Petroleum Experts Ltd., a Scotland-based engineering firm that develops optimization software for the oil and gas industries, has donated more than $2.3 million in new software to the University of Utah’s chemical engineering department for students enrolled in the Petroleum Engineering master’s program.
“We do appreciate the opportunity this donation provides for our students, who will get incredible exposure to software that is used by major oil and gas companies,” said University of Utah chemical engineering associate professor, John McLennan.
Petroleum Experts, which has U.S. offices in Houston and Lafayette, Louisiana, is providing a free license to six of its commercial software products, which include GAP, PROSPER, MBAL, PVTP, REVEAL and RESOLVE. This suite of tools allows petroleum engineers to dynamically model oil reservoirs, production and injection wells, and surface pipeline networks.
By examining where there may be pressure losses or other inefficiencies in the production of oil and gas, “this software allows you to evaluate individual components, analyze what your losses are going to be and make some rational engineering decisions that improve your economics,” McLennan said.
The recent donation is another important component of the 11-course petroleum engineering master’s program at the University of Utah, which began in the fall of 2013. The first group of students to graduate from the master’s program will finish next month.
“An advantage for students being exposed to software like this is it’s viewed favorably by future employers. Demonstrating competence in industry-standard software really helps,” McLennan said of Petroleum Experts’ software. “And when they’re doing this work they’re developing insight into the whole production operation.”