Course Topics

This special course provides a comprehensive overview of the fascinating, complex oil industry.  You'll learn about oil from its formation to its ultimate use, and everything in between, such as:


  • Description of the Petroleum Industry - What is it?
        Upstream / Downstream / Midstream  

  • Processing/Handling of Natural Gas /
    Propane / Butanes

  • History of the Petroleum Industry - Titusville until Today

  • Marketing/Pricing of Crude Oil / OPEC / NYCE, etc.

  • How Oil is Formed - Where it Comes From -
    How it Affects Us

  • Industry Organizations - API / EI / ISO / ASTM / Others

  • Finding Oil - Onshore / Offshore Formation Types /
    Oil Reserves / How Much Do We Have?

  • Pricing of Gasoline

  • Accounting of Oil / Products

  • How Oil is Produced - Onshore / Offshore
    How Much Do We Use?  / How Much Do We Need?

  • Regulatory / Environmental Issues /
    Drill or Not to Drill?

  • Global Warming and the Oil Industry

  • Treatment of Oil for Sale / Shipment

  • Terrorism and the Oil Industry

  • Storage of Oil:  Terminals / Tanks / Transshipment

  • Future of the Oil Industry - Bio Fuels -
    Right or Wrong?
    Estimated Reserves Left /
    Growth in LNG Usage /Gas to Liquids?
    Is the Petroleum Age Over?

  • Transportation of Oil: Ships-Barges-Pipeline-Truck-Rail 

  • Refineries / Refining - How Gasoline is Made
    Distillation / Hydro / Cat Cracking / Other

  • Types of Products Made - Crude Oil

  • What is next for the Industry?



Program Objective:  To raise the participant's level of awareness of what the petroleum industry is and what makes up all its varied components.  The course follows a barrel of oil from its origins in the ground to its ultimate consumer use.