With 2015 now upon us, the coming year looks to be an interesting period in the world of petroleum engineering. With oil prices at a nearly historic low, there will undoubtedly be some challenges in the industry, but engineers working in this discipline still get the opportunity to leverage innovations that make their jobs interesting.

Let’s take a closer look at what changes the petroleum engineering industry can expect in 2015 and beyond.

Expect the Oil Industry to Rebound

While the oil industry doldrums have some potential students questioning a petroleum engineering program, experts expect things to turn around by the time those students earn their degrees. Dr. Jon Olson, a professor at the University of Texas’s Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, commented on how the industry reacts to low oil prices.

“Usually the service companies are the first to react because they’re the ones specifically doing the well work out at the fields. Those smaller companies are going to be retracting what they’re doing, at least staying away from high cost operations,” said Olson. Concerning potential petroleum engineering students he remarked: “four years from now, it will probably be totally different.” In short, expect things to improve.

Cavitation Technology Innovations Improve Petroleum-based Product Production

Cavitation technology is a new technique used in the production of petroleum-based fuels that leverages high-shear forces to provide superior mixing and thermal-heat generation. ExxonMobil Research and Engineering (EMRE) is developing the technology jointly with Arisdyne Systems.

“EMRE and Arisdyne are combining our strengths in petroleum processing technology to produce an industry-leading cavitation process to address today’s challenges across our Upstream, Downstream, and Chemicals business lines,” said Vijay Swarup, Vice President Research and Development at EMRE. “We are optimistic that this technology will make an important contribution to improve today’s global petroleum processing.”

So even in an oil industry downturn, the innovative work of the petroleum engineer continues unabated. If you are interested in exploring this lucrative field more closely, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top Seattle engineering staffing agencies, we remain a great source for jobs and career insights. Schedule some time with us today!

There’s no doubt that petroleum engineering remains one of the most lucrative engineering disciplines. Even with the specter of climate change looming, the oil and gas industry continues to thrive, especially considering the expansion in drilling for the comparatively clean natural gas. Finding ways to make fossil fuels cleaner offers a chance for the innovative application of science — a role in which many engineers thrive.

If you are interested in transitioning your career to the world of petroleum, what additional skills do you need to master? Which of your engineering abilities are still relevant? Let’s take a closer look.

Geography Skills are a Must with Petroleum Engineering

One skill needed by petroleum engineers that isn’t commonly held by most other engineering disciplines other than Civil, is geography. Performing site surveys, drilling for oil and gas, as well as pipeline routing all require a strong grasp of geographic principles.

Problem Solving Skills in the Field are Vital

Oil and gas engineers need critical problem solving skills while in the field. Petroleum engineering, in many cases, isn’t a lab job; it requires days working on site handing extraction problems in a large variety of locations — the ocean, the desert, or almost anywhere oil and gas are found. Quick critical thinking serves oil and gas engineers well.

Be Prepared to Spend a long Time on the Road

Because of the requirement to be on site working on extraction projects, petroleum engineers spend many days or weeks in a row on the road. Keep this in mind if you value your family life. Some sacrifices may have to be made, but understand that compensation earned by petroleum engineers — some of the highest for engineers of all types — makes it worthwhile.

If you are interested in becoming a petroleum engineer, a good source of advice are the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, they are also a great source of Seattle petroleum engineering jobs. Make it a point to schedule a meeting with them today to see if making the move to the world of oil and gas makes sense for you.

There aren’t many industries that value safety more than the world of aerospace. Aviation engineers spend rewarding careers formulating and developing new innovations improving aircraft efficiency and ultimately creating a more secure environment for both passengers and crew.

As the aviation industry continues to expand and carrying more travelers and cargo, improving safety in an environmentally sustainable fashion is a prime directive of many aerospace engineering programs. What follows is a look at one engineering program’s attempt to find non-destructive methods to improve aircraft maintenance and safety.

The A*STAR Aerospace Program offers Innovations in Aircraft Maintenance

Researchers and engineers at the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) are developing methods to detect aircraft components in need of repair earlier than previously possible. Their hope is to lessen the cost of aircraft maintenance while increasing passenger safety. Leveraging non-destructive methods to find defects also saves time and money.

One major problem with aircraft is when water seeps into the body. A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology’s Dmitry Isakov is leading a project to detect water in aircraft components before it adversely impacts performance during flight.

“Water always finds the easiest way to get in, which is around discontinuities such as joints and bolts. Once inside, the water expands and contracts as it freezes and melts, damaging structures, causing corrosion and increasing the aircraft’s weight,” said Isakov.

Detecting Water with a Vacuum

The engineers leverage a vacuum to detect water in an aircraft’s body. The vacuum causes the water to boil at room temperature with a resultant fast cooling detectable using thermal imagery. “Water detection using my vacuum method requires just one technician, is fast and highly sensitive, and there is no ambiguity with the sealant,” added Isakov.

This improvement in fault detection makes maintenance both more accurate and more inexpensive — a perfect result for an engineer.

If these aviation engineering innovations inspire you to take your career even further, talk to the talented staff at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in the Northwest, they are a great source of Seattle engineering jobs and timely career advice. Schedule a meeting with them today!

While robotics has long been part of the modern industrial factory, recent innovations by engineers are helping intelligent machines make the manufacturing process more efficient and less costly. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the European Union embarked on the SkillPro research project with the hope of reducing manufacturing changeover times in factories.

Let’s take a closer look at their progress.

Improving Changeover Times for Small Production Runs

Currently, it takes too much time to switch around the manufacturing process at a factory when beginning a production run for a new product. In many cases, the preparation and setup actually take longer than the actual manufacturing run itself. KIT’s SkillPro project looks to improve things through the use of intelligent machines.

Thomas Maier, Managing Director of KIT’s Institute for Information Management in Engineering (IMI) commented on the project’s goals. “Machines equipped with additional intelligence and communicating with each other are expected to significantly reduce the changeover time,” said Maier.

These machines are able to automatically recognize changes to parts through the use of optical sensors. This will greatly reduce the programming time necessary to perform changeovers between production runs.

Factory Robots communicating with each Other

Smart machines in the SkillPro project are also able to communicate with each other when a new part is built and needs to be transported from one step to another in the manufacturing process. A mobile robot then ferries the part to the next machine.

The SkillPro project has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing of the niche products typically produced at small to medium-sized enterprises. Robotic manufacturing is no longer the sole domain of large automobile conglomerates. The research project hopes to be completed by the end of next year; a mid-period evaluation report proved successful for the KIT engineers.

If the SkillPro project is the kind of engineering-driven manufacturing innovation that inspires you to take your career to its next level, talk to the staffing experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering recruiting agencies in the Seattle metropolitan area, they can provide both the insight and the Seattle engineering job listings to further your engineering career. Schedule some time with The Talley Group today.

If you are lucky and talented enough to be an engineer in the aerospace industry, prepare for a supersonic explosion of career opportunities, as faster than sound flight looks to be making a comeback. The demise of the Concorde saw the end of supersonic passenger air travel, but some engineering innovations look to bring this state of the art aviation technology back into the mainstream.

Supersonic Speeds coming to Business Travel

One of the main reasons for the failure of the Concorde was its high maintenance costs, which, when combined with declining passenger numbers, caused the business model supporting the jet to falter. There isn’t as much investment risk with the smaller jets used in business travel, so this is the area earmarked for a supersonic travel renaissance.

The Boston-based aerospace engineering firm, Spike Aerospace, is developing a supersonic jet capable of making the trip from New York City to London in 3 to 4 hours — half of the 6 to 7 hour travel time when using a subsonic jet. Vik Kachoria, Spike Aerospace’s founder, noted the growing market demand for faster business travel.

“A supersonic jet will help businesses manage operations and make investments more dynamically. It will bring them closer to their customers, more often. The current fastest jet around for business use is Gulfstream G650, which can go at Mach .875. Our aircraft is designed to fly at 1.6 mach, which is twice the speed of any other aircraft out there, hence reducing the air travel time to about half,” said Kachoria.

An Option for Aircraft Rental Services?

The new business jet, known as the Spike S-512, is expected to retail from $60-80 million, and will carry anywhere from 12 to 18 passengers. With that price, it wouldn’t be a surprise if aircraft rental companies, like NetJets, purchase the model to enhance their service offerings to business travelers.

If these innovations in supersonic aerospace engineering inspire you to take your career to the next level, talk to the recruiting experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, they are a great source for Seattle engineering jobs. Give them a call or send them an email today!

A compelling online presence is a requirement for many industries, and environmental engineering is no exception. In fact, this statement made as much sense 10 years ago as it does today. Considering the rapid growth of social networking, mobile connectivity, and Cloud-based computing, engineering firms in all disciplines need to take the steps to properly brand their company online lest they run the risk of being an also-ran in their industry sector.

Let’s take a look at four easy ways to give your environmental engineering firm an online brand that gets noticed.

A LinkedIn Company Page is a Must

While LinkedIn is the dominant social network for individual professionals, companies and organizations are also able to set up their own LinkedIn pages. This is a great opportunity to gain additional publicity and networking for your company. Have members of your management team write articles on the site to position themselves and your organization as thought leaders in the world of environmental engineering.

Don’t Skimp on the Graphic Design

Spend extra resources on creating a company logo that gets your firm noticed. Leverage that design to re-architect the look and feel of your organization’s website. Remember that your website is still a vital aspect of your company’s online presence.

Don’t forget the Other Social Networks

While LinkedIn remains the most important social network for professionals, your company also needs a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. An online marketing strategy must take advantage of the synergies between all four leading social networks. Sharing posts made on LinkedIn with your followers on the other networks extends their effectiveness.

Leverage Smart Usage of SEO

Smart use of search-engine optimization techniques helps to increase the reach of any posts and articles made by your company — anywhere on the Internet. Consider adding a blog to your website to provide more opportunities for potential customers to find your organization.

Expanding your company’s online brand is vital for your ultimate success. A competent and engaged workforce also plays a role. Talk to the engineering recruiting experts at The Talley Group for your staffing needs. As one of the top engineering staffing companies in Seattle, with a great supply of both Seattle engineering jobs and talented candidates, they can help ensure your organization’s success.

Petroleum engineering is a field that involves a lot of travel and excitement. Those of you hoping to combine a love for the scientific and problem-solving aspects of engineering with the ability to travel to interesting locales all over the world need to explore becoming an oil and gas engineer.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what is involved in the life of a petroleum engineer. One thing for sure: it is definitely not a boring desk job.

“It’s a gambler’s life”

When asked to describe his profession, one petroleum engineer remarked: “It’s a gambler’s life.” Spending most of your time on the road in a variety of unusual locations while applying time-honed engineering skills, also seems like a life of adventure. Most petroleum engineers become involved with all aspects of their work — from selecting a drilling location to helping extract the oil from the ground.

It’s a high-risk field that combines engineering, risk, and a bit of thrill-seeking. Petroleum engineers are able to use their heads and also get their hands dirty while out in the field.

Scouting Potential Drilling Sites

A petroleum engineer’s day might involve scouting a potential drilling site. After one is chosen, samples need to be taken for further analysis. This detailed look at the site determines the potential amount of oil or gas in the area, at what depth it is located, and the type of equipment necessary to extract the product.

If the site meets requirements, the engineer helps to supervise the construction of the rig, extraction operations, and finally the rig removal and site clean-up. Self-confidence and the ability to make important decisions quickly is a must, as dealing with drilling failures or barren sites is an important part of the job. An undergraduate degree in one of the earth sciences is a requirement, and many petroleum engineers also hold advanced degrees.

If you like to take risks and have a sharp mind for engineering, then a career as a petroleum engineer might be for you. Make a call to the engineering staffing experts at The Talley Group, one of the best sources for petroleum engineering jobs. Schedule some time with them today!

Hybrid renewable energy systems are currently a hot item. The flexibility provided by hybrid energy sources appears to make a good fit for deriving power off the grid in remote regions. Using renewable energy for back-up in the event of a power outage is another intriguing use-case.

Flexibility is Key for Companies Specializing in Renewable Energy

Companies in this sector are discovering that it makes sense to be knowledgeable in multiple areas of renewable energy, instead of merely focusing on a certain type, like solar or wind. Using only one energy source may not provide enough power when compared with a more flexible hybrid option. Solar energy is especially a victim of this issue during the winter months or cloudy periods.

In situations where enough power isn’t available, batteries or diesel gasoline power makes up the difference. Leveraging a hybrid system mitigates the need for additional carbon-based backup power sources; simplifies the logistics around providing diesel fuel, and is ultimately better for the environment.

In remote areas, where battery backup is typically used instead of fuel, a hybrid system is involved in charging the batteries. Providing both solar and wind energy offers a better opportunity to keep those batteries fully charged during calm, cloudy periods.

Businesses taking Advantage of Hybrid Renewable Energy

Telecommunications companies, with a need to keep remote transmission stations powered on a 24/7 basis, are one business taking advantage of these new hybrid renewable energy systems. Typically dependent on diesel fuel for backup, hybrid power allows these companies to save money. A market research firm predicts the number of remote stations going “off-grid” will increase from 13,000 in 2012 to 84,000 in 2020.

Verizon and T-Mobile are just two of the telecommunications companies expected to reap the benefits of hybrid renewable energy. One Verizon site testing a hybrid system saw savings of over $8,000 in one year.

If these advancements in renewable energy applications inspire you to start or further a career in engineering, be sure to contact the friendly people at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing companies in the State of Washington, they are an excellent source for Seattle engineering jobs. Schedule some time with them today!

There remains little doubt that as our society grows more dependent on technology, developing a new generation of engineers is paramount to ensuring the speed of technical growth continues to advance. But what are the best methods to inspire young, fledgling engineers — be they boys or girls. What follows is a collection of gifts sure to make understanding complex concepts fun and quite possibly inspire children into considering an education and career in engineering.

Engineering Books Aimed at Young Readers and More

There are a host of excellent books that do a great job of explaining technology for the budding engineer. Some even are an enjoyable read for those currently in the industry or anyone with an interest in science. One such book is 1001 Inventions That Changed the World, an absorbing tome chronicling inventions that held, or continue to hold, a profound influence on daily life in the worlds of medicine, transportation, electronics and more. In addition to providing inspiration for a young engineer, it also serves nicely as a reference volume for the entire family.

This world needs more women engineers. A book aimed at girls in grades fifth through eighth, Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women, offers a glimpse at a range of innovations developed by women. The book covers a variety of subjects, from the mother of The Monkees’, Mike Nesmith, inventing White-Out to a female engineer working for NASA, who created the “Space Bumper.” This is a title sure to invoke the possibilities for future female scientists.

Toys for the Engineers of the Future

How many current engineers received a LEGO set when they were younger? Is there a better toy to help youngsters discover the joy of devising and building their own contraptions? LEGO’s Builders of Tomorrow set features 650 colorful LEGO bricks that can used to construct nearly anything. It is aimed at children aged 4-10, a perfect age for inspiring a future engineer.

A book series with a small construction set aimed at young girls is GoldieBlox, developed by Debbie Sterling, a Stanford engineering graduate looking to foster the growth of more female engineers. A successful kickstarter funding campaign means GoldieBlox should be hitting the toy stores around the United States very shortly.

Inspiring the next generation of engineers is important, as is inspiring today’s current generation. Helping you find the best in engineering jobs, the Talley Group is known as one of the top engineering recruiters in the Seattle area. Schedule some time to talk with them today.