Oil & Gas Technology
Brief History
The Centre for Oil and Gas is the foremost Centre of the Institute of Petroleum Studies and has run successively for eight years. The Centre is sponsored by Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited and runs a collaborative programme by two Institutes; Institute of Petroleum Studies and IFP School France. The Centre runs two programmes namely; the M.Sc Petroleum Engineering and Project Development and the Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Technology.
The programmes of the Centre are organized to run for twelve calendar months, from November to November each session. Apart from the modular courses for which examinations are administered weekly, the Centre also undertakes short courses from time to time to empower industry personnel with up to date operational policies and strategies.
From the time of inception to date, the centre has graduated 156 industry-ready Masters of Science in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development and about 60 Post Graduate diploma competent persons in Petroleum Technology. The Centre has been student friendly from its inception and this manifests in the maintenance of the students hostels, provision of transportation to and fro the Institute every academic day of the week, and also the provision of tea-breaks and lunch for the students from the time of inception to date.
The Centre has consistently maintained a culture of academic excellence and this is facilitated by the Institute’s policy of Quality Assurance and Quality Control. The lecturers examine the students weekly after each module and the students in turn, evaluate the lecturers’ competence. This process has helped to maintain quality control and quality assurance in the Centre over the years. At the end of every academic session, outstanding teachers and students are given awards for their outstanding performances.
Organization of the Centre
The Centre is overseen directly by the Director of the Institute, who also oversees all the other Centres and their Directors. The Coordinator of the Institute is a representative of IFP School who resides in Port Harcourt and coordinates the day to day activities of the Centre. The Administrative Secretary is the Head of Administration and Human Resources Manager of the Centre for Oil and Gas Technology, as well as other centres of the Institute. The Administrative Secretary also serves as the secretary to all the Boards of the Centre and the Institute at large. There are other support members of staff who assist the Head of Administration to run the day to day activities of the Centre.
The Head of Technical Unit oversees all the technical issues of the Centre and reports directly to the Director. The maintenance of all equipment of the Centre, including the ones at the students’ hostels falls under the supervision of the Head of Technical Unit.
The Centre has a library, effectively manned by the Librarian of the Institute along with some support members of staff. There are arrangements to establish a petroleum museum under the auspices of the library. The E-Library project of the Centre has also reached an advanced state.
All financial transactions of the Centre are handled by the Accountants of the Institute in collaboration with other members of the Institute’s Management Staff.
The Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Technology Programme of the Centre is overseen by a Coordinator with other support members of staff. The Coordinator sees to the welfare of the students and lecturers for the duration of every academic session.
Objectives of the Centre
The objectives of the Centre for Oil and Gas Technology are as follows:
1. To train competent indigenous manpower for the oil and gas industry;
2. To carry out research in areas that will improve oil production and exploration;
3. To serve as the training hub for oil and gas technology in the Gulf of Guinea;
4. To provide expert consultancy services to oil and gas industries in the Gulf of Guinea;
5. To provide training opportunities for industry personnel.
PROGRAMMES OF THE CENTRE
Basically, the Centre runs three programmes:
1. The PhD Petroleum Engineering and Project Development
2. The M.Sc. Petroleum Engineering and Project Development
3. The Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Technology
The Centre also provides short courses for industry personnel from time to time on various areas of need.
1.1 PhD in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development
Objective
The aim of this programme is to commit intelligent and talented young men and women to solving the diverse problems in our industry particularly in the area of oil exploration and exploitation and gas utilization. The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development will be conferred on candidates that demonstrate substantial scholarship, high attainment in a particular field of knowledge and ability to do independent investigation.
Candidates for this programme will be drawn from part-time students who are already working in the industry and full-time students. However, in all cases, the research must be sponsored. Sponsorship covers the following:
1. Full Cost of Research
2. Tuition Fees
3. Supervision Fees which will include honorarium for professors from Nigerian Universities and professors from overseas institutions participating in the research as co-supervisors.
4. Research Associate Stipend for full-time research students
5. Institutional Mark-up to support and develop our institution.
Admission Requirements
Candidates from this programme will be drawn from the following:
1. Students (Part-Time or Full-Time) that successfully completed the MSc Programme of the Institute with a minimum CGPA of 4.0.
2. Qualified Research Fellows from the industry
3. Other candidates with comparable qualifications.
In all cases, the research project must be sponsored and sponsoring bodies include oil and service companies, PTDF, ETF, universities, etc. Our students must therefore know how to write good proposals.
Duration of Programme
Full-Time: Minimum 24 months
Part-Time: Minimum 36 months
Academic Programme
This programme will consist of the following:
1. Extensive research leading to publications in reputable international and local journals
2. Participation in seminars, workshops and development of new courses on advances in their areas for our students. The courses will be taught as electives.
3. Taught courses comprising of the following:
• Research Methods
• Energy Policy and Environmental Laws
• Strategic Leadership
• Advanced Entrepreneurial Skill and Financial Management
The courses will be taught in modules using the IPS format. We expect the candidates to pass all the courses as part of their continuation requirement. Course contents are attached.
Areas of Research
• Reservoir Engineering
• Production Engineering
• Drilling Engineering
• Petroleum Economics
• Gas Engineering and Utilization
Selection of Supervisors
For the research, joint supervision is mandatory. Supervisors will be selected from the Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering and the University in general. Supervisors will also be chosen from the industry and good universities in the world to enhance the collaborative effort between our University, industry and other institutions in the world
1.2 MSc in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development
Objective
The aim of this professional engineering programme is to provide graduates in engineering with broad based training required for onshore and offshore oil and gas field development. The students will be taught jointly by lecturers from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Nigeria and IFP School, France and experts from industry as well as visiting professors from other Universities in Nigeria and abroad.
On completion of the Masters’ Programme, the graduates will among other skills, be able to:
• Evaluate and manage oil and gas fields
• Design and supervise the drilling of exploration and development wells and carry out drilling optimisation programmes
• Design, supervise, and evaluate well completion, workover and well stimulation programmes
• Design and operate onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities
• Carry out production optimisation and well performance enhancement programmes
• Participate effectively in multidisciplinary oil and gas field review and field development teams
Duration
12 calendar months of intensive full time study. As part of the quality control for the programme, accommodation will be arranged for all students near the Institute.
Award of Degree
Successful students at the end of the programme shall receive a Masters Degree jointly awarded by Ecole du Pétrole et des Moteurs (IFP School), France and the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. In addition, the students will be presented for the International Well Control Forum (IWCF) Certification.
Admission Requirements
For admission into the programme, candidates must possess a minimum of Second Class (Upper Division) honours bachelor's degree in Engineering. A good level of English is required.
Structure of the Programme
The program structure comprises five modules:
► General Module
► Reservoir Engineering Module
► Drilling and Well Completion Engineering Module
► Production Engineering Module
► Petroleum Engineering Project Module.
1.3 PGD in Petroleum Technology
Objective
The aim of this operations-oriented Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Technology programme sponsored by oil and gas producing/operating companies is to improve the technical competence and skills of graduates from the communities in which they operate to make them effective and competitive for recruitment in the petroleum industry. It is designed for sustainable development of oil and gas producing communities.
On completion of this Programme, the graduates will among other skills, be able to:
• Effectively use Petroleum Engineering Software
• Supervise the drilling of exploration and development wells and carry out drilling optimization programmes
• Supervise, and evaluate well completion, workover and well stimulation programmes
• Operate onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities
• Carry out well performance enhancement programmes
Duration
The duration of the programme shall be 12 calendar months of intensive full time study.
Award of Diploma
Successful students at the end of the programme shall receive a Diploma of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Admission Requirements
Candidates must possess a minimum of Second Class (Lower Division) honours bachelor’s degree in any branch of Engineering and the physical/chemical sciences and should have completed their NYSC.
Professional Certification
Students will be presented for Associate Environmental Practitioners (AEP) Certification (NREP, USA), Safety Certification (NISP, Nigeria) and Computer Competence Certifications.
Sponsorship
Candidates should be sponsored by operating companies, service companies, PTDF and other sponsoring agencies. (Note that sponsorship of candidate(s) by any of the participating companies does not guarantee recruitment of such candidate(s) into their Employment at the end of the programme)