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Job
overview
With solid positions in the North Sea, Africa,
the Middle East, Asia and the Americas,
the Group's Exploration & Production
sector sustains the growth of production
and reserves.at a rate that makes Total
an outstanding achiever in the industry.
When a new field is discovered, reservoir
engineering is where exploration and production
meet.
Reservoir Engineers analyze the production
potential of the reservoir and determine
the technical ways and means that should
be used to optimize oil or gas recovery.
They establish descriptions of the reservoir
from the data available, and refine these
data by applying the laws of physics to
forecast reservoir behavior during production
and depletion. From this base, they work
out development scenarios along with precise
recommendations for the number and positioning
of the wells, the drilling schedule, the
production profile, etc.
Reservoir Engineers must also present and
be able to "sell" their recommendations
to decision-makers inside and outside the
Group (partner companies or official authorities
in host countries).
First steps
At Total, Reservoir Engineers initially
work on study assignments where, guided
by senior engineers, they have the opportunity
to acquire hands-on experience in their
own field and in different related areas
like geology, drilling and economics.
Career options
After two to three years, Reservoir Engineers
generally take part in field development
on site. Many tracks are open after that
- as an Expert, in Projects or Production,
and also in other areas focused on finance,
economics or negotiation.
Our recruitment
criteria
. Degree from a major engineering school,
MSc or PhD. An additional year in ENSPM,
Imperial College,
. Heriot Watt, College Station, etc. is
a plus. Discernment, imagination, sense
of innovation, interpersonal
. Skills, mobility. English, fluent French,
another language is a plus.
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Testimonial
Emmanuel C. - Age: 26
Reservoir engineer (Total Exploration &
Production)
Degree from ENSIC (Ecole Nationale Supérieure
des Industries Chimiques in Nancy, France).
Joined Total in February 2000 after an internship
with Total in Norway.
What does a Reservoir Engineer do ?
A reservoir is a huge lump of rocks hiding
thousands of meters below the surface, full
of trapped hydrocarbon fluids, oil or gas.
My job is to characterize the fluid in place,
to determine how it will behave on depletion,
for example, and to characterize the reservoir
- its size, properties, qualities, pressure,
temperature, etc. - and to understand and
describe how the reservoir works, so that
we can simulate fluid flow during the development
phase or optimize output during production.
In actual practice,
what does that involve ?
I work at the Group's Head Office in Paris
La Défense, on project development.
I have to model the reservoir we are working
on as accurately as possible, using all
the data available. Then I set up several
production hypotheses which also take into
account uncertainties, to work out whether
or not it is feasible to go ahead with production.
During my internship in Norway, I was monitoring
production. That meant taking action according
to how the reservoir reacted, and in particular
dealing with variations in pressure.
What is a typical
day in your job ?
At the moment that's mainly computer work
: I'm developing the simulation model for
an oilfield in the North Sea. I'm learning
how to use software that I wasn't very familiar
with because I come from the production
side, where you work with true-life data.
Here I'm dealing with simulations. I have
a set schedule and budget to get my model
and hypotheses ready. I work in a team with
geologists and geophysicists, and I report
to my chief and consult her when I need
advice or guidance.
What are the upsides of this profession
- what do you like about it ?
I like the complexity of this work, the
many parameters, finding out how it all
works - or doesn't work! And there's such
a variety of subjects : you won't find two
reservoirs that are the same anywhere in
the world, but you find them practically
everywhere in the world. So that's great,
because I like to travel.
What are the downsides
- what don't you like about it ?
The deadlines. Sometimes you want to keep
going, drill deeper - but because of time
or budget reasons, you have to stop. That
can be frustrating. Once a year, reservoir
engineers also have to estimate the level
of all the reserves on all fields in production.
That's a big, repetitive and rather tedious
job.
What qualities
do you need for this job ?
Physical phenomena should give you thrill,
and you need a synthetic mind to take into
account all the different parameters. You
need to be mobile, open-minded, and you
have to enjoy challenges and want to get
to know other cultures.
How do you see
you career developing in the future ?
After working here at Head Office, I'd like
to get back into production. There are so
many countries to see and new techniques
to invent for particular types of oilfields,
like in northern Canada, for example, where
the oil is so viscous that it's still impossible
to produce economically. Later on, I don't
think I'll specialize in reservoir engineering
; I might go into project economics, for
a more global view. We'll see when the time
comes.
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Testimonial
Erwan B. - Age: 25
Reservoir Engineer (Exploration & Production)
Degrees from ESTP (Civil Engineering) and
ENSPM (DEG).
Joined Total in July 2000, after an internship
at Total at the end of his studies at ESTP.
What does a Reservoir
Engineer do?
Reservoir Engineers study reservoirs, which
basically means they try and figure out
what's happening down there in the subsurface.
The work of Reservoir Engineers actually
needs to be broken down into two main areas
of activity. In the first case, they assess
discoveries to establish production profiles
before development. In the second case -
and this is what I do - they analyze fields
already under development to optimize oil
or gas recovery and production. When you're
doing this second kind of work, your job
is very different depending on whether you're
at Head Office or at a subsidiary.
In actual practice,
what does that involve ?
For us at the Head Office department in
Paris, it involves studying the information
available from the wells already in production
to understand the reservoir better: its
reactions, flows, and so on. Our job is
to come up with solutions to improve production,
which may mean drilling new wells or working
over the wells already there, implementing
enhanced recovery techniques, etc. The Reservoir
Engineers at the subsidiary keep track of
the field's production. Their work is focused
more on day-to-day operations, while we
at Head Office carry out studies that can't
be done in the subsidiaries because of lack
of time, staff or resources.
What's a typical
day in your job ?
Here in Paris, we carry out studies with
main focus on computer simulations. We use
software that lets us simulate how the reservoir
will react if we decide to make this or
that change in our recovery and production
methods. Unlike geologists who establish
static images, we work on the dynamics,
the moving flows of the reservoir. At the
subsidiary, you're closer to operations,
you can get out there and take part in well
tests or whatever, so you spend less time
at the computer.
What are the upsides
of your profession - what do you like about
it ?
It's great to have all these chances to
work in other countries, and also to be
part of a world where the importance of
the stakes involved and the scale of the
projects are so enormous. And I'm proud
to be doing an essential job in the oil
industry, in the so-called "core business",
an area that will never be entrusted to
subcontractors. Also, reservoir engineering
is a meeting point where you're in touch
with many other professions, from geologists
and geophysicists to drilling and process
engineers. It gives you a wealth of experience.
What are the downsides
- what don't you like about it ?
Doing the studies is fascinating but frustrating
at times. Sometimes you feel like you're
going round in circles, that you aren't
getting anywhere, that your mind is a blank
or that you haven't got enough data - even
though there's certainly plenty there! It's
a big change from school, where you're spoonfed
with information. That can be a bit daunting
now and then. And I must admit, the days
spent eye-to-eye with your computer aren't
always terribly exciting.
What qualities do you need for this job
?
For the reasons I just mentioned, you have
to be patient, persevering and meticulous.
You need the fighting spirit to spend day
after day on the computer, even when you
might feel you're not making any progress.
But as I know from experience, when you
look back at the end of the month, the results
are always rewarding.
How do you see
your career developing in the future ?
Sooner or later I'd like to work in another
country, at a subsidiary. That's what attracted
me to this job. But I do realize that I
still have plenty to learn here, at Head
Office, from the specialists all around
me and many others. I also know that, if
I ever think I've learned all I can about
reservoir engineering or if it doesn't thrill
me any more, I'll always be able to switch
to another track in this Group.
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