Petroleum Engineering

Prof. Kennedy FOZAO
HOD of Petroleum Engineering

• Mail Address: P.O. Box 39 Bambili– Cameroon
• Telephone Contacts: +237

The Department of Petroleum Engineering of the National Higher Polytechnic Institute (School of Engineering—NAHPI) of the University of Bamenda was created by Presidential Decree No 2017/581 of 24th November 2017to lay down the administrative and academic organization of the National Higher Polytechnic Institute together with five other technical departments.

Vision of the Department

The vision of the department is to be a leading institution of reference in the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate, world class education, research and training in Petroleum Studies in the west and central African sub regions.

Mission of the Department

The petroleum sector is fast developing in Cameroon and the Central African sub region, as well as other African countries. There is therefore an absolute need to train adequate manpower to run the technical operations at the exploration and exploitation stages. The Department of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Bamenda has been structured to offer adequate training to young Cameroonians and other nationals who upon graduation, will be capable of participating in any of the operations at the upstream and the midstream of the petroleum industry, both onshore and offshore. Oil and gas are found in a variety of geological conditions. Oil and gas field development and operation specialists focus on extracting this vital energy resource from the earth interior. The Department therefore will provide students with a strong geological background and the technical skills acquired from both academic and practical teaching, with emphasis on field work and industrial attachment.

Admission Requirements

Besides the general University requirements, applicants for this program must have pass grades in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics at the GCE Ordinary Level. At the GCE/ Advanced Level or BACC C, applicants must have a pass grade in Mathematics and any one of the following subjects: Physics and Chemistry. Geology is an added advantage.

Mode of Admission

Teaching will be done through lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions, field trips and industrial attachments.

General Courses

• Bachelor of Engineering (B.ENG)
• Master of Engineering Science (M.ENG)
• Master of Science(MSc)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School Wide Courses

• Algorithms and Programming Languages
• Chemistry for Engineers
• Engineering Drawing
• Engineering Mathematics
• Introduction to Computer Science
• Introduction to Engineering and Entrepreneurship
• Physics for Engineers
• Engineering Thermodynamics
• Engineering Fluid Mechanics

School Wide Courses

Basic Concepts in Geology and Field Studies, Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, Rock Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Petroleum Engineering Laboratories, Industrial Attachments, Strength of Material, Sedimentology and Sedimentary Petrology, Reservoir Petrophysics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Alternative Energy Resources, Drilling Fluid Technology, Petroleum production Engineering, Drilling Engineering, Reservoir Engineering, Natural Gas Engineering. Multiphase Flow in Pipes, Applied Geophysics, Petroleum Geology and Stratigraphic Principles Oil Pollution and Control, Natural Gas Processing and Utilization, Well Logging, Surface Production Operations, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Well Completion and Stimulation Design, Petroleum Economics and Project Management, Research Methods, Reservoir Modeling and Simulation, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), Offshore Operations. Petroleum Refining Technology; Petroleum Transport and Storage, Applications of Computer Science in Petroleum Engineering, Research Project.

Industrial Attachments/Project

Industrial attachments are compulsory with the objective of putting students in contact with technical applications in the oil and gas and related industry. These are unique opportunities that may orientate students on the selection of a topic for their end-of-course project. Students are monitored to ensure that these essential components of training are undertaken by each of them before graduation.

Organisation of Academic Programs and Evaluation

Training programmes are structured in semesters and each semester may have courses with total credit value not exceeding 36 credits. Industrial attachments are programmed at the end of each academic year. Practical aspects are built up into separate courses labelled Petroleum Engineering Laboratories. Each course is accompanied with tutorials. At the end of studies in the Department, each student is expected to write a project on any technical field in the oil and gas industry and defend it before a constituted jury. Evaluation of performance in the Department consists of continuous assessments and a written exam. The continuous assessment is scored over 30 points and the exam over 70 points making a total of 100 points. The BMP grading system with a GPA over 4 is applied to determine the final grade of the certificate awarded.

Research Areas

Reservoir Engineering; Reservoir characterization; oil production methods; Drilling operations and Drilling fluid technology.

Career opportunities

Graduates of the Department of Petroleum Engineering are in high demand in the oil and/or gas and energy industry. They will occupy key positions in drilling, oil field servicing, and exploration and petroleum production companies at the national and international levels. They are also highly needed in energy research institutes, design organizations in the oil and gas industry around the world.

Teaching Labouratories

The following labs will accompany teaching in the department:

• Drilling Fluid Technology Laboratory
• PVT/Reservoir Engineering Laboratory
• Petroleum Engineering Software Laboratory with a work station and so many simulation software.

Research and Develpment Action

Research activities of permanent Lecturers are conducted in laboratories of other national or international universities. Students will be encouraged to build hand on models to simulate oil and gas industry activities.

Industrial Partners

Negotiations are going on with the following companies for industrial partnerships.

• SNH
• Schlumberger
• Addax Petroleum
• Gas Du Cameroun
• SONARA
• Rig Repairs
• Perenco.
• Chantier Naval

National Partner Institutions

• Petroleum Research Group
• Department of Geology
• University of Buea

International Partner Institutions

Negotiations are going on with the following institutions for partnerships

• Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria

Professional Bodies

• School of Engineering, Madonna University, Nigeria
• Gubkin Russian Oil and Gas University, Moscow
• Laser Institute, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
• Students of the Department of Petroleum Engineering get registered to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) International through the Students Chapter. They are also encouraged to get registered to the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).

Parmanent Teaching Staff

• Dr Fozao Kennedy Folepai, PhD Petroleum Engineering, Senior Lecturer, Head of Department
• Prof Tabod Charles, PhD Geophysics
• Prof Njoh Olivier, PhD Biostratigraphy/Petroleum Geology.
• Dr Anagho Solomon, Ph.D– Chemical Engineering.
• Mr. Gah-Muti , Msc. Geophysics

Associate Parmanent Teaching Staff

• Prof. Ibrahim Dodo Suleiman, PhD, Petroleum Engineering.
• Dr Nkem Izuwa, PhD, Petroleum Engineering.
• Dr Djieto Lordon Anatole, PhD Geophysics.
• Mr. Effiong Francis Udoh, MSc Petroleum Engineering.
• Mr. Nseobong Akara Udoh, MSc Petroleum Engineering
• Mr. Mpako Judges, MSc Applied Geology

Various Form B's

• Bachelor of Engineering (B.ENG)
• Master of Engineering Science (M.ENG)
• Master of Science(MSc)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)