PE Petroleum study plan

Draw from memory a complete well-to-sales production system (reservoir, tubing, choke, separator, meter, sales line) and label where each major pressure loss occurs.

Work 15 nodal-analysis problems that combine inflow performance (Vogel and straight-line IPR) with vertical lift, solving for the operating point and for tubing-size and wellhead-pressure sensitivity.

Build a one-page artificial-lift selection matrix comparing gas lift, ESP, rod pump, and progressing-cavity pump on depth capability, rate, solids tolerance, free gas, viscosity, and power demand.

Size a two-stage horizontal separator on 10 practice problems using both liquid retention time and gas capacity (Souders-Brown) constraints, and state which constraint governs in each case.

Convert a set of separator and meter readings into daily oil, gas, and water rates and check the result against a shrinkage and meter-factor correction.

Diagnose 12 flow-assurance scenarios (hydrate, wax, scale, asphaltene, severe slugging, emulsions) and prescribe a specific mitigation for each.

Estimate hydrate-forming conditions from gas gravity and composition data in 8 problems, then specify whether thermodynamic inhibition, insulation, or dehydration is the appropriate control.

Design a produced-water treating train to meet a stated oil-in-water specification, sizing a skim tank and a corrugated-plate interceptor from retention time and Stokes-law rise velocity.

Match 10 given corrosion or integrity conditions (CO2, H2S, erosion, galvanic, bacterial) to the mechanism and to a mitigation choice among inhibitor, CRA, coating, and cathodic protection.

Sketch a gas dehydration and dew-point control scheme and compute the water removal required to hit a stated pipeline dew point.

Compute original oil and gas in place volumetrically for 12 problems spanning oil, dry gas, and retrograde systems, carrying units through consistently.

Apply material balance (MBE and p/z plots) to 8 problems to estimate initial hydrocarbons and to detect water influx or gas-cap expansion.

Interpret relative permeability and capillary pressure curves to explain fractional flow, water breakthrough timing, and remaining oil saturation in 6 exercises.

Classify drive mechanism (solution gas, gas cap, water drive, gravity drainage, compaction) for 10 production-and-pressure histories and justify each call with two quantitative indicators.

Construct a recovery-factor estimate for a waterflood using displacement efficiency, areal sweep, and vertical sweep, stating each assumption.

Analyze decline curves for 10 well histories, selecting exponential, hyperbolic, or harmonic behavior and reporting EUR with the assumed economic limit stated explicitly.

Interpret a build-up or drawdown test on 6 problems to obtain permeability, skin, and wellbore storage effects, and explain what each result implies for the completion.

Screen 10 candidate reservoirs for waterflood or EOR suitability using mobility ratio, depth, oil gravity, and remaining-oil criteria, and rank them.

Reconcile volumetrics, material balance, and decline-based estimates for a single field and explain the spread between them.

Classify reserves by certainty category and produce a reserves booking statement for one worked example with stated assumptions.

Design a casing string on 5 practice problems: select weights and grades against burst, collapse, and tension with design factors applied and the governing load identified.

Compute hydrostatic pressure, equivalent mud weight, pore pressure, and fracture gradient for 10 wellbore scenarios and state the safe mud-weight window in each.

Work 12 well-control problems on kick detection, shut-in drillpipe and casing pressures, kill mud weight, and the wait-and-weight versus driller's method sequence.

Calculate annular velocity, equivalent circulating density, and bit hydraulic horsepower for 8 mud-hydraulics cases and identify where hole cleaning fails.

Compare water-based, oil-based, and synthetic-based mud systems on shale inhibition, temperature, and environmental limits for 6 given well conditions.

Plan a directional or horizontal well trajectory on 5 problems, computing build rate, dogleg severity, and measured depth to target, and flagging where tortuosity or torque limits bite.

Design a primary cement job for 4 cases: specify slurry volume with excess, displacement, plug placement, and the test that verifies top of cement.

Select completion type (open hole, slotted liner, casing and perforating, sand screen, gravel pack) for 8 reservoir and wellbore conditions and defend each choice in one sentence.

Size a hydraulic fracture or matrix acid treatment at a screening level for 5 wells, stating the design variable that most limits the result.

Identify annular-pressure and well-integrity failure modes on 10 scenarios and state the diagnostic test and remediation for each.

Re-solve every previously missed item from Domains 1 and 3 without notes, and log the underlying concept behind each error rather than the specific number.

Complete two 30-question mixed sets across Domains 1 and 3 under a strict time limit and tabulate accuracy by subtopic to rank remaining weak areas.

Practice locating and applying the governing equation for 20 problems using only an allowed reference handbook, timing each lookup.

Rebuild the three weakest subtopics from first principles into a single condensed formula-and-assumption sheet.

Sit two full-length timed mock exams covering all three domains with exam-day pacing and no interruptions.

Review every mock-exam miss and assign it to one of three buckets: knowledge gap, calculation error, or misread question, then act only on the largest bucket.

Re-drill the 25 highest-risk formulas across all three domains from memory in under 30 minutes.

Finalize exam-day logistics: allowed references, calculator, timing per question, and the rule for when to guess and move on.