In this blog post, among the various fields studied in the Department of Energy and Resource Engineering, I will focus on petroleum engineering to explore the importance of energy resources, the knowledge required for oil exploration and development, and the future career paths I have envisioned while studying energy and resource engineering.
Would we be able to live as comfortably as we do now without energy and resources? It is no exaggeration to say that modern civilization is built upon energy and resources. Both energy and resources are vital to us, and I am currently a student in the Department of Energy and Resource Engineering, which deals with these very topics. However, because the scope of study regarding energy and resources is so broad, even among students majoring in the same department, perspectives on the Department of Energy and Resource Engineering vary widely. Among the various fields of energy and resource engineering, I am particularly drawn to petroleum engineering—the exploration and development of oil—and I plan to study it in depth going forward.
I was first introduced to petroleum engineering through the course “The Future of Energy Resources.” Through this course, I learned that even amid the current energy transition, fossil fuels such as oil and coal are not energy sources that will disappear anytime soon, and they continue to play a vital role in the transition to a new energy system. In particular, South Korea relies heavily on foreign sources for a significant portion of its key energy resources, such as oil and natural gas; in the case of oil, virtually all of the crude oil needed for domestic consumption is imported from abroad. In 2024, South Korea’s crude oil imports reached approximately 1.03 billion barrels, with crude oil from the Middle East accounting for 71.5% of that total. Consequently, oil prices and the domestic economy are inevitably influenced by international conditions, such as global oil prices, the production and export policies of major oil-producing countries, and the political situation in key oil-producing regions, including the Middle East. Consequently, I realized how crucial it is to enhance energy security and self-reliance by utilizing South Korea’s capital and human resources to directly develop oil overseas and secure stable energy resources. And I began to harbor the desire to take on that task myself.
I was able to truly begin studying petroleum engineering while taking the “Petroleum and Gas Engineering and Laboratory” course. Through this course, I learned how to analyze the behavior of oil underground. Oil does not exist separately from rock underground like a puddle of water; rather, it is stored in very small voids—approximately 0.01 to 0.1 mm in size—within highly dense rock. Since oil is produced as it moves through the pores of the rock, predicting its behavior within these pores is crucial for production. To predict the behavior of oil, we use thermodynamics—which deals with the relationship between heat and work—and fluid mechanics, which deals with the flow of fluids. The predictions of oil behavior can vary depending on which thermodynamic and fluid mechanics models are used; the more a model incorporates assumptions that accurately reflect the actual subsurface environment, the more closely its predictions will match actual behavior. Toward the end of the course, I developed an interest in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics and decided I wanted to study these two fields in greater depth. This experience motivated me to apply for a minor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. I am now taking courses in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering alongside those in the Department of Energy and Resource Engineering, striving to deepen my understanding of petroleum engineering.
Before developing and producing oil, the location of oil deposits is predicted through physical exploration, and the “Geophysical Engineering” course covers this topic. Geophysical exploration is a method of investigating the types, characteristics, and structures of geology and rock formations by utilizing differences in physical properties—such as variations in density and electrical conductivity—of substances present underground. Drilling for petroleum development requires a significant amount of time and money. Therefore, accurately predicting geological structures to reduce unnecessary drilling is crucial, as it helps minimize the time and cost associated with petroleum development. Geophysical exploration may not be a field directly required for petroleum engineering. However, based on a thorough understanding of geophysical exploration, I will be able to assess the validity of geophysical data and its results for areas of interest at future petroleum development sites. Since the “Engineering Geophysics” course only covered the basics of geophysical exploration, I plan to further study applied calculus and geology—which are essential for geophysical exploration—to gain a deeper understanding of the subject.
I am currently a junior in the Department of Energy and Resource Engineering, in my second semester. It took me a little over a year to first become interested in petroleum engineering, and since then, I have been gradually learning about the field through my major courses. Although I have a strong interest in petroleum engineering, there is still much I need to learn and study. I intend to do my very best in studying petroleum engineering during the time I have left at university. I dream of becoming an engineer who, in the near future, will travel to overseas sites and contribute to solving South Korea’s energy supply and energy security issues.
