GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus 2021: You can check the syllabus for Petroleum Engineering from this page. The exam is conducted for 25 subjects. The syllabus for all the 25 subjects is different. Under the Petroleum Engineering syllabus, there are 16 broad sections. These 16 sections include various subtopics. In the exam, 55 questions will be asked from these sections. The remaining 10 questions will be asked from the General Aptitude section. The syllabus for both the subject in questions and the GA section are available on this page. Candidates can read further to know all the details.
GATE Petroleum Engineering Syllabus
The syllabus for Petroleum Engineering includes topics like Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Complex Variables, Probability and Statistics, Numerical Methods, Petroleum Exploration, Oil & Gas Well Drilling Technology, Reservoir Engineering, Petroleum Production Operations, Offshore Drilling and Production Practices, Petroleum Formation Evaluation, Oil and Gas Well Training, Health Safety and Environment in the Petroleum Industry, Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques, and Latest Trends in Petroleum Engineering.
Linear Algebra: Matrix algebra, Systems of linear equations, Eigen values and eigenvectors.
Calculus: Functions of single variable, Limit, continuity and differentiability, Taylor series, Mean value theorems, Evaluation of definite and improper integrals, Partial derivatives, Total derivative, Maxima and minima, Gradient, Divergence and Curl, Vector identities, Directional derivatives, Line, Surface and Volume integrals, Stokes, Gauss and Green’s theorems.
Differential equations: First order equations (linear and nonlinear), Higher order linear differential equations with constant coefficients, Cauchy’s and Euler’s equations, Initial and boundary value problems, Laplace transforms, Solutions of one-dimensional heat and wave equations and Laplace equation.
Complex variables: Complex number, polar form of complex number, triangle inequality.
Probability and Statistics: Definitions of probability and sampling theorems, Conditional probability, Mean, median, mode and standard deviation, Random variables, Poisson, Normal and Binomial distributions, Linear regression analysis.
Numerical Methods: Numerical solutions of linear and non-linear algebraic equations. Integration by trapezoidal and Simpson’s rule. Single and multi-step methods for numerical solution of differential equations.
Petroleum Exploration: Classification and description of some common rocks with special reference to clastic and nonclastic reservoir rocks. Origin, migration and accumulation of Petroleum. Petroleum exploration methods.
Oil and Gas Well Drilling Technology: Well planning. Drilling method. Drilling rigs Rig operating systems. Drilling fluids function and properties. Drilling fluid maintenance equipment. Oil & gas well-cementing operations. Drill bit types and their applications. Drill string & Casing string function, operations, selection & design. Drilling problems, their control & remedies. Directional drilling tools. Directional survey. Application of horizontal, multilateral, extended reach, slim wells.
Reservoir Engineering: Petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks. Coring and core analysis. Reservoir fluid properties. Phase behavior of hydrocarbon system. Flow of fluids through porous media. Water and gas coning. Reservoir pressure measurements. Reservoir drives, drive mechanics and recovery factors. Reserve estimation &techniques.
Petroleum Production Operations: Well equipments. Well completion techniques. Well production problems and mitigation. Well servicing & Workover operations. Workover & completion fluids. Formation damage. Well stimulation techniques. Artificial lift techniques. Field processing of oil & gas. Storage and transportation of petroleum and petroleum products. Metering and measurements oil & gas. Production system analysis & optimization. Production testing. Multiphase flow in tubing and flow-lines. Nodal system analysis. Pressure vessels, storage tanks, shell and tube heat exchangers, pumps and compressors, LNG value chain.
Offshore Drilling and Production Practices: Offshore oil and gas operations & ocean environment. Offshore fixed platforms, Offshore mobile units, Station keeping methods like mooring & dynamic positioning system. Offshore drilling from fixed platform, jack-up, ships and semi submersibles. Use of conductors and risers. Offshore well completion. Deep water applications of subsea technology. Offshore production: Oil processing platforms, water injection platforms, storage, SPM and SBM transportation and utilities. Deep water drilling rig. Deep water production system. Emerging deep water technologies.
Petroleum Formation Evaluation: Evaluation of petrophysical of sub-surface formations: Principles applications, advantages and disadvantages of SP, resistivity, radioactive, acoustic logs and types of tools used. Evaluation of CBL/VDL, USIT, SFT, RFT. Production logging tools, principles, limitations and applications. Special type of logging tools. Casing inspection tools (principles, applications and limitations), Formations micro scanner (FMS), NMR logging principles. Standard log interpretation methods. Cross-plotting methods.
Oil and Gas Well Testing: Diffusivity equation, derivation & solutions. Radius of investigation. Principle of superposition. Horner’s approximation. Drill Stem Testing. Pressure Transient Tests: Drawdown and build up-test analysis. Wellbore effects. Multilayer reservoirs. Injection well testing. Multiple well testing. Interference testing, Pulse testing, well-test analysis by use of type curves. Gas well testing.
Health Safety and Environment in Petroleum Industry: Health hazards in Petroleum Industry: Toxicity, Physiological, Asphyxiation, respiratory and skin effect of petroleum hydrocarbons, sour gases. Safety System: Manual & automatic shutdown system, blow down systems. Gas detection system. Fire detection and suppression systems. Personal protection system & measures. HSE Policies. Disaster & crisis management in Petroleum Industry. Environment: Environment concepts, impact on eco-system, air, water and soil. The impact of drilling & production operations on the environment, Environmental transport of petroleum wastes. Offshore environmental studies. Offshore oil spill and oil spill control. Waste treatment methods.
Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques: Basic principles and mechanism of EOR, Screening of EOR process. Concept of pattern flooding, recovery efficiency, permeability heterogeneity. Macroscopic and microscopic displacement efficiency. EOR methods: Chemical flooding, Miscible flooding, Thermal recoveries (steam stimulation, hot water & steam flooding, in-situ combustion), Microbial EOR.
Latest trends in Petroleum Engineering: Coal bed methane, shale gas, oil shale, gas hydrate, and heavy oil.
GATE 2021 General Aptitude Syllabus
General Aptitude Syllabus is the same in all the subject papers of GATE 2021. The total number of questions that come under this section is 10, out of which 5 questions are of 1 mark each and the rest 5 questions are of 2 marks each. The General Aptitude section is further divided into two parts – Numerical Ability and Verbal Ability. The syllabus for General Aptitude is given below.
Verbal Ability: English grammar, sentence completion, verbal analogies, word groups, instructions, critical reasoning, and verbal deduction.
Numerical Ability: Numerical computation, numerical estimation, numerical reasoning and data interpretation.
GATE 2021 Petroleum Engineering Exam Pattern
Before starting your GATE 2021 preparation, first, go through the exam pattern as well as the marking scheme of the exam. It will give you a good idea about what to expect from the question paper, what will be the pattern and trend of the questions in each section and the distribution of marks. Candidates can look through the exam pattern and the marking scheme of GATE 2021 below.
| Section | Distribution of marks | Total Marks | Types of questions |
| General Aptitude (common in all papers) | 5 questions of 1 mark each 5 questions of 2 marks each | 15 marks | MCQs |
| PE-Based questions | 25 questions of 1 mark each 30 questions of 2 marks | 85 marks | MCQs and NATs |
Marking scheme:
| Type of question | Negative marking for wrong answer | Marking for correct answer |
| MCQs | ⅓ for 1 mark questions⅔ for 2 marks questions | 1 or 2 marks |
| NTAs | No negative marking | 1 or 2 marks |
| Exam Mode | The exam will be a Computer Based Test (CBT) and will be conducted online. |
| Duration | 3 Hours |
| Types of questions | MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) & Numerical Type Answer (NTA) |
| No. of sections | 3 sections- General Aptitude, Mathematics & Subject-based |
| Total no. of questions | 65 questions |
| Total marks | 100 marks |
| Negative marking | For MCQs only |
How To Prepare for Petroleum Engineering?
Your GATE 2021 preparation should be done smartly and with accuracy. You should begin with understanding the basics and completing the syllabus on time. Next, you should move on to, what we like to call is, secondary preparation. This includes your more detailed preparation and practice such as solving sample papers, etc. Candidates can read all the preparation tips including the above tips below.
Understanding of basic concepts
From the beginning aim to gain clarity of basic concepts. If your base/ foundation is strong then you can easily tackle any type of question in the exam. Usually, students focus on completing the syllabus, and while doing so they lack in understanding the concepts well. It is better to understand two topics well instead of mugging up four topics. This habit will save a lot of your time during your preparation as well as the exam.
Start from fundamental topics
Usually, students find it difficult to decide where to start their preparation. What you can do is start from the most fundamental topics that are easy yet important. You can begin with topics like Reservoir, Drilling, Production, etc. This will help you to cover the syllabus fast.
Practice
It is needless to say that practice is important in a competitive exam. Those candidates who are good in mathematics subject can practice more and more questions and sample papers. Other candidates who are not that confident in the subject can start practicing easy questions, understanding the concept well and then move to difficult numerical. Remember practice is the key. The more you practice the more you score.
Solve question papers
You must prepare through solving the previous year question papers. They will give you a fair idea about the trend of questions that was followed in the past years. You can apply for online test series. It will help you practice a variety of questions and you will also learn time management well. Don’t skip the analyzing of your performance after every test series and question papers that you solve.
Revision
Your revision should be of two types – short-term and long term. In short-term revision, you must revise after every topic that you complete. This will help you to memorize that topic well. Also, during the short-term revision make running notes. Keep them short and to the point. The long-term revision is done once you completed the syllabus. You should revise the entire syllabus and in small parts refer to the notes that you made during your short-term revision.
Books for Preparation
Try to prepare from limited sources only. Keep quality over quantity always. Also, choose books from renowned authors and publications. Your study material determines the quality of your preparation. You can take the help of online study material such as the test series or sample papers and question papers. We have also listed a few books for you. You can have a look at them below.
| Title of the book | Name of the Author/ Publication | Link to buy |
| GATE 2021 Guide General Aptitude | GKP | LINK |
| Khanna’s Objective Questions in Petroleum Engineering | Dr. Vikas Mahto | LINK |
| Oil Well Testing Handbook | Amanat Choudhry | LINK |
| Petroleum Refining Process | Rakesh Rathi | LINK |
| Reservoir Engineering Handbook | Amar Kumar | LINK |
What is Petroleum Engineering?
Petroleum Engineering is one of the many fields in Engineering. It includes activities that are related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be any of the two – crude oil or natural gas. Petroleum engineering along with Exploration by the Earth scientists form the two main subsurface disciplines. The field aims at maximizing the economic recovery of hydrocarbons from subsurface reservoirs. There are various types of Petroleum Engineers, from Reservoir engineers to Drilling engineers, Drilling fluid engineers, Completion engineers, and Production engineers.
GATE Petroleum Engineering FAQs
Q1. Where can I find the syllabus for PE in details?
Ans. candidates can find the result of all the 27 subjects on the official website of GATE 2021.
Q2. Can I skip any topic in the syllabus?
Ans. it is recommended that candidates must complete the entire syllabus but if there is a shortage of time than you can prepare the important topics only and solve mock tests.
Q3. What is the exam pattern of GATE?
Ans. You can check the GATE 2021 Exam pattern as well as the marking scheme from this page and from the information brochure published on the website of GATE.
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