No vehicle, house or industry can run without it. It is essential for various industries, especially the petrochemical industry (plastics, polymers, paints, medicines, and soaps). It is used as a fuel for our automobiles, ships and planes. It is a must for domestic heating and cooking, for smooth roads and even for a smooth skin! This is petroleum.

Petroleum and its related products are well worth their weight in gold for any country. Petrol, gasoline, LPG, diesel oil, kero-sene, bunker oil, asphalt, pitch or bitumen, vaseline (petroleum jelly), mineral oil, aviation turbine fuel, lubricants, compressed natural gas ? these are all different components of petroleum. This natural resource is the most important indicator of the economic growth of any country. Hence, its name, ?black gold? or ?liquid gold?.

What do i have to do?

The petroleum industry is one of the biggest industries in India. It is broadly segmented into two sectors ? upstream and downstream. Exploration, production and exploitation comprise the upstream sector, while refining, marketing and distribution activities consist of the downstream sector. The function of petroleum engineers comes under the upstream sector.

Petroleum engineers explore and help produce oil and natural gas. They are usually involved in each stage of oil field evaluation, development and production. They specialise in the discovery and production of oil and gas, in refining and transportation, and in retail sectors of the oil and gas industry. They apply the principles of geology, physics and engineering sciences to the recovery, development and processing of petroleum.

Petroleum engineers often work in interdisciplinary teams with other professionals like geologists, geophysicists, well-log analysts, environmental/regulatory specialists, safety engineers and others. Discovery of natural sources, examination of natural characteristics and development of modern machinery for extraction and processing ? all fall under the scope of petroleum engineering.

What should i study?

You should have studied physics, chemistry and mathematics at the plus-two level to enroll for a bachelors degree in petroleum engineering.

For an MTech degree, the eligibility is a BTech or a BE in chemical or petroleum engineering or an MSc in chemistry. In most institutes, the curriculum is structured to impart a good blend of knowledge in science, engineering and management skills to students.

You can also apply for the Gus Archie Memorial Scholarship (www.spe.org ) that is offered by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, USA, at two institutes in the country ? Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad, and Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune.

What next?

The petroleum industry has rich prospects ? both in India and abroad. Options are open to geologists, geo-physicists, and petroleum engineers for upstream sectors and chemical, mechanical, electrical instrumentation and production engineers for downstream sectors. These engineers are in great demand and are employed by petroleum producing companies, consulting engineering companies, well-logging companies and in government undertakings such as ONGC, Indian Oil, Oil India, BP, HPCL, as well as in research and educational institutions.

Research and development play a crucial role in improving manufacturing practices and updating processes in the refining of crude oil to get the optimum yield. Through research, refineries are able to alter the ratios of the different fractions based on crude oil characteristics to meet demand, and maximise profit. The Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) at Dehra Dun is a premier research and development institute in this industry.

According to a 2004 salary survey, holders of a bachelors degree in petroleum engineering received starting offers averaging Rs 25,19,415 per annum.