SPWLA & SPE Technical Seminar - Prof. I. Yucel Akkutlu (Texas A&M University)

Join us for an engaging seminar on Nanoscale and Molecular Phenomena as New Unconventional Reservoir Physics by Prof. I. Yucel Akkutlu.

Abstract:
Presentation includes fundamental-level discussions on petroleum production from a particular type of geological formation known as organic-rich source rocks (a.k.a. the unconventional resources), and carbon sequestration into these rocks.
It is now well-documented that the source rocks such as shale, coal, or methane hydrate-bearing formations consist of pores with small volumes contributing to the storage of petroleum fluids. These volumes are not much larger than the fluid molecules they store. The nature of fluids under confinement in such small spaces is different because the fluid experiences amplified fluid-wall molecular interactions. Consequently, various thermodynamic states may develop for the fluids and co-exist under subsurface conditions. Further, the fluid’s phase may change unpredictably, and fluid flow could transition from convection into diffusion mechanisms.
The presentation will discuss the basic differences in behavior of hydrocarbon mixtures and the mixtures in the presence of carbon dioxide quantitatively using atomistic modeling and molecular simulations. Compared to the classical hydrocarbon fluids, the behavior is different due to pore-wall dominated inter-molecular forces, mainly London dispersion and permanent dipole-induced, dipole-dipole forces. The discussion will be tied to (i) volumetric hydrocarbon in-place calculation, (2) recovery limit and (iii) carbon dioxide storage capacity in source rocks. Production performance of a shale gas well is used to show the concept of net-zero natural gas production. Firstly, a simulation-based production history-matching and optimization will be presented; it will be followed by injection of carbon dioxide. Net-zero targets achieved by optimizing the production and injection operations using an in-house reservoir flow simulator including molecular effects at the nanoscale and the geo-mechanical effects at the scale of the horizontal well’s drainage volume.


Bio of Speaker:
Yucel Akkutlu is professor and William Keeler faculty fellow at Texas A&M University in College Station. He is the holder of the John Edgar Holt ’27 Chair in the petroleum engineering department. He is the recipient of various teaching awards at the departmental and college levels He is one of the eight members of the College of Engineering Academy of eminent educators. He is a chemical engineer and received Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He has written more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, six book chapters, and has four patents. He has received over $6 million in external research funding from various sources such as the department of energy and unconventional oil and gas industry. His main research interest is fluid flow, transport and reactions in porous media with applications into net-zero oil and gas production from unconventional resources. Dr. Akkutlu is a distinguished member of the SPE since 2018. He received 2023 SPE Distinguished Service Award. He received the SPE Lester C. Uren Award for distinguished achievement in the technology of petroleum engineering in 2020 for his contributions to petroleum engineering before the age of 45. He was SPE distinguished lecturer 2014-15. He was executive editor of the SPE Journal 2013-2016. He received AIME Rossiter W. Raymond memorial award in research in 2015. At the university, he received Texas A&M Innovation’s Patent and Chancellor’s Innovation Award in 2024, Texas A&M College of Engineering Faculty Excellence award in 2021.

Mark your calendars and join us for this enlightening seminar.

SPWLA (Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts) KAUST Student Chapter | Website | View More Events
Co-hosted with: SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) KAUST Student Chapter, SPWLA (Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts) KAUST Student Chapter (OWNER)

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