Petroleum Engineering Department Research Articles

Petroleum Engineering Research Shifts Focus From Oil and Gas to New Horizons

Undergraduate education in petroleum engineering (PE) has survived the latest downturn in the industry, and enrollment has started to show an uptick in numbers. However, a different trend is evident in graduate training and academic research: the number of researchers being trained in oil and gas topics is drastically dropping. The story can be summarized in Fig. 1. Funding trends in PE departments have been shifting away from oil and gas research. These shifts require large investments in skill-building, expertise, and laboratory infrastructure, which makes it much harder to reverse the trend. Consequently, the shift may permanently alter the identity of PE departments, something that will not impact only graduate education but could alter the overall identity of these departments and the workforce they train. The data shared in Fig. 1c shows that more than 50% of the 2023 research awards, which will fund graduate students earning degrees between 2025 and 2026, are going to be invested in geothermal, carbon management, hydrogen, emissions, and other topics that do not support improving oil and gas resource extraction. While 73% of the 2023 MSc and PhD graduates still studied oil and gas topics around reservoir, production, fracturing, and drilling, as shown in Fig. 1a, this number is expected to drop to under 50% for 2026 graduates. Fig. 1b reveals the accelerated trend of this transition, where only 65% of the publications generated from these departments in 2023 covered oil and gas topics. Under 60% of the 2024 and 2025 graduates who published in 2023 are building expertise in oil and gas research and development. The team collected data to study the trends over the past 10 years. It included over $137 million in external research funding and over 1,900 thesis/dissertations, in addition to over 1,100 publications in 2023. More details about these numbers can be found in SPE 220735. The trends in graduate training and research funding over the past 10 years are shown in Fig. 2, where the axis for graduate training is shifted by 3 years to account for the lag between the date funding was received and the graduation date for the students it supported. When looking at numbers rather than percentages (Fig. 3), oil and gas research funding to four of the major PE departments in the US dropped from $30 million in 2014 to under $10 million in 2023 as shown in Fig. 3a. Funding in these departments now hovers at around $20 million, where the gap was filled by transitioning to the study of sustainable geoenergy topics relating to carbon and hydrogen storage and the extraction of geothermal energy, as shown in Fig. 3b.

President’s Column: The Importance of Supporting Academia and Students in Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities in the Industry

Editor’s Note: This is a summary of the May episode of the President’s podcast. We encourage you to listen to the episode to hear the full conversation. In this podcast episode, I am joined by Jennifer Miskimins, department head of petroleum engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, to discuss the importance of supporting universities and students through the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. I chose Jennifer to be part of this episode because of her extensive experience in both academia and the industry. This episode aims to delve into the status of petroleum engineering departments and the importance of students in shaping the industry’s future. I emphasize the collaborative effort required from universities, SPE, and its members to attract the next generation to the field. Our conversation revolves around the importance of addressing the challenges faced by petroleum engineering programs and attracting students to the field. I explain that the SPE Board of Directors recognizes the significance of universities, students, and faculty in the industry, including naming them as core constituencies in SPE’s Strategic Plan. Attracting the next generation is one of the top concerns among SPE members. Young professionals and students play a vital role in driving innovation and addressing future challenges, emphasizing the need for a full pipeline of talent to sustain the industry’s progress. I believe that students are essential for shaping the future of energy and fulfilling humanity’s needs, as they aspire to make a meaningful impact in the world. We need the next technical breakthroughs, most of which will come from the students in university today. They want to feel like they’re making a difference in the world. Jennifer adds, “What I frequently hear from students is yes, they want a long-term career but making a difference is very important. And they can do so. So hopefully, we can get more students coming our direction.” Although enrollment in petroleum engineering programs has fluctuated due to industry downturns and external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, recent data suggests a modest increase in undergraduate enrollment, indicating a potential upswing. There are challenges such as the industry’s public image, perception of job stability, and declining enrollment in STEM education. Addressing these challenges requires reframing the narrative around the energy “transition” to one of “expansion” and highlighting the long-term career opportunities in the industry. We share insights into how universities are incorporating diverse energy-related topics into their curriculum, offering electives on emerging technologies, and engaging with industry professionals to provide students with real-world insights and opportunities. We also emphasize the role of faculty advisors and industry support in sustaining student chapters of organizations like SPE, which play a crucial role in bridging the gap between academia and industry. We further point out the critical role SPE members play in supporting students and universities through mentorship, financial support, and speaking engagements. Active involvement in student chapters helps bridge the gap between academia and industry.

Will ChatGPT and Related AI-Tools alter the Future of the Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering?

A key aim of this paper is to explore how our professional tasks as geoscientists and petroleum engineers can be completed more effectively making use of tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI), offered in commercial platforms now readily available to individual users. This paper intends to provide some guidance, but at the same time does not claim to be comprehensive or conclusive in any way. The paper presents a utility assessment from the research and teaching vantage points of two professors and one student, from geosciences and petroleum engineering departments. After a brief overview of the new technologies, some key questions raised include: How can one assess originality of class papers by students and research papers by their professors? How will the contribution of intelligent devices be acknowledged? Will the presentation of conference papers by author avatars be accepted by the organising committee?

US Petroleum Engineering Graduation Rates Keep Falling, but Oil Execs Are Not Complaining Yet

The job market is looking up for petroleum engineers graduating this spring. With oil prices up, companies are hiring, which means most of the shrinking number of graduates have already lined up jobs, according to Lloyd Heinze, a professor at Texas Tech University, who does an annual survey of petroleum engineering (PE) programs. At Texas Tech, he said more than 90% of the students already have jobs upon graduation, with most of them going to work for operators. Demand is also strong for graduates at Colorado School of Mines, Penn State University, and Texas A&M University, where most of the seniors have jobs arranged in advance of graduation. Tom Blasingame, a petroleum engineering professor at Texas A&M, and 2021 SPE president, said the career fair held last fall “was very well attended, and I believe our placement percentage will be very high in 2023.” He said 80% of students who graduated from A&M in December had jobs lined up, and he expected they would all have jobs within 2–3 months of graduation. Jennifer Miskimins, a professor who is head of the petroleum engineering department at Mines, agreed that the hiring rate is at that level, with some students getting job offers after completing summer internships. Sanjay Srinivasan, department head at the Energy and Mineral Engineering Department at Penn State, said hiring demand “looks much better this year than last year. However, we are concerned that many of the oil and gas companies that come on recruitment visits seem more interested in talking to graduates from other departments like mechanical and chemical engineering.” Others are seeing the same trend. “The supermajors will take the engineers and train/mold them into whatever they need,” Miskimins said. Blasingame added that independent operators, however, focus on petroleum engineers because they “don’t have extensive training programs like supermajors, so they hire the people who can ‘work on day 1.’ ” Also, Srinivasan said companies are increasingly selective. “I feel that the companies have lean recruitment targets and so they basically shop for the best-fit graduates from multiple schools,” he said. It is a striking turnaround from a few years ago when record numbers of students flooded a weak job market, looking for any oil industry job they could find or looking outside the industry to companies that valued their math and science skills. Still, given the high price of oil, hiring demand that is equal to a shrinking supply feels odd to Heinze and the others. Based on their experience, when oil prices hit $100/bbl, the demand for PE grads and enrollment go up. Something Heinze finds “spooky” this time around is that oil companies are not complaining about the small size of the graduating classes. It feels odd to Heinze because in the past when prices were high and activity picked up, college administrators heard complaints from oil companies such as “How many (seniors) do you have?” and “We need more.” “We are seeing the same, very good placement. However, I have had companies tell me that they aren’t making their hiring goals,” Miskimins said. She is not hearing complaints about the graduation rate “but definitely concerns.” To address the problem, Mines has hired a direct recruiter as part of an effort to attract more earth sciences students, Miskimins said.

Legends of Artificial Lift (July 2022)

Legends of Artificial Lift This year, the SPE Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition–Americas will be held 23–25 August in Galveston, Texas, with the theme “Modern Artificial Lift–Adapting to a Changing Industry.” The event provides opportunities for technical professionals to gain insights into current trends and field experiences and explore innovative solutions. A special Legends of Artificial Lift Luncheon on 23 August will celebrate three individuals for their outstanding contributions to the technical knowledge in this field: Norman Hein Jr., Ken Nolen, and Gabor Takacs. Norman W. Hein Jr. Norman W. Hein Jr. has worked for 45 years in upstream production, his distinguished career spanning from research, development, and testing to ventures in production engineering, manufacturing, onshore and offshore project management, industry standardization, and the principles of artificial lift. Hein joined the industry in 1977 as a research scientist with Continental Oil Company, where he learned about oil and gas production materials, failures, fatigue, and offshore construction. He then worked for Conoco and later ConocoPhillips in various engineering positions. In 2010, he joined the sucker-rod division of Norris Production Solutions as director of research, development, engineering, and quality; later at CONSOL Energy he was promoted to chief technology professional and senior advisor. Currently, Hein is president and managing director of Oil and Gas Optimization Specialists Ltd., which he established in 2003. Kenneth B. (Ken) Nolen Kenneth B. (Ken) Nolen for 62 years has been a key contributor to what he calls “the art and science of artificial lift.” “My college degree in mechanical engineering was largely devoted to science,” he explains, “and that’s a branch of knowledge dealing with the physical world of facts and principles. Art, on the other hand, uses science to create new technology and products—in my field, that is to enhance artificial lift.” His career in optimizing this art and science began after graduating from Texas A&M and serving his country in the US Air Force for a 3-year tour. Nolen joined Shell Oil Company as a production engineer before teaming up with Dr. Sam G. Gibbs to become co-founderand vice president of Nabla Corporation in Midland, Texas—a technical service company that specialized in artificial-lift diagnosis, optimization, design, training on pumping wells, and manufacturing pumpoff controllers and fluid-level sounders. “It was at Nabla that I pursued my long-held passion for optimizing production from artificially lifted wells.” Gabor Takacs Gabor Takacs joins the Legends of Artificial Lift as an internationally recognized consultant with more than 35 years of consulting and teaching experience in the fields of production engineering, with a concentration in artificial lift. “The great honor of being nominated is an absolutely thrilling sensation for me,” he said. “It gives me a special satisfaction to be the first foreigner to join those wonderful people whom I have been privileged to meet and cooperate with during my career.” Takacs is a professor emeritus at the University of Miskolc, Hungary, where he led the petroleum engineering department from 1995 to 2012.

Daftar Isi Vol.10 No.4

PETRO Scientific Journal is a peer-reviewed open access journal published by Lembaga Penelitian (Lemlit) Universitas Trisakti. It is a journal on petroleum science and technology that covers petroleum geology; petroleum geophysics; petroleum engineering; petrochemistry and chemical engineering; petroleum mechanics; and economic management. This journal is indexing by Crossref, Google Scholar, GARUDA (Garda Rujukan Digital), and ISJD. The main purpose of PETRO Scientific Journal is as a forum not only for lecturers and students of Petroleum Engineering Department, Universitas Trisakti, but also lecturers and students from another universities to publish their latest research result. .

Cover Vol.10 No.4

PETRO Scientific Journal is a peer-reviewed open access journal published by Lembaga Penelitian (Lemlit) Universitas Trisakti. It is a journal on petroleum science and technology that covers petroleum geology; petroleum geophysics; petroleum engineering; petrochemistry and chemical engineering; petroleum mechanics; and economic management. This journal is indexing by Crossref, Google Scholar, GARUDA (Garda Rujukan Digital), and ISJD. The main purpose of PETRO Scientific Journal is as a forum not only for lecturers and students of Petroleum Engineering Department, Universitas Trisakti, but also lecturers and students from another universities to publish their latest research result. .

Increasing the Publication of Scientific Articles to Support Key Performance Indicators by Providing Publication Space Facilities in the Petroleum Engineering Department

This study was used to identify and increase the interest of students of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Mineral Technology, UPN "Veteran" Yogyakarta in publishing scientific articles. the publication of scientific articles has an effect on improving the quality of majors in a university so that it is necessary to support the increase in the publication of scientific articles. The method used in this research is quantitative in the form of socialization, questionnaires, and holding competitions to explore potential interests and talents, as well as awarding student work appreciation. The results obtained from this study are in the form of increasing the quality of publications from competitions conducted with 3 scientific articles with national journal standards and 4 standard posters. From this progress, it is hoped that interest in writing standardized scientific articles will continue to increase, thus the quality of education and achievement of scientific work indicators of a university is achieved.

Cover Vol.10 No.3

PETRO Scientific Journal is a peer-reviewed open access journal published by Lembaga Penelitian (Lemlit) Universitas Trisakti. It is a journal on petroleum science and technology that covers petroleum geology; petroleum geophysics; petroleum engineering; petrochemistry and chemical engineering; petroleum mechanics; and economic management. This journal is indexing by Crossref, Google Scholar, GARUDA (Garda Rujukan Digital), and ISJD. The main purpose of PETRO Scientific Journal is as a forum not only for lecturers and students of Petroleum Engineering Department, Universitas Trisakti, but also lecturers and students from another universities to publish their latest research result. .

Cover Vol.10 No.3

PETRO Scientific Journal is a peer-reviewed open access journal published by Lembaga Penelitian (Lemlit) Universitas Trisakti. It is a journal on petroleum science and technology that covers petroleum geology; petroleum geophysics; petroleum engineering; petrochemistry and chemical engineering; petroleum mechanics; and economic management. This journal is indexing by Crossref, Google Scholar, GARUDA (Garda Rujukan Digital), and ISJD. The main purpose of PETRO Scientific Journal is as a forum not only for lecturers and students of Petroleum Engineering Department, Universitas Trisakti, but also lecturers and students from another universities to publish their latest research result. .

Effects of Cissus Populnea on the Rheological Properties of Local Clay

Globally, Wyoming bentonite has been observed as the only accepted drilling fluid. Hence, the importance of investigating the mode by which Cissus populnea affects the rheological properties of local clay and as possible substitute for the international standard clay as drilling fluid. Ten samples of the local mud were taken at different locations of Afuze deposit, the stem bark of Cissus populnea was purchased in Ekiti State and authenticated at the herbarium, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Its extraction was effected using the soxhlet extractor apparatus. Samples A and C, were respectively the mud of the local clay and a mixture of the Cissus populnea extract and the local clay. A control sample, B was formed from a mixture of water and the International Standard Wyoming bentonite which was obtained from the Petroleum Engineering Department of the University of Ibadan. Rheological properties of each of the samples were determined. The results of sample C (density (9.85 lb/gal), pH (9.9–11.3); funnel viscosity (50–62 seconds); hydroxylethyl cellulose at 600 rpm (22-38 cp); filtrate value (13.0–15.8 ml); sand content (0.50–0.81ppg); gel strength (15-21 lb/100ft2) and yield stress (7-13 lb/100ft2)) fell within the API RP–13B standard for drilling fluid. The analysis showed that the differences between samples A, B and C were negligible and that the local clay treated with Cissus populnea can serve as a substitute for foreign clay. KEYWORDS: bentonite, Cissus Populnea, local clay, mud weight, rheological properties

Using Cameras To Understand What Is Happening While Drilling

Can a camera do a better job than humans at creating a minute-by-minute record of drilling activity? Or evaluate damaged drill bits better? Based on two papers at the SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference and Exhibition, the answer might soon be yes. Schlumberger researchers showed that video from a camera on the drill floor and on the drilling cuttings shaker kept an accurate record of what the rig was doing at the time, also known as the rig state (SPE 204086). A paper from The University of Texas-Austin (UT-Austin) showed a camera phone could create images for use in their bit-evaluation program to assess the damage and offer a reasonable explanation for what caused it (SPE 204124). A year ago Teradata announced its Bit-Box, which houses cameras and lights to create 3D bit images. It is now on the market; other companies are working on competing products. Cameras have gotten small and cheap at a time when innovations like self-driving cars have driven tech companies to speed development of computer-vision tools. Schlumberger’s goal is to convert video from rig cameras into a constant record of the rig state. It is being done with data gathered by sensors while drilling, or by people if the sensors stop working or generate bad data. The system leaves gaps when sensor issues are missed or workers are otherwise occupied, which is a maddening problem for those who need to know what is going on at any moment to interpret drilling data. “We need to understand what the rig was doing when we look at and try to solve problems” using digital analysis, said Crispin Chatar, a drilling subject matter expert for Schlumberger, who presented the paper at the virtual conference. The bit-evaluation program used phone camera images as a lower-cost substitute for 3D imaging, like the system sold by Teradata. Mobile phone images come with the risk of bad lighting and varying angles, which the authors said affected the analysis. But those devices are small, and there are plenty of backups available. “Everybody has a mobile phone at a rig site,” said Pradeep Ashok, a research scientist in the petroleum engineering department at UT-Austin. He believes cameras on mobile devices are the future because “if you could build something that requires no added equipment it will allow more rapid adoption.” Mobile phone owners also worry about breaking their phone. They may not be so concerned about rig equipment, which is a concern to those selling more-complex imaging devices. Both projects were early efforts to test what can be done with camera data, which is likely to expand over time. Schlumberger’s goal of tracking the rig state more reliably and cheaper than when using sensors may not be enough to convince users to change their ways at a time when sensors are proliferating to support more digitally controlled activities. The Schlumberger data were gathered at a test well for an automated rig.

SPE Board Announces Nominees 2023 President and 2022 Directors

SPE Board Announces Nominees 2023 President and 2022 Directors Medhat (Med) Kamal is the nominee for 2023 SPE President. He and six others make up the new slate of nominees recommended for positions open on the SPE Board of Directors. 2023 SPE President Medhat (Med) Kamal is a Chevron Fellow Emeritus with primary responsibilities including competency development within the company, identification and development of emerging and white-space technology opportunities, and provision of technological advice and counsel to senior management. He formerly was a fellow and leader at the dynamic reservoir characterization group for Chevron Energy Technology Company. Before Chevron he worked for ARCO, Flopetrol Schlumberger, and Amoco. North America Regional Director Simeon Eburi is a frontier exploration and new ventures petroleum engineer with Chevron, responsible for generating conceptual field development for exploration and business development opportunities. He has spent much of his professional life at Chevron in roles ranging from production operations supervisor in Bakersfield, California, and decision and economic analyst/advisor for deepwater US Gulf operations to production engineer in Oklahoma. Africa Regional Director Oghogho Effiom is a senior development planner for Shell Nigeria, where she enables integration between all disciplines to ensure consistencies across projects regarding development concepts, scenarios, and decisions. She formerly was a senior production geologist with Shell Nigeria. Asia Pacific Regional Director Henricus Herwin is the vice president for technical excellence and coordination at Pertamina, facilitating the expansion of the development and production staff ’s technical capabilities through publications, training, and networking. Prior to his current post, Herwin served as vice president of geoscience and reservoir for Pertamina as well as the head of the development and planning division. Before joining Pertamina in 2018, he held various upstream positions at Total. Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Hisham Zubari is the senior advisor to the Minister of Oil for Bahrain, where he identifies, initiates, plans, and manages national energy and sustainability initiatives related to energy efficiencies, renewable energy, and circular economy. He also acts as a senior advisor to the Bahrain National Oil and Gas Authority. Prior to his current posts, Zubari was deputy chief executive officer of Tatweer Petroleum and general manager for human resources and administration for Bahrain Petroleum Company, among other positions. Completions Technical Director Karen Olson is a senior completions advisor for Well Data Labs and an independent consultant. She previously was technology director for Southwestern Energy Company. Olson has been a completion/ reservoir engineer for more than 37 years, starting her career as a fracturing engineer for The Western Company of North America. She has also worked at S.A. Holditch and Associates, Mobil Oil, and BP. Reservoir Technical Director Rodolfo Gabriel Camacho-Velázquez is a professor in the petroleum engineering department at the National University of Mexico, where he teaches courses related to naturally fractured reservoirs and provides guidance and monitors research progress on the subject. He worked with Pemex for 25 years, where he was the manager of different positions identifying assets’ technical needs and provided guidance on the dynamic characterization and behavior of complex, naturally fractured reservoirs.

A New Generation Is Coming To Work, But Is the Oil and Gas Industry Ready?

Even before a pandemic changed the course, the oil and gas industry was destined for big change, thanks to pressure coming from a number of different fronts. The asymmetric challenges include the industry’s dire need to get caught up on the digital transformation while also figuring out how to embrace the separate arena of low-carbon technologies. Representing the human embodiment of this juggling act is another new challenge: Generation Z. Born between 1996 and 2010, Generation Z - or Gen Z, or the plural, Gen Zers - represents one of the clearest signals that the great crew change has come and gone. Yet, big questions remain about whether oil and gas companies and the academic programs that feed them talent have fully adapted to this reality. Three new technical papers recently presented during the 2020 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) suggest that the answer is no. However, what the papers also suggest is that there are clear steps that industry can take to become a more attractive one to the youngest generation of workers. The most common thread between the papers is the call for major reforms in how petrotechnicals of the future are educated at school and trained at work. Putting the scope of the generational gap into clearer context, one of the papers from professors at the Australian College of Kuwait found that Baby Boomers (those born from 1944 to 1964) make up only 6% of the current industry workforce. Meanwhile, about a quarter of all employees are Generation Z. The following is a selection of the actions upstream companies and petroleum engineering departments are being told will help them adapt to the technological and generational shifts that are redefining the business. To Lead Gen Z, Think Like Gen Z To appreciate Generation Z, one must first understand why they are different from generations of past. Two chief characteristics that stand out to Maria Capello is that Gen Z is driven by community and dialogue.

Kuwait Oil and Gas Industry Workforce Source and Supply Analysis

Abstract The oil and gas industry human resources typically comprise of managers, engineers, assistant engineers and, administrators among others. This paper examines the key sources of the workforce that run Kuwait’s oil and gas industry. Most of the technical workforces including engineers and assistant engineers are originally from Kuwait University and the College of Technological Studies in Kuwait. This paper examines data on the number of assistant engineers in the oil and gas sector that graduated from the college of technological studies from 2006 to 2018. The college’s petroleum engineering technology department was started in 2001. Remarkably, its first batch of students graduated as assistant engineers two and a half years down the line with most of them joining companies in the oil and gas sector. The college offers two programs focusses on the production and exportation while the other one focusses on exploration and development. Additionally, this paper examines the number of students that have successfully graduated from the college’s petroleum engineering department over the last twelve years. Records indicate that between 2006 and 2018, about 7% of the institution’s graduates were from the petroleum engineering department. Moreover, the study established that there was no correlation between oil prices and the number of graduates from the petroleum department. The findings of this study will be insightful to decision-makers especially in crafting policies to improve college enrollment to fill the existing workforce gap in the oil and gas sector in Kuwait.

As Industry Changes, So Does Petroleum Engineering Education

As the oil and gas industry becomes increasingly complex, the requirements for petroleum engineers—and petroleum engineering education—are changing. “Petroleum engineering jobs in the future are likely to be smaller in number and radically different from those of today,” wrote Nathan Meehan, president of Gaffney, Cline and Associates and 2016 SPE President, in paper SPE•194746, The End of Petroleum Engineering As We Know It. “The next generation of petroleum engineers will have to address demands for sustainability, lower carbon intensity, and needs for radical productivity improvements, which only artificial intelligence (AI) and digital can drive. This suggests that we will need to revisit university education for petroleum engineers and all aspects of career development and•training.” Petroleum engineering education reflects the E&P industry it serves. Training of competent graduates with both the domain and digital knowledge to immediately contribute when they join the industry has become more complicated as expectations change. What are petroleum engineering schools doing to adapt to these changes, and how are they helping their students navigate a future career in the oil and gas industry? Balancing Theory and Practical Application A survey by Ryder Scott Petroleum Consultants identified the need to modify the skills and knowledge currently taught in academic institutions during undergraduate study. Ryder Scott surveyed clients who were industry managers or supervisors with direct experience with newly minted petroleum engineering graduates (fewer than 5 years of experience). The survey asked participants—engineering managers in the oil and gas reserves sector—their opinions regarding the preparedness of recent graduates entering the workforce (Fig. 1). Generally, the respondents were satisfied with the amount of theory being taught, but not with the amount of practical application of petroleum engineering principles. The consensus was that curricula should be kept the same in terms of courses, but modernized to include the practical application of new technologies. This presents a significant challenge for engineering education programs whose already-full curricula to meet requirements of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) leave little room for additional coursework, labs, or field work. The current requirement for a BS degree in petroleum engineering at most schools is 130-plus credit hours. Yet, in addition to fundamentals, today’s graduates are expected to be fluent in data analytics, machine learning, and data sciences and to understand concepts such as cyber security and physical security. In addition, many are expected to use their subsurface engineering skills to plan and design carbon sequestration solutions. “We teach students the fundamentals of petroleum engineering,” said Jeff Spath, SPE 2014 President and head of the Texas A&M University Petroleum Engineering Department. “But more importantly, we teach them to solve petroleum engineering problems.”

Engineering characteristics of Egyptian limestone

This research was partially supported by Mining and Petroleum Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering Al-Azhar University, Egypt, that provided machines to finish the research.

Optimization of blending operation for Aswan phosphate mines using linear programming

This research was partially supported by (ASRT http://www.asrt.sci.eg/ Academy of Scientific Research and Technology – Egypt). We thank our colleagues from Mining and Petroleum Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering (Al-Azhar University, Egypt) who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research.

Interview with 2019 SPE President Sami Alnuaim

President's interview Sami Alnuaim has been with Saudi Aramco for 31 years, where he has worked in reservoir engineering, production engineering, research and development, and at the upstream computer center. He currently serves as manager, Petroleum Engineering Application Services, where he has full responsibility for providing technical information technology support to all upstream operations, including exploration, drilling, production, reservoir engineering, and facility design. Alnuaim has a long history of service to SPE and has been a member of the SPE Middle East Board of Directors. He has won several local, regional, and international awards, including the SPE Regional Service Award for the Middle East in 2010 and the SPE Distinguished Service Award, and became an SPE Distinguished Member in 2011. He also has served on the society’s DeGolyer, Rand, and McConnell Awards Committee and the 2017 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition Executive Advisory Committee. He has published a number of technical papers, holds several patents related to well performance, and teaches petroleum engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). Alnuaim serves on the petroleum engineering department advisory boards at KFUPM and King Saud University. He is a key figure in the Saudi and Middle Eastern energy and media sectors, having published more than 300 articles on oil and gas and energy in Saudi newspapers. Alnuaim obtained BS and MS degrees from KFUPM, and a PhD degree from the University of Texas at Austin, all in petroleum engineering. He completed the Wharton Executive Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Advanced Asian Business and Culture Program from the Center for Global Business Studies at Pennsylvania State University. What would you like to accomplish during your term of office? In addition to implementing the recently revised SPE Strategic Plan, my top priority will be to show the world that the role of the oil and gas industry is not limited to supporting the global economy, but also improving individuals’ lifestyles while being good stewards of the environment and enabling social development. During my term, I will focus on these specific goals: Improving the oil and gas industry’s image by redefining the concept of sustainability to focus on the industry’s efforts to ensure sustainable, affordable, and cleaner hydrocarbon-based energy sources that support the global economy, improve lifestyle and social development, and take care of the environment. Correcting misconceptions and pessimistic outlooks about the future of the oil and gas industry. Implementing the recently revised SPE Strategic Plan, which puts more emphasis on the environment and social development, in addition to promoting advances and excellence in technology and knowledge collection and dissemination. Building bridges among academic petroleum engineering departments around the world so they can share best technical programs and curricula and strengthen their programs by reflecting recent advances in technology and engagement with communities.

Legends of Artificial Lift (2018)

The 2018 SPE Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition will be held 28–30 August 2018 in The Woodlands, Texas. The event will feature a special Legends of Artificial Lift Luncheon honoring five people who have made outstanding contributions to the field of artificial lift technology. The 2018 SPE Legends of Artificial Lift Award recipients are Ken Decker, Cleon Dunham, Bill Lane, Tony Podio, and Lyle Wilson. Ken Decker Ken Decker has practiced gas lift for more than 30 years and is considered an expert in the use of gas lift valve performance, design, and troubleshooting. He has served on numerous API and ISO committees writing standards for gas lift equipment design and testing, and he has written numerous SPE papers on gas lift valve performance. After earning his BS degree in 1971 from Michigan State University, he worked on gas lift projects around the world, first with Teledyne Merla, then Otis Engineering. Upon his retirement from Otis in 1993, Decker formed his consulting business, Decker Technology. William C. “Bill” Lane Bill Lane has worked in the oil and gas industry for 40 years, first for Otis Engineering (now Halliburton Energy Services), and more recently for Weatherford International, where he held vice president positions over artificial lift research and development, elastomer systems, PCP systems, artificial lift emerging technologies, and artificial lift training. He was a founding member of the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC) and served as chairperson of the R&D committee. He holds a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in mechanical engineering design, both from the University of Texas at Arlington. Augusto L. (Tony) Podio Tony Podio is a petroleum engineering consultant in Austin, Texas, specializing in artificial lift. Formerly he was a professor in the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught and directed research in the areas of drilling and production. He was a visiting professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology and at the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. He holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BS in mining and petroleum engineering from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Cleon Dunham Cleon Dunham graduated from Cornell University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering. He worked for Shell Oil Company for 36 years, the last few as coordinator of oilfield automation and artificial lift for Shell’s worldwide producing operations in the Netherlands. Shell was one of the earliest pioneers of artificial lift automation, and Dunham was the technology’s biggest cheerleader. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Shell developed automation technologies for rod pumps, ESPs, and gas lift. He was instrumental in the development of these technologies and was an ardent champion of their use. The technology evolved from vans that drove from pumping unit to pumping unit collecting dynamometer cards, to real-time surveillance systems that delivered the data directly from the well to the engineer’s desktop. In SPE paper 3967, “Bridging the Information Gap Between Operations and Engineering,” He describes that early work and the significance of automation technology in production and operations. Although the paper was written in 1973, the ideas presented are still relevant today. B. Lyle Wilson “In 1964 my college funding at the University of Tulsa dried up, and I entered the field of artificial lift on the night shift with Centrilift,” ESP expert Lyle Wilson recalls. “My [lack of] collegiate progress was noticed by the Selective Service system, and I was given an opportunity for training, travel, and adventure. Returning from Vietnam, I finished my BS mechanical engineering degree at University of Tulsa in 1972 and officially started my career. I worked in directional drilling, fracking, and completions before I returned to ESP artificial lift.” Wilson spent 20 years working for Oil Dynamics (ODI), eventually reaching the position of chief engineer. He ended up back at Centrilift when ODI was purchased by Baker Hughes and merged with the Centrilift division, and he finally retired as a senior research advisor, though he continues to work with Baker Hughes as a third-party contractor.