In this blog post, we will explore why Energy Resources Engineering is fluid and examine why changing market trends and field experience play such a crucial role in this field.
Energy Resources Engineering is a discipline that requires not only engineering knowledge but also a deep understanding of current energy resource flows and their characteristics. Compared to other engineering disciplines, this field is fluid and closely tied to the field. Energy resource engineering is a unique field where practical industrial experience carries significant weight alongside academic depth. Other engineering fields like mechanical or electrical engineering involve learning long-established disciplines such as materials science, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetics. These disciplines are based on fundamental principles that have been established over time and are unlikely to change.
However, energy resource engineering involves subjects that are susceptible to change due to external environmental factors, primarily driven by technological advancements and shifts in market demand. Courses in energy engineering include international energy market analysis, drilling engineering, and petroleum and gas engineering. Petroleum and gas engineering, drilling engineering, and similar fields began developing in the late 1800s and 1900s, coinciding with the start of oil drilling. What students majoring in energy engineering learn today consists of methods and theories discovered over a century of field drilling. These theories are based on fundamental principles like fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, leading to the establishment of field-optimized methods. In other words, energy resource engineering is a discipline where theory and practice are closely intertwined. Its value is realized only when theoretical knowledge combines with field experience to create synergy.
Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that energy resource engineering originated from real-world field experience. Unlike other engineering fields, this discipline must continuously reflect the evolving market and technological advancements. Furthermore, energy resource engineering evolves in step with current energy market trends. For instance, shale gas is an emerging energy source in today’s market. The introduction of horizontal drilling—an innovative technique—during shale gas extraction demanded a new approach distinct from conventional oil drilling methods. The formation process and production methods for shale gas are markedly different from those of the oil we originally produced. Oil is formed when various organic materials decompose and accumulate in source rocks, creating hydrocarbon masses. These then migrate to reservoir rocks slightly distant from the source rock, where they are stored as oil or gas. Drilling targets these reservoir rocks, typically using vertical drilling to produce the oil.
However, shale gas forms directly within the source rock without migrating to a reservoir rock. Production involves targeting the source rock itself using horizontal drilling, which differs from oil production. This shift demonstrates that energy resource engineering must continuously adapt to reflect the latest technologies and market trends. When new energy resources emerge like this, we must learn their characteristics and production methods anew. Therefore, energy resource engineering is a discipline highly sensitive to current trends in the energy market. Moreover, the ability to understand and adapt to these trends is one of the core competencies an energy resource engineer must possess.
Summarizing the characteristics mentioned above, energy resource engineering students must possess not only engineering knowledge but also an interest in current market trends and the ability to grasp resource flows effectively. For this reason, energy resource engineering students must develop comprehensive judgment skills that go beyond simply solving technical problems, taking into account economic and political situations. From this perspective, energy engineering is a field well-suited for those who enjoy logical and clear thinking. Understanding resource market trends also benefits from being underpinned by logical thinking.
Energy resources are interconnected with all economies. Energy resources can alter the global political landscape, and resource prices can fluctuate significantly due to various political issues. For example, political instability or conflict in a specific country can disrupt resource supply, causing major ripples in the international energy market. Recently, the U.S. shale gas boom and other complex factors caused oil prices to plummet. Similarly, analyzing the resource market requires considering numerous external factors and logically developing how they might influence outcomes. Ultimately, energy resource engineering is a discipline at the intersection of technology, economics, and politics, demanding the ability to comprehensively understand and analyze diverse elements.
