The Institute of Petroleum (IP) was a UK-based professional organisation founded in 1913 as the Institute of Petroleum Technologists. It changed its name to the Institute of Petroleum in 1938. The institute became defunct when it merged with the Institute of Energy in 2003 to form the Energy Institute.

Background

The Institute of Petroleum Technologists was established in 1913 by the consulting chemist and engineer Sir Thomas Boverton Redwood (1846–1919) and Arthur Eastlake. At the institute's inaugural meeting in 1914 Sir Thomas stated that the aim of the institute was to determine a "hallmark of proficiency in connection with our profession". He emphasised the need to amalgamate the diverse knowledge and interests of the various branches of the oil industry. In 1938 the institute changed its name to the Institute of Petroleum and membership was opened to all professions associated with the oil and gas industries.

Operation

The Institute of Petroleum had similar goals to the Energy Institute but was specifically focused on the oil and gas industry, whereas the Energy Institute also covers other forms of energy including nuclear and alternative energies. The IP designation still survives, for example in the specification of test methods in the petroleum industry. The Energy Institute still runs an "International Petroleum (IP) Week", a series of events and seminars aimed at the petroleum industry. The institute's crest was an Archaeopteryx with the Latin motto conjunctione potiores (translated as 'preferential coupling').

Publications

The institute published a monthly magazine Petroleum Review, which the Energy Institute continues to publish. Scholarly articles were published in the Journal of the Institute of Petroleum from 1939, previously the Journal of the Institute of Petroleum Technologists (Volumes 1 to 24; 1914–1938). The Petroleum Institute published an extensive range of internationally recognised codes of practice, guidance and petroleum test procedures. The following lists are a sample of the published material.

Codes of safe practice

Model codes of safe practice (MCSP) included:

General

Guidelines

Test methods

This list is a sample of the test methods available. Note that the IP designation still exists in the specification of these test methods.