included a range of mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
  
  During his time with Talisman he was part of a successful four-man senior management team highly involved in optimising value from ageing North Sea field assets during a period of low oil prices.
  
  Since late 1998 Bill has been an independent oil and gas consultant. Assignments have included projects with a large range of clients involved in the oil industry. He is also actively involved in delivering training and development programmes to delegates actively involved with the upstream oil industry. He is a fellow of the Energy Institute, London.

  Courses run by this instructor

  • Petroleum Sales Contracts - London
  • The Euromoney Upstream Management School - Dubai

Interested in holding this course in-house? Please fill out your details and a member of our team will be in touch with more information.