PROGRAMME

HANDBOOK
BSc Petroleum Engineering

Department of Petroleum Engineering

College of Engineering
Department Code|047
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Table of Contents
1 BACKGROUND........................................................................................................ 2
2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES................................................................................... 2
3 MODE OF DELIVERY.......................................................................................... 2
4 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS................................................................ 3
5 FIELDTRIP AND INTERNSHIP TRAINING............................................. 3
6 CAREER AND JOB PROSPECTS................................................................ 4
7 PROGRAM STRUCTURE.................................................................................. 6
7.1 Program Requirements................................................................................ 6
7.2 Core courses: ...................................................................................................... 6
7.3 Mandatory courses:........................................................................................ 7
7.4 Elective courses................................................................................................ 7
8 CURRICULUM........................................................................................................ 8
8.1 Courses for Year.............................................................................................. 1 8
8.2 Courses for Year ........................................................................................... 2 9
8.3 Courses for Year ............................................................................................ 3 1
8.4 Courses for Year............................................................................................. 4 1
8.5 Departmental Elective Courses.......................................................... 1 2
9 COURSE DESCRIPTION................................................... ............................ 1 3
10 FACULTY AND STAFF PROFILE............................................................ 2 7
11 LABORATORY FACILITIES.......................................................................... 3 1
12 COMPUTING FACILITIES........................................................................... 3 2

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

1. BACKGROUND

KNUST began discussions with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
about the possibility of establishing a program in Petroleum Engineering as far back
as 2001 in anticipation of discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Ghana. However, it
was not until in 2004/2005 that the first batch of BSc Petroleum Engineering students
was admitted. In 2008/2009, the first batch of graduates from the BSc programme
was employed by GNPC and the oil service companies. The Petroleum Engineering
curriculum seeks to qualify its graduates to serve in various capacities within the industry
such as reservoir engineering, drilling engineering, production engineering, formation
evaluation, petroleum geology, geophysics, sub-sea engineering, data analytics and
pipeline engineering and Petroleum Economics. The first year of the programme is
dedicated to fundamentals of engineering and Intoropet Engineering, while the core
petroleum engineering courses are introduced starting from the second to final year.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of the programme is to provide high level petroleum engineering manpower
for the exploitation of oil and gas deposit by providing an opportunity for intellectual
development in petroleum engineering, attainment of professional competence
and development of a sense of the social context. Specific objectives of the program
are as follows:
1. To train professional candidates capable of applying engineering principles
and practices for the safe and efficient exploration, development, production
and management of petroleum resources.
2. To train engineers who can design processes and maintain oilfield equipment
for exploitation of the earth’s petroleum resources in an environmentally safe
and efficient manner.
3. To train professionals who will be able to integrate key science and engineering
principles to address the technological challenges of the petroleum industry.
4. To be able to exercise original thought, have good professional judgment and
be able to take responsibility for the direction of important tasks.
5. To be able to manage people, fund, materials and equipment.

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

3. MODE OF DELIVERY

Learning outcomes of the program are achieved through lectures, seminars, group
assignments, laboratory works, and field trips. The department aspires to give its
students best of experiences and to expose them to knowledge that is relevant for
industrial practice.

4. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The award of a BSc. degree in Petroleum Engineering requires the following:

i. Passing all required courses
ii. Completion of a minimum of six- week engineering technology workshop
during the long vacation
iii. Achieving a minimum of 140 credit hours
iv. Achieving a minimum cumulative weighted average (CWA) of 45%
v. Achieving all other requirements of the Department, College of
Engineering and the University.
The classes of degrees are determined by the student’s CWA as follows:
• First Class (CWA 70% and above)
• Second Class Upper Division (CWA 60-69.99%)
• Second Class Lower Division (CWA 50-59.99%)
• Pass (CWA 45-49.99%)

Additional University requirements on matters such as class attendance can be

found in the KNUST Students Guide. Also, additional department requirements for
graduation are listed under Chapter 5 (Fieldtrip and Internship Training), Chapter 7
(Program Structure) and Chapter 10 (Laboratory Facilities) of this handbook.

5. FIELDTRIP AND INTERNSHIP TRAINING

The main objective of the Petroleum Engineering program is to train field-ready
graduates. The program is designed to equip students with theoretical knowledge,
skills and experience in field work and research. To achieve this objective, practical

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

components have been built into the program to enhance students experience
and exposure. Some of the internal practical components of the program include
compulsory laboratory work, hands-on project exercises and practical lecture room
demonstrations. There are two main external practical components of the program;
fieldtrips and internship training.
The fieldtrip training is designed to give students opportunity to observe and
experience real time implementation of some of the theoretical components of
the program. The fieldtrip training consists of geological fieldtrips and industrial
fieldtrips. The geological fieldtrip is designed to give students practical experience
of the geology of Ghana, especially the aspects considered relevant to oil and gas
accumulation and exploitation. Students are exposed to outcrop rocks representative
of the source rocks, reservoir rocks and caprocks of specific oil and gas fields in Ghana.
The industrial fieldtrip is designed to expose students to real-time operations of oil
and gas companies. Students are required to visit a major oil and gas company,
familiarize themselves with the operations of the company and interact with workers.
The industrial fieldtrip is embarked at the end of second year while the geological
fieldtrip is embarked on at the end of third year. Students are required to submit a
mandatory fieldtrip report at end of each fieldtrip training. In addition, students are
required to undertake at least six (6) weeks internship training in a company during
the long vacation and submit a mandatory internship report by the end of third
year. The three reports (the industrial fieldtrip report, the geological fieldtrip report,
and the internship training report) are assessed and graded at the end of the first
semester in final year. Students are required to pass the Fieldtrip and Internship
Training course in final year before they are awarded the degree.

6. CAREER AND JOB PROSPECTS

Petroleum Engineering graduates have promising career and job prospects. They
have three(3) main career options namely; either they work in the industry or
academia or Government.
If a Petroleum Engineering graduate chooses to work in industry, he/she can either
work for an operator (e.g., Tullow, Eni, Aker Energy etc.) or for a service company
(e.g., Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Expro etc.). The difference between
the service companies and operating companies is that, the latter has acquired the
operating license and all the other legal document to operate on an oil block. The

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

operating company then contract the service company to render some specific
services on their behalf, such as drilling of the wells, well completion, reservoir
evaluation etc.
Though service companies employ a huge number of Petroleum Engineering
graduates, job security here is questionable. This is because service companies need
to tender bid to secure a contract before they can employ additional hands. Hence,
if the oil price begins to dwindle on the world market, the operators might halt most
of their exploration and production activities, which is usually to the detriment of
the service companies. This will cascade into service companies laying some of their
employees off, especially the less experienced ones (e.g., recent graduates).
Therefore, with respect to job security, it is always prudent to work for an operating
company than a service company. Nonetheless, the operators also lay some of their
employees off when the need arises but this is negligible compared to that of service
companies.
Petroleum Engineering graduates are usually employed as Field engineers in service
companies, and are assigned to specific segments as follows;
Directional Drilling
During the drilling of directional wells, directional drillers become the eyes of the
drillers by providing them with azimuth and inclination measurement in real-
time, using measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools.
Mud logging
The role of the mud logger is to examine the drilling mud as it enters and exits
the well. In so doing, the mud logger could identify any potential kick if traces
of oil are detected, or it could help identify the lithology of the formation being
drilled when the drilling cuttings are examined at the surface.
Cementing group
The cement anchors the casing to the formation to ensure well stability. The
role of the Cementing Engineer is to design cement slurry that will not set too
fast or too late while maintaining a higher strength after setting. This is usually
accomplished by taking into account environmental effects, such as temperature.
Wireline
They evaluate the reservoir (formation) by sending signals (e.g. acoustic waves,
electrical signals, radioactive materials etc.) into the formation to measure a
specific formation property such as porosity, fluid type and formation lithology.
Well Completion
They provide the completion needs of the well by addressing certain key issues
such as sand production potential and how to we mitigate it if it is high? Is the

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

environment corrosive and if yes, what type of completion materials to be used

for such environment?
Well intervention
Interventions are carried out when the well experiences challenge such leakages
behind the production casing, reduced permeability resulting from scaling etc.
The role of the intervention engineer/specialist is to mitigate these challenges.
For instance, the leakages behind the production casing can be mitigated by
squeeze cementing while acidization can be used to treat the scaling challenges.

On the other hand, if the Petroleum Engineering graduate opts to work for an
operating company, he/she can be assigned the following roles;

Drilling/Well Engineer
This engineer is entrusted with all activities relating to drilling the well from the
surface/sea bed to the target zone. The drilling/well engineer is responsible for
well design, planning and executing of the drilling operations.
Completion Engineer
After a successful drilling campaign, the well needs to be prepared in readiness
for production. At this stage, tubing, gauges, valves (e.g., Christmas tree etc.)
are installed. The completion engineer’s role is to understand the reservoir
environment and design an appropriate completion string that will optimize oil
recovery. For instance, the pressure and temperature rating of the chosen valves
should be higher than that of the reservoir fluids (e.g., Christmas tree). In other
words, the valve should be able to halt further movement of reservoir fluids when
needed.
Production Engineer
The operator begins to earn money at this stage by producing the crude oil from
the reservoir to surface to be sold.
Reservoir Engineer
The role of the reservoir engineer is to understand the reservoir in order to
optimize production. The closest you can get to understand the reservoir is to
acquire rock and fluid samples to analyse. Reservoir engineering is data driven
and hence the role of the reservoir engineer is to evaluate the reservoir using the
acquired data to optimize recovery.
Natural Gas Engineer
He/she is responsible for the production, processing and transportation of the
natural gas.

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Alternative to working for industry, the Petroleum Engineering graduate may also
opt for a career in Academia, in which case he or she could become a research and
development scientist/researcher in a Petroleum research laboratory. Notable among
them are SINTEF, Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE) etc. Apart from research
institutions, the industrial partners, especially the service companies, also have their
research centres that need to utilize the skills of Petroleum Engineering graduates.
To add to the above, if a student chooses to go into academia, he/she could also
become an instructor/lecturer/Professor in any University or Technical University
after acquiring the requisite post-graduate degree, notably PhD. In some parts of
the world, one can choose to work for both industry and academia by splitting their
working hours, based on an agreed contract with management.
Similar to other programs, graduates from Petroleum Engineering can be confronted
with threats to employment, due to overproduction of human resources compared
to available slots, and/or changes in oil prices and technology, such transition from
fossil fuel to cleaner energies (e.g, solar, wind etc). Nonetheless, what may make
the difference between employability or otherwise is the ability of the graduate
to develop skills that are marketable, not to mention the invaluable asset of being
resourceful.
With Government they have Options like Ministry of Energy and Petroleum
Commision.

7. PROGRAM STRUCTURE

7.1 Program Requirements

Program is designed to be completed in 4 academic years, with the possibility
of extension for two grace year periods. During the program, students will satisfy
a combination of 44 core courses, 16 mandatory courses and four electives as
outlined subsequently. The typical workload is a minimum of 15 hour per week, and
a maximum of 21 hours per week. Students will also undertake 6 weeks industrial
attachment during the long vacation after second year, and field trips are arranged
for second, third and final years.

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

7.2 Core courses:

Year 1 Semester 1
PE 151 (Inorganic Chemistry for Engineers); PE 153 (Organic Chemistry for Engineers);
PE 155 (Introduction to Information Technology)
Year 1 Semester 2
ME 162 (Basic Mechanics); PE 154 (Introduction to Petroleum Engineering); PE 156
(Physical Chemistry for Engineers)

Year 2 Semester 1
ME 255 (Strength of Materials for Petroleum Engineers); PE 251 (Basic Reservoir
Engineering); PE 253 (Introduction to Geology); PE 255 (Fluid Mechanics); PE 257
(Petroleum Engineering Thermodynamics I)

Year 2 Semester 2
PE 252 (Heat Transfer Processes); PE 254 (Drawing for Engineers); PE 256 (Regional
Geology); PE 258 (Petroleum Engineering Thermodynamics II); PE 260 (Reservoir
Fluid Properties); PE 262 (Computer Programming in Oil and Gas)

Year 3 Semester 1
PE 351 (Petroleum Rock Mechanics); PE 353 (Drilling Engineering I); PE 355 (Petroleum
Engineering Lab I); PE 357 (Petroleum Production Engineering I); PE 359 (Reservoir
Petrophysics); PE 361 (Reservoir Engineering II); PE 363 (Formation Evaluation)

Year 3 Semester 2
PE 350 (Numerical Methods for Petroleum Engineers); PE 352 (Petroleum Geology);
PE 354 (Drilling Engineering II); PE 356 (Petroleum Engineering Lab II); PE 358
(Production Engineering II); PE 360 (Well Testing); PE 362 (Geostatistics); PE 364 (Oil
and Gas Geophysics); PE 366 (Health, Safety & Environment)

Year 4 Semester 1
PE 451 (Petroleum Economics); PE 453 (Design Project I); PE 455 (Reservoir
Simulation); PE 457 (Integrated Field Design); PE 459 (Natural Gas Engineering I)

Year 4 Semester 2
PE 450 (Reservoir Recovery Techniques); PE 452 (Petroleum Project Evaluation); PE
454 (Design Project II); PE 456 (Well Completion and Stimulation); PE 458 (Oilfield

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Geochemistry); PE 460 (Entrepreneurship and Leadership)

7.3 Mandatory courses:

Year 1 Semester 1
CHEM 169 (Practical Chemistry I); EE 151 (Applied Electricity); ENG 157 (Communication
Skills I; MATH 151 (Algebra); ME 159 (Technical Drawing)

Year 1 Semester 2
EE 152 (Basic Electronics); ENGL 158 (Communication Skills II); MATH 152 (Calculus
with Analysis); PHY 170 (General Physics)

Year 2 Semester 1
CENG 291 (Engineering in Society); MATH 251 (Differential Equations); PE 259 (Survival
Swimming Techniques)
Year 2 Semester 2
MATH 252 (Calculus of Several Variables); PE 264 (Principles of Land Surveying and
Hydrographic Science);

Year 3 Semester 1
PE 367 (Statistics for Petroleum Engineers)

7.4 Elective courses

Year 4 Semester 1
PCE 461 (Fuels and Combustion Technology); PE 461 (Corrosion Engineering); PE
463 (Environmental Technology and Management); PE 465 (Instrumentation and
Control); PE 467 (Natural Gas Engineering II); PE 469 (Introduction to CAD-CAM); PE
473 (Safety and Reliability Engineering); PE 475 (Offshore Structures)

Year 4 Semester 2
PE 462 (Materials Aspect of Oil and Gas Industry); PE 464 (Refining Process
Technology); PE 466 (Fundamentals of Petroleum Law); PE 468 (Petroleum Business:
Structures, Logistics); PE 470 (Risk Management and Environment); PE 472 (CAD-
CAM); PE 476 (Energy and Climate Change)

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

8. CURRICULUM

8.1 Courses for Year 1

1st Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

CHEM 169 Practical Chemistry I 0 6 3

EE 151 Applied Electricity 3 0 3
ENGL 157 Communication Skills 1 2 0 2
MATH 151 Algebra 4 0 4
ME 159 Technical Drawing 2 0 2
PE 151 Inorganic Chemistry for 2 0 2
Engineers
PE 153 Organic Chemistry for Engineers 2 0 2
PE 155 Introduction to Information 1 2 2
Technology
Total 16 8 20

2nd Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

EE 152 Basic Electronics 2 0 2

ENGL 158 Communication Skills II 2 0 2
MATH 152 Calculus with Analysis 4 0 4
ME 162 Basic Mechanics 3 0 3
PE 154 Introduction to Petroleum 2 0 2
Engineering
PE 156 Physical Chemistry for Engineers 2 0 2
PHY 170 General Physics 3 0 3
Total 18 0 18

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

8.2 Courses for Year 2

1st Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

CENG 291 Engineering in Society 2 4 2

MATH 251 Differential Equations 4 0 4
ME 255 Strength of Materials I 2 0 2
PE 251 Reservoir Engineering I 3 0 3
PE 253 Introduction to Geology 2 0 2
PE 255 Fluid Mechanics 2 0 2
PE 257 Petroleum Engineering 2 0 2
Thermodynamics I
PE 259 Survival Swimming Techniques 0 4 2
Total 17 8 19

2nd Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

MATH 252 Calculus with Several Variables 4 0 4

PE 252 Heat Transfer Processes 2 0 2
PE 254 Drawing for Engineers 1 2 2
PE 256 Regional Geology 2 1 2
PE 258 Petroleum Engineering 2 0 2
Thermodynamics II
PE 260 Reservoir Fluid Properties 2 1 2
PE 262 Computer Programming in Oil 2 2 2
and Gas
PE 264 Principles of Land Surveying and 2 3 2
Hydrographic Science
Total 17 9 18

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

8.3 Courses for Year 3

1st Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 351 Petroleum Rock Mechanics 2 1 2

PE 353 Drilling Engineering I 3 1 3
PE 355 Petroleum Engineering 0 6 2
Laboratory I
PE 357 Petroleum Production 3 1 3
Engineering I
PE 359 Reservoir Petrophysics 2 1 2
PE 361 Reservoir Engineering II 3 1 3
PE 363 Formation Evaluation 3 1 3
PE 367 Statistics for Petroleum 2 0 2
Engineers
Total 18 12 20

2nd Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 350 Numerical Methods for 2 1 2

Petroleum Engineers
PE 352 Petroleum Geology 3 1 3
PE 354 Drilling Engineering II 2 1 2
PE 356 Petroleum Engineering Lab II 0 6 2
PE 358 Petroleum Production 2 0 2
Engineering II
PE 360 Well Testing 2 1 2
PE 362 Geostatistics 2 1 2
PE 364 Oil and Gas Geophysics 2 1 2
PE 366 Health Safety & Environment 2 0 2
Total 17 12 19

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

8.4 Courses for Year 4

1st Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 451 Petroleum Economics 3 0 3

PE 453 Design Project I 0 3 2
PE 455 Reservoir Simulation 2 3 3
PE 457 Integrated Field Design 0 6 2
PE 459 Natural Gas Engineering I 2 1 2
PE 471 Field Trip and Industrial 0 4 2
Attachment
PE xxx Elective IA (Ref. to Elective I 2 0 2
courses below)
PE xxx Elective IB (Ref. to Elective I 2 0 2
courses below)
Total 11 17 18

2nd Semester Courses

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 450 Reservoir Recovery Techniques 2 1 2

PE 452 Petroleum Project Evaluation 3 0 3
PE 454 Design Project II 0 6 3
PE 456 Well Completion and Stimulation 2 0 2
PE 458 Oilfield Geochemistry 2 0 2
PE 460 Entrepreneurship and 2 0 2
Leadership
PE xxx Elective IIA (Ref. to Elective II 2 0 2
courses below)
PE xxx Elective IIB (Ref. to Elective II 2 0 2
courses below)
Total 15 7 18

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

8.5 Departmental Elective Courses

4th Year 1st Semester Electives: Option IA (Select One only)

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PCE 461 Fuels and Combustion 2 0 2

Technology
PE 461 Corrosion Engineering 2 0 2
PE 463 Environmental Technology & 2 0 2
Management
PE 473 Safety and Reliability 2 0 2
Engineering

4th Year 1st Semester Electives: Option IB (Select One only)

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 465 Instrumentation and Control 2 0 2

PE 467 Natural Gas Engineering II 2 0 2
PE 469 Introduction to CAD-CAM 2 1 2
PE 475 Offshore Structures 2 0 2

4th Year 2nd Semester Electives: Option IIA (Select One only)

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 462 Materials Aspect of Oil and Gas 2 0 2

Industry
PE 464 Refining Process Technology 2 0 2
PE 466 Fundamentals of Petroleum Law 2 0 2
PE 476 Energy and Climate Change 2 0 2

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

4th Year 2nd Semester Electives: Option IIB (Select One only)

Course Code Course Title Theory Practical Credits

PE 468 Petroleum Business: Structures, 2 0 2

Logistics
PE 470 Risk Management and 2 0 2
Environment
PE 472 CAD-CAM 2 1 2
PE 474 Pipeline Engineering 2 0 2

9. COURSE DESCRIPTION

CHEM 169: Practical Chemistry I, 3 Credits

Experiments in organic, inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry. (Year 1, Sem. 1)

EE 151: Applied Electricity, 2 Credits

Network theorems. Alternating voltage and current. A.C. circuits. Magnetic circuits.
(Year 1, Sem. 1)

ENGL 157: Communication Skills I, 2 Credits

English grammar: tense, concord, punctuation, etc. Error analysis: identification,
analysis and correct grammatical errors. Taxonomy of reading and conversation skills,
pragmatics and meaning and educated Ghanaian English. Acquisition of practical
knowledge of salient aspects of the eight parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective,
preposition, interjection, conjunction, adverbs and pronoun. (Year 1, Sem. 1)

MATH 151: Algebra, 4 Credits

Complex numbers. Vector algebra and its applications. Differentiation: Rolle’s
theorem, mean value theorems, Taylor’s theorem. Repeated differentiation.
Parametric differentiation, with application to plane curves. Indeterminate forms.
Series: convergence of series. Power series. Taylor and Maclaurin series. Numerical
differentiation. (Year 1, Sem. 1)

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

ME 159: Technical Drawing, 2 Credits

Geometrical construction, orthographic projection and other projections; descriptive
geometry; intersections and development. (Year 1, Sem. 1)

PE 151: Inorganic Chemistry for Engineers, 2 Credits

Atomic structure, Qualitative wave mechanics. Periodic Table and Periodicity,
Reactivity Parameters. Chemical bonding - Ionic bond, Covalent bond, Dative
(coordinate) bond. Valence bond theory, Resonance, Multiple bonds, shapes of
molecules, Hybridization of non-transition elements. Forces within molecules, Bond
strength, Bond energy, Polarity, Continuity of bonds. Crystal structure. Chemistry of
groups I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, and III elements. Transition metals: Characteristic general
properties. (Year 1, Sem. 1)

PE 153: Organic Chemistry for Engineers, 2 Credits

Molecular composition and structure of organic compounds: determination and
calculation of empirical and molecular formulae, pictorial treatment of hybridization.
Organic Reactions: Bond formation and fission, classification of reagents and reactions,
reaction intermediates: Carbocations, free radicals, carbanions. Hydrocarbons:
(aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic), structure and nomenclature. Homologous series,
and gradation of properties, preparation, reactions. (Year 1, Sem. 1)

PE 155: Introduction to Information Technology, 2 Credits

The nature of computing and computers. Components of a PC and their functions.
Storage and retrieval of information. Introduction to MS-Office. Editors, compilers
and linkers. FORTRAN programming. ASPEN HYSYS, Process Simulation Models.
(Year 1, Sem. 1)

EE 152: Basic Electronics, 2 Credits

Nature of atom; The vacuum valves (diode, triode, tetrode, pentode); Basic concepts
of semiconductors charge carriers; Effective mass; Mobility; Conductivity; Life time
and recombination; Continuity equations; Flow equations; Hall effects PN junctions;
Choke; Rectification and Filtration; Bipolar transistors: Characteristics, CB, CC, CE
configurations; The transistor as a switching device (ac-dc load lines); Small signal
amplifier. (Year 1, Sem. 2)

ENGL 158: Communication Skills II, 2 Credits

Communication process, skills in communication, channels of communication in
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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

an organization, preparation of official documents such as letters, memos, reports,

minutes and proposals. Oral presentation skills. Formal speech making. Conducting
interviews and meetings. (Year 1, Sem. 2)

MATH 152: Calculus with Analysis 4 Credits

Introduction to matrix algebra systems of linear equations. Integration - techniques
of integration, including integration by parts, reduction formulae, advanced methods
of substitution. Improper integrals. Application of integration. Functions of several
variables. Partial differentiation and total derivatives. Numerical integration. (Year
1, Sem. 2)

ME 162: Basic Mechanics, 3 Credits

Introductory concepts of engineering mechanics involving basic principles in statics
and dynamics with simple applications; simple machines and conservation laws.
(Year 1, Sem. 2)

PE 154: Introduction to Petroleum Engineering, 2 Credits

Overview of petroleum industry and petroleum engineering including nature of
oil and gas reservoirs, petroleum exploration and drilling, formation evaluation,
completion and production, surface facilities, reservoir mechanics, and improved
oil recovery. Introduction to petroleum engineering reservoir, drilling, formation
evaluation, and production systems, including fundamental petroleum engineering
concepts, quantities and unit systems. General composition and properties of oil
and gas. Petroleum source and cap rocks as well as the physical properties of oil
and gas bearing rocks. Basic principles and characteristics of petroleum reservoirs
Fundamentals of oil gas well drilling. Principles of oil field development. Fundamentals
of production methods and equipment. Fundamentals of transportation and
gathering of and gas. (Year 1, Sem. 2)

PE 156: Physical Chemistry for Engineers, 2 Credits

Thermodynamics: The First law, Heat Engines, Heat Capacity, Enthalpy and
Thermochemistry. Chemical Kinetics: Elementary chemical kinetics, Basic rate
laws, Effect of temperature and the Arrhenius Equation. Equilibrium I: Description
of chemical equilibria, Equilibrium constant calculations, Predicting direction of
equilibria, Heterogeneous equilibria. Response of equilibria to conditions: Pressure,
Temperature and added reagents. Acids, bases, and salts. Definitions of strong
and weak acids and bases, pH, Salts as acids and bases, Titration curves, Solubility
equilibria, Ksp. Thermodynamics II: Second and Third Laws. Entropy and Free Energy
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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

of Chemical Reactions. (Year 1, Sem. 2)

PHY 170: General Physics, 3 Credits

Liquids: Diffusion, Viscosity, Surface Tension. Review of Kinetic theory of gases and
Applications. Principle of equipartition of energy. Molecular Collision. (Year 1, Sem. 2)

CENG 291: Engineering in Society, 2 Credits

The overall aim of the course is to inculcate in students an appreciation of the fact
that the purpose of engineering is to solve societal problems. This course is aimed
at encouraging students early in their programmes of study to draw a link between
their chosen field of engineering and the application of this field to the issues that
confront the day-to-date lives of people. The course will consist of presentations
during the first year second semester and a project work during the long vacation
after the first year that will be assessed when students return from vacation. For
the project work students will identify a development challenge within a selected
community and indicate how they will use their chosen field of engineering to
address the challenge. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

MATH 251: Differential Equations, 4 Credits

Ordinary differential equations. First order differential equations. Second order
linear differential equations. Systems of linear equations with constant coefficients.
Laplace Transforms. Differentiation under integral sign. Multiple integrals; line,
surface and volume integrals. Triple scalar and vector products, differentiation of
vectors. Vector fields. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

ME 255: Strength of Materials for Petroleum Engineering, 2 Credits

Moments of Higher Order: Theory and application; Application of Theory of
moments; Moment-operational method: Theory and application; Rigidity of non-
uniform beams; Multiplan Non-uniform Beams; on elastic foundation; Beams under
combined flexure and compression; Application of Moment-Operational Method to
certain complex problems. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

PE 251: Reservoir Engineering I, 3 Credits

Introduction to reservoir engineering, determination of reserves, gas reservoir;
Calculation of hydrocarbons in place by volumetric method, calculation of unit recovery
from volumetric gas reservoirs, calculation of unit recovery from gas reservoirs under
water drive. reservoir pressures and temperatures, reservoir fluids composition,
phase behaviour of hydrocarbon systems, behaviour of gases properties of reservoir
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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

liquids, fundamental properties of reservoir rocks, rock properties measurement,

permeability-its variations, drive mechanisms. Material balances in gas reservoirs,
use of material balances with retrograde condensate reservoir, calculation of oil in
place by volumetric method and estimation of oil reservoir, rock compressibility
water influx independent of material balance. Simultaneous calculation of initial
oil in place and water influx, displacement of oil by gas, permeability, gravitational
segregation and internal gas drive. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

PE 253: Introduction to Geology, 2 Credits

Internal structure of the earth. Rock types (igneous, sedimentary & metamorphic rocks)
and rock cycle. Mineralogy. Plate tectonics, earthquakes, surface geomorphology,
Origin and Evolution of the Ocean Floor Fossils, geological time scale, radiometric
methods of age determination. Weathering, transport and deposition of siliciclastic
sediment. Sedimentary textures. Primary (sedimentary and igneous) structures.
Introduction to secondary structures – foliation, folds, faults, joints, veins, lineations.
Sedimentary environments: continental environments, siliciclastic marine
environments, marginal-marine environments. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

PE 255: Fluid Mechanics, 2 Credits

Concepts and fundamental principles, fluid behavior, assumptions made in fluid
principles development, static and flowing fluids, practical engineering situations,
analysis and design of engineering systems. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

PE 257: Petroleum Engineering Thermodynamics I, 2 Credits

First law of thermodynamics; basic concepts: reversibility, equilibrium. Volumetric
properties of pure fluids. Second law of thermodynamics. Entropy. Thermodynamic
properties of fluids. Thermodynamics of flow processes and applications to fluid
transporting equipment. Conversion of heat into work by power cycles. Refrigeration
and liquefaction. (Year 2, Sem 1)

PE 259: Survival Swimming Techniques, 2 Credits

Sculling, treading water, Floating, Safe entry and exit from the water, Clothed
swimming survival techniques, use of devices to assist rescue, and Basic swimming
skills. (Year 2, Sem. 1)

MATH 252: Calculus of Several Variables, 4 Credits

Ordinary differential equations. First order differential equations. Second order
linear differential equations. Systems of linear equations with constant coefficients.
19
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Laplace Transforms. Differentiation under integral sign. Multiple integrals; line,

surface and volume integrals. Triple scalar and vector products, differentiation of
vectors. Vector fields. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 252: Heat Transfer Processes, 2 Credits

Modes of heat transfer-conduction, convection and radiation. Thermal conductivity.
Steady and unsteady state heat conduction. Convective heat transfer coefficients.
Heat transfer with laminar and turbulent flows. Design of heat exchange equipment:
double-pipe, shell-and-tube heat exchangers. Condensers, reboiler. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 254: Drawing for Engineers, 2 Credits

Geometric construction. Sectioning and dimensioning, limits and fits. Chemical
process symbols, valves and flow sheeting. AutoCAD and current practices in
engineering drawing. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 256: Regional Geology, 2 Credits

Advanced treatment of the geology of West Africa, including stratigraphic succession
of rocks in Ghana and the West African transform margin as well as major orogenic
belts. Evolution of selected geological provinces in West Africa (i.e., genesis, petrology,
tectonics, geochemistry, etc.). Treatment of individual systems/series/formations
and their associated economic deposits in Ghana. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 258: Petroleum Engineering Thermodynamics II, 2 Credits

Thermodynamic properties of fluid mixtures. Systems of variable compositions
(ideal and non-ideal). Phase equilibria. Solution thermodynamics. Chemical reaction
equilibria. Thermodynamic analysis of real processes. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 260: Reservoir Fluid Properties, 2 Credits

Components of petroleum fluids, Introduction to phase behavior, Thermodynamic
behaviour of naturally occurring hydrocarbon mixtures; Phase behaviour of the five
reservoir fluids -dry gas, wet gas, retrograde condensates, volatile oils and black
oils. Evaluation and correlation of physical properties of petroleum reservoir fluids
including laboratory and empirical methods. Vapor-liquid equilibria. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 262: Computer Programming in Oil and Gas, 2 Credits

Introduction to algorithm development and general programming concepts.
Introduction to computer programming languages: MATLAB, Visual Basic for
Application (VBA) and Python. Using the programming concepts to solve relevant
20
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Petroleum Engineering problems. Data Analytics. (Year 2, Sem. 2)

PE 264: Principles of Land Surveying and Hydrographic Science, 2 Credits

Introduction to Surveying: Objective of surveying and its importance, Classification,
principles of surveying, Application of Surveying in various fields of Engineering.
Linear measurements: Angular measurements, Theodolite: Total Station, leveling
instruments, Plane Table Surveying: Contouring, Global Positioning System (GPS):
Theory, principles and applications GIS: Introduction to GIS, Its application in mapping.
Introduction to hydrography: Introduction: definition, importance, geomatics
aspects, trends and prospects, role in offshore management. Depth determination:
Descriptive and theoretical introduction to physical oceanography, focusing on the
coastal zone and the continental shelf. Components of physical oceanography that
affect the accuracy and operational conduct of hydrographic surveying. Detailed
studies of the controls on sound speed structure (seawater properties, propagation
and refraction). Introductory studies of the controls on surface water level (Tides
and water levels: formation of tides, type of tides, lunar phrase effects, waves and
swell, vertical reference surfaces). Discrete and continuous tidal zoning, including
an introduction to coastal hydrodynamic models. Soundings: purposes, spacing
and reduction of soundings. Positioning: electronic and satellite. Chart Preparation/
Bathymetry and Traversing. Year 1, Sem. 1

PE 351: Petroleum Rock Mechanics, 2 Credits

Introduction of basic rock mechanics concepts (Stress-strain governing equations
for elastic and poroelastic rocks. In situ stress equations accounting for anisotropy).
Rock physical and mechanical properties and rock failure criteria (anisotropy, stress-
dependent behaviors, and fluid impacts on rock properties. Empirical equations
and new correlations for obtaining. Laboratory test methods and rock failure
criteria that reveal rock failure mechanisms). Measurements and interpretations of
horizontal stresses (Integrated methods for calculating overburden stress and the
minimum and maximum horizontal stresses in different faulting stress regimes).
Pore pressure generation mechanisms and overpressure behaviors (Pore pressure
predictions in hydraulically connected formations. Methods and procedures of real-
time pore pressure detection). Fracture gradient prediction methods in sedimentary
rocks. Borehole failure types, wellbore stresses, and wellbore stability (Elastic and
poroelastic solutions for determining the required mud weight for borehole stability).
{Year 3, Sem. 1}

21
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

PE 353: Drilling Engineering I, 3 Credits

Overview of drilling operations, drilling personnel, rotary drilling equipment, the
drilling process, offshore drilling, drilling economics, rig components; Drill pipe;
drill string design, drill pipe selection. Drill bits; formation pressures; overburden
pressures, origin of abnormal pressures drilling problems associated with abnormal
formation pressures, transition zone, prediction and detection of abnormal pressures,
formation fracture gradient. Drilling rig selection. Maintenance and safety measures.
Drilling rig operation experience using the Derrick Floor Simulator. Basic Functions
and requirements of drilling fluids rheological and wall building properties of drilling
fluids. Materials and chemicals for preparation of drilling fluids. Testing of drilling
fluids. Types of drilling fluids. Mud control. Handling and storage of mud materials
and chemicals. Measurement of physical and chemical properties of drilling fluids in
the laboratory. {Year 3, Sem. 1}

PE 355: Petroleum Engineering Lab, 2 Credits

Core and fluids lab - Laboratory studies to identify the various minerals and rock
types based on their physical and optical properties; experiments conducted to
determine porosity, gas and liquid absolute and relative permeability, fluid saturations,
hydrocarbon gravities & viscosities of fluids. Laboratory reports are required. {Year 3,
Sem. 1}

PE 357: Petroleum Production Engineering I, 3Credits

Familiarization of petroleum production facilities, Review of casing design
concepts. Well completions: various completion designs, reservoir and mechanical
considerations. Perforations, production packers, tubing strings, liners, subsurface
completions, production control equipment and completion fluids. Wellhead and
subsurface components installation. Surface production facilities. Piping systems,
valves, chokes, fittings, separators, stock tanks, gathering systems and individual
well flow rate allocation. Fluid Separators: separator components, types and factors
influencing separator capacity. Introduction to Production system analysis and
design for single/multiphase fluid flow performance relationship. Tubing and flow
line behaviour: Tubing size, maximum possible flow rate and flow line size. Sand
control procedures. Fluid transport and gathering. {Year 3, Sem. 1}

PE 359: Reservoir Petrophysics, 2 Credits

Properties of rocks and fluids that affect the distribution and movement of fluids such
as oil, gas, water, or contaminants in porous media including porosity, permeability,
capillary pressure, surface and interfacial tension, wettability, and viscosity; basic
22
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

formation evaluation methods used to analyze oil and gas bearing rock formations
and ground-water systems; various forms of Darcy’s Law. {Year 3, Sem. 1}

PE 361: Reservoir Engineering II, 3 Credits

Fluid flow in porous media (Darcy’s Law and Applications), Concepts of permeability
heterogeneity, Relative permeability, Capillary pressure, Wettability, Material Balance
Equations for Different Types of Reservoirs and Drives, Aquifer Behaviour and Water
Influx (Van Everdingen-Hurst and Fetkovich methods) Coning and Cusping, Decline
Curve Analysis, Reservoir and wellbore deliverability. {Year 3, Sem. 1}

PE 363: Formation Evaluation, 3 Credits

Foundational concepts. Reservoir petrophysics (lithology, porosity, resistivity,
saturation) and fluid properties. Environment of measurement (borehole, invasion
profile) and related parameters. Fundamental equations (Archie formula) for log
interpretation in clean formations. Mud logging, measurements during drilling, coring
and wireline logging techniques. Applications. Well logs examples. Introduction to
modern well logging methods, engineering and core-log integration. techniques
for subsurface evaluation of oil and gas reservoirs emphasizing quantitative
interpretation of electric, sonic, and nuclear logs by overlay, cross-plot, and digital
evaluation methods; multiple tool logging programs that provide comprehensive
description of reservoir content and productivity. Log measurements and tools,
interpretation of porosity, lithology and porosity in complex formations, saturation
determination, interpretation charts. {Year 3, Sem. 1}

PE 367: Statistics for Petroleum Engineers, 2 Credits

Types of data; Error analysis; Graphical displays of data and descriptive statistics;
Probability: Variables, Distributions, and Central limit theorem. Statistics: Random
variables, Common statistics and inferences- Confidence intervals and hypothesis
tests. Statistics process control- quality control charts, Role of type I and II errors and
assessing process performance. Correlation and Regression: Simple and Multiple
linear regression; Maximum likelihood estimator. {Year 3, Sem. 1}

PE 350: Numerical Methods for Petroleum Engineers, 2 Credits

Use of numerical methods in a variety of petroleum engineering problems; numerical
differentiation and integration; root finding; numerical solution of differential
equations; curve fitting and interpolation; computer applications; introduction to the
principles of numerical simulation methods. Green’s functions, statistical methods,
and nonlinear optimization techniques to petroleum engineering. {Year 3, Sem. 2}
23
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

PE 352: Petroleum Geology, 3 Credits

Petroleum generation, including maturation migration, entrapment and degradation
processes; Petroleum systems play; sedimentology of petroleum-bearing sequences
(formation of source rocks and reservoir rocks); features of sedimentary rocks, with
special reference to reservoir materials; primary and secondary porosity; introduction
to clay minerals; structural and stratigraphic traps including diapirs and fractured rock
reservoirs; Basin analysis; coal-bed methane, oil shale and other non-conventional
petroleum sources;; exploration and evaluation of petroleum deposits, including an
introduction to geophysical techniques. {Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 354: Drilling Engineering II, 2 Credits

Well control; primary control, warning signs of kicks, secondary control well killing
procedures, BOP equipment, BOP stack arrangements. Casing; introduction,
component parts of a casing string, properties of casing. API specifications, standards
and bulletins, wellheads and casing hangers. Rig-site operations, casing design. Oil
well cementing. Drilling Hydraulics. Directional Drilling, MWD, Directional Surveying.
{Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 356: Petroleum Engineering Lab II, 2 Credits

Drilling fluid and cementing lab - Drilling fluids and cement: functions, types,
properties, testing and controls; mud characteristics: lime muds and polymer muds,
determination and measurement; clay hydration; effects of various additives on
mud properties; filtration, thinning agents, rheological models, and liquid and solid
determination. Cementing setting time, compressive strength. {Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 358: Petroleum Production Engineering II, 2 Credits

This course will address details of reservoir inflow performance, well flowing
performance, design of artificial lift systems, and analysis and optimization of total
petroleum production systems using conventional and nodal analysis. Theoretical
and laboratory prediction of flowrates and pressure drops through conventional
petroleum production networks; calculation of static and flowing bottom-hole
pressures in oil and gas wells; well deliverability via inflow (IPR)/outflow (VLP) methods;
gas lift; pump lift; gas compression. Flow assurance issues, wax, asphaltenes, hydrates,
and mitigation. {Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 360: Well Testing, 2 Credits

Well test objectives and concepts; fluid flow equation and fundamental solution;
24
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

classical methods: drawdown and buildup analyses, bounded reservoirs; gas well
testing; type curves and derivatives; complex systems: multi-layer, dual-porosity,
hydraulic fractures; interference and pulse testing; drill-stem testing; test design,
equipment and operations. {Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 362: Geostatistics, 2 Credits

Introduction to Geostatistics; basic statistics concepts; assessment of data accuracy
and validity; univariate distributions and estimators; measures of heterogeneity;
hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression; analysis of spatial relationships,
simple spatial prediction methods, variography, ordinary kriging, co-kriging, kriging
with external drift, disjunctive kriging, indicator kriging, and conditional simulation,
modeling geological media, and use of statistics in reservoir modeling. {Year 3, Sem.
2}

PE 364: Oil and Gas Geophysics, 2 Credits

The basics of petroleum and natural gas geology. Principles and applications
of gravity, magnetic, seismic refraction and seismic reflection methods; Nature
and properties of seismic waves; Acquisition of seismic data in land and marine
environments. Fundamentals of signal processing; Processing of seismic reflection
data. Geophysical data collection, data processing and interpretation methods;
Interpretation of seismic results; three dimensional and four-dimensional (time
lapse) seismic methods; Inversion of seismic traces; Amplitude variation with
offset (AVO); Vertical seismic profiling (VSP). Integration of geology and geophysics
in petroleum exploration and development programs. Geophysical exploration
methods of petroleum and natural gas. Physical properties of rocks bearing oil and
natural gas; Reservoir development and production monitoring by means of time
dependent geophysical techniques. {Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 366: Health, Safety & Environment, 2 Credits

Health Hazards in Petroleum Production Refining and Utilization: Toxicity,
Physiological, Asphyxiation, respiratory and skin effect of Petroleum Hydrocarbons
(including mixtures), sour gases (e.g., Hydrogen Sulphide and carbon monoxide etc.)
with their thresh-hold limits. Effect of corrosive atmosphere and additives during
acidizing, sand control and fracturing jobs etc. Safety System: Hazard’s analysis,
developing a safe process, failure mode analysis, safety analysis (API-14C) safety
analysis function evaluation chart (synergic approach). Manual & automatic shutdown
system, blow down systems. Gas detection system Fire detection and suppression
systems. Personal protection systems & measures. HSE Policies, standards &
25
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

specifications. Disaster & crisis management. Environment: Environment concepts,

impact on eco-system, air, water and soil. The impact of drilling & production
operations on environment, Environmental transport of petroleum wastes. Offshore
environmental studies, offshore oil spill and oil spill control. Oil mines regulations
and other environmental legislations. Environmental impact assessment. Waste
treatment methods, waste disposal method, remediation of contaminated sites. Air
& noise pollution. {Year 3, Sem. 2}

PE 451: Petroleum Economics, 3 Credits

Economic appraisal methods for oil field developmental project evaluations
including risk analysis, probability, and statistics in decision making and evaluations.
Case studies. Designed to present an advanced knowledge of economic analysis of
petroleum production leading towards increasing cost efficiency in the petroleum
and related industries. The course content includes cash flow basics, including
revenue and expenditures. before tax and after-tax cash flows. revenue, including
production volume, scheduling, and decline. Product prices, net profitability, and
economic limits Expenditures, including capital and operating expenses, Royalty
and cooperate taxes. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 453: Design Project I, 2 Credits

Experimental and/or theoretical approaches with possible application of computer
techniques to integrate various components of the curriculum in a comprehensive
engineering design experience. Project/problem identification. Information/ data
gathering for the project. Experimental analysis including computer applications
using relevant software. A written report is required. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 455: Reservoir Simulation, 3 Credits

Basic theory and practices in reservoir simulation. Formulation of equations
governing single phase and multi-phase flow in porous media. Introduction to finite
difference methods and solution techniques. Solutions of systems of linear equations.
Applications using a black oil simulator, such as Eclipse from Schlumberger for
production forecasting and history matching. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 457: Integrated Field Design, 2 Credits

Determination of reserves; volumetric and material balance methods; aquifer
models; fractional flow and frontal advance; displacement, pattern, and vertical
sweep efficiencies in waterfloods and optimal well placement; enhanced oil recovery
processes; design of optimal recovery processes. Economic analysis. {Year 4, Sem. 1}
26
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

PE 459: Natural Gas Engineering, 2 Credits

Introduction, Gas Production, Upstream, Reservoir - Well Completion, Properties
of Natural Gas: Phase Behavior, etc. Properties of Natural Gas: Formation Volume
Factor, etc., Gas Reservoir Deliverability, Wellbore Performance, Choke Performance.
Well inflow performance relationship (IPR), Skin factor, Productivity Index, Wellbore
Performance: TPR Curve, Single Phase & Multi Phase flow, Choke Performance:
CPR Curve, Sonic and Subsonic Flow. Well Deliverability: Nodal Analysis. Natural
Gas Production: Downstream, Surface Facilities, Principle of Separator, Design of
Separator: Vertical, Horizontal; Two Phase Separation, Three Phase Separation.
Dehydration of Natural Gas, Design of Dehydration, Sweeting Processes. Compressor
design and energy calculation, Transportation and Measurement, Pipeline Design.
Flow through pipeline, issues and solutions, Unconventional Production of Natural
Gas: Shale Gas, Gas Hydrates, Coal bed Methane. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 461: Corrosion Engineering, 2 Credits

Technology and evaluation of corrosion (including cost of corrosion, definition,
environments, effects and classification). Electrochemical nature of aqueous
corrosion; forms of corrosion. Electrochemical thermodynamics and electrode
potential (electrode potential, experimental measurements and Pourbaix
diagrams). Corrosion rate measurements (mass laws and electrochemical methods).
Electrochemical kinetics of corrosion. Faraday’s law. Polarization method. Mixed
potential theory. Experimental Polarization curves (Potentiodynamic curves and
cyclic polarization curves). Oxidation of materials (high temperature corrosion),
Corrosion related failure analysis. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 463: Environmental Technology & Management, 2 Credits

Technology: International legal developments in environmental protection:
implications for the oil industry, Environmental control technology in petroleum
drilling and production, Drilling and production discharges in the marine environment,
decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations, a case study of applications or
investigation of special environmental problems associated with mining of oil, gas
and transportation. West African Gas Pipeline Project Design and environmental
problems associated with transportation and distribution. Management: Overview
of environmental issues affecting the world. Environmental regulations in the
upstream oil and gas industries. Development of an environmental programme for
construction and operation activities. Remediation and reclamation processes. Oil
and gas waste management. {Year 4, Sem. 1}
27
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

PE 465: Instrumentation and Control, 2 Credits

An overview of sensors for measuring temperature and other process variables. Use
of Laplace transforms. Mathematical modeling of simple lumped parameter systems
and their Laplace transforms. Response of First & Second order systems. Study of
a typical feedback control loop, open and closed loop response to simple inputs.
Stability of a system, frequency response methods, various stability criteria. Tuning of
PID controllers, criteria, methodologies. Process control basics with an emphasis on
control loops, types, and configurations for common oil and gas process equipment
such as separators, pumps, distillation towers, filters, contactors, compressors, heat
exchangers, and fired heaters. Case study of sensor application for multiphase flow
meters. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 467: Natural Gas Engineering II, 2 Credits

Properties of natural gases, Natural gas transmission, design of gathering systems
hydrate formation, Gas flow measurement. Field treating and processing of natural
gas, Compressor horsepower requirement. Gas pipeline monitoring methods. {Year
4, Sem. 1}

PE 469: Introduction to CAD-CAM, 2 Credits

Engineering product specification, Engineering drawing and orthographic
projection, Part modelling, Solid and feature based design, Geometric tolerancing,
Geometric modelling. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 471: Field Trip and Industrial Attachment, 2 Credits

Six weeks internship with an identified company or institution. Students are attached
to mall, medium and large industries in Ghana during the long vacation of their
third year to undergo training under engineers and supervisors in Ghana. Students
are placed in industries closest to their home of residence. The department shall
assist in placing the students and visit them to assess their progress. Students shall
present a technical report edited and countersigned by their trainee supervisor. The
report will be graded. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 473: Safety and Reliability Engineering, 2 Credits

Fundamentals of safety engineering; natural and man-made hazards; safety
measures; accident and failure statistics; fundamentals of risk management; risk
assessment techniques; classical reliability theory; modelling of engineering systems
as series and parallel systems; redundancy; fault trees and event trees; availability
28
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

and maintainability; Ghana’s safety legislation, including the Health and Safety at
Work Act and its historical, offshore and other regulations. {Year 4, Sem. 1}

PE 475: Offshore Structure, 2 Credits

Introduction; case studies on petroleum industry, codes and standards with technical
practice, the new trend of integrity management system. The engineering and pitfalls
in construction. Types of offshore structures. Functional requirements, fundamental
design requirements. Meteorological and oceanographical information, geotechnical
information, in-service and temporary design situations. Loading categories. Loading
combinations, structural analysis, materials and welding. Topsides design. Jacket
design. Piling and foundation design. introduction to corrosion protection. {Year 4,
Sem. 1}

PE 450: Reservoir Recovery Techniques, 2 Credits

Introduction to current techniques of improved oil recovery. Fractional flow and
frontal advance, Principles of thermal recovery, chemical flooding, and miscible gas
displacement methods, performance prediction. Advantages and drawbacks of
each displacement methods. Selection criteria for target reservoirs. {Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 452: Petroleum Project Evaluation, 3 Credits

An overview of fiscal systems, including the different types of contracts. incorporating
risk and uncertainty into economic evaluations. investment analysis, including the
time value of money, economic indicators, and opportunity costs, “Yardsticks” –
performance metrics, selecting investments, Reserves and resources classification,
Reserves estimation methods and integration of data analytics a. Decline curves b.
Volumetric method c. Material balance d. Analogy e. Evaluating uncertainty. Year 4,
Sem. 2}

PE 454: Design Project II, 3 Credits

Design of a complete project including formulation of design, preparation of
specifications. Consideration of alternative feasible solutions. A written report and
an oral defense are required. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 456: Well Completion and Stimulation, 2 Credits

The design and evaluation of well completions--including placement of casing, liners,
and well tubing; perforating, gravel packing; sand control; acidizing fundamentals,
design and evaluation of acidization treatments; hydraulic fracturing fluid loss,
conceptual models, design and implementation, evaluation; performance of
29
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

horizontal wells; surface facilities.

PE 458: Oilfield Geochemistry, 2 Credits

Introduction to Geochemistry. Basic principles of geochemical exploration and
application of geochemical methods in oil and gas exploration. Origin and migration
of oil and gas, habitat conducive to petroleum formation. Introduction to exploration
geochemistry including geochemical indicators and biomarkers. Composition and
structure of organic matter and crude oil deposits; Transformation of kerogen to
petroleum; Methods of source rock analysis; Thermal maturity and organic facies
evaluation; Organic geochemistry. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 460: Entrepreneurship and leadership, 2 Credits

Entrepreneurship and free enterprise. Types of business and registration. Law of
contract. Business planning and reporting. Product and service concept for new
ventures. Market and market development. Organization and financing new
projects. Current trend, e-commerce. Case studies. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 462: Materials Aspect of Oil and Gas Industry, 2 Credits

Determination of materials properties. Basic welding principles. Factors involved
in material utilization, equipment design and construction of pressure vessels.
Applicable codes and standards in engineering specifications used for materials in
the oil and gas industries. Monitoring and control of equipment. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 464: Refining Process Technology, 2 Credits

Introduction: hydrocarbon chemistry. Crude oil properties. Sources and assays.
Refinery flow sheet. Refinery distillation: crude desalting. Atmospheric distillation.
Vacuum distillation. Hydro processing: Distillate hydrotreating. Hydrocracking
processes. Gasoline manufacturing processes: catalytic reforming. Fluid catalytic
cracking. Alkylation. C5/C6 normal paraffins isomerization. Hydrogen production
and recovery: steam reforming. Partial oxidation. Residuum processing: delayed
coking. Visbreaking. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 466: Fundamentals of Petroleum Law, 2 Credits

Laws governing international petroleum transactions. Interpretation and
enforcement of treaties and private contract, Effect of international trade (OPEC,
NAFTA). Disputes resolutions (litigations and arbitrations). Legal defense available to
foreign companies and state own companies. Basic legal concept of ownerships of
mineral rights (offshore and onshore). Expropriation and compensation issues. Legal
30
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

interpretational issues of common contract provisions. Criminal and civil liabilities

for oil spill. Oil spill indemnification and guarantee issues. Environmental protection
laws. Petroleum licensing, contract types in the oil and gas industry. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 468: Petroleum Business: Structures, Logistics, 2 Credits

The framework for managing the upstream petroleum industry (emphasis on
the Ghana regime as established and given legal backing by two main statutes,
PNDC Law 64 and the Petroleum Exploration and Production Law, PNDC Law 84,
supplemented by the Petroleum Income Tax Law, PNDC Law 188 of 1987). Petroleum
laws, regulations and other environmental legislations. The role and functions of
management including planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling
with emphasis on supervision and leadership, communication and motivational
techniques, training and development, productivity improvement, time and conflict
management within the petroleum environment. Logistics and supply chain. Year
4, Sem. 2}

PE 470: Risk Management and Environment, 2 Credits

Risk and Risk Management, Objectives of Risk Management, Risk Measurement
and Pooling Total Loss Distribution, Pooling and Diversification, Ruin Probability,
Insurance Pricing Analysis Tools, Demand for Risk Management (utility theory), Risk
Management and Shareholders, Insurability of Risk and Insurance Contracts Legal
Liability, Corporate Liability, Liability Issues, Discussion of Liability Cases, Commercial
Insurance, Risk Retention/Reduction. Financial Risk Management, Futures and
Options. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 472: CAD-CAM, 2 Credits

Process engineering, Tooling and fixturing, Numerical control programming, Virtual
and rapid prototyping, Design for manufacturing and assembly, Product lifecycle
management. Year 4, Sem. 2}

PE 476: Energy and Climate Change, 2 Credits

Energy, The planet’s energy balance, Sustainability, climate change and the
environment, Unsustainable energy technologies, Climate change predictions
and policies, Transition from unsustainable to sustainable energy technologies,
Sustainable energy Technologies, Climate change and the future. Year 4, Sem. 2}

31
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

10. FACULTY AND STAFF PROFILE

The department has 13 Regular /Full-Time Teaching staff, a number of Part-time
and Adjunct staff who provide teaching services occasionally. In addition, there is
one administrative staff, two National Service Personnel who serve as office support
staff, 5 Technicians, and an additional 12 National Service Personnel who serve as
Teaching Assistants.

Administrative Staff

Emmanuel A. Donkor Mr. Clement Dadzie

Professor and Head of Senior Admin.
Department Assistant

32
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Full-Time Teaching Staff

Dr. Caspar D. Adenutsi Dr. Stephen Adjei Dr. Samuel A. Afari

Lecturer, Asst. Exam Officer; Assistant Lecturer Lecturer
Ag Lab Manager

Dr. William Ampomah Dr. Samuel Erzuah Mr. Anthony E. Hama

Lecturer Lecturer Assistant Research Fellow

Prof. Hassan Karimaie Mr. William Marfo Dr. Wilberforce A.

Associate Professor and Assistant Lecturer Nkrumah
GNPC Chair of Petroleum Senior Lecturer
Eng.

33
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Mr. Ernest A. Owusu Dr. Kofi O. Prempeh Dr. Jonathan A. Quaye

Lecturer Assistant Lecturer Lecturer
IDL Coordinator

Dr. Kwame Sarkodie Dr. Yen A. Sokama-

Lecturer; Examination Neuyam
Offi cer Lecturer; Filed Trip and
Internship Coordinator

Part-Time Teaching Staff

Prof Julius Borkloe

Lecturer

34
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Lab Technicians

Annan, Bernard Appiah-Danquah, Essien, Francis Brian

Drilling Fluid and Emmanuel Research
Cementing Laboratory Core and Rock Properties Laboratory
Laboratory

Obbo, Michael Sarpong, Kwame

Reservoir Simulation Kwarteng
Laboratory Fluid Properties
Laboratory

35
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

Teaching Assistants and Office Support Staff

1 Mary Augustina Aikins
2 Samuel Jnr. Ackah-Andoh
3 Mohammed Ali
4 Nixon Ernest Kofi Angley
5 Adwoa Sampongmaa Otchere
6 Michael Kwaku Nartey
7 Joshua Agbanu
8 Kwadwo Okyere Boakye
9 Gertrude Osei Tutu
10 Elorm Amevor
11 Abena Acheampongmaa
12 Emmanuel Arthur-Moses
13 Michael Annor
14 Albert Hlorpey
15 Emmanuel Ampah Baakoh
16 Harriet Apambila
17 Joshua Amissah Hayford

36
Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

11. LABORATORY FACILITIES

The Department of Petroleum Engineering, KNUST, has six (6) Laboratories used
for basic petroleum engineering experiments, skills training and research. These
include:
1. Core and Rock Properties Laboratory
2. Drilling Fluids and Cementing Laboratory,
Drilling and Well Control Simulation Laboratory
3. Reservoir Simulation Laboratory
4. Fluid Properties Laboratory
5. Research Laboratory

a. Core and Rock Properties Laboratory

This laboratory deals with reservoir and petrophysical related analyses. The key
areas are routine core and special core analysis measurements. Other areas
include particle size analysis, core sample cutting to required sizes, sample
drying, solvent extraction and core sample saturation. Mr Emmanuel Appiah-
Danquah is the Technician in charge of this laboratory.
It is mandatory for bachelor degree students to attend sessions in this
laboratory in order to graduate.

b. Drilling Fluids and Cementing Laboratory

The Drilling Fluids and Cementing Laboratory has industry-standard
equipment and procedures that are used in testing various properties of
drilling fluids and oilfield cement slurries. The tests done here relate to the
suitability of the fluids in performing key functions in the oil well drilling and
cementing processes. The technician in charge here is Bernard Annan.
It is mandatory for bachelor degree students to attend sessions in this
laboratory in order to graduate.

c. Fluid Properties Laboratory

The Fluid Properties Laboratory deals with the analysis of fluid characteristics.
It also specializes in the sampling of fluid from the field for analysis. It also
houses special equipment for fluid thermodynamic behaviour for Enhanced
Oil Recovery (EOR) applications and PVT analysis. Kwame Kwarteng Sarpong

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

is the technician in charge of this lab.

It is mandatory for bachelor degree students to attend sessions in this
laboratory in order to graduate.

d. Drilling and Well Control Simulation Laboratory

The Drilling and Well Control Simulation Laboratory has a full-size Derrick
Floor Drilling Simulator (DRILLSim 5000), which is used to train individuals
on the various operations that go on during oil-well drilling. The Simulator
satisfies requirement for training in oil-well drilling operations such as Well
Intervention, Pressure control, Coil Tubing, etc. certifiable by the International
Well Control Forum (IWCF). Mr. Francis Brian Essien is the technician in charge
here.

e. Reservoir Simulation Laboratory

The Reservoir Simulation Laboratory houses 46 computers for training in
oilfield related simulations, computer programming related to the oil and gas
industry as well as basic computing. The Laboratory has a License Server that
houses various licenses including the Schlumberger Suite (Petrel, Eclipse &
OSM), Kappa Workstation and IP. The aim of this Laboratory is to train students
to build static geologic models and run dynamic reservoir simulations. It is
therefore targeted towards final year students as well as research students.
Mr. Michael Kweku Obbo is in charge here, as the Lab. Technician.

f. Research Laboratory
The Research Laboratory has selected equipment from some of the
aforementioned Laboratories for research purposes. This Laboratory is
designated for postgraduate research and it is therefore not used by
undergraduates. Mr Francis Brian Essien serves as the technician of this lab.

Requirements on Laboratory Attendance, Reports & Examinations

• Lab sessions are organized in groups. The groups are rotated per week in
the Core & Rock Properties Lab, Fluid Properties Lab and the Drilling Fluid &
Cementing Lab.
• Lab session attendance is compulsory for all students and a student who
absents himself/herself for 3 lab sessions does not qualify to write exams.
• Students are expected to dress appropriately (No high heels; No long finger

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

nails; dresses that expose body parts are not allowed; No shorts; No wearing of
caps; Long hair must be tucked nicely; No slippers) and to follow the instructions
of the technician in charge, to the letter.
• Students are expected to observe lab protocols and safety regulations
• Experiments are conducted according to standard procedures spelt out in the
Department of Petroleum Engineering’s (DoPE’s) Lab Manual.
• Students are to write individual lab reports on experiments conducted and
present same for assessment. Lab Reports shall be in accordance with the Lab
Workbook that will be provided by the DoPE.
• In the presence of the examiner, technicians will question each student during
the lab sessions and score marks according to the student’s response.
• Attendance, Lab Reports and marks scored for students’ response to questions
shall be summed up for students Continuous Assessment. There shall be no
Mid-Semester Exams.
• End of Sem Examinations shall be conducted.

12. COMPUTING FACILITIES

The department has obtained Educational License Agreements for software used in
industry. Some of these are as follows:

Schlumberger Petrel, Eclipse, OFM

KAPPA - WORKSTATION (Saphir NL +

Topaze NL + Rubis + Azurite) Emeraude
- Citrine -

Synergy Company Interactive Petrophysics (IP) and IC

Computer Controlled Process Control Plant with Industrial Instrumentation

and Service Module (Flow, Temperature, Level, and Pressure) plus Control Unit
(Control interface box, Data Acquisition Board, Software for computer control, Data
Acquisition, Data Management, Cables and Accessories, Manual

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Department: Petroleum Engineering || Program: Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering || Duration: 4 years

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PROGRAMME
HANDBOOK
BSc Petroleum Engineering

Department of Petroleum Engineering

College of Engineering
Department Code|047