GATE Syllabus for Petroleum Engineering (PE), Preparation Tips and Books
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Petroleum Engineering is a field of engineering concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. In order to prepare for GATE Petroleum Engineering paper, candidates have to go through the syllabus that is divided into 16 broad sections.
The syllabus for Petroleum Engineering includes topics like Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Complex Variables, Probability and Statistics, Numerical Methods, Petroleum Exploration, Oil & Gas Well Drilling Technology, Reservoir Engineering, Petroleum Production Operations, etc and the majority of questions that are 55 will be asked from these sections. 10 questions will be from General Aptitude.
GATE Petroleum Engineering paper will have two types of questions namely- Objective type and Numerical Type. Read the article to know more about the syllabus, exam pattern, preparation tips, important books and much more.
GATE PE Syllabus
GATE Petroleum Engineering (PE) Syllabus
There are various types of Petroleum Engineers like Reservoir engineers, Completion Engineers, Drilling Engineers, Drilling fluid engineers, Production engineers. The syllabus of Petroleum Engineering (PE) consists of 16 topics mentioned below:
| Topics | Sub Topics |
|---|---|
| Linear Algebra | Matrix algebra, Systems of linear equations, Eigenvalues and eigenvectors. |
| Complex variables | Complex number, polar form of complex number, triangle inequality. |
| Calculus | Functions of single variable, Limit, continuity and differentiability, Taylor series, Mean value theorems, Evaluation of definite and improper integrals, Partial derivatives, Total derivative, Maxima and minima, Gradient, Divergence and Curl, Vector identities, Directional derivatives, Line, Surface and Volume integrals, Stokes, Gauss and Green’s theorems. |
| Differential Equations | First order equations (linear and nonlinear), Higher order linear differential equations with constant coefficients, Cauchy’s and Euler’s equations, Initial and boundary value problems, Laplace transforms, Solutions of one-dimensional heat and wave equations and Laplace equation. |
| Probability and Statistics | Definitions of probability and sampling theorems, Conditional probability, Mean, median, mode and standard deviation, Random variables, Poisson, Normal and Binomial distributions, Linear regression analysis. |
| Numerical Methods | Numerical solutions of linear and non-linear algebraic equations. Integration by trapezoidal and Simpson’s rule. Single and multi-step methods for numerical solution of differential equations. |
| Petroleum Exploration | Classification and description of some common rocks with special reference to clastic and nonclastic reservoir rocks. Origin, migration and accumulation of Petroleum. Petroleum exploration methods. |
| Oil and Gas Well Drilling Technology | Well planning. Drilling method. Drilling rigs Rig operating systems. Drilling fluids function and properties. Drilling fluid maintenance equipment. Oil & gas well cementing operations. Drill bit types and their applications. Drill string & Casing string function, operations, selection & design. Drilling problems, their control & remedies. Directional drilling tools. Directional survey. Application of horizontal, multilateral, extended reach, slim wells. |
| Reservoir Engineering | Petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks. Coring and core analysis. Reservoir fluid properties. Phase behavior of hydrocarbon system. Flow of fluids through porous media. Water and gas coning. Reservoir pressure measurements. Reservoir drives, drive mechanics and recovery factors. Reserve estimation & techniques. |
| Petroleum Production Operations | Well equipments. Well completion techniques. Well production problems and mitigation. Well servicing & Workover operations. Workover & completion fluids. Formation damage. Well stimulation techniques. Artificial lift techniques. Field processing of oil & gas. Storage and transportation of petroleum and petroleum products. Metering and measurements oil & gas. Production system analysis & optimization. Production testing. Multiphase flow in tubing and flow-lines. Nodal system analysis. Pressure vessels, storage tanks, shell and tube heat exchangers, pumps and compressors, LNG value chain. |
| Offshore Drilling and Production Practices | Offshore oil and gas operations & ocean environment. Offshore fixed platforms, Offshore mobile units, Station keeping methods like mooring & dynamic positioning system. Offshore drilling from fixed platform, jack-up, ships and semi submersibles. Use of conductors and risers. Offshore well completion. Deepwater applications of subsea technology. Offshore production: Oil processing platforms, water injection platforms, storage, SPM and SBM transportation and utilities. Deep water drilling rig. Deepwater production system. Emerging deepwater technologies. |
| Petroleum Formation Evaluation | Evaluation of petrophysical of sub-surface formations: Principles applications, advantages and disadvantages of SP, resistivity, radioactive, acoustic logs and types of tools used. Evaluation of CBL/VDL, USIT, SFT, RFT. Production logging tools, principles, limitations, and applications. Special type of logging tools. Casing inspection tools (principles, applications and limitations), Formations micro scanner (FMS), NMR logging principles. Standard log interpretation methods. Cross-plotting methods. |
| Oil and Gas Well Testing | Diffusivity equation, derivation & solutions. Radius of investigation. Principle of superposition. Horner’s approximation. Drill Stem Testing. Pressure Transient Tests: Drawdown and build up-test analysis. Wellbore effects. Multilayer reservoirs. Injection well testing. Multiple well testing. Interference testing, Pulse testing, well-test analysis by use of type curves. Gas well testing. |
| Health Safety and Environment in Petroleum Industry | Health hazards in Petroleum Industry: Toxicity, Physiological, Asphyxiation, respiratory and skin effect of petroleum hydrocarbons, sour gases. Safety System: Manual & automatic shutdown system, blow down systems. Gas detection system. Fire detection and suppression systems. Personal protection system & measures. HSE Policies. Disaster & crisis management in Petroleum Industry. 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. Waste treatment methods. |
| Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques | Basic principles and mechanism of EOR, Screening of EOR process. Concept of pattern flooding, recovery efficiency, permeability heterogeneity. Macroscopic and microscopic displacement efficiency. EOR methods: Chemical flooding, Miscible flooding, Thermal recoveries (steam stimulation, hot water & steam flooding, in-situ combustion), Microbial EOR. |
| Latest trends in Petroleum Engineering | Coal bed methane, shale gas, oil shale, gas hydrate, and heavy oil. |
Direct link to download GATE Petroleum Engineering (PE) syllabus PDF
GATE PE Exam Pattern
GATE PE Exam Pattern
GATE PE Exam Pattern
GATE Exam Pattern is defined paper wise depending upon candidates’ discipline. There are some important points of GATE Exam Pattern.
- GATE consists of 3 sections namely General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and specific subject of the paper
- The question paper comprises a total 65 questions.
- There are two types of questions in GATE i.e. Multiple Choice type (MCQ) and Numerical Answer Type (NAT).
- Questions will be asked in random order and one has to select the answer (for MCQ type) and enter the answer for numerical answer type question using a mouse on a virtual keyboard.
- Students have to attempt all the questions in a duration of three hours.
- The maximum number of questions in GATE is from the core subject.
| GATE PE Sectional Weightage | |
|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics | 15% |
| General Aptitude | 15% |
| Remaining Topics of CH | 70% |
Marking Scheme
| Type of Question | Correct Answer | Incorrect Answer |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ | 1 or 2 Marks | ⅓ for 1 mark questions⅔ for 2 marks questions |
| NAT | 1 or 2 Marks | No Negative Marking |
Important looks for PE
Books for Petroleum Engineering
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| Books | Author/ Pulisher |
|---|---|
| Khanna’s Objective Questions in Petroleum Engineering | Vikas Mahto, Khanna Book Publishing Company Private Limited |
| Introduction to Petroleum Engineering | John R. Fanchi, Wiley-Blackwell |
| HPCL Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Boiler Technician Mechanical Engineering | G.K Publications PVT.LTD |
| Elements of Petroleum Refinery Engineering | OP Gupta, Khanna Publishers |
| Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering | Ronald E. Terry, Prentice Hall |
How to Prepare for PE?
How to Prepare for GATE Petroleum Engineering Paper?
How to Prepare for PE?
Your preparation plan should begin with a good knowledge of the syllabus and a better understanding of the exam pattern. After that comes the second step which you can call the secondary preparation plan and this plan should include the following:
Time and Target Based Study Plan
Time and target based study plans are different from each other. The time based study plan includes the proper division of time for daily study routine. You can divide your study time that is 5-6 hours into small intervals so that you can take breaks in between.
On the other hand in target based study plan, you can divide the whole syllabus into months then into weeks and then into days. This way you can you will come to know that how much time you need to cover the whole syllabus and the time left for revision. For example, PE has 16 major topics and if you have 4 months left for the exam then you can split it into 1 topic a week that is 16 topics in 16 weeks.
Revision from Notes
First of all, you have to make a habit of making notes during the time of preparation. Yes, make notes of all the important topics and revise them whenever you get time. In revision notes you can include:
- Basic concepts or important formulas.
- Tricks or short cut that can be applied in some questions.
- Important facts
This habit will save a lot of your time during your preparation as well as the exam.
Right Study Material
The right study material is going to play a very important role during the time of preparations. Books, e-books, video lectures, etc are important but most of the candidates get confused and start recommending different books. Students are advised to not do this and are suggested to refer the books or study material that is easy to understand. Some of the important and best books are suggested above.
Practice Previous Years Papers
The previous years' papers are very helpful in understanding the exam pattern, type of questions, weightage given to each section, etc. You can include the practice papers in your daily or weekly study plan. All the candidates are advised to consider these papers as final paper and solve them with the same enthusiasm.
Download GATE Practice Paper of PE
Mock Test Series
Appearing for mock tests should be the last point in your preparation plan. Before appearing for mock tests you should complete your syllabus. Mock tests give the feel of real paper because it is an online test with a time limit. Some of the benefits of mock test are:
- You will come to know about your weaker areas.
- You can set your priorities like which section to solve first.
- Mock test helps in relieving stress before exam as they help you in getting an idea about the final exam.
Syllabus of Other Subjects
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.