31 Best Books on Petroleum Engineering

We have compiled a list of the Best Reference Books on Petroleum Engineering, which are used by students of top universities, and colleges. This will help you choose the right book depending on if you are a beginner or an expert. Here is the complete list of Petroleum Engineering Books with their authors, publishers, and an unbiased review of them as well as links to the Amazon website to directly purchase them. If permissible, you can also download the free PDF books on Petroleum Engineering below.

1. Elements of Petroleum Engineering

 
1."Elements of Petroleum Geology (Chemical Engineering Series)" by Nakul Parashar
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2."Elements of Petroleum Subsurface Engineering" by Harold James Vance
“Elements of Petroleum Subsurface Engineering” Book Review: This book is designed for students of engineering, specifically those pursuing chemical or aeronautical engineering. However, it can also benefit diploma students, AIME/IICHE students, M.Tech students specializing in petroleum refining, and teachers who teach these courses. The book covers the basics of chemicals and methods for refining fossil fuels, starting with the properties of petroleum and other chemicals. It includes an explanation of radioactivity and provides numerical examples. The book also discusses the quality products of petroleum during the refining process, storage, and maintenance methods. At the end of the book, several references are included for further exploration.

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3."Elements of Petroleum Processing" by D S J Jones
“Elements of Petroleum Processing” Book Review: The intended audience of this book is engineering students, particularly those studying chemical or aeronautical engineering. Additionally, diploma and M.Tech students specializing in petroleum refining can also benefit from this book. The book serves as a reference for teachers teaching this course as well. It begins with a detailed explanation of crude oil and the key principles involved in refining it. The book also covers thermal and catalytic cracking, as well as gas recovery. A diagrammatic representation of the complex structure and composition of crude oil is included, along with examples of calculation techniques based on real industrial scenarios. The book also discusses other complex thermodynamic principles and provides students with a variety of examples, multiple-choice questions, and numerical exercises to assess their understanding. Finally, the book includes internet references for further study.

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4."Elements of Petroleum Geology" by Richard C Selley and Stephen A Sonnenberg Dr
“Elements of Petroleum Geology” Book Review: This book is intended for engineering students who are pursuing chemical engineering or aeronautical engineering, as well as diploma and M.Tech students specializing in petroleum refining. Additionally, teachers teaching this course can use this book as a reference. The book covers the physical and chemical properties of petroleum and provides an overview of reviewing methods of petroleum exploration and production. It explains methods such as drilling, geophysical exploration techniques, wireline logging, and emphasizes subsurface geological mapping. Later, it discusses hydrodynamics of connate fluids, reservoir rocks, and trapping mechanisms, as well as the formation of tar sands and oil shales. The book concludes with an explanation of prospect risk analysis, reserve estimation, and other economic topics.

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5."Finite Element Modeling in Petroleum Road Tankers Using MATLAB(R)" by Emagbetere Eyere and Oluwole Oluleke
“Finite Element Modeling in Petroleum Road Tankers Using MATLAB(R)” Book Review: This book is designed for engineering students pursuing chemical engineering or aeronautical engineering, as well as diploma and M.Tech students specializing in petroleum refining. The book begins by explaining the finite element method in the presentation of in-plane displacements, using MATLAB plotting capability and computational tools to generate geometrical mesh models. It discusses how various MATLAB models are suitable for finite element analysis, and briefly explains elliptical and circular section tankers. Additionally, the book presents codes used in modeling the tankers, along with explanations of the MATLAB codes. The book includes various exercises to familiarize the reader with 3-D geometry modeling.

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6."Geology of Petroleum" by Leverson
“Geology of Petroleum” Book Review: This book is designed for engineering students pursuing chemical engineering or aeronautical engineering, as well as diploma and M.Tech students specializing in petroleum refining. It also serves as a reference for teachers. The book explains the physical and chemical properties of petroleum and consists of 17 chapters. It starts with an explanation of the occurrence of petroleum, along with a basic introduction. Later, it discusses reservoir rock and pore space, with a greater emphasis on reservoir traps – including general and structural, stratigraphic and fluid, combination, and salt domes. Migration and accumulation of petroleum, subsurface geology, and the petroleum province are explained towards the end. The book includes various case studies from recent years, a glossary, and references. It is written in easy-to-understand language and includes the latest information and guidelines, covering topics such as the occurrence of petroleum, reservoir rock, reservoir fluids, reservoir traps, and reservoir conditions, as well as subsurface geology, the petroleum province, and its prospects.

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7."Petroleum Engineering: Principles and Practice" by J S Archer and C G Wall
“Petroleum Engineering: Principles and Practice” Book Review: This book is designed for engineering students pursuing chemical engineering or aeronautical engineering, as well as diploma and M.Tech students specializing in petroleum refining. The book provides a brief overview of petroleum engineering, mainly as practiced in the offshore environments of Europe. It is divided into five main sections, starting with an explanation of reservoirs and oil drilling, which includes various subsections discussing other methods. Next, the book explains the properties of reservoir fluids and rocks. Finally, it discusses methods such as drilling, geophysical exploration techniques, and wireline logging.

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2. Petroleum Engineering

 
1."Khanna’s Objective Questions in Petroleum Engineering" by Vikas Mahto
“Khanna’s Objective Questions in Petroleum Engineering” Book Review: This book has been designed for engineering students pursuing chemical engineering or aeronautical engineering. Additionally, diploma students and M.Tech students under petroleum refining can use this book, and it is also useful for teachers to question their students. Students preparing for GATE in chemistry can also benefit from this book, as it contains a large number of important questions with methodical answers. The book starts with questions based on several chapters such as petroleum exploration and oil and gas well drilling technology. It later provides questions on reservoir engineering, petroleum production operation, offshore drilling and production practices, and unconventional hydrocarbons. All questions in the book are solved, and each chapter provides detailed solutions for the questions. The questions have varying levels of difficulty.

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2."Introduction to Petroleum Engineering" by John R Fanchi and Richard L Christiansen
“Introduction to Petroleum Engineering” Book Review: This book provides an overview of oil and gas production in the context of global energy. It covers all the key concepts needed to understand oil and gas production from exploration through abandonment, including fundamental terms and concepts from geology, geophysics, petrophysics, drilling, production, and reservoir engineering. Additionally, the book includes numerous solved practical problems after every chapter.

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3."Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering" by Andy Margo
“Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering” Book Review: This book covers the production of fuels, natural gases, and petrochemicals and includes fundamental terms and concepts of geological, mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering. It provides an in-depth explanation of the different processes involved in petroleum and petrochemical engineering, such as drilling, processing, and technical analysis of petrochemicals. The book also covers important topics such as petroleum plants and reservoirs, catalysis and synthesis of petrochemicals, reaction engineering, and more.

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4."Imperial College Lectures In Petroleum Engineering, The - Volume 1: An Introduction To Petroleum Geoscience" by Michael Ala
“Imperial College Lectures In Petroleum Engineering, The – Volume 1: An Introduction To Petroleum Geoscience” Book Review: This book is well-written in lucid language and covers the fundamentals of earth sciences and their role in controlling the global occurrence and distribution of hydrocarbon resources. It describes the principles, practices, and basic terminologies associated with the upstream sector of the oil industry. The book explains how to investigate the nature and chemical composition of petroleum, surface and subsurface maps, including their construction, and how they are used in upstream operations. It also provides practical analysis of concepts, maps, and the construction of petroleum events.

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5."HPCL Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Operations Technician Chemical Engineering" by GKP
“HPCL Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Operations Technician Chemical Engineering” Book Review: This book is a study guide for the Operations Technician Chemical Engineering exam conducted by HPCL. It includes chapters on various topics such as chemical engineering basics, process control and instrumentation, mechanical operations, chemical technology, and environmental management. It also includes practice questions and previous year’s solved papers to help aspirants prepare for the exam.

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6."Petroleum Production Systems" by Michael J Economides
“Petroleum Production Systems” Book Review: This book offers a comprehensive overview of modern petroleum production engineering practice, covering classical production engineering in a structured manner. It includes extensive feedback and recent innovations, as well as detailed coverage of modern best practices and their rationales. Illustrative examples and problems are also provided to aid understanding.

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7."Fundamentals of Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering" by Ulag Mahadevan
“Fundamentals of Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering” Book Review: This book is a comprehensive textbook that covers the principles and practices of the oil and gas industry. The book is organized into 15 chapters, covering topics such as the properties of crude oil and natural gas, exploration and production techniques, refining and petrochemical processes, and environmental considerations. Each chapter includes review questions and exercises to help students reinforce their understanding of the material. The book is an essential resource for students and professionals in petroleum and petrochemical engineering.

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8."Standard Handbook of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering" by Michael Lorenz and Gary J Plisga BS
“Standard Handbook of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering” Book Review: This book is a comprehensive reference book for professionals in the oil and gas industry. The book is divided into 22 chapters covering topics such as reservoir engineering, drilling engineering, production engineering, and petrophysics. The book also includes chapters on environmental management, safety, and economics. The handbook provides practical guidance and real-world examples to help readers apply the principles and techniques covered in the book.

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9."Encyclopaedia of Petroleum Science And Engineering" by S L Sah
“Encyclopaedia of Petroleum Science and Engineering” Book Review: This book is a valuable resource for geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, and students interested in petroleum science and engineering. It is the first volume in a 16-volume series that provides in-depth knowledge of various concepts, such as geographical locations, geological structures, depositional environments, and periods for hydrocarbon accumulations. The book covers several geophysical concepts and key terms that will be useful in subsequent topics.

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3. Petroleum Refinery Engineering

 
1."Elements of Petroleum Refinery Engineering" by OP Gupta
“Elements of Petroleum Refinery Engineering” Book Review: This book is a valuable resource for undergraduate students in the fields of chemical, petroleum, petrochemical, and aeronautical engineering. It is also recommended for postgraduate students pursuing an M.Tech in petroleum refining, as well as AMIE and AMIICHE students. Additionally, faculty members and teaching staff at prestigious engineering institutions such as IITs and NITs may find this book helpful. Practicing petroleum engineers and consultants in both the private sector and PSU’s, as well as government departments and NGOs, also rely on this book. Foreign universities in developing nations with students enrolled in various engineering programs, including UG, PG, and diploma programs in petroleum refining, find this book beneficial. This comprehensive guide covers the origin, composition, classification, pretreatment, and transportation of petroleum crude oil, as well as processing techniques such as thermal and catalytic reforming, polymerization, and isomerization processes. Additionally, the book explains the requisites for producing high-quality petroleum products and the proper handling of petroleum products. This book is also useful for teachers looking to supplement their curriculum with additional resources, as it explains the fundamentals of chemicals and methods to refine fossil fuels. The book consists of 9 chapters and includes various images and case studies from recent years.

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2."Petroleum Refinery Engineering" by Wilbur L Nelson
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3."Distillation and Hydrocarbon Processing Practices" by Ashis Nag
“Distillation and Hydrocarbon Processing Practices” Book Review: This book is a must-have reference for individuals involved in the design and operation of hydrocarbon processing plants, such as refineries, petrochemical plants, and gas processing plants. It covers a wide range of topics, including advanced distillation processes and simulations that are presented through practical examples. The book also covers fundamental principles and design principles, with various case studies that provide insight into the workings of complex facilities. This book is an essential resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the industry.

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4."The Institute of Petroleum" by Institute of Petroleum (IP)
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5."Level of Btex in Petroleum Refinery Industry" by Rahman Faizur Rafique
“Level of Btex in Petroleum Refinery Industry” Book Review: This informative book is targeted towards M.Sc students and covers the determination of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) levels both inside and outside of the petroleum refining industry. These toxic chemicals are released into the atmosphere during the operation of petrochemical refineries and can contaminate anything that comes in contact with their vapours. Benzene, in particular, is a known human carcinogen, and prolonged exposure to BTEX can cause harmful effects on the kidney, liver, and blood systems. The book includes various studies conducted on BTEX samples collected from different refineries and analyzed using gas chromatography techniques.

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6."Failure to Learn: The BP Texas City Refinery Disaster" by Andrew Hopkins
“Failure to Learn: The BP Texas City Refinery Disaster” Book Review: This book delves into the causes of the March 23, 2005 explosion at a Texas oil refinery, which resulted in the tragic loss of 15 workers and injury of 170 others. It also examines the similarities between this event and the Longford gas explosion in Victoria, Australia in 1998. The book poses important questions about the accident, including why so many people were injured, what factors contributed to the explosion, and what lessons have been learned from this tragedy.

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7."Petroleum Refining: Refinery Operation and Management Vol 5 (Petroleum Refining, 5)" by Jean-Pierre Favennec
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8."Petroleum Refining in Nontechnical Language" by William L Leffler
“Petroleum Refining in Nontechnical Language” Book Review: The purpose of this book is to provide an accessible overview of key topics in the refining industry. The text is presented in a non-technical language and includes relevant illustrations, graphs, and formulas. The book covers crucial information about crude oil and raw materials, including the pricing differences between these inputs and their respective products. Additionally, there is a chapter on lubricants and the latest technologies employed in refineries. This book is ideal for use as a reference or for self-study.

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9."Handbook of Petroleum Refining Processes, Fourth Edition (Mechanical Engineering)" by Robert A Meyers
“Handbook of Petroleum Refining Processes, Fourth Edition (Mechanical Engineering)” Book Review: This unique book focuses on commercially viable technologies for petroleum refining, as well as the production of eco-friendly fuels and petroleum derivatives. The text provides a comprehensive overview of refining technologies used globally, which have changed in response to the source of fuels and evolving environmental regulations. Contributions from major refining companies, such as UOP, Shell, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE), and Chevron Lummus Global, are included. The book emphasizes the growing importance of shale gas and shale oil as alternative feedstocks, as well as the downward trend in crude oil production and the push for energy independence in various regions. As a result, there is a high demand for lower-cost alternative fuels, such as coal, shale oil, and heavy crude. This book covers all aspects of petroleum products and their refining, including conversion of residue, hydrocracking, and hydrotreating techniques.

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10."Petroleum Refinery Process Economics" by Robert E Maples
“Petroleum Refinery Process Economics” Book Review: This book explores the profitability and properties of refinery processes and products. It also covers the application of this information in assessing various process economics. The text provides information about operational and capital costs used in evaluating single and complete refinery processes. It includes yield correlations of licensed refinery processes, as well as the requirements and capital cost of a typical unit. The book provides a basic understanding of economic evaluation and includes descriptive process flow diagrams for each process yield correlation.

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11."Petroleum Refining: Technology and Economics" by J H Gary and G E Handwerk
“Petroleum Refining: Technology and Economics” Book Review: This book explains concepts related to petroleum refining and is suitable for both students and engineers in the field. It covers fuel refineries from both process and financial standpoints, detailing major refining processes and their correlations to important topics. The book also covers refinery feedstock, product distribution, and processing requirements resulting from federal and state legislation. Additionally, it includes concepts of feedstock preparation, operating costs, catalysts, yields, finished product properties, and economics. Each chapter is complemented by problems to help readers reinforce their understanding of the concepts

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12."Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Petroleum and Distillates: 58 (Chemical Industries)" by Michael Oballa
“Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Petroleum and Distillates: 58 (Chemical Industries)” Book Review: This book is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students of petroleum and chemical engineering as well as professionals in the industry. The book emphasizes the significance of selective catalysts in aromatics reduction and contains information on distillate hydrotreating. It introduces innovative processes for aromatics saturation and provides comprehensive details on residue upgrading. The book covers application of petroleum refining catalysts, kinetic and reactor models, and process technologies such as catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, and middle distillate hydrotreating.

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13."Handbook of Petroleum Product Analysis (Chemical Analysis: A Series of Monographs on Analytical Chemistry and Its Applications)" by James G Speight
“Handbook of Petroleum Product Analysis (Chemical Analysis: A Series of Monographs on Analytical Chemistry and Its Applications)” Book Review: This book is a comprehensive guide to the analytical methods used in the petroleum industry. The book is organized into 19 chapters, covering topics such as sampling, distillation, spectroscopy, chromatography, and elemental analysis. Each chapter includes detailed information on the principles and applications of the analytical techniques, as well as case studies and examples. The book is a valuable resource for professionals in the petroleum industry, as well as for students and researchers in analytical chemistry.

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14."Handbook of Petroleum Processing" by Peter R Pujadó and Steven A Treese
“Handbook of Petroleum Processing” Book Review: This book is aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students of petroleum engineering, as well as professionals new to the industry seeking a comprehensive and accessible resource on petroleum processing. It covers the fundamental components and processes that make up the petroleum refining industry, starting with the basics of crude oils and their properties. The book provides information on refining planning, off-sites, utilities, and crude oil assays, as well as examples on optimizing a refinery configuration using linear programming.

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15."Oilfield Processing of Petroleum: Volume 1: Natural Gas: 001" by Francis S Manning and Richard Thompson
“Oilfield Processing of Petroleum: Volume 1: Natural Gas: 001” Book Review: This book offers process descriptions, design methods, operating procedures, and troubleshooting information related to natural gas and its products. It covers the characterization of natural gas and its phase behavior, including water-hydrocarbon phase behavior and field processing of natural gas. Additionally, the book provides guidance on the prevention of hydrate formation, gas sweetening, and gas dehydration using glycol.

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We have put a lot of effort into researching the best books on Petroleum Engineering and came out with a recommended list and their reviews. If any more book needs to be added to this list, please email us. We are working on free pdf downloads for books on Petroleum Engineering and will publish the download link here. Fill out this Petroleum Engineering books pdf download" request form for download notification.

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