01. Introduction to Oilfield Operations

What Will You Learn?

• Define “oilfield operations” in practical terms
• Explain production flow at a high level from reservoir to sales
• Identify key roles (operator, foreman, production engineer, facilities, instrumentation, HSE, IOC)
• Describe a typical operator shift and decision points
• Explain why procedures and verification exist (and what happens when they don’t)
• Recognize common surface equipment and what it is “supposed” to do
• Describe how failures develop (drift → alarm → shutdown → incident)
• Explain what SCADA is, what it sees, and what it misses
• Explain what an IOC does and how it interacts with field ops
• Explain how AI tools help and where human judgment remains required
• Write a clear shift log entry from observations
• Use a simple escalation rule: what to handle, what to report, what to stop for