EME 200 - Subsurface Energy Engineering
This is a sample syllabus.
This sample syllabus is a representative example of the information and materials included in this course. Information about course assignments, materials, and dates listed here is subject to change at any time. Definitive course details and materials will be available in the official course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Overview
This introductory course provides an overview of subsurface energy resources and their characteristics. It aims to equip students with a foundational understanding of the energy industry, focusing on various aspects of subsurface energy resources and their potential. Key topics include the origin and occurrence of hydrocarbons, the characteristics of subsurface reservoirs, conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reserviors, and improved hydrocarbon recovery technologies. In addition, the course delves into renewable and sustainable energy sources such as geothermal energy. Students will learn about geologic energy storage, such as hydrogen geo-storage, and geological disposal, including carbon geo-sequestration. Through a combination of lectures and exercises, students will gain a foundation in subsurface energy engineering, preparing them for studies in the areas related to Earth, energy, and environmental sciences.
This course is a stand-alone General Education course that contributes to the General Education Learning objectives of Critical and Analytical Thinking and Integrative Thinking. Furthermore, it is a single-domain course in the Natural Sciences (GN).
Objectives
Students who excel in this course are able to:
- Explain the various forms and sources of energy and the environmental impacts associated with energy production and consumption.
- Describe various aspects of subsurface reservoirs, including the origin and occurrence of hydrocarbons as well as geology.
- Give a detailed explanation of rock and fluid properties pertaining to subsurface reservoirs.
- Describe reservoir, drilling, and production engineering as subsurface energy engineering core areas.
- Identify and describe the characteristics of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs.
- Explain various improved hydrocarbon recovery technologies.
- Provide detailed information about various geothermal systems for the extraction of subsurface heat.
- Describe geologic energy storage technologies and present their key aspects.
- Present their knowledge of geological disposal and the critical aspects of disposal settings.
Required Materials
Typically, there are no required materials for this course. If this changes, students will find a definitive list in the course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Prerequisites
None
Expectations
On average, most students spend eight to ten hours per week working on the course. Your workload may be more or less depending on your study habits. You will succeed if you are diligent about keeping up with the class schedule and if you take advantage of opportunities to communicate with the course instructor. Specific learning objectives for each lesson and project are detailed within each lesson. The class schedule is published below and in Canvas (the course management system used for this course).
Major Assignments
This course will rely on a variety of methods to assess and evaluate student learning, including:
- 12 Quizzes, which may contain true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and problem-solving questions. (30% of the total grade)
- 2 Midterm Exams, which may contain true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and problem-solving questions. (40% of the total grade)
- 1 Final Exam will be comprehensive and may contain true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and/or problem-solving questions. (30% of the total grade)
Course Schedule
| Week | Topic | Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Subsurface Energy | Quiz 1 |
| 2 | Subsurface Formations and Accumulations | Quiz 2 |
| 3 | Rock and Fluid Properties | Quiz 3 |
| 4 | Reservoir Engineering | Quiz 4 |
| 5 | Drilling Engineering | Quiz 5 |
| 6 | Production Engineering | Quiz 6 |
| 7 | Unconventional Low-Permeability Reservoirs | Quiz 7 |
| 8 | Unconventional Heavy-Oil Reservoirs | Quiz 8 |
| 9 | Improved Hydrocarbon Recovery | Quiz 9 |
| 10 | Geothermal Energy | Quiz 10 |
| 11 | Geologic Energy Storage | Quiz 11 |
| 12 | Geological Disposal | Quiz 12 |
| Final Exam | ||