Sept. 23, 2008

Underground imaging improves oil recovery

What is really going on underground? John Chen works on that question every day as he builds visualizations of oil and gas reservoirs.

The complexity of his computer models makes him the only academic in Canada working at such an advanced level. Chen is a mathematician who applies his knowledge to engineering problems in oil and gas.

Chen’s work on reservoir simulation helps predict the future performance of oil and gas fields and improve recovery methods in terms of efficiency and environmental impact. The Schulich School of Engineering has launched a research program so Chen can build even more complex models.

“We are trying to include more physics in the models to make them more realistic,” explains Chen. ”This makes the models much more complicated but easily handled by the up-and-coming modelling and simulation technologies.”

This research chair has been made possible with nearly $7 million over five years from Foundation CMG, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) and a consortium of industry sponsors.

The lead industry sponsor of the Chair, CMG Reservoir Simulation Foundation, was founded in 1978. It is a non-profit research and development company located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Foundation CMG promotes and funds research and students in the technical area of computer numerical modelling and the 4D visualization of oil and gas reservoirs.

“Our goal is to promote scientific research and support students who are working to support the economical and environmental recovery of our vast energy resources,” says Frank Meyer, President and CEO of CMG Reservoir Simulation Foundation.

Chen’s work is crucial in order for companies to adopt new technologies.
 
“We need to model new in situ processes in order to translate the lab results to reservoir scale to optimize the recovery process from an environmental and economic perspective,” says Heather Herring, general manager of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy at the Schulich School of Engineering. Researchers are developing ways to create chemical reactions in reservoirs, including methods to upgrade product before it even reaches the surface.

Chen’s work also has applications in the fields of carbon storage and sequestration as well as coal gasification. Developing “green” solutions is paramount at the Schulich School, which has been ranked number one out of 37 engineering schools in Canada for integrating sustainability into its programs.