Oil and Gas and Petroleum Engineering Dissertation Topics

Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to assess China’s oil and gas consumption using five representative scenarios to project until 2050 using integrated modelling. The study seeks to incorporate data from the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) scenarios. The research will use integrated modelling of NDC data that asserts a consumption peak for the country by 2035. Using the integrated scale, the research will assess the extent of import dependence of China and its risk of a national energy security crisis.   

Research Aim: The aim of the study is to analyse the role of crude oil prices in predicting the stock returns of firms in developing countries. The study will also assess this relationship using factors noted as traditional by the literature, such as returns on risk-free assess. The data will be collected from major oil and gas companies listed in the stock exchange of a developing country. The stock exchange data will then be analysed using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).

Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to assess the effects of oil price movements that began in 2014. The research assesses financial systematic risk proxied by betas on firms that operating in the unconventional oil and gas industry in comparison to the conventional industry standards. The data is collected from oil price movements from 2014, with analysis taking place using cross-section regressions prior to- and after- 2014 oil price drop.  

Research Aim: The primary aim of the current study is to assess the various factors that may impact the bullwhip effect in oil and gas supply chain. The study intends to examine the economic impacts of this effect due to it being rarely studied. The research will be conducted using evidence from North American companies focusing on functions of exploration and production, refining, and marketing. The research will analyse the data for each company and target operational causes of the bullwhip effect.  

Research Aim: The oil and gas industry is a large producer of wastewater from the process of extraction. The study attempts to assess the extent of wastewater production from the US associated with oil and gas extraction which can be a potential cause for water scarcity, subsurface disposal limitations, and regional linkages that may cause potential seismic activity. The study will quantify produced water (PW) volumes in connection to water demand of various sectors. The study will also analyse the PW quality associated with treatment and reuse options in US shale oil and gas firms.

Research Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the economic effects of oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, as it is known to be the most prolific oil and gas geologic basins in the US. The study presents a basin-wide representation that examines the employment and income effect of the area since its development for oil and gas production. The study will analyse the local and spatial spill over effect impact. The data collected on the firm and local level takes into account the drilling decisions and economic activities of the area. The research’s data will be analysed using an instrumental variables regression model.    

Research Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the quality of produced water discharges related to oil and gas extractions in the United States. The study will attempt to empirically highlight the contents of organic compounds in produced water by assessing the amounts of salts, organic compounds, metals, and radioactive material. The research will analyse if the produced water and surface water from oil and gas production can be reused for agricultural benefits. The study will collect data from downstream discharges and analyse it using inferential statistics.    

Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to monitor rare earth element concentrations from oil well drill cutting to provide policy measures to prevent environmental contamination. The study looks to assess the empirical concentration of rare earth elements in drill cutting from oil and gas exploration wells in ultra-deep coastal waters. The study will analyse this phenomenon from different depths. The data will be conducted using a field study of ultra-deep coastal waters then tested against vigorous experimental methods such as microwave-assisted acid digestion to determine the concentration of ICP-MS. The data will then be analysed using inferential statistics.   

Research Aim: The study aims to investigate the impact of oil and gas production on methane emission associated with industrial activity. The study focuses on regions in the United States that use horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Data will be collected using TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument to assess methane enhancements over production regions of the country. Data taken will then be analysed using inferential statistics.  

Research Aim: The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of water-related sustainability of energy extraction unconventional oil and gas production in the US. The study will focus on issues of rising water demand on hydraulic fracturing and volumes of produced water from oil and gas. The data will be collected from historical hydraulic fracturing and produced water volumes from 2000 to 2015. The data will be analysed using inferential statistics.

Research Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the impact of increased oil and gas production on new environmental pollution issues in the UK. The primary issue studied will be management of produced waters disposed from deep well injection causing induced seismic activity. The research will analyse historical records of sediment pollution associated with oil and gas production in the UK. It will highlight environmental risks associated with produced water and contamination of sediments.

Research Aim: The study intends to assess the impact of loosened environmental policies on firm performance of UK’s oil and gas sector. The research will use the Porter hypothesis by adapting it with investment efficiency to measure corporate performance. The research will discuss the long-term effects of loose environmental policies on UK’s oil and gas sector. The data will be collected using historical firm performance of UK’s companies based on governmental policies. Data will be analysed using structured equation modelling.   

Research Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the documented cyber-attacks on oil and gas companies, highlight consequences of attacks, and assess the vulnerability taxonomy of incidents. The study will survey cyber-attacks on oil and gas sectors – upstream, midstream, and downstream from the 1990s to 2020. The study will map and catalogue these attacks and their types. Data will be collected from documented attacks and analysed using the methods outlined.   

Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to assess the need for risk management in oil and gas projects. The study will assert that large-scale projects in the oil and gas industry face operational problems from a deficit of risk management measures. The research will identify the evaluation and prioritise risks of upstream oil and gas sectors in developing economies. The research will acquire firm level data from developing economies and analyse the data using inferential statistics.