Petroleum Careers Background In the United States about 65 percent of the petroleum consumed is used for transportation, including truck, bus, automobile, airplane, and ship fuel. Industrial uses account for about 25 percent. Household and commercial use accounts for about 7 percent, largely for heating. About 3 percent is used in the production of electrical
Petroleum engineers apply the principles of geology, physics, and the engineering sciences to the recovery, development, and processing of petroleum. As soon as an exploration team has located an area that could contain oil or gas, petroleum engineers begin their work, which includes determining the best location for drilling new wells, as well as the
Petroleum technicians work in a wide variety of specialties. Many kinds of drilling technicians drill for petroleum from the earth and beneath the ocean. Loggers analyze rock cuttings from drilling and measure characteristics of rock layers. Various types of production technicians “complete” wells (prepare wells for production), collect petroleum from producing wells, and control production.