UNITED Group

November 14-16, 2016

GOPE-2016UNITED Scientific Group

VenueHampton Inn Tropicana and Event Center

4975 Dean Martin Drive | Las Vegas, NV, USA

International Conference on

Gas, Oil and Petroleum Engineering

Keynote Presentations .......06-11

Key Concepts .......05

Committee Members .......04

.......12-37Featured Presentations

.......38-43Poster Presentations

.......44-45About Organizer

Index

Ramesh AgarwalWashington University

USA

Howard HornfeldFusion Advocates

Switzerland

Upali P. WeerasooriyaUniversity of Texas at Austin

USA

Davis L FordDavis L Ford & Associates

USA

Russell R ChianelliThe University of Texas at

El Paso, USA

Martin Owen JonesISIS Neutron Spallation Facility

UK

Committee Members

Gas, Oil and Petroleum Engineering (GOPE-2016) | November 14-16, 2016 | Las Vegas | USA 4

• Processing & Ref ining

• Fuel Chemistry & Enhanced Oil Recovery

• Uncoventional Energy & Green Energy

• Environmental & Health Issues

• Reservoir Characterization

• Applied Catalysis

Key Concepts


Novel Transition Metal Sulfide Catalytic Materials for Hydroprocessing, F. T. Synthesis and Other ApplicationsRussell R ChianelliUniversity of Texas at EL Paso (UTEP)/Materials Research and Technology Institute, TX, USA

Abstract An understanding of the fundamental properties that lead to both the activity of the simple binary sulphides and the

mechanism by which two metals (Co + Mo) acted together to enhance activity (promotion) has been developed. Theoretical studies support the fact that the d-electrons in the frontier orbitals of the catalysts were key in determining catalysis at the surface. The triumph of this approach was that it unified the promoted TMS systems with the binary TMS and provided a common rational for the activity of both. Constant progress since then has been achieved through the application of Density Functional Theory (DFT) narrowing the gap between instinct and a formal description of catalyst structure/function made by combining synthetic, experimental and theoretical techniques. It is crucial to remember that for real understanding to develop we must study the catalytically stabilized materials and not materials that are changing under catalytic conditions. In the case of the TMS this means that we must study materials like MoS2-xCx and RuS2-xCx. It has been demonstrated that “surface carbides” are the catalytically stabilized state. under hydro-treating conditions. Application of the above has created more active catalyst and these results will be presented (model and real feeds). Recent F.T. results are another example of TMS catalytic materials producing novel products (long chain alcohols) and exciting new stable catalytic structure questions.

BiographyDr. Russell R. Chianelli is a Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Materials Research and Technology Institute at the

University of Texas at El Paso. Formerly at member of Exxon Research and Engineering’s Corporate Research Laboratory, Dr. Chianelli is a world authority on Transition Metal Sulfide Catalytic Materials with 200 peer reviewed publications and over 60 issued U. S. Patents. His work is highly interdisciplinary and covers theory, experiment and application with commercialization based on his work. In 1990 he was the President of the Materials Research Society and scientific leader of the Exxon Valdez oil spill successful bioremediation effort.


Keynote Presentations

Current and Future Trends in Automotive Fuel Composition, Supply and ConsumptionMalcolm F FoxSchool of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bradford, UKNylacast Ltd, UK

AbstractBehind crude oil price and supply variations, technical trends steadily change current and future markets for oil products.

Major re-formulation of automotive gasoline and diesel fuels are now complete as a simplified range of diesel and gasoline grades in Europe. Bio-fuel component introduction is slow, (up to) E-10 for alcohol in gasoline and FAME in diesel. Major fuel change lies with Marine Fuel Oil, reducing sulphur content, hard ‘cat fines’ and LNG as alternative fuel. Fuel consumption/vehicle is decreasing sharply, driven by legislation in all continents. The overall direction is increased fuel efficiency/reduced CO2

emissions gm/km. The UK decreased overall automotive fuel consumption by 11% in in the last decade despite a substantial increase in vehicle numbers. The 2020 automotive efficiency/CO2 emission targets are difficult; 2030 targets are much more difficult, maybe only achievable by electric/hybrid light vehicles. There is no feasible alternative at present for Heavy Duty Diesel (freight) vehicles. Lubricating oil consumption slowly increases worldwide but gently decreases in OECD countries from increased service intervals. Energy consumption slowly decreases in OECD countries from energy efficiencies whereas consumption will increase sharply for developing countries unless they dramatically increase energy efficiency. EU retail supply patterns continues to change, service stations have declined by over 80% from 1964; traditional ‘Mom and Pop’ garages are long gone; at least six/eight multi-nozzle pumps are required for site viability. A distinctive development is super/hypermarket fuel in Europe at significantly lower prices, aided by ’promotions’. Automotive fuel composition, supply and consumption will continue to change!

BiographyDr. Malcolm F Fox works in universities, research institutes and industry, graduating (BSc, PhD, London), post-doc.

(Leicester), Professor, Lubricant Technology (de Montfort) and (US)DoD NRC/NSF Senior Associate. At de Montfort, he established a Lubricant Research Centre developing continuous sampling and analysis from piston rings of operating engines for models of engine lubrication and also the tribology of intrinsically lubricated polymers in Electric Power Steering Systems. He edited ‘The Chemistry and Technology of Lubricants, 3rd.Edn.’, and is an expert witness on fuel and lubrication wear disputes in court. He is Royal Academy of Engineering Professor at University of Bradford, developing the ‘Employability of Graduates’.


Numerical Simulation and Optimization of CO2 Utilization for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Depleted ReservoirsRamesh K AgarwalWashington University in St. Louis, MO, USA

Abstract In recent years, Carbon Capture and Geological Sequestration (CCGS) technology has been considered to offer a potential

solution to reduce direct CO2 emissions from stationary sources into the atmosphere. In a typical CCGS project, carbon is captured from significant emitters of CO2 such as power plants or industrial sources such as cement factories and is permanently sequestered in nearby geological formations such as saline aquifers, oil and gas fields, and un-mineable coal seams. These geological formations have a highly permeable reservoir capped with a relatively impermeable layer of rock which prevents the leakage of CO2 from the reservoir. If fully implemented, geological sequestration of CO2 has the capacity to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants by as much as 80 to 90 per cent. Another approach that is more lucrative financially is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) because the captured CO2 can be used as the working fluid for enhanced oil recovery, enhanced gas recovery, or enhanced geothermal systems to benefit further energy production. CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) can be used in the tertiary stage of oil production to extract the 50-80% of the original oil in place (OOIP) remaining in the oil field at the end of the primary and secondary (water flood) production stages. CO2 injected into deep oil reservoirs becomes supercritical and miscible with oil, leading to a reduction in the oil viscosity and the surface tension between the oil and the surrounding rock, and a swelling effect in the oil. This results in increased mobility of the oil allowing for easier extraction from the recovery well. Furthermore, using CO2 for the oil recovery process may help maintain pore pressure in the reservoir and reduce the risk of induced seismicity that is otherwise a concern in large-scale geological storage of CO2 in saline formations. CO2-EOR is used regularly across the US and around the world and the results are well-documented and appear promising. Today, there are 111 CO2 floods underway in the United States, of which 64 are in the Permian Basin reservoir in West Texas and southeast New Mexico. In this paper, numerical simulations of subsurface flow in an EOR system are conducted using the multiphase flow solver package COZView/COZSim developed by Nitec, LLC. The CO2 injection is optimized for both constant rate and pressure-limited injection scenarios using a genetic algorithm based optimizer integrated with COZSim. The results of the study show that optimization of the EOR system results in an increased recovery factor with a more efficient utilization of injected CO2 and there is significant scope to improve the oil recovery factor by optimizing the injection parameters. The results of this study should pave the way for future optimization of other systems such as Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR), Enhanced Water Recovery (EWR), and Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) that are currently being considered for CCUS.

BiographyDr. Ramesh K. Agarwal worked as a NRC Research Associate at NASA Ames Research Center and as a Principal

Research Engineer at Rao and Associates in Palo Alto, California from 1975 to 1976. Over a period of 35 years, he has worked in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and Electromagnetics, Computational Aeroacoustics, Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization, Rarefied Gas Dynamics and Hypersonic Flows, Bio-Fluid Dynamics, and Flow and Flight Control. More recently, he has devoted some of his efforts in nanotechnology and renewable energy systems - in particular wind, solar and biomass. He is the author and coauthor of over 500 publications and serves on the editorial board of more than 20 journals. He has given many plenary, keynote and invited lectures at various national and international conferences worldwide. He continues to serve on many professional, government, and industrial advisory committees.


New Chemistries Interfacing with Chemical Enhanced Oil RecoveryUpali Peter Weerasooriya* and Gary A. PopeCenter for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA

AbstractNew Chemistries have been developed to improve the performance of Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR)

technologies. These involve new surfactants and co-solvents with the aim of effecting successful extraction of a variety of oils from reservoirs under different conditions such as low to high temperatures, salinities, and hardness levels. New chemical structures were developed for surfactants and co-solvents to meet very challenging conditions. The new chemicals have been proven to be cost effective. Furthermore, their commercial viability has been demonstrated on a large scale. The raw material base has been shown to be multi-source including oleo-chemicals, thus ensuring abundant supply. With the advent of these new technologies, the chemical use levels have seen significant reduction while maintaining high performance. This is very important in the current crude oil price environment where the chemical costs play a crucial role in deciding on project implementation.

BiographyDr. Upali Peter Weerasooriya is on the Faculty of Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering(CPGE) at The

University of Texas at Austin. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from same University. Prior to joining UT, Upali was Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Harcros Chemicals in Kansas City. He is a co-founder of Ultimate EOR Services in Austin. Upali is on the Board of Harcros Global Manufacturing and also the CEO of Upali Weerasooriya Charitable Foundation. He holds more than 40 patents and has more than 50 publications. In 1999, he received the prestigious Rosen award from the American Oil Chemists Society for best scientist.


Reduction of Oil-Water Interfacial Tension to Improve Cold and Steam Assisted Recovery Process EfficiencyBaki OzumApex Engineering Inc., Alberta, Canada

Abstract In Canada, cold heavy oil production with sands and bitumen production with steam assisted recovery processes are being

commercially used for heavy oil and bitumen production at a production capacity of over 1.3x106 barrels per day. Cold and steam assisted recovery processes are designed and operated by prominently ignoring the effect of oil-water interfacial tension on oil mobility. As a result, most enhanced oil recovery methods were focused on reduction of oil viscosity by solvent, such as light hydrocarbons, injection into the reservoir; which resulted in limited commercial success. At our laboratory effect of oil-water interfacial tension along with light hydrocarbon (pentane) injection and pH alterations on cold and steam assisted recovery processes are being studied. Laboratory scale test results indicate that biodiesel performs as a surfactant additive and promotes recovery efficiency when used under 0.2% dosages on oil mass basis. Tests performed operating the steam assisted bitumen recovery cell as a pressure cooker showed that solvent, such as pentane, addition at about 5% and 15% bitumen mass dosages reduced bitumen recovery efficiency significantly. It is interpreted as that, solvent addition increases bitumen-water interfacial tension, promotes slip velocity at the bitumen-water interface and reduces bitumen mobility. Our research is focusing on the measurement of slip velocity at the bitumen-water interface, which could also be caused by the accumulation of the lighter fraction of bitumen at bitumen-water interface in thermal production processes. Potential effects of interfacial tension reduction on commercial cold and steam assisted recovery processes will be discussed.

BiographyAfter graduating from the University of Ankara in 1967, M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Dr. Baki Ozum has received M.Sc.

in 1971 and PhD in 1974 in Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia, USA. He taught Chemical Engineering at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey (1975-1978), worked at Queens’ University, Kingston, Ontario Canada, 1978-1979 and 1980-1981 before joining to the Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (1981-1994). He is the founder of Apex Engineering Inc., Edmonton, Alberta and working as director of R & D since 1996. His recent interests are bitumen production and reduction of environmental impacts of oil sands plants.


Integrated Production Modeling Method in the Gulf of MexicoCalvin YaoUniversity of Texas of the Permian Basin, TX, USA

AbstractThe oil industry has been challenged to commercialize relatively small oil and gas discoveries, especially for offshore and

deep water field development. This paper presents a proven solution using an integrated production modeling (IPM) method that utilizes subsea pipeline networks to integrate/tie several oil or gas fields together in order to produce oil and gas to a floating production platform in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

A typical IPM model consists of three components: reservoir models, wellbore Nodal analysis, and pipeline network optimization. The reservoir models may involve complex numerical simulations, material balance model, and analytical models. The Nodal analysis is commonly used to model the wellbore hydraulics. The pipeline network must be optimized for pipe size by segment, production platform location, and flow assurance considerations. Two example IPM models will be used to demonstrate the technology and study results for both oil and gas field cases in the GOM.

Subsea pipeline networks on the sea floor of deep water fields are surrounded by very cold sea water, which causes problems in the networks and presents challenges to production operations. To prevent such issues, the IPM model assists in minimizing the total pipeline length, selecting the appropriate pipe sizes, and simulating pressure and temperature profiles with different operating conditions. The modeling and simulation results provide essential information to operators in their decision making process.

BiographyDr. Calvin Yao is a seasoned petroleum engineering advisor and a visiting professor at UTPB. His career spans over 30

years between academia and the oil industry. He has firsthand experience in drilling, completion, production, and reservoir engineering with super majors and independent oil companies. He holds 3 degrees in Petroleum Engineering, a PhD from TAMU in USA and MS & BS from SWPU in China. He has taught university and industry courses, established research laboratories, and sat as committee chair for SPE ATCE programs. He also served as an associate editor for SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal, and Elsvier’s Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering.


Numerical Assessment of the Maximum Operating Pressure in SAGD Considering the Mechanical Anisotropy of the Cap ShaleAlireza NouriUniversity of Alberta, Canada

Abstract This research investigates the effect of anisotropic behavior of caprock shales on the caprock failure pressure in SAGD

projects. Shales and mudstones exhibit strong anisotropy at the micro and macro scales. However, the anisotropic behavior has been neglected in the existing published works on this subject. This research focuses on the effect of the intrinsic anisotropy of shales on caprock integrity. The Maximum Operating Pressure (MOP) is calculated from the failure pressure using an appropriate safety factor. A coupled hydro-thermo-mechanical model was developed for the assessment of caprock integrity in thermal operations. A transversely isotropic constitutive model in the elastic range was combined with an anisotropic failure criterion to capture the intrinsic anisotropy of the cap shale. The coupled tool was validated against field data (mainly the surface heave) and employed in a study to determine the effect of shale anisotropic behavior on the pressure associated with caprock breach. Results display the effect of shale anisotropy on caprock response in terms of deformations, stresses and failure pressure. The assumption of isotropic shale behavior in caprock integrity assessment for a case study resulted in the overestimation of the failure pressure by about 7%. Existing numerical models for evaluating the integrity of caprocks during thermal operations employ isotropic constitutive laws. These models are believed to be deficient in capturing strongly anisotropic response of shales and mudstones. The research described in this paper incorporated elasto-plastic shale anisotropy in the caprock failure analysis model for the first time. This study demonstrates the importance of capturing shale anisotropy in the accurate prediction of caprock breach pressure in SAGD projects.

BiographyDr. Alireza Nouri is an Associate Professor in the School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Department of Civil

& Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. He conducts research in petroleum geomechanics related areas which include sand production, hydraulic fracturing, and caprock integrity assessment. Dr. Nouri did his Ph.D. at Dalhousie University in sand production control. He has 5 years of industrial experiences and has been the author of nearly 60 technical papers. He is a registered P.Eng. in Alberta.

Principles of Utilization of Reverse Osmosis Concentrate at Water Treatment FacilitiesAlexei PervovMoscow State University of Civil Engineering, Russia

AbstractTreatment of petrochemical industrial wastewater is a serious ecological problem that requires oil removal and desalination

solutions. Sorption and biological processes are conventionally applied to remove oil from water. These techniques often do not provide desirable efficiency and have very operational costs. Also treated wastewater cannot be efficiently reused due to high salt content. Application of reverse osmosis techniques to remove oil and to reduce TDS is limited by problems of expensive pretreatment and concentrate handling. A new developed technique is described to provide RO treatment with complete concentrate utilization. Results of experimental research of membrane fouling during wastewater treatment is presented. The idea to treat wastewater with RO is based on the application of specially designed “open channel” spiral wound membrane modules that have low fouling propensities and are used to treat water with high fouling potential. The main feature that distinguishes the new technique is utilization of concentrate that is reached through maintaining of recovery value up to 99.5%. The developed membrane process contains two steps: the first step is tailored with reverse osmosis membranes and is used to produce quality water for further reuse. The second step is usually tailored with nanofiltration membranes and is used to decrease concentrate flow to reach recovery value up to 0.995. Calculation tools are presented to provide an optimum operational characteristics of membrane units to treat wastewater.


Featured Presentations

Day

1

BiographyDr. Alexei Pervov graduated from Moscow State University of Civil Engineering in 1982. During 1982 – 2004 he

conducted research in Water Desalination Laboratory at VODGEO Institute – Russian Research Center of Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment. He got his Ph.D. degree in 1990 after finishing research in sparingly soluble salts precipitation on reverse osmosis membranes. He is currently employed as Professor of Water Supply Department at Moscow State University of Civil Engineering. He is an author of 7 books and more than 400 articles devoted to research and application of membranes in desalination, water treatment and wastewater reuse practice.

Industrial Technology for Obtaining 3He Isotope from Natural GasM. Yu. Kupriyanov1,2*, V. L. Bondarenko1, N. P. Losyakov2 and I. A. Arkharov1

1Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Russia2Inergas Ltd., Russia

AbstractThe light stable helium isotope – 3He is the primary and irreplaceable component of neutron scattering detectors. About

80% of such detectors are being used for an unauthorized transference of radioactive materials monitoring, which is the most important factor of radiation safety securing of our planet. The only currently significant source of 3He is tritium (T) (a heavy hydrogen isotope). Worldwide production of 3He is ~ 15 000 normal liters per year (nl/yr). Currently, the difference between the demand and supply of 3He is ~ 50 000 nl/yr. The problem of 3He shortage can be solved by cryogenics by means of commodity helium, which is a natural mixture of 4He-3He isotopes. The abundance of 3He in natural helium gas from wells varies from a low of 0.05 parts per million (ppm) for Texas wells to a high of 22.7 ppm (average ~0.1 ppm). An industrial technology for obtaining 3He isotope from natural gas, consisting of three stages:

• A preliminary enrichment of a base poor natural helium isotopes mixture by a low-temperature filtration to obtain a concentrate, containing 0.1-5% 3He;

• An obtaining 50-99.9% 3He mixture out of the concentrate from the first stage by means of a low-temperature rectification;• A final purification for obtaining commodity 3He with purity up to 99.999% by a low-temperature adsorption.Low-temperature isotope separation could be more efficient not only for producing 3He from natural He but also for

developing alternative 3He sources.

BiographyM. Yu. Kupriyanov graduated in 2011 (Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Cryogenics). From 6 years he is working

on low-temperature helium isotopes separation technology. Currently he is an Engineer at Inergas Ltd., Russia.

Revamping of Syngas Production Process with Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas and its Simulation Using Aspen HYSYS Anju Sunny1*, P A Solomon2 and K Aparna1

1National Institute of Technology Calicut, India2Government Engineering College Trichur, India

Abstract The worldwide energy demand is continuously growing and a very good percent of the primary energy demand is met by

fossil fuels. Since their reserves will last only for the next few decades, alternative and sustainable raw material resources are being sought. Among different feed choices for ammonia production, regasified liquefied natural gas (R-LNG) has shown to be a favorable option. The ammonia production processes depend on the synthesis of its separate nitrogen and hydrogen components in about 1:3 ratio and the overall process can be divided into two main sections; syngas production (preparation of feedstock) and ammonia synthesis. This study was carried out to simulate the syngas production unit using Aspen HYSYS with the aim of enabling R-LNG as raw material. The simulation is based on conditions and parameters (mass flow rates, temperature and pressure readings) obtained from the Ammonia plant of the Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT). The switch over from naphtha to RLNG in the ammonia plant is an effort by the industry to utilize cleaner and cheaper feedstock and fuel. It also reduces energy consumption in syngas production unit marginally. The simulation results showed that the resulting syngas composition indicated 0.2661, 0.7331, 0.0005 and 0.0003 mole fractions of N2, H2, CH4 and H2O respectively. The


feed changeover from naphtha to R-LNG, which has a lower carbon/hydrogen ratio, results in the reduction of steam/carbon ratio and hence reduces CO2 emission. Accordingly, the obtained simulation results offer useful references to process operation optimization and equipment design.

BiographyAnju Sunny received the B.Tech. degree in Applied Electronics and Instrumentation from Mahatma Gandhi University,

India, in 2011 and the M.Tech. degree in Chemical Process Control from Calicut University, India, in 2013. She is engaged in the study of simulation, optimization and control of hydrodesulphurization section in an R-LNG based ammonia plant at Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, India. Her research interests include process control, modelling and simulation. Ms. Anju is a member of the International Society of Automaton (ISA).A Comprehensive Multi-Platform Petroleum Engineering Toolbox for Oil and Gas Industry

Karthik Balaji*, Cenk Temizel, Tayfun Tuna, Anuj Suhag and Rahul RanjithVaalbarasoft, CA, USA

Abstract There are certain online tools that serve as a comprehensive toolbox in specific areas of engineering including but not limited

chemical and mechanical engineering. These tools provide quick online access to a broad range of equations used in the area of interest while serving as a convenient tool for professionals that do not have access to a comprehensive library or that are not familiar enough with the subject to locate the equation required. Thus the objective of online Petroleum Engineering Toolbox is to provide the users in the academia and industry - with or without petroleum engineering background - a comprehensive and convenient 24/7 accessible source for petroleum engineering and related calculations offering calculations and technical description of 1000 formulas. Petroleum Engineering Toolbox consists of 2 main sections: (1) Equations, (2) Technical Manual/Reference featuring a total of close to thousand calculations in Reservoir, Drilling, Production, Well Testing, Flow, Laboratory Experiments, Economics, PVT, Logging, Optimization, Well Stimulation, EOR, Thermodynamics. The purpose of Technical Manual/Reference section is to serve as a library for reference tables, charts, tables in petroleum engineering, thus providing a very convenient tool for engineers working anywhere in the world where it is hard to access sources of information including fields, offshore and onshore remote locations. Manual outlines the theory of equations used in calculations with units for the most convenient and user-friendly experience. The petroleum engineering toolbox is available online and as a mobile application for better use on mobile devices. Petroleum Engineering Toolbox online interface is entirely built on top of open source technology. Server side connection is done by Apache 2.4.9 Web Server and PHP Version 5.2.4. MySQL Version 5.5 is used as Database. JQuery (version: 1.4.1), a JavaScript library is used to traverse the HTML document and to make AJAX requests. Formula representations are done by MathJax open source library. Petroleum Engineering Toolbox is available for any PC, Mac, tablet or any mobiles device through mobile friendly online user interface. It is also accessible for iPhone and iPad as a mobile application. Novel/Additive Information: There is no such comprehensive and globally-available toolbox in the oil and gas industry, thus petroleum engineering toolbox is first of its kind serving the professionals in the oil industry and the academia.

BiographyMr. Karthik Balaji is specialized in Petroleum reservoir simulation & estimation, Drilling mechanics, Wellbore integrity,

Hydraulic Fracture Simulation, and Formation evaluation. Interested in Un-conventional technology, tight oil production, Process & commercial optimization, Project Management and process safety.

Numerical Studies on the Performance of Chemical Flooding in a Heterogeneous Multilayered Heavy Oil ReservoirBo Hyun Chon* and Si Le VanInha University, South Korea

Abstract Chemical flooding which includes alkaline (A), surfactant (S), and polymer (P) flooding is demonstrating as one of the

best enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods to recover a large volume of viscous oil underground since thermal methods are not feasible for thin reservoirs or when the permafrost overlays the formation. However, the selection of the flood type and sequential strategy is still in a concern for application in the field in terms of the feasibility from either technical or economic


viewpoints. This work presents a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of chemical flooding in a heterogeneous heavy oil reservoir at the EOR stage by applying the possible sequences of A–S–P flooding with the initial preflushed and final postflushed water flooding using numerical studies. The results show that the injection of a polymer solution is an effective way to remedy the crude oil overflowed by the displacing fluid. In addition, the use of a polymer solution for buffering immediately after the first chemical injection results in better performance than the injection of a water slug in between. For a comprehensive evaluation, in prior technical viewpoint, the sequence W-ASP-W-ASP-W results in the highest final oil recovery in comparison with that of the others; however, when the oil price is taken into consideration, the sequences W-ASP-W and W-ASP-P-W promise more attractively feasible strategies for utilization and selection, helping in achieving the highest profit.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by a Special Education Program for Offshore Plant by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Affairs (MOTIE).

BiographyDr. Bo Hyun Chon is a professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering and Director of the Energy

Resources Fusion Technology Center at Inha University. He teaches courses on petroleum engineering, including well logging, reservoir engineering, and oil property evaluation. Prior to accepting the professorship at Inha University in 1991, he worked as a Chief Petroleum Engineer at Korea National Oil Corporation and Project Management Engineer at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. Dr. Chon received his B. S. in Mineral and Petroleum Engineering from Seoul National University and M. S. and Ph. D. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Catalytic Cracking of Hydrocarbons Over Zeolite-Based Composites for On-Purpose Propylene ProductionShinya Hodoshima*, Azusa Motomiya, Shuhei Wakamatsu and Fuyuki YagiResearch & Development Center, Chiyoda Corporation, Japan

Abstract Propylene has become significant as a raw material in the petrochemical industry because of its increasing demand.

Conventional thermal cracking can no longer meet the increasing demand. In addition, thermal crackers are unfavorable in terms of energy consumption. From these backgrounds, it is necessary to establish any alternative method for producing propylene efficiently from widely available feedstocks such as naphtha. Though catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons over zeolites in fixed-bed operation have been actively investigated as a promising choice for on-purpose propylene production, this method hasn’t been commercialized because stable catalysts, being applicable to fixed-bed reactor, are still undeveloped. In the research by our group, unique composite catalysts, consisting of MFI-type zeolites and metal oxide, have been developed to demonstrate efficient propylene production from hydrocarbons at moderate temperatures in fixed-bed mode. Both characteristics of these catalysts and their excellent performance are summarized below.

1. MFI-type zeolites containing Fe, Ga and Al at optimized ratios, giving high propylene selectivity, were synthesized as main component. The Fe-Ga-Al-MFI zeolites combined with silicon oxide were employed as composite catalysts for cracking. These catalysts exhibited the following excellent performance in n-hexane cracking: (A) High propylene productivity at below 600oC (Overall yield: 23-30 wt%); (B) Long lifetime in fixed-bed operation (ca. 1,000 h).

2. Energy consumption in reactor in n-hexane cracking over the Fe-Ga-Al-MFI/SiO2 catalyst at 565oC was estimated to be reduced by ca. 60% compared to thermal-cracking, because no thermal energy for heating diluent such as steam was needed as well as its low temperature.

It was suggested on the experimental basis that catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons over the present composites in fixed-bed mode is feasible as an efficient method for on-purpose propylene production.

BiographyDr. Shinya Hodoshima obtained a Ph.D. in applied chemistry from the Tokyo University of Science in 2002. After he spent

four years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the university, he joined research & development center of Chiyoda Corporation in 2006. He has investigated zeolite synthesis and catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons using zeolites since 2011. His research interests include applied catalysis and chemical engineering. He received the outstanding presentation award at the 79th Spring Meeting of the Chemical Society of Japan (2001) and the best paper award in the Fuels & Petrochemicals division at the AIChE Spring Meeting (2014).


Development and Evaluation of Nanoagents as Surfactant Carriers for Enhanced Oil RecoveryLorraine Louise Greco Cavalcanti de Araujo1*, Jocasta Neves Liborio De Avila2, Jonatas C. S. Rosestolato1, Aurora Perez Gramatges3 and Regina Sandra Veiga Nascimento1

1Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil2Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil3Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

AbstractThe research on nanotechnology in the oil and gas industry has been widely reported for both upstream and downstream

applications. The incorporation of surfactant nanocarriers in oil recovery injection systems could offer several advantages such as of minimizing the surfactant losses that occur by adsorption on the reservoir rocks surface, which are a major economic disadvantage for the use of chemicals in enhanced oil recovery. The nanocarriers should be able to permeate through the reservoir pores and deliver the surfactants exclusively at the oil/water interface, reducing the interfacial tension. Our research group has been designing several nanoparticle-surfactant systems in order to evaluate their potential in oil recovery applications. The nanoagents synthesized are formed by silica nanopowder, polystyrene nanoparticles and solid lipid nanoparticles with anionic, cationic and/or nonionic surfactants. Different types of nanoagents were obtained with diameters ranging from 100 to 400 nm. The nanoparticles morphology was characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surfactant retention by the nanoparticles was determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), C.H.N. analysis or thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The nanoagents performance was evaluated by desorption and oil/water interfacial tension measurements. The results have shown that the nanoagents synthesized could be used as surfactant carriers, being a promising strategy for improving chemical methods for EOR.

BiographyIn 2011, Lorraine Louise Greco Cavalcanti de Araujo received Chemistry bachelor’s degree with specialization in

petroleum from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). In 2009, while an internship at PETROBRAS, she studied microemulsions for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This work was awarded a first place in the Brazilian SPETRO contest. In 2015, she got Chemistry master’s degree from UFRJ. Through her thesis, she developed a nanofluid for EOR applications. In 2015, she has done an internship at EOR Centre at Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), working with Drop Shape analysis. Currently she is a Chemistry PhD student at UFRJ.

Applied Response Surface Methodology on Chemical Flooding for Enhancing Heavy Oil RecoveryLe Van Si* and Bo Hyun ChonInha University, South Korea

Abstract Chemical flooding has been considered as a potential and consistent method for recovering the heavy oil in more than 200

oilfields in the U.S following the U.S Department of Energy (2004). However, the effective flooding scheme, uncertainty of the project and particularly the unstable variation of oil price are all in concern on deciding to deploy the chemical flooding project. By numerical studies for a quarter five-spot pattern scale, this work first investigates the EOR performances of various ASP flooding sequences before taking them into the economic pre-assessment stage. Oil price is proposed to vary from 30 $/bbl to 60 $/bbl following the practical estimation, and used to determine the most predominant injection scheme in the pre-assessment stage. The chemical concentrations are studied for sensitivity and optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM) algorithm in which the objective functions are recovery factor and total chemical expense in the post-assessment process. The results figure out that the combined injection of an ASP slug followed by a polymer solution gives the most feasible performance compared to other schemes. Further, from the sensitivity analysis, the polymer concentration in the second slug has higher sensitivity than that in the first slug. The estimation from RSM computation with the R2 values higher than 95% demonstrates the adequate application of this mathematic tool for optimization studies. In term of feasibility, by using the practical oil price variation and the basic real costs for chemical flooding, the most optimal chemical flooding scheme can gain the NPV of 3.5 to 5.5 million dollars corresponding to the oil price range of 40 – 55 $/bbl for the quarter five-spot reservoir scale, as proving the possibility of utilizing chemical injection to recover heavy oil even in the unfavorable oil price conditions presently.


Acknowledgments: This work was supported by a Special Education Program for the Korea Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering Program by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Affairs (MOTIE).

Monitoring of Injected CO2: Two Field ExamplesDayanand SainiCalifornia State University, CA, USA

AbstractMajority of geologic CO2 storage sites for currently operated large-scale integrated carbon capture and storage projects

(LSIPs) in operation around the world are depleted oil fields that have been undergone significant depletion and re-pressurization prior to injection of captured CO2. A better understanding of any of the implications associated with past depletion and re-pressurization histories to “out of injection zone” migration of injected CO2 can help in making monitoring strategies significantly more effective. Being the geologic CO2 storage demonstration sites for two most active LSIPs in the US, the West Hastings and the Bell Creek Oil Fields are discussed in this paper. The monitoring technologies that have been used/deployed/tested at both the normally pressured West Hastings and subnormally pressured Bell Creek storage sites appear to adequately address any of the potential “out of zone migration” of injected CO2 at these sites. The monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) activities at the West Hastings and the Bell Creek are a mix of both the existing monitoring and the monitoring technologies that are still of exploratory nature (e.g. borehole gravity, passive seismic monitoring) are also being used. The efforts to monitor injected CO2 at the West Hastings have resulted in development of new theoretical models and techniques that, on verification, can be used for other carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects. On the other hand, Bell Creek MVA program appears to be more applied in nature (i.e. a combination of monitoring technologies and geologic modeling and simulation for site-specific verification of long-term fate of injected CO2).

BiographyDr. Dayanand Saini holds a Ph.D. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Louisiana State University. He also holds two

bachelor degrees, one in Chemical Engineering and another in Mathematics, from the Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, India. He has more than ten years of combined experience of industry, research, and teaching. His research interests and areas of expertise include numerical reservoir modeling, rock/fluids interactions, minimum miscibility pressure, thermal and non-thermal enhanced oil recovery, pressure transient analysis, and general reservoir engineering topics. He also serves as technical reviewer for SPE Reservoir Engineering and Formation Evaluation Journal, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Journal of Petroleum Science and Research, and Journal of Chemical Science and Technology.

Optimization Models for Shale Gas Development Planning: A Real-World Marcellus Shale Case Study Markus G Drouven* and Ignacio E GrossmannCarnegie Mellon University, PA, USA

Abstract The objective of our research is to develop advanced optimization models for long-term shale gas development planning. For

a given development area with a fixed acreage position, we propose a mathematical model to help upstream operators determine: a) where, when and how many wells to drill, b) how to allocate drilling rigs and completion crews over time, c) where to lay out gathering pipelines, d) what size pipelines to install, e) where to construct compressor stations, and f ) how much compression power to provide. As part of a “lookback analysis” we recently applied the proposed framework to an existing gathering system in the Appalachian Basin using real, historic data. Our findings suggest that, in the past, development strategies were primarily driven by trying to drill as many wells as possible and turning them in line as quickly as possible. However, considering the characteristically steep decline curves of shale gas wells we find that these development strategies led to gathering equipment – including pipelines and compressors – being over-sized and therefore heavily under-utilized over long periods of time. Our optimization, on the other hand, reveals that so-called return-to-pad operations appear much more suitable for shale gas development projects. They allow upstream operators to size gathering pipelines and compressor smaller and to keep them “full”, i.e., utilized, over extended periods of time. Our comprehensive economic analysis reveals that return-to-pad operations and an increased equipment utilization could have improved the profitability of this particular development project by several million U.S. dollars.


BiographyMarkus Drouven is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Center for Advanced Process Decision-making (CAPD) at Carnegie

Mellon University. A graduate from RWTH Aachen University in Germany, Markus holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. Prior to enrolling at Carnegie Mellon, Markus worked for the chemical company BASF – first at BASF’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and later at BASF’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, China. Recently, Markus has been collaborating closely with the EQT Corporation in Pittsburgh to develop advanced computational optimization models for shale gas development planning.

Optimal Scheduling of Multiproduct Pipelines Accounting for Flow Rate Dependent Pumping CostsDiego C. Cafaro*, Vanina G. Cafaro, Carlos A. Méndez and Jaime CerdáINTEC(UNL-CONICET), Argentina

AbstractMultiproduct pipelines transport fuels from refineries to distant distribution terminals in batches. The energy needed to

move the fluids through the pipeline is mainly associated with elevation gradients and friction head loss. Commonly, friction loss is the major term requiring pumps to keep the flow moving, and it is strongly dependent on the flow rate. Some studies have been focused on reducing the pumping costs, but none of them has thoroughly considered the head loss due to friction when planning the operations of the pipeline. This work introduces an optimization framework based on mathematical models capable of determining the optimal scheduling of single-source pipelines, rigorously tracking power consumption at every pipeline segment through nonlinear equations. The proposed optimization approach is based on Mixed-Integer Linear (MILP) and Nonlinear (MINLP), continuous-time formulations. Continuous models have demonstrated to be the most efficient way to find the optimal sequence, batching and transportation plan for multiproduct pipelines. In a first step, an MILP model provide the set of batch stripping operations to be diverted to the distribution terminals during every pumping run. Next, a rigorous MINLP model specifies the detailed sequence of individual cuts to be performed by the pipeline operator and the flow rate profile at every pipeline segment so as to minimize the operation cost. Real-world case studies are successfully solved using the framework, which proves to be a useful tool for solving large-scale, nonlinear scheduling problems. Important savings are achieved by keeping a more stable flow rate profile over the planning horizon.

BiographyProf. Diego C. Cafaro is an Associate Professor and Associate Researcher at the Argentine Scientific and Technical Research

Council (CONICET). He joined the Computer Aided Process Systems Engineering (CAPSE, INTEC, UNL-CONICET) research group in 2001. His major contributions are in the field of planning and scheduling oil pipeline networks, the strategic planning of shale oil and shale gas projects, and the optimal scheduling of crude oil and gasoline blending operations. He developed efficient decision supporting tools and math programming models applied to real-world case studies of major industrial companies like Petrobras (Brazil), YPF (Argentina) and EQT (USA).


Intelligent Modeling Approaches in Petroleum Geosciences: Determining the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in Marcellus Shale, NY State Constantin Cranganu* and Danijela DimitrijevicBrooklyn College, The City University of New York, NY, USA

Abstract Total Organic Carbon (TOC) contained by subsurface rock units is an ideal parameter for prediction of potential production

of gas and oil shales because this parameter is a prime indicator of organic matter content. When discussing drilling applications for gas shale, generating an accurate TOC log is one of the most vital steps of the process. We present a comparative study of the performance of three different methods of artificial intelligence methodologies in generating Total Organic Carbon content of the Marcellus Shale in the State of New York: Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Genetic Algorithms (GA), and Support Vector Machines (SVM). Estimating and evaluating the intelligent models of predicted TOC divides the data set of the well logs into three steps: training, validation, and application step. The input data are gamma ray, porosity, and density logs, with expected output being TOC. The model quality is assessed using various error parameters. We built three models using ANN, SVM and GA methods. The results demonstrate that the best method for creating the synthetic TOC log is GA with Regression R of 0.9, Normalized Mean Square Error nMSE of 0.35, Mean Square Error MSE of 1 and Mean Absolute Error MAE of 0.47.

BiographyDr. Constantin Cranganu is a Professor of geophysics and geology of oil at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, The

City University of New York. He conducted basic and applied research on oil fields and gas overpressure sedimentary basins, heat flow and heat radiation from the Earth’s crust, identifying gas-bearing layers, producing gas from unconventional gas hydrate deposits, and implementing artificial intelligence methods in petroleum geosciences. His latest book, entitled Artificial Intelligent Approaches in Petroleum Geosciences, was published by Springer 2015.

Chemical Looping Combustion of Methane and Coal with CuFeMnO4 to Produce Sequestration Ready Carbon DioxideRanjani Siriwardane1* and Yueying Fan1,2 1National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, WV, USA2AECOM, Morgantown, WV, USA

AbstractChemical looping combustion (CLC) is a promising technology that produces heat and energy with the significant

advantage of producing concentrated CO2 without requiring any major energy for its separation. Large-scale application of CLC is dependent on the availability of a suitable oxygen carrier. An ideal oxygen carrier should meet a number of requirements, including high reactivity, low fragmentation and attrition, low tendency for agglomeration, low cost, and stability under repeated reduction/oxidation cycles at high temperature. The carrier should also be environmentally benign. Several tri-metallic ferrites with different ratios of Cu, Fe, and Mn were synthesized and tested for chemical looping combustion of methane, synthesis gas, and carbon. For comparison, several bi-metallic ferrites were also tested, and NiFe2O4 and CuFe2O4 showed the best performance. During a 55-cycle test, tri-metallic CuFeMnO4 showed better overall performance than both NiFe2O4 and CuFe2O4, which had shown the best performance among the bi-metallic ferrites for CLC of methane. From all the tri-metallic oxygen carriers with different atomic ratios of Cu, Fe, and Mn, CuFeMnO4, CuFeMn2O4, and CuFe0.5Mn1.5O4 showed the best performance for CLC of methane. The oxygen carriers CuFeMnO4, CuFeMn2O4, and CuFe0.5Mn1.5O4, even without a support, showed very stable performance during a 100-cycle TGA test. The CuFeMnO4 oxygen carrier also showed excellent performance during a multi-cycle CLC test with synthesis gas. CuFeMnO4 is also suitable for CLC of a solid fuel, such as carbon, which showed stable performance during a ten-cycle test.

BiographyDr. Ranjani Siriwardane is a senior research scientist at USDOE-NETL. Her recent research work includes oxygen carrier

development work in chemical looping combustion/gasification and sorbent development work in CO2 removal from power plants. In the past she has also conducted research on development of sorbents for hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen chloride removal from coal gasification gas streams.


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Cobalt-catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis with CO2 Rich SyngasAndreas Jess*, Christoph Kern and Ferdinand PöhlmannCenter of Energy Technology, University of Bayreuth, Germany

AbstractA promising solution on the major concern of carbon dioxide utilization is the production of liquid hydrocarbons based

on CO2 and renewable H2. This is a multi-step process and consists of water electrolysis, reverse water gas shift, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). Here, syngas for FTS always contains CO2 due to incomplete carbon dioxide conversion step in the RWGS reactor. Therefore, not only the influence of the main reactants CO and H2 but also of CO2 on the kinetics of FTS using a cobalt catalyst was extensively studied. The kinetic parameters of CO hydrogenation to C2+

hydrocarbons and to CH4 as well as CO2 hydrogenation were derived. Thereafter, the effective kinetics considering pore diffusion limitations were determined. The experimentally derived rate expressions and a variable chain growth parameter α, dependent on temperature and syngas ratio, were implemented into the model. The change of the local reaction rates and selectivities, as a consequence of diffusion limitations is taken into account. The simulated data are in agreement with the measured data. The simulation predicts that CO2 is only converted in the CO-free core region of large catalyst particles at high temperatures and strong pore diffusion limitations. For CO2 converts mainly to CH4, a slightly increased overall methane selectivity is expected. However, this effect was not measurable even with 5 mm particles at high temperatures as methanation of CO2 occurs only to a minor extent. Based on the kinetic and heat transfer parameters, the basic data of a wall-cooled multi-tubular FT-reactor were also determined.

BiographyDr. Andreas Jess completed his PhD Thesis from University Karlsruhe, Germany in 1991. From 1996 to 1998, he has

worked as a Lecturer at University Karlsruhe, Germany. And from 1998 -2001, he has worked as a Professor for Technical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen, Germany. Since 2001, he is the Head of the Chair for Chemical Engineering, University Bayreuth, Germany.

The U.S. Shale Gas Revolution and its Effect on International Gas Markets Kentaka ArugaDepartment of Bioproduction Science, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan

Abstract The U.S. natural gas price dropped dramatically in the U.S. after the shale gas revolution. This paper investigated if the

change in the structure of the U.S. natural gas market after the revolution is affecting the Japanese and European gas markets. We used the Bai–Perron test to identify the break date related to the shale gas revolution and tested if the market linkages among the U.S., Japanese, and European gas markets changed before and after the statistically determined break date. The result indicated that the U.S. gas market had a price relationship with the international markets for the period before the break date related to the shale gas revolution, but this relationship disappeared for the period after the break date. This result implied that the U.S. gas market became independent after the shale gas revolution and that the price linkage between the U.S. and international gas markets became weaker after the shale gas revolution. The study revealed that the effect of the U.S. shale gas revolution is not yet affecting the international gas markets.

BiographyDr. Kentaka Aruga has received PhD in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of Rhode Island,

USA. Currently he is working as an assistant professor at Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan.


Development of a Genetic Screen for Isolation of Lipid Accumulating AlgaeKourosh Salehi-Ashtiani1*, Rasha Abdrabu1, Bushra Dohai1, Amphun Chaiboonchoe1, David R. Nelson1, Ashish Jaiswal1, Weiqi Fu1, Basel Khraiwesh1, Amnah Alzahmi1, Mehar Sultana1, Sudhir Kumar Sharma2, Sachin Khapli2 and Ramesh Jagannathan2

1Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE2Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract The path in reaching economical feasibility for algal-based oil production entails identification of suitable algal strains, as

well as strain optimization through the use of available bioengineering tools and approaches. Toward this goal, we have carried out bioprospecting in the UAE for isolation of oil producing algal species, and have developed a genetic screen for optimization of algal lipid accumulation. For the latter, we carried out four rounds of UV mutagenesis on the model alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and selected lipid accumulating cells through lipid staining and cell sorting. One of the isolated mutants was found to grow as fast as its parental Chlamydomonas strain, while accumulating 3-5 fold higher levels of neutral lipids constitutively. Whole genome sequencing of the mutant strain revealed ~4,500 mutational events after the obtained genomic reads were aligned to the parental reference genome. Global gene expression analyses identified differentially expressed genes in the mutant distinguishable from those involved in response to nitrogen starvation, which is a known treatment for stimulation of lipid accumulation in algae. Metabolic model analyses, using a genome-scale metabolic model that we have recently developed, indicated modification of carbon and energy flow rerouting within and from the mitochondria as key factors that have resulted in increased lipid accumulation in the mutant. Altogether, these results demonstrated that lipid production in algae can be increased without compromising overall algal biomass productivity. The screening strategy developed here is applicable for optimization of lipid accumulation in our prospected UAE strains, as well as those isolated by others.

BiographyDr. Kourosh Salehi-Ashtiani received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University (Illinois, USA) in Cell and Molecular

Biology after which he joined the research group of Prof. Jack Szostak at Harvard Medical School. He subsequently moved to Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School) as a Group Leader, where he developed a genome-scale metabolic model for the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Salehi-Ashtiani joined NYU Abu Dhabi in 2011 as an Associate Professor of Biology; his group carries out both basic and translational research in the fields of synthetic and algal systems biology.

Radiological, Monitoring and Analytical Aspects of NORM in Oil Exploration Sheldon Landsberger1* and Graham George2

1Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA2Enviroklean Product Development Inc. (EPDI), TX, USA

AbstractOne of the earliest determinations of NORM in oil was in 1906, just a short eight years after the discovery of radioactivity

by Bequerel in Paris, France. It was not until the 1980’s that many investigations, papers and reports became public on the characterization of oil and gas for NORM for environmental and health and safety concerns. For the past five years the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab at the University of Texas has been working with EPDI in Houston in promulgating specific protocols for training of workers and advancing the technologies to better determine 226Ra and 228Ra in the oil scale and sludge. An overview of this cooperation will be presented.

BiographyDr. Sheldon Landsberger is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department in the Nuclear and Radiation

Engineering Program at the University Texas at Austin. He has more than forty years of experience in environmental monitoring and gamma ray spectroscopy with more than 225 peer reviewed publications and 150 conference proceedings. In the last five years Dr. Landsberger has been working closely with Graham George at the Enviroklean Product Development Inc. (EPDI) in Houston, Texas on a broad area of radiological, monitoring and analytical aspects of NORM in the west Texas oil fields.


Impact of Shale Mechanical Anisotropy on Hydraulic Fracturing DesignMing GuWest Virginia University, WV, USA

Abstract The laminated nature of shale formations leads to different mechanical properties parallel and perpendicular to the plane,

which is known as transverse isotropy (TI). If natural fractures present, the additional mechanical anisotropy is introduced within the plane, making the shale an orthorhombic medium. Fully characterizing the mechanical properties of a rock, two independent stiffness coefficients should be obtained for an isotropic rock, five coefficients for a TI rock, while nine coefficients for an orthorhombic rock. Ignoring the anisotropic elastic rock behavior can result in erroneous estimates of the elastic moduli, the brittleness, the closure stress/stress gradient, and consequently the problematic completion design. This study demonstrates the importance of considering the anisotropy led by shale laminated structure and the natural fractures in the completion design by conducting numeric modeling. Different mechanical models are implemented to interpret the mechanical properties for the same anisotropic rock, and the interpreted results are further used to calculate the brittleness, the closure stress gradient, and the fracture propagation, based on which the staging, perforating clusters and the pumping strategy are designed. Different completion designs based on different mechanical models are compared and the results show that ignoring shale anisotropy can lead an underestimation of closure stress values and stress contrasts, leading to an underestimation of pumping pressure and fracture containment. Besides, there is an underestimation of the horizontal Young’s Modulus, leading to an overestimation of fracture width and hence overdesign of the proppant size and concentration.

BiographyDr. Ming Gu is an assistant professor in the department of petroleum and natural gas engineering of the West Virginia

University, with a research interest of unconventional reservoir exploration and development. Prior to that, he spent over 2 years as a senior scientist for Halliburton’s Wireline and Perforating group specializing in geomechanics, petrophysics, and fluid phase behavior analysis. He received a PhD degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013. He obtained his BS and MS in Engineering of Mechanics from Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2007 and 2009.

Hydrofaction – The Path to Renewable Drop-In Biofuels Claus Uhrenholt JensenSteeper Energy Aps, Denmark

AbstractWith offices in Denmark and Canada, Steeper Energy, is commercializing its proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction

technology, Hydrofaction™, and showing the path to sustainable lignocellulosic-derived transport fuels. Hydrofaction™ utilizes supercritical water chemistry and homogenous catalysts to convert biomass residues directly to renewable crude oil or Hydrofaction™ Oil. This oil has similar characteristics to low-sulphur marine fuels and it is amenable to refinery upgrading to diesel, jet and HFO fuels as well as renewable lubricants and chemicals. Hydrofaction™ has proven its superior conversion chemistry, at pilot-scale, in Denmark and Steeper has completed commercial engineering designs for future large-scale (2000+ barrel per day) projects. The next step in the commercialization of Hydrofaction™ is an industrial scale demonstration facility. Upgrading of Hydrofaction™ Oil to finished transport fuels has been shown at bench-scale and is being optimized and scaled-up at a pilot in Calgary, Canada. The high conversion efficiencies of Hydrofaction™ result in compelling economic returns and over 80% GHG emission reductions over conventional energy. This is achieved by a unique platform that exploits supercritical water chemistry while maximizing oil yield and oil quality. The presentation will provide an overview of Steeper Energy’s technology development activities with focus on upgrading the renewable biocrude and the potential of co-processing in existing oil refineries, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of such downstream petrochemistry.

BiographyDr. Claus Uhrenholt Jensen is a researcher and process developer within future transport bio-fuels. His research project PIUS

-Hydrofaction Technology Platform with Integrated Upgrading Step to produce refinery bio-feed for crude oil substitution is funded by Innovationsfonden.


Smoldering Combustion for the Treatment of Contaminated Soils and Liquid Organic Wastes: In Situ (STAR) and Ex Situ (STARx) ApplicationsGavin Grant1,2*, David Major1, Grant Scholes1 and Jason I. Gerhard2

1Savron, Canada2Western University, Canada

Abstract STAR is an innovative in situ thermal technology based on the principles of smoldering combustion, where the

contaminants are the source of fuel. The process is sustained by the addition of air through a well to the target treatment zone and is initiated through a short duration, low energy “ignition event.” Once the process is initiated (ignited), the energy of the reacting contaminants is used to pre-heat and initiate combustion of contaminants in adjacent areas, propagating a combustion front through the contaminated zone in a self-sustaining manner (i.e., no external energy or added fuel input following ignition) provided a sufficient flux of air is supplied. STARx (ex situ) treatment systems also use smoldering combustion but the process is carried out in fabricated vessels or engineered soil piles depending on throughput requirements, available footprint, and treatment time requirements. These systems are ideal for stockpiles of contaminated soils, sites where surficial soils are contaminated, or for waste oils and sludges. This presentation will provide an overview of the smoldering combustion process as well as case studies illustrating both the STAR and STARx systems. The STAR case study involves the use of smoldering combustion to treat contaminated soils at a 37-acre former manufacturing facility in New Jersey. The STARx case study involves the use of “hotpad” soil pile systems for the treatment of oil-water separator sludge at a former refinery. The results of prototype testing as well as an update on the full-scale application of the STARx process will be discussed.

Biography Dr. Gavin Grant, Ph.D., P.Eng., is the Operations Manager of Savron and has more than 10 years of experience in the

field of environmental remediation and the development and implementation of the Self-sustaining Treatment for Active Remediation (STAR) technology. He has completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, under the direction of Dr. Jason Gerhard and Prof. Jose Torero – the co-inventors of the STAR technology. He is the Operations lead for Savron and has been the primary project manager, director, or technical lead on all STAR-related projects to date.

Enhancing Bio-ethanol Production, via Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Saccharum officinarum L. bagasse, by Optimizing Mixing in a Stirred Tank ReactorAlessandra Verardi1,2*, Alessandro Blasi2, Antonio Molino2, Laura Albo1 and Vincenza Calabrò1

1University of Calabria, Italy2ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Italy

Abstract The growing of population and the continuous industrialization have relentlessly increased the demand of energy and

fuel making so renewable energy resources and bio-fuels more attractive leading scientist researchers to focus their attention on optimizing bio-fuels production. In this research, the enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse, an important source for the second generation bioethanol production, was optimized by using a stirred tank reactor where the power of stirring was monitored. A synergistic effect of mixing and enzymatic hydrolysis occurs: the mixing increases the cellulose conversion rate, whilst the increased conversion eases the mixing. The objective was to evaluate the effect of an improved mixing on the efficiency of the enzymatic hydrolysis and the possibility to bypass the washing step carried out before hydrolysis reaction. This step removes the inhibitors of hydrolytic enzymes, but it represents an economical and an energetic cost for bioethanol process. In addition, other monomeric sugars contained in pretreated material as xylose, arabinose and mannose, are removed during the washing step. In this study, the yields of glucose, xylose, arabinose and mannose were evaluated after enzymatic hydrolysis performed under different stirring conditions: at 300 rpm and at 100/150 rpm. At the stirring rate of 300 rpm, the yield increase was 9% for glucose and as high as 90% for the other monosaccharides. These results suggest that the key to optimize the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction is an adequate mixing, proposing a way for an economical optimization of bioethanol synthesis.


BiographyDr. Alessandra Verardi was born in Cosenza, Italy. She has received the M.S. degree in Biological Science and Ph.D. degree

in “Environment, Health and Eco-sustainable processes” from the University of Calabria, Italy, in 2007, and 2012, respectively. In 2011, she gathered experience in working as research at Lund University, Sweden, undertaking an in-depth study on optimization of bioethanol synthesis from lignocellulosic biomass. In 2014, she has joined at the University of Leuven, Belgium, as postdoctoral researcher. Since 2015, she is with Department for Sustainability of Production and Territorial Systems, ENEA, Italy. Her current research is focused on valorization of agro-food waste and biomass.

Movement and Fate of Natural and Unnatural Oil Slicks in the Gulf of MexicoSamira Daneshgar Asl* and Ian R. MacDonaldFlorida State University, FL, USA

Abstract Combining observations of oil slicks in Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite images with advection modeling provides

insights regarding the magnitude of chronic releases of oil from natural seeps and anthropogenic sources in the Gulf of Mexico. Based on the results, the National Response Center reports accurately reflect the frequency of releases, but underestimate the magnitude in some cases. Hindcast advection modeling of natural seep oil slicks shows that surface currents are, indeed, responsible for stretching oil slicks, and surface winds are largely responsible for the disappearance of the oil slicks from the sea surface. Under conditions of low wind and strong current, natural seeps can produce oil slicks that are longer than 20 km and persist for up to 48 hours. A data-assimilative approach has been used to constrain the disappearance of surface oil after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

BiographyDr. Samira Daneshgar Asl received her B.S. degree in Surveying Engineering from SRTT University, Iran, and M.S. degree

in Photogrammetry Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Iran, in 2007 and 2010, respectively. In 2011, she joined the Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Department at Florida State University, where she is currently working as a Research Assistant to pursue her Ph.D. degree in Physical Oceanography. Her dissertation mainly focuses on satellite images analysis and modeling oil spill movement and persistence as a function of air-sea interaction. She was also a subcontractor to Stratus Consulting for NOAA’s DWH Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

A Data Driven Approach and Solution for Cost Control to Survive in the Downturn and Profit in the Boom Jason DuVast Oil Inc, WY, USA University of Southern California, CA, USA

Abstract Recent downturn has caused privately held U.S. oil and gas companies’ revenues to drop by 30% or more since 2014. Rig

counts sank to the levels not seen since 1949, and at least 67 U.S. oil and natural gas companies filed for bankruptcy in 2015. It is extremely difficult to counter the downturn by optimizing production, because risk is increased and revenue is decreased during the downturn. A more effective way to survive in the downturn is to apply a data driven methodology to cut costs by selecting effective workovers and expenditures. A number of wells were studied to see workover effectiveness and to reveal the value embedded in repairing wells at the correct time and price. Important parameters from different operators such as commodity price, production, fixed cost, varied cost, discount rate, EUR and well failure rate are determined to behave in a complex manner and have substantiate influence. An online platform is introduced for operators to input their data. Computations is done automatically on this platform to offer operators insights on their assets and spending behaviors. Value factor and other determinates are introduced and calculated to assist operators in making difficult decisions. Safety is also a very important parameter that is explored.


Biography As a petroleum engineer for an operator that has distributed production in five different states in the United States, Jason has

made two major focuses during the downturn. One is to cut down expenditure in a safe manner. Two is to increase production in an economical fashion. Jason holds a master’s degree in petroleum engineer from University of Southern California. And with his limited free time, he is working on software solutions for expenditure reduction, data analysis and algorithmic computation in the oil and gas industry with tools such as python and R.

A Data-Driven Methodology for Predicting Expected Ultimate Recovery Based on Publicly Available Production Data Rachel L Vass* and Ming GuWest Virginia University, WV, USA

AbstractIn the oil & gas industry, there is sparse information regarding a developing resource. Even in larger resources, many

E & P operators minimize investment by drilling a few wells in the beginning stages of exploration. The ability to make correlations with data from few wells in order to make educated inferences about other geographical areas within the developing resource based on minimal production data can provide a strategic advantage to E & P operators with smaller budgets. Due to the proximity and significant availability of public data for wells completed within the Marcellus Shale, this unconventional reservoir was selected as the formation of interest for this research. In addition to the publicly available data, detailed empirical data consisting of drilling data, completion data, reservoir petrophysics properties from well logs, and production data from multiple horizontal wells completed within the Marcellus Shale formation will be evaluated with a neural network to determine which parameters have the most significance on well productivity. A synthetic model consisting of both publicly available production data and empirical data will be created. This model will utilize a predictive algorithm to provide insight into how to optimize horizontal well development in a shale asset. The results of the research will be a new methodology of how to analyze publicly available data, in order to optimize development strategies hence to maximize future production.

BiographyRachel L. Vass, PG, CMA is in the process of completing a Master of Science Degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas

Engineering at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. In addition, she holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology and Civil Engineering as well as being a Registered Professional Geologist and Certified Minerals Appraiser.

An Analytical Workflow Based on Confocal Raman Microscopy and FACS for the Bioengineering of Microalgal Lipid ContentsS Khapli1*, S K Sharma1, D R Nelson2, R Abdrabu2, B Khraiwesh2, K Jijakli2, M J O’Connor3, T Bahmani2, H Cai2, R Jagannathan1 and K Salehi-Ashtiani2 1Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE 2Center for Genomics & Systems Biology (CGSB), New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE3Core Technology Platform, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract Third generation biofuels derived from algal sources have received worldwide attention as sustainable resources to substitute

fossil fuels due to their lower environmental footprints. The discovery and isolation of new algal species and/or strain optimization is crucial for improving the economic viability of algal biofuels in industrial scale production. Here we describe an integrated workflow for the in situ analysis of algal lipids through confocal Raman microscopy, a technique that enables in vivo monitoring of lipid contents in a label-free and quantitative manner. With refinement of existing Raman analysis techniques, we are able to obtain better discrimination in terms of the molecular characteristics of lipids, namely the chain-length and the degree of saturation, that determine the quality and properties of the biofuels produced. We applied the integrated workflow for the characterization of lipid content of novel aquatic and soil microalgal isolates where the workflow enabled quantitative analysis of the different saturation states among the isolates. We also performed the analysis of lipid-expressing cells obtained in a UV-induced mutagenesis screen and observed cell-to cell variations among the mutagenized C.reinhardtii cells grown under identical conditions. These results validate the utility of Raman analysis in determination of the key parameters for the selection and engineering of microalgae necessary for optimal production of biofuels.


BiographyDr. Sachin Khapli is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi. His research interests

include the development of novel methods for single cell analysis and the applications of supercritical fluid technology for extraction of algal biofuels.

The Worldwide Status of Fusion Energy DevelopmentHoward HornfeldFusion Advocates, Switzerland

Abstract Fusion energy - What it is, and why do we need it?

• Fusion is the controlled reaction between nuclei of isotopes of hydrogen carried out in a very high temperature reactor and generating heat. Fusion electricity is electrical power on the public grid generated from a fusion reactor.

Why Fusion?• Safe, clean, unlimited raw material base. Non-political, no proliferation issues.• Environmentally pro-active.

Electricity Demand will be Bigger than you Think!• 15% of world population does not now have electricity, but will require it soon. Another 15% presently live in urban

poverty. Even per capita demand for electricity in developed economies will continue to rise.• Electric vehicles will require enormous amounts of electric power.• Unlimited electricity can provide unlimited fresh water supplies through desalination, provide hospitals with continuous

power, food processing facilities can continue to operate all year long, etc.• Unlimited electricity eliminates the need for bio-fuels minimizing competition for food agriculture.

Where is Fusion Today?• JET – ITER - Eastern Countries – Europe – US • China – Korea – Japan – Europe – USA

Points to consider

• Investment will be very high, but operating costs and raw material costs very low• One ton fusion fuel = 4-10 million tons of coal• Fuel storage facilities minimal (main cost is for tritium)• Extraction of deuterium and lithium extremely cheap• Transport costs of fuel very low (short distances)• No ash or solid waste removal costs• Operating costs much lower than current nuclear plants• Depends on governmental taxation policies

BiographyHoward Hornfeld is the Founder and President of Fusion Advocates.

Hydrogen Production and Phosphorus Recovery Optimization in Bio-Electrochemical System Abdullah Almatouq1,2* and Akintunde O Babatunde1 1Hydro-Environment Research Centre, Cardiff University School of Engineering, UK2 Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research, Kuwait

Abstract A microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is a unique bio-electrochemical system able to simultaneously treat wastewater in

the anode chamber and produce hydrogen and recover phosphorus (P) in the cathode chamber. The aim of this study was to


study the effect of different operational conditions such as influent COD concentration, applied voltage and electrolyte volume on hydrogen production and phosphorus recovery. A synthetic wastewater based on reject wastewater was used. The MEC performance was evaluated in terms of coulombic efficiency, COD removal efficiency, cathode pH, P removal and P recovery. When a synthetic wastewater was fed into the anodic and cathodic chambers, an increase in both the applied voltage (from 0.5 to 1.1 V) and COD (from 500 to 1500 mg/L) increased the hydrogen production rate from 0.22 to 0.41 m3/m3.d (cubic meter per cubic meter of anode per day) and P recovery from 10% to 90%. The results showed that a maximum 90 % P recovery was achieved at COD = 1500 mg/L and applied voltage of = 1.1 V. It was observed that increasing COD concentration and applied voltage lead to increase cathode PH, and as a results more P was precipitated. The outcome of this research highlights the importance of influent COD concentration and the applied voltage on hydrogen production and P recovery.

BiographyAbdullah A Almatouq is a PhD student in the Hydro-environmental Research Centre at Cardiff University. He received

his bachelor degree in civil engineering in 2007 and the M.Sc. in water resources from the University of Birmingham in 2013. He was working as research associate in Kuwait Institute for scientific Research for 5 years. His work was focused on improving industrial wastewater treatment processes. Currently, his research interests focus on optimization of bio-electrochemical system (microbial fuel cell and microbial electrolysis cell) for energy generation and nutrients recovery.

Sustainable Process for Removal of V and Mo from Spent Hydrodesulfurization Catalyst Applying Green Engineering PrinciplesVictor H Del Valle-Muñoz* and Alma D Rojas-RodríguezUniversidad Anáhuac México, Mexico

Abstract The EPA in the USA classified Spent hydroprocessing catalysts as hazardous waste (Rapaport, 2000). Then, it offerings

a chance to apply the principles of Green Engineering (Anastas, 2003) and transforming into an environmentally acceptable material. Many processes have been established for the extraction of hazardous metals from spent catalysts. These methods include the use of high temperatures and pressures, solvents or strong acids (Chen, 2006; Rojas, 2012). Other techniques for the separation of vanadium in spent catalyst are precipitation, carbon adsorption and ion exchange; however, high purities of vanadium cannot be achieved by this (Saily, 2015). In this paper, the principles of Green Engineering were taken to develop a process to work at normal conditions (temperature and pressure), removing the use of solvents for the extraction of vanadium and molybdenum from spent catalyst, besides the by-products obtained are inert to the environment. Through the Principles Green Engineering the spent gasoil hydrodesulfurization catalyst may be used as a secondary source for V and Mo. It is possible to recover up to 90% of V and Mo, if the product reacts with 20 wt.% NaOH solution at 25 °C, with a reaction time of 4 hours. A further increase of time or NaOH content in the feed mixture produces a decrease in the recovery. The solid byproduct, sodium chloride, represents no problems for environment and the aqueous output can be reused in the process.

BiographyDr. Victor H. Del Valle-Muñoz has a Bachelor´s degree in Chemical Engineering by the National Autonomous University

of Mexico, UNAM; and a D. Phil. by the University of Oxford, Great Britain. Was a researcher at the National Institute of Nuclear Research for 20 years, specialized in heat transfer and fluid mechanics. Was also University Professor at the UNAM. Has presented more than 30 scientific works in international and national congress, has published more than 20 scientific papers, is a member of several scientific associations and has been National Researcher. Since 2007 is a Professor and Coordinator of the Chemical Engineering Program at the Universidad Anáhuac México.

Biodiesel from Safflower Seed OilNezihe Ayas* and Vildan AkerAnadolu University, Turkey

AbstractAt growing world economics, petroleum market instability, increasing the usage and decreasing resources of crude oil has

promoted demand for alternative fuels. However, the use of petroleum-based fuels, cause air pollution, has serious impact. Biodiesel is preferred due to the fact that it has lower emission than petroleum diesel and it is a nontoxic, biodegradable


alternative fuel that is obtained from renewable sources. In this study, microwave irradiation effect on the transesterification reaction of safflower seed oil was studied. Experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the effects of reaction variables such as catalyst amount (1, 2% wt/wt, KOH:oil), reaction temperature (40, 50, 60oC), heating system (microwave and conventional heating, water bath) and reaction time (5, 60, 120 minutes) at constant oil:methanol molar ratio of 1:6 and on the methyl ester content of biodiesel. Suitable transesterification reaction conditions were determined as 40 oC, 1 wt.% KOH, 5 min, 1:6 oil:methanol molar ratio using microwave heating system. At these conditions, fatty acid methyl ester content was determined as 99.78%. The results show that microwave heating has effectively reduced the reaction time from 120 min to 5 min. Fuel properties of biodiesel were determined and found results were in good agreement with European standards (EN 14214).

BiographyDr. Nezihe Ayas has been working at Anadolu University, faculty of engineering, department of chemical engineering

in Turkey for 25 years as a lecturer and researcher as well. She has got several publications about seed oil, supercritical fluid technologies; extraction, gasification, synthesis and characterization of catalyst for gasification of biomass, renewable energy such as biodiesel and hydrogen production from gasification of biomass.

Future of Unconventional Hydrocarbon Production in EuropeDaria Karasalihovic SedlarUniversity of Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract Europe is faced with domestic hydrocarbon production decrease and consequently with the increased dependence on imported

energy sources. Countries with long history of hydrocarbon production, like Poland, Croatia, Hungary are trying to stop the decline of hydrocarbon production by investing into exploration activities of unconventional reservoirs. In Croatia, for example there have been exploration activities conducted in Mura, Drava and Sava depression but in spite of the discovered potential reserves there are no commercial production from those kind of reservoirs. As industry is faced with technological challenges related to exploitation of unconventional reservoirs worldwide, its development is complex and economically more sensitive due to strict European environmental standards and regulations. Although substantial commercial production from unconventional reservoirs has not yet been accomplished within Europe, European Commission created a recommendation on minimum principles for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons using high - volume hydraulic fracturing. Development of the unconventional reservoirs, exploration and production legislative framework must be in accordance with European energy policy and energy guidelines but also interests of state and market actors must be taken into account. Since there are huge differences between unconventional hydrocarbon production in North America and Europe the future of unconventional production is highly unpredictable in Europe. Each country should adopt the best available techniques and should try to do the best in knowledge transfer from American experience so that production from unconventional reservoirs in Europe becomes less uncertain.

BiographyDr. Daria Karasalihović Sedlar obtained PhD in Technical Sciences at the Faculty of Mining Geology and Petroleum

Engineering in 2007. From 2012 she has been teaching as Associate Professor. In period 2013-2015 she worked as a Head of Department for Petroleum Engineering. She is coauthor of two books and more than 40 scientific papers on petroleum economics and natural gas management. She was researcher in different projects of energy economics, natural gas management and development strategies. She is Director of Petroleum Engineering Summer School at the Interuniversity Centre Dubrovnik. She is married and have one child.

Feasibility of Biological Technology for Kuwait Crude Oil Contaminated SoilGuyoung Kang1*, Taein Kim1, Jinkyung Hong1 and Minkoo Park2

1Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea2Kumho Engineering & Construction, Seoul, Korea

AbstractOver 700 oil wells were damaged and crude oil contaminated area over 300 km2 include dry oil lakes at the end of Iraqi

war. The United Nation Compensation Commission (UNCC) was recommended remediation of crude oil contaminated soil


as physical chemical and thermal processes due to the oil sludge and high concentration of TPH. In this study, indigenous oil-emulsifying bacteria in Kuwait crude oil contaminated soil was cultured via enrichment culture method. Three bacterial order were classified by phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences analyzed by high-throughput sequencing technique. Majority of enriched bacteria were belonged to Flavobacteriales (56.38 %), and Burkholderiales (16.13 %) as well as Pseudomonadales (12.22 %) also observed. Using those indigenous microorganisms, three biological processes were operated for 20 days which has combined bio-washing, biocatalytic, and biopile process in lab-scale experiment. Initial TPH concentrations were 46,096 mg/kg and 34,153 mg/kg, respectively by hexane extraction method (HEM) and GC-FID method. After 20 days operated, THP was 86% removed by GC-FID method and 68% removed by HEM. Therefore, Kuwait crude oil contaminated soil can be remediated by combine biological process such as bio-washing, biocatalytic, and biopile process.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Korea Ministry of Environment as Geo-Advanced Innovative Action (GAIA) Project and by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies 2015 research grant.

BiographyDr. Guyoung Kang is a Professor at Department of environmental Science, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He

has received Ph.D. on 1993 under Dr. David K. Stevens, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Utah State University, Logan, USA.

Building designer RNA nanostructures to maximize algal biofuel productionLaising YenBaylor College of Medicine, TX, USA

AbstractRNAs are highly programmable polymers due to their ability to form specific Watson-Crick base pairing, a property that

can be exploited to create well-defined 2D and 3D structures. These structures are thermodynamically stable, and formed via spontaneous self-assembly, a process that requires no catalytic co-factors. Because single-stranded RNA can be efficiently expressed at high levels in live cells, it offers the opportunity to program cells to assemble designer nanostructures. Here we designed and demonstrated that short single-stranded RNA monomers can self-assemble into higher order architectures reaching a size range of micrometers. The results point to the possibility that designer RNA can be engineered to program cells to assemble various scaffolds. These scaffolds potentially could serve as organized docking stations for biosynthetic pathways to maximize algal biofuel production.

Evaluation of Steel Vertical Tank Residual Life by a Metal Low-Cycle Fatigue Criterion Under Biaxial Loading ConditionsAnastasiia Lyagova *, Gafur SamigullinSaint-Petersburg Mining University, Russia

Abstract The present research deals with the actual problem of prediction residual life of vertical steel tanks with external surface

cracks depending on their technical condition. Actuality of the theme justified the requirement strengthening of standards for evaluation the technical condition of oil and gas facilities. Especially this matter is important for accurate calculation cycles before failure of steel oil tanks with defects. The main factors influencing the correct estimation of the residual life of oil storage are taken into account. These are influence of biaxial loading on the characteristics of cyclic crack resistance of the tank material; the dependence of the stress-strain state near the defect, the operating conditions, the size of the defect and the geometric features of the construction. So one of the stages of this research is the experimental investigation of the cyclic crack resistance of structural steel S235J2G3 under biaxial loading. The typical experimental fatigue fracture diagrams are shown for all tested specimens under different nominal stress ratios. The numerical investigation is connected with determination of the influence of stress state, the geometry of the tank, the location and size of cracks on the stress intensity factor. K - calibration function depending from tank geometry and loading are found. On the base of numerical and experimental researches is suggested universal algorithm for calculating the number of cycles to failure tank wall with a surface crack-like defect. The developed software package is presented. This software gives opportunity to automatic calculation of tank residual life under low-cycle loading.


BiographyAnastasiia Lyagova is doctor of science, assistant department of oil and gas transportation and storage in Saint-Petersburg

Mining University. Graduated from “Transportation, oil and gas” faculty with a degree in design, construction and exploitation of oil and gas tank and pipeline. Lyagova is specialist in numerical analysis of stress strain state of oil and gas objects with crack-likes defects. Gafur Samigullin is doctor of science, Head of the Department of Oil and Gas Transportation and Storage in Saint-Petersburg Mining University. Specialty is “Acoustic non-destructive testing of oil and gas equipment components; Calculation and evaluation of mass transfer and heat exchange equipment life”.

Analyzing Geophysical Signature of a Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil Using Geoelectrical SurveysSylvester KoromaInstitute of Geonics of CAS, Czech Republic

AbstractIn February 1994, a major oil blow-out occurred as a consequence of an accident at an exploration drill-hole at Trecate

(North-West, Italy). More than 15 years after the incident, a series of geophysical and hydrogeological surveys were conducted for investigating the hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. The hydrocarbon is still spatially distributed as residual phase in the unsaturated zone. A free phase exists between the transition zone and the vadose zone, in what is defined as a smear zone. Geoelectrical methods have shown their potential in contaminant detection, and are increasingly used for contaminated sites characterization. We carried out geoelectrical surveys over the most contaminated area of the site, in order to analyze the changes in geophysical signature due to the presence of contaminants, and furthermore to understand the role of biomass activity in degrading the hydrocarbon and altering petrophysical properties of the soil. Acquisition of time- and frequency-domain resistivity data allowed us to approach the same features with different methods, providing a better understanding of the problem. We further analyzed the role of soil properties on electrical resistivity; porosity, pore water specific resistivity and the influence of cation exchange capacity on the bulk resistivity at the site. The electrical resistivity observed at the site shows a clear relationship with water saturation, porosity and soil texture as well as with resistive hydrocarbon species. We also monitored soil polarizability in the same frequency range of electrical resistivity measures, allowing better delineation of the degrading processes underway in the contaminant, which constitutes an additional substrate for the proliferation of anaerobic degraders.

Oil-Contaminated Environments: Problems and Solutions In situNisar Ahmed Kanhar*, Inam Ali Larik, Muneer Ahmed Qazi and Safia AhmedShah Abdul Latif University, Pakistan

AbstractNature is a gift of God to human beings, but it is continuously disturbed by extensive use of man-made things known as

‘xenobiotics’. The most common xenobiotic pollutants include petrochemicals, pesticides and paints. Fortunately, nature possesses its solutions within itself; we just have to explore them. Using microorganisms or their metabolic products for treatment of hazardous pollutants has now got global acceptance. Thus, keeping in view the importance of microbial treatment options, different studies were sought to explore some new as well as novel indigenous microorganisms having strong potential for biodegradation or bioremediation of environmental pollutants like petrochemical hydrocarbons i.e. used engine oil and diesel oil. Fortunately, we have successfully isolated and characterized some potential bacterial strains which show excellent ex situ biodegradation of petrochemical hydrocarbons. The pollutants were removed from liquid media from 95% to 99% using bacterial isolates Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus pumilus. Evidently, it was concluded that although contaminated environments pose serious health risk but, at the same time, are also a source of indigenous pollutant-degrading microorganisms.

BiographyDr. Nisar Ahmed Kanhar was born on 28th August 1960 in Khairpur Mir’s Sindh, Pakistan. Dr. Kanhar completed his

Ph.D. Microbiology (Environmental Biotechnology) during 2002-2006 from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Dr. Kanhar also did one Post Doctorate in Biotechnology from Utah University, USA. He is currently working as Professor and Chairman in the Department of Microbiology. He is also working as Director, Postgraduate Studies at Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU) Khairpur. Dr. Kanhar has more than 30 publications on his record and supervised 14 M.Phil./M.S. scholars. Currently, 06 Ph.D. students and 05 M.Phil./M.S. students are working under his supervision.



Day

3

High Octane Hydrocarbons Produced from Dimethyl Ether Using a Copper Modified ZeoliteJesse E. Hensley1*, Daniel A. Ruddy1, Joshua A Schaidle1, Connor P Nash1, Carrie A Farberow1, Michael Talmadge1, Eric C D Tan1 and Earl Christensen2

1National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, CO, USA2Transporation and Hydrogen Systems Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, CO, USA

Abstract Advanced high efficiency internal combustion engines will require fuels with high octane ratings while maintaining vapor

pressures, energy densities, stabilities, corrosivities, and water solubilities that are similar to today’s gasoline. At the same time, environmental regulations continue to push for fewer aromatics in gasoline and the incorporation of biofuels into the market. Given the limitations of blending oxygenated fuels like ethanol into gasoline (for consumption by the current fleet), catalysts and processes need to be developed to increase octane via non-oxygenated compounds while using existing refining infrastructure, or octane boosting hydrocarbons will need to be purchased and blended. In this presentation, we will highlight a catalyst comprised of reducible Lewis-acidic metals (like Cu) and large pore zeolites (like BEA) for the production of high octane paraffins and olefins from dimethyl ether, produced via biomass or fossil-derived syngas. Unlike the traditional methanol to gasoline process, this “high octane gasoline” process has a low yield of aromatics and a high yield of branched paraffins. Also, unlike most zeolite “hydrocarbon pool” processes, the addition of reducible metals activates hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions, increasing the degree of saturation of the final product. Reaction mechanisms will be shown with evidence of changes in the reaction chemistry afforded by the metal-zeolite interaction. Finally, it will be shown that olefins produced by the catalyst are readily oligomerized to a distribution of C12-C22 branched paraffins and olefins with properties that align with synthetic paraffinic kerosene.

Biography Dr. Jesse E Hensley earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. in the

same from the Colorado School of Mines. After helping to develop catalysts and processes for a biofuels startup, Dr. Hensley moved to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and built a heterogeneous catalysis R&D program in NREL’s Bioenergy Center, where he leads a talented crew of engineers, chemists, technicians, and interns. The team is engaged in the study of catalysts for the conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals via pyrolysis or gasification, ranging from fundamental studies to pilot scale demonstration projects.

Characterizing Catalyst Systems by Neutron Scattering Martin Owen JonesISIS Neutron Spallation Facility, UK

Abstract The ISIS neutron spallation facility is a world-leading center for neutron scattering. The technique is applicable to a

great diversity of subjects spanning condensed matter physics, engineering, materials science, chemistry and soft matter. ISIS has a formidable selection of elastic and inelastic neutron scattering instruments to study the physical properties solids and liquids by a number of techniques that include diffraction, total scattering and molecular spectroscopy. In addition, complex sample environment apparatus may be utilized with these instruments that allows materials to be studied under controlled gas environments as a function of temperature, pressure and gas flow. Here we discuss the application of these instruments and various sample environments to materials challenges within the field of catalysis, describe some of the more recent catalysis and catalysis-related experiments and highlight the capabilities of the ISIS facility in tackling catalytic challenges.

BiographyDr. Martin Jones completed his PhD at Nottingham University in 1993 and undertook postdoctoral studies at the

University of Birmingham (UK), CRISMAT CNRS research facility (France) and Oxford University (UK). He is currently Energy Materials Coordinator of the ISIS neutron Spallation Facility, a world leading center for neutron scattering, Inorganic tutor at Lincoln College Oxford and honorary Professor of Chemistry at St Andrews University. He has published more than 60 peer-review papers in reputed journals.

Welltest, Rate Transient Analysis and Reservoir Simulation for Characterizing Multi-Fractured Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoirs Nick Bahrami1*, David Pena2 and Ian Lusted1

1Aurora Oil and Gas, Australia2Aurora Oil and Gas, USA

Abstract Unconventional reservoirs such as shale gas and shale oil are an important source of energy in the USA with potential

reservoirs identified worldwide. Due to the insufficient permeability of the shale reservoirs, they require efficient stimulation using multi-stage hydraulic fractures to produce gas in commercial quantities. A critical challenge in the reservoirs is performance evaluation of the fracturing and characterization of the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) for permeability and hydraulic fracture size. Conventional welltest analysis in multi-stage fractured shale reservoirs may not provide reliable results due to the extensive wellbore storage effect, fracture complexities, and heterogeneity of the low permeability reservoir. To overcome such issues, advanced welltest analysis techniques integrated with rate transient analysis (RTA) can be used to reduce uncertainties associated with estimation of the reservoir and hydraulic fractures dynamic parameters.

This paper proposes a practical methodology and workflow for characterizing the SRV parameters in multi-fractured wells in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs using welltest and rate transient data analysis based on diffusivity equation solution for linear and elliptical flow regimes integrated with numerical reservoir simulation. Field examples of multi-fractured wells from Eagle Ford Shale are presented to demonstrate the methodology of reservoir characterization using welltest analysis, reservoir simulation and history matching. The results show how the stimulated reservoir volume can be characterized in order to perform a reliable production forecast in shale oil and shale gas reservoirs.

BiographyDr. Nick Bahrami is a Sessional Lecturer in Petroleum Engineering Department at Curtin University in Perth, Australia.

His technical focus in the past few years was on unconventional reservoirs including tight gas and shale gas reservoirs. Prior to Curtin University, he worked for SGS Netherlands as Senior Reservoir Engineer (2014-2015), Aurora Oil and Gas Australia as Reservoir Engineer (2012-2013), Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services as Borehole Reservoir Engineer (2003-2009), and Tehran Energy Consultants as Reservoir Engineer (2001-2003). Nick holds MSc in Reservoir Engineering from Sharif University in Iran, and PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Curtin University in Australia.

Geological Structure and Hydrocarbon Potential of Western Spitsbergen Continental MarginGennady Ivanov1*, Gennady Kazanin1, Gennady Tarasov1,2, Sergey Shkarubo1, Valentina Shlykova1, Sergey Pavlov1, Tatyana Kirillova-Pokrovskaya1, Tatyana Fedukhina1 and Gennady Matishov2

1Marine Arctic Geological Expedition, JSC, Russia2Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (MMBI KSC RAS), Russia

Abstract The Spitsbergen continental margin is characterized by complex geology. Throughout all geological evolution history, the

region experienced multiple tectonomagnetic activations, expressed in folding, magmatism, rifting, sedimentation, erosion, climate changes. Consequences of these global processes formed the present outlook of the Spitsbergen margin and are reflected in physical fields and seismic data. The basis of our studies is MAGE’s two-dimensional integrated geophysical observation data, including CMP reflection surveys, hydromagnetic measurements, surface gravity measurements, seismic profiling, refraction shooting, bottom sampling. In total, 16500 km of CMP reflection lines and 3400 km of refraction tracking lines were shot. The study also used data of gravity, magnetic surveys on a scale of 1:1 000 000 in southern and eastern regions, to the south of King Karl Islands – integrated surveys on a scale of 1:200 000. Sedimentary cover is represented by KZ and PZ2-MZ deposits. Cenozoic sequences fully fill the deep-water Norway-Greenland ocean basin, transition zone of continent-ocean, represented by perioceanic downwarpings. KZ maximum thickness is 10-12 km. Three sequences are in the structure of PZ2-MZ sedimentary cover: C-P, T, J3–CR. In undisturbed KZ sedimentary cover one recognized 31 anticline highs with total area of 1472 sq. km and non-structural traps. In disturbed PZ-MZ sedimentary sequence of Saffolk graben one recognized 13 local structures with total area of 174 sq. km. Conducted integrated geophysical works and their subsequent processing and interpretation give grounds for



optimistic estimation of Spitsbergen continental margin in respect of hydrocarbon potential. The following factors support it: a large thickness of sedimentary cover, a large velocity of deposit accumulation, structural and non-structural hydrocarbon trap presence, predictable reservoirs and cap rocks in sedimentary section, gas-hydrate signs in upper sedimentary cover, and presence of mantle diapirs which may serve as hydrocarbon maturation catalysts.

BiographyDr. Gennady Ivanov is an Assistant General Director for Research in JSC Marine Arctic Geological Expedition. He

graduated from Plekhanov Leningrad State Mining University majoring in Mining Engineering Geologist in 1980, has got a doctor degree in geological-mineralogical sciences in 2004. Professor Gennady Ivanov is engaged in research and has got an experience in geology for over 40 years. He is a member and a leader of numerous (more than 20) marine geophysical and seismic surveys in the Arctic Ocean, the author of over 450 scientific publications including 9 monographs and co-author of many scientific articles.

Shale Gas Reservoir Characterization Using Local Wave Decomposition Ya-juan Xue1,2*, Jun-xing Cao2 and Hao-kun Du3

1School of Communication Engineering, Chengdu University of Information Technology, China2School of Geophysics, Chengdu University of Technology, China3Geophysical Institute of Zhongyuan Oilfield, China

Abstract As shale gas resources increasingly become an important viable natural gas resources, the characterization of shale gas gains

significance. Since shale formations are both the source and the reservoir for the natural gas, we discuss the characterization of shale formations by using Local Wave Decomposition (LWD) methods from well log data and seismic data in a shale gas reservoir in the Sichuan Basin, China. Ensemble Empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and Complete Ensemble Empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) are selected as two excellent LWD algorithms. We found the amplitude and attenuation are sensitive to the gas reservoir. We estimate the amplitude anomaly using weighted amplitudes generated by EEMD and CEEMD. Attenuation is also estimated by using EEMD-based and CEEMD-based attenuation gradient technology. Shale gas reservoir prediction in Sichuan basin is conducted by the combination of evaluating the attenuation, the amplitude anomalies, total organic carbon content (TOC) and brittleness and the reservoir thickness. The results show that the application of LWD-based methods can give a preliminary assessment of reservoir from seismic data. The work was supported by NSFC under grant Nos. 41430323, 41404102 and 41274128 and Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Foundation under Grant No. 2016JQ0012.

BiographyDr. Ya-juan Xue is currently an Associate Professor with the School of Communication Engineering, Chengdu University

of Information Technology, Sichuan, China. She is currently the Principal Investigator (PI) in several national and regional research projects, especially the national young research projects funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the outstanding young academic leaders fund of Sichuan Province and the 2015 annual young academic leaders scientific research fund of CUIT. Her current research interests include adaptive weak signal detection algorithms, seismic signals time-frequency analysis algorithms, reservoir characteristics and hydrocarbon detection methods and other vibration signal processing algorithms.

Influence of the Citric Acid to Molybdenum Molar Ratio on the Structure and Catalytic Activity of Molybdenum and Cobalt Molybdenum Nitride CatalystsSharif F Zaman, Seetharamulu Podila, Yahia A Alhamed, Muhammad M Daous, Abdulrahim A Al-Zahrani , Mohammed M Daous, Hafedh Driss and Lachezar A PetrovKing Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Ammonia decomposition is the most attractive method for production of the COx free hydrogen. Recently, much research

efforts have been devoted to the development of active metal catalysts for this reaction mainly based on the transition metals from Group VIII (Ru, Ni, Ir, Fe, Co and Rh). It has been found that Ru/MWCNTs is the most active catalyst. But high price and scarcity of Ru are the main obstacles for its large scale applications. Hence developing of an affordable, active and technologically viable catalyst for ammonia decomposition is highly desirable. The transition metal nitrides materials have attracted much attention as potential catalysts for ammonia decomposition. We have found that the use of citric acid (CA) for the synthesis of molybdenum nitride Mo2N and cobalt promoted molybdenum nitride Co-Mo2N lead to obtaining samples with high surface area, which are very active for decomposition of ammonia.

Herein we are reporting the effect of citric acid with different molar ratio to molybdenum in the preparation of bulk molybdenum nitride (Mo2N) and cobalt promoted molybdenum nitride for ammonia decomposition reaction.

Mo2N catalysts were prepared. Different Citric acid (CA) to Molybdenum (Mo) molar ratios 1:1, 1.5:1 and 2:1 were used to prepare bulk Mo2N and 3 wt% cobalt promoted Mo2N catalysts. After nitridation the bulk Mo2N nitride catalysts with CA : Mo ratio of 1:1, 1.5:1 and 2:1were denoted as MoN-11, MoN-151 and MoN-21, and 3 wt% Cobalt containing catalysts were designated as CoMoN-11, CoMoN-151, and CoMoN-21, respectively. Catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, XPS and TEM techniques. Catalytic activity tests were performed in a fixed bed quartz reactor under atmospheric pressure (PID system, Eng &Tech, Spain).

A considerable enhancement in surface area of Mo2N catalyst was observed by increasing citric acid to molybdenum ratio (see Table 1). In Figure 1A, XRD results show a decrease in signal intensity of MoO2 phase and increase in γ-Mo2N phase with the increase in Citric acid to molybdenum ratio. Similarly, Figure 1B clearly shows the increase in signal intensity of Co3Mo3N phase with increase in citric acid ratio. Figure 2A displays results of catalytic activity measurements of Mo2N catalysts for ammonia decomposition. Bulk Mo2N catalysts prepared with different CA: Mo ratios didn’t show much difference in activity throughout the testing temperature range. But the cobalt promoted Mo2N catalysts with different CA:Mo ratios had much influence on ammonia decomposition activity. At 550 oC over CoMoN21catalyst 86% ammonia conversion have been achieved which is 20% more compare to MoN-11catalyst at this temperature. Conversion data are given in Table1.The reason for this difference is associated with increase in formation of Co3Mo3N species in cobalt containing samples. Thus increase in CA to Mo ratio promotes formation bimetallic nitride, which helped increased in activity. Further increase in CA to Mo ratio did not show much difference in activity. Hence CA: Mo ratio of 2.0 is seems to be optimal ratio for preparation of very active cobalt molybdenum nitride system.

Table 1: BET results of bulk and cobalt promoted Mo2N catalysts with different CA: Mo ratios


Catalyst BET surface area

m2 g–1

% NH3 con-version at 550

oC

Catalyst BET surface area

m2 g–1

% NH3 con-version at 550

oC

MoN-11 110 71.86 Co-MoN-11 93 77.44MoN-151 127 76.27 Co-MoN-151 106 79.25MoN-21 136 77.00 Co-MoN-21 108 86.90


Figure 1: X-ray diffraction patterns of (A) bulk and (B) cobalt promoted Mo2N catalysts with different CA:Mo ratios.

Figure 2: Activity studies of (A) bulk and (B) Cobalt promoted Mo2N catalysts with different CA:Mo ratios with GHSV-6000h-1

The surface areas of bulk and cobalt promoted molybdenum nitride catalysts are increased with the increase in citric acid to molybdenum ratio. The 3 wt% Co-Mo2N catalyst with CA: Mo ratio 2.0, showed highest activity for ammonia decomposition among all catalysts investigated in this research. This high activity may be due to the increase formation of Co3Mo3N phase over γ-Mo2N platelets with smaller crystal size.

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge the financial and technical support from the SABIC Chair of Catalysis, King Abdulaziz University.

An Overview of a Reservoir Characterisation Study Elmus Jaikaran*, Raffie Hosein and Andrew JupiterThe University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract A reservoir characterization study integrates all available data to define the geometry, distribution of physical parameters and

flow properties of a petroleum reservoir. The goal is to accurately and quantitatively model reservoir architecture, connectivity, and flow properties by developing a static and then a dynamic model. These reservoir models can then be used to simulate a more accurate estimate in the probability distribution of hydrocarbon volumes, geo-steering of wells to optimum locations in field development planning, production forecasting and depletion strategies.

Reservoir models are developed from geological, geophysical, petro-physical, well test and production data to define reservoir lithology and geometry, flow units and boundaries within the reservoir. Reservoir heterogeneities as well as uncertainties resulting from sparse well control, inadequate resolution on geophysical data sets, and problems with indirect measurement of reservoir parameters from seismic, log, and production data can be included so as to simulate a more accurate description of the reservoir.

Computer simulations of fluid movement define changes in reservoir fluid saturations during production. History matching the computer model with actual production data over time with parameters such as oil/water and gas/oil ratios, fluid volumes, and surface and down-hole pressures, produces a progressively more accurate model of reservoir performance. This can also indicate irregularities in drainage, un-swept compartments and guide reinterpretation of reservoir geometry to match conditions in the subsurface. Computer simulation combines production, petro-physical, subsurface, and seismic data to provide the best possible characterization of a petroleum reservoir. This challenging endeavor requires close collaboration of Geologists, Geophysicists, Petro-physicists, Reservoir and Production Engineers.

BiographyElmus Jaikaran is a PhD student in the Petroleum Engineering Programme at The University of The West Indies in

Trinidad. His area of study is Reservoir Characterisation Enhanced by Nano-particle Application and is funded by the BHP Billiton Excellence Scholarship. He received his BSc. degree in Petroleum Geoscience (First Class Honors) from the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad.

Swelling and Deswelling Kinetics of AT-O3S PolymerCody Lane Chancellor, Conner Kirby and Mahmoud ElsharafiMidwestern State University, TX, USA

Abstract Due to the reservoir heterogeneity, oil production will decline and water production will increase as the injected water

sweeps the high permeability zones. In order to flush out the remaining oil in the low permeability zones, many treatments have been used. One such treatment involves the injection of a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) into the high permeability zones. The swelled polymer will decrease the heterogeneity of reservoir permeability, thus forcing water injection into the oil rich, unswept zones/areas. Proper application of an SAP can have a dramatic impact on both the production and lifespan of mature oil wells. Understanding the swelling and deswelling kinetics of the SAP is crucial to their application. The following experiments focused on the use of AT-O3S polymer, a Sodium salt of crosslinked polyacrylic acid purchased from Emerging Technologies®. The polymer had a particle size of 60-120 meshes. The swelling and deswelling ratio of such a polymer is heavily influenced by salinity, temperature, and pH. In order to study the polymer’s kinetics, 1% (for swelling) or 0.1% (for deswelling) by solution weight of polymer was allowed to swell and deswell over time in various brines. These brines were made up of deionized water, 1% to 20% (by wt.) Sodium Chloride, and/or 1% to 10% (by wt.) Calcium Chloride. The effect of temperature on the final swelling ratio was afterwards tested. Understanding the reaction of SAPs to conditions similar to those found in an oil formation can help the oil industry to utilize this tool with greater efficiency.



EOR Application in Small Fields with Complex Reservoirs: The Trinidad and Tobago Experience Raffie Hosein* and Andrew JupiterThe University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago

AbstractTrinidad has heavy oil and tar sands resources of about 4 billion barrels in total, on land and off-shore the Southwest Coast.

These resources are found in mainly small fields which are heavily faulted and which make the geology very complex. Recovery of these resources requires conventional enhanced oil recovery projects and pilot testing of techniques such as Electrical and Radiofrequency heating (RF), SAGD, VAPEX, CHOPS and mining. Currently heavy oil contributes about 25,000 bopd of the country’s total oil production of about 75,000 barrels of oil per day. About 80% is via primary production (including foamy oil) and the other 20% mainly through small scale projects consisting of steam flood, carbon dioxide flood and Water Alternating Steam Process (WASP). In this paper we present the history of EOR projects in Trinidad, including those currently active, screening methods and the research being conducted to determine suitable ways to produce the heavy oil and tar-sands resources from these complex reservoirs.

Biography Dr. Raffie Hosein is a Senior Associate Professor and Coordinator of the MSc Reservoir Engineering Programme at The

University of The West Indies in Trinidad. Previously he worked as a Petroleum Engineer with the Ministry of Energy in Trinidad and later, as a Senior Associate Professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University at Qatar. He received his B.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Petroleum Engineering from The University of The West Indies in Trinidad. He is a Fellow with the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (FIMMM).

Roughness Analysis Within Flexible Water Injection Pipes in Petroleum Production ProjectsMax William Tocantins1*, Ivanilto Andreolli2, Luciene de Arruda Bernardo1 and Aldo Ramos Santos1

1Santa Cecilia University (Unisanta), Brazil2Petrobras, Brazil

Abstract In petroleum production projects it is important to consider injection wells in order to promote the mass balance of the

porous environment and increase the recovery factor of petroleum. Some of the injection wells are utilized to inject water, especially in the Brazilian scenario of petroleum production. There are some uncertainties regarding the flow modeling, mainly associated with the inner wall roughness determination of flexible pipes whose manufacturing process can originate a corrugated surface or surfaces that are not informed by the manufacturer or are hard to determine. This study takes an approach to water injection well modeling in petroleum production systems and how, through the flow data measured in the field, the pipe inner wall roughness is determined. These results are analyzed with other values of roughness that are normally utilized at wells of water injection in flexible flowlines and numerical-experimental results recently observed in Brazil. The results show that an accurate consideration of the roughness value can bring significant benefits to reducing the costs of injection well projects.

BiographyMax William Rocha Tocantins is a Petroleum Engineering student at Santa Cecilia University (UNISANTA), Santos-SP/

Brazil. Since February of 2015 he is a part of a research team at UNISANTA in the Laboratory of E&P Petroleum Simulation in partnership with professors and University. He also works as a directory member in the Student Chapter at UNISANTA, which is part of the SPE Organization (Society of Petroleum Engineers).


Poster Presentations

The Evaluation of Nanoemulsions in the Interfacial Film Properties of Asphaltenes Priscila Frias de Oliveira*, Josane Costa, Luis Fernando Sabino and Claudia EliasFederal University of Rio de Janeiro, Institute of Macromolecules, Laboratory of Macromolecules and Colloids for Petroleum Industry, Brazil

Abstract In previous work oil in water nanoemulsions were development for application as demulsifiers and these systems can be

interesting to chemical supplier companies in the oil sector, due to cost savings and the replacement of organic solvents for water. In present work, the efficiency of these formulations in the breakdown of oil emulsions was correlated with assessments obtained in interfacial rheology studies of systems used in the preparation of model emulsions. Oil-in-water nanoemulsions with 20% w/w non-ionic surfactant and 5% w/w oily phase (solbrax ou xileno, containing 1, 5 and 10% w/w asphaltenes dispersant) were prepared by high-pressure homogenizer (using pressure of 15,000 psi and four processing cycles). The oscillation mode of a rheometer utilizing a Du Nouy ring geometry has been employed to determine mechanical strength of the interfacial layer, as a function of shear rate, aging time and presence of demulsifier formulation. An interfacial film was formed with a 25/75 heptol solution containing 0.25% w/v asphaltenes (oily phase) and brine (aqueous phase), for this interfacial film was found the formation of a gel-like structure after aging for 2 hours. These systems showed higher performance than its components when analyzed alone, such as non-ionic surfactant solution and the oily phases with and without asphaltene dispersant. For the nanoemulsions containing xylene, lower elastic modulus were obtained, especially in the presence of DBSA. Was assumed that the DBSA can be acting helping the dispersion of asphaltenes and difficult their adsorbing at Interface.

Biography Priscila F. Oliveira and Josane A. Costa are post-doctoral researchers at Macromolecules Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fernando S. Oliveira is Chemical Engineer at Macromolecules Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Claudia R. E. Mansur is Associated Professor at Macromolecules Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Obtaining and Assessment Microemulsions as Petroleum SolventsJosane Assis Costa*, Priscila Frias, Luis Fernando Sabino, Anna Aurea Ferreira and Claudia EliasFederal University of Rio de Janeiro, Institute of Macromolecules, Laboratory of Macromolecules and Colloids for Petroleum Industry, Brazil

Abstract During the productive life of oil wells several oil recovery methods are applied to increase the production efficiency. Recent

researches suggest the use of microemulsions as a method capable of increasing the oil displacement efficiency retained in regions of low permeability of the reservoir rock. This study aims at producing stable micro emulsions of oil-in-water (O/W) from petroleum solvents to be tested as petroleum recovery fluids. To this end, kerosene, solbrax and hexane were selected as the oily phase of the microemulsion, brine as the aqueous phase and surfactants of ethoxylated nonylphenol with two different degrees of ethoxylation (8 and 15 ethylene oxide (EO) units). Compositions of microemulsions were prepared ranging from 5 to 20% of oily phase from 10 to 20% surfactant and from 60 to 85% brine. Stable microemulsions were obtained for all solvents and all surfactants when was used 5% of the oily phase, 20% of the surfactant and 75% of brine. For the solvent hexane was possible to obtain stable microemulsion with up to 20% of oily phase and 60% of brine, when it was used 16% of the surfactant with 8 EO units or 20% of surfactant with 15 EO units. The stable microemulsions were characterized as the droplet size in the Zetasizer Nano ZS equipment and showed drops in the range between 5 and 30 nm. All stable microemulsions showed good solubilization of a petroleum with API density 30.


Biography Josane A. Costa and Priscila F. Oliveira are post-doctoral researchers at Macromolecules Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fernando S. Oliveira is Chemical Engineer at Macromolecules Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Claudia R. E. Mansur is Associated Professor at Macromolecules Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Anna Aurea G. Ferreira is petroleum engineering student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Evaluate the Effect of pH on the Mixed Brine and Chemical SolutionsConner Kirby*, Cody Lane Chancellor and Mahmoud ElsharafiMidwestern State University, TX, USA

Abstract The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) when it is introduced to brine

solutions containing Calcium ions at varying pH values. When injected into an oil well, a superabsorbent polymer will swell, blocking high permeability zones. The swelled polymer will decrease reservoir heterogeneity, diverting injected water to oil rich zones/areas of the formation. Understanding the kinetics of an SAP is crucial to its proper employment. However, when the polymer is introduced to brine solutions containing calcium, reactions involving the ionization of the sodium crosslinker of the polymers result in the destruction of the polymers and the formation of a precipitate. In an attempt to solve this problem, pH values of various concentrations of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Chloride in deionized water solutions will be varied and introduced to polymer samples to determine if lowering the pH can prevent precipitation. The procedure includes first introducing hydrochloric acid to brine mixtures, mixing and agitating the polymer with the brine solution, and lastly recording the results. The measurements to be recorded will include the volume of the polymers before, during, and after the swelling process. From this data, the swelling ratios of the polymer samples will be calculated, graphed, and contrasted appropriately according to time intervals and the pH of each sample. By following this procedure, the data shows that a very low pH can significantly inhibit the extent to which the polymer precipitates out with Calcium ions.

Pyrolysis Study of Petroleum Sludge and Drilling Cutting Blends by Thermal Analysis Érica de M. Azevedo1*, Mariana F Pinto2, Arilza de C Pickler3 and Jo Dweck1

1Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil2Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil3Research Center of Petrobras, Brazil

Abstract Oil sludges are usually mixtures containing oil, water and inorganic materials such as sand and metal oxides. These residues,

when submitted to pyrolysis, may recover organic components as fuels and other value products. In this work thermogravimetry (TG) and Differential Thermogravimetry (DTG) in inert atmosphere were used for this purpose, from room temperature to 600oC. The aim of this work was to study by thermal analysis, the pyrolysis of petroleum sludge blends with 30 wt% of drilling cuttings, to evaluate possible catalytic effects of this addition. The Kissinger kinetic method was used, in which the activation energy is estimated for each main pyrolysis stage, considering it constant for each step. By using the temperatures (Tm) corresponding to DTG peak maxima of the main thermal events, obtained at three different heating rates (β=10°C.min-1, 15°C.min-1 and 20°C.min-1), the activation energies of each main steps were obtained from the data of respective plots of Ln(β/Tm

2) versus 1/Tm. When analyzed separately, three stages of petroleum sludge pyrolysis are noticed, which activation energies were 171, 115 and 263 kJ.mol-1. For the blend pyrolysis the values were 69, 87 and 244 kJ.mol-1, indicating that catalytic effect of drilling cutting addition occurs at the first and second pyrolysis stages.

BiographyÉrica de Melo Azevedo is a doctorate student of the School of Chemistry of Rio de Janeiro Federal University, under Dr.

Jo Dweck, on thermal analysis of materials and processes. She has already developed by thermal analysis, methodologies to calculate and to estimate coke contents formed during industrial organic waste pyrolysis, as well as pyrolysis yield. These have been presented in International and Brazilian Congresses, in one of which she was awarded, having recently published an article in Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. Her topics of interest are petroleum sludge, residues, pyrolysis and thermal analysis.

Applying Step-Feeding Strategy to Enhance Biological Nitrogen Removal in Tidal Flow Constructed WetlandsM Khajah1,2* and A O Babatunde1

1Hydro- environmental Research Centre, Cardiff University, UK2Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, KISR, Kuwait

AbstractA four multistage vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) system was designed to treat synthetic domestic wastewater

with high nitrogen concentration. The overall aim was to further our mechanistic understanding of nitrogen removal in such systems and to determine the impact of design and operational variables on the overall removal efficiency. Tidal flow and step-feeding operational strategies were used to enhance aeration and promote nitrogen removal in the system.

In this research study, it is a continuous study that had been done exactly prior this study with high nitrified effluent in the third and fourth stages, therefore a step-feeding was applied in this study with different ratio (80:20 and 70:30)* from the influent tank to obtain the optimal total nitrogen removal by introduction the influent synthetic wastewater to the nitrified liquid (to the third stage) and thus making more efficient use of the influent carbon source for denitrification process.

* Ratio means the volume of the influent wastewater that enters to the first stage: the volume of the influent wastewater that enters to the third stage. Note that the total volume is 2 liters.

Results have shown that the average removal efficiency for COD, NH₄⁺-N, TN and TP for 80:20 and 70:30 ratios were 92%, 89.2%, 60.4% and 30.5% and 94%, 73.9%, 65.1% and 26.8% respectively. Also, results further reveal that the oxidation redox potential and dissolved oxygen are the significant operational variable impacting on nitrogen removal in the system.


BiographyMishari Khajah is a PhD student in the Hydro-environmental Research Centre at Cardiff University. He received his both

bachelor degrees in civil engineering in 2007 and M.Sc. in water resources in 2010 from the Kuwait University. He was working as research associate in Kuwait Institute for scientific Research (KISR) for 6 years. His work was focused on improving domestic wastewater treatment processes. Currently, his research interests focus on further understanding the mechanisms of nitrogen removal by constructed wetland systems.

Modeling of Non-Linear Viscoplastic Oil Flow to a Well and Development System SelectionVladimir Astafev*, Anastasiya Markelova, Valeriya Olkhovskaya and Aleksey ZinovievSamara State Technical University, Russia

Abstract Experimental studies have proved the ability of high-viscosity oil to display at flow the properties typical of non-Newtonian

systems. The relationship between pressure gradient and rate of movement in real reservoirs may be non-linear due to the interaction of asphaltenes and resins, forming the plastic structure in the oil.

The impact of the restructuring processes on the viscosity of the oil and the possibility of Darcy’s law violation are not considered in most of the known hydrodynamic simulations. The authors of the article justified the analytical model of the pseudo-stationary flow of non-linear viscoplastic oil to the vertical well with a random configuration of the drainage area. The article presents the results obtained using the model in real design, including the well test analysis. The result of the study is the choice of the system of reservoir stimulation, which allows effective regulation of the structural and mechanical properties of high-viscosity oil.

The considered mathematical model is useful for small high-viscosity oil fields to calculate variants with vertical wells. It can help to justify well spacing, the feasibility of address increase in the pressure drawdown and the use of thermal methods.

BiographyDr. Vladimir Astafev received his PhD from Moscow State University in 1977. His research interests include Mathematical

modeling of damage accumulation, crack initiation and growth in metals under creep, fatigue and stress corrosion conditions.


Electrochemical Characteristics of a High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack Under Reformate GasesChen-Yu ChenChinese Culture University, Taiwan

Abstract The fuel cell technology is superior in the efficiency, fuel sources, pollution emission level and reliability compared

conventional energy sources. Among all types of fuel cells, high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFC) are recently considered one of the most promising fuel cell because of the high CO tolerance and high practicability. In this work, the electrochemical characteristics of a 5-cell HT-PEMFC stack using simulated reformate gases is studied to understand the behaviors of this fuel cell stack integrated with a fuel processor.

The experimental results show that the performance of the HT-PEMFC stack decrease with increasing the CO concentration and the performance reduction phenomenon becomes more significant under diluted hydrogen. The tests of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveal that the performance drop can be mainly attributed to the increase in charge transfer resistance. Meanwhile, the poison effects of methane on the HT-PEMFC stack are not remarkable because the methane poison reaction on the Pt catalyst is not significant under the temperature range of 140-180 oC. In this research, it is as well found that increasing the operational temperature can effectively improve the CO tolerance. On the other hand, introducing air-bleeding only improve the CO tolerance at low temperatures. At high temperatures, the oxidation reaction of CO with O2 is suppressed at high temperatures.

BiographyDr. Chen-Yu Chen received his Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from National Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan

in 2010. He worked as a post-doctoral scholar in National Cheng-Kung University before joining Chinese Culture University in 2013. Dr. Chen is currently an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Dr. Chen’s research interests cover a wide range of topics in energy systems that include PEMFC, HT-PEMFC, hydrogen energy technologies, fuel cell system integration and electrochemical systems such as lithium batteries and air-metal batteries. He has over 12 years experience and several publications in fuel cells.

Co-Pyrolysis of Waste Tire and Biomass in a Well-Swept Fixed Bed Reactor Özlem OnayAnadolu University, Porsuk Technical College, Turkey

AbstractCo-pyrolysis of waste tyre and biomass under nitrogen gas was performed in a well-swept fixed bed reactor. The effect of

blending ratio and heating rate of waste tyre and biomass on product distribution of pyrolysis process investigated under pyrolysis temperatures of 500°C. In the range of the experimental conditions investigated the yield of the product is proportional to the percentage of biomass and waste tyre in the mixture. On the other hand, considerable synergetic effects were observed during the co-pyrolysis in a well swept fixed bed reactor leading to increase in oil yield. Maximum pyrolysis oil yield was obtained with 10wt% of waste tyre mixed with biomass, as compared to the expected ones, calculated as the sum of oil fractions produced by pyrolysis of each separated component. These findings can potentially help to understand and predict the behavior of waste tyre/biomass blends in practical liquefaction systems.

BiographyOzlem Onay has completed his PhD at the age of 29 years from Anadolu University.


Evaluation of Shear Resistance for Polymer Gel Applied in Changqing Low Permeability ReservoirZhang Rong1,2*, Tang Fan1,2 and Wu Tianjiang1,2

1Petrochina Changqing Oilfield Company, China 2National Engineering Laboratory for Exploration and Development of Low Permeability Oil and Gas Fields, China

Abstract Featuring low pressure, low permeability and low abundance, Changqing Oilfield possesses severe heterogeneity and

significant natural fractures. Technology combining the energy supply via water flooding and the fracturing stimulation, played an important role in oil recovery. In detail, the reservoirs that adopted water flooding accounted for more than 98% of Changqing’s total production.

With the deepness of exploitation, fingering problem of injection water aggravated water cut, even causing a water invasion; finally undercutting the recovery of water flooding. To address this problem and maintain the oil production, conformance control was highlighted as its improvement of both areal and sectional heterogeneities.

Every year, over 600 wells were performed with profile modification, leading to an oil increment over 10×104 t/a. Not only introducing advanced technologies from abroad, Changqing Oilfield also investigated on evaluation methods independently. In this work, the transportation of in-situ gel in low-permeability porous medium was studied systemically and comprehensively. Special experimental settings, Dynamic Evaluation Instruments (DEI), were established to simulate real reservoir conditions. Experiments based on circulation tubes were carried out to investigate shear resistance, gelling capacity and plugging efficiency of crosslinked polymer gel.

Experimental results indicated that, mechanical shearing had limited impact on gelation process. However, with the formed bulk gel transporting through porous media, the loss of apparent viscosity aggravated due to a significant degradation occurring in polymer chain. To remedy this viscosity loss, an attempt was conducted via injecting chased slurry comprised by crosslinker. Consequently, a recovery of gel viscosity has been achieved.

BiographyZhang Rong is a Senior Engineer at Petrochina Changqing Oilfield Company, China.


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