Research

Research Interests & Directions

  • Unconventional resources using simulation methods, including developing simulators to consider uncovered mechanisms in current simulators and exploring current simulators sophisticatedly
  • EOR mechanism study including existing EOR methods and combination of existing EOR methods using laboratory and simulation methods
  • EOR data analysis including collecting EOR project data and conducting comprehensive analysis using statistics and AI methods and updating existing EOR screening criteria and discovering hidden knowledge in project data

Externally Funded Projects

  • Investigate New Heavy Oil Recovery Methods on Alaska North Slopes, funded by University of Alaska-Fairbanks through DOE, funded amount $250,221, 8/1/2022 to 7/31/2024. co-PI (50%).
  • Innovative Small Particle Gels for Controlling Preferential Fluid Flow Within Geothermal Reservoirs to Enhance Heat Recovery, Award Number: DE-EE0009790, Department of Energy, $2,491,242, 03/01/2022-2/28/2024, Co-PI (20%).
  • Cooperative Agreement between Future University Egypt and Missouri University of Science and Technology, funded by Future University Egypt, funded amount $500,000, from 1/1/2019-21/31/2024. PI (100%).
  • PGCCIC: Research Project: Consortium Web Design, Transport Mechanisms and Plugging Efficiency Evaluation of Particle Gels through Different Super-K Features, funded by Conoco-Philips, funded amount $302,326, 10/1/2018-09/30/2024. PI (100%).
  • PGCCIC:Plugging Performance Evaluation of Particle Gels and Re-crosslinked Particle Gels in Fractures, funded by Conoco-Philips, funded amount $85,000, 10/2017-5/2020, co-PI, 30%.
  • Petro-physics Property and EOR Potential Evaluation of Tight Oil Sands, funded by CNPC USA, funded amount of $317,130, from 04/2019-08/2022. Co-PI (40%).
  • First Ever Field Pilot on Alaska’s North Slope to Validate the Use of Polymer Floods for Heavy Oil Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), funded by the US Department of Energy through University of Alaska, funded amount $324,956. 06/2018-09/2022, Co-PI, 40%
  • Collaborative Research: Data-enabled modeling, numerical method, and data assimilation for coupling dual porosity flow with free flow, funded by NSF, funded amount $180,000 from 8/1/2017-7/31/2020; Co-PI (15%).
  • Development of Swelling-Rate-Controllable Particle Gels to Enhance CO2 Flooding Sweep Efficiency and Storage Efficiency, Funded by NETL/DOE, Contract No. DE-FE0024558, DOE share $990, 575 (a total budget of this project is $1,240,396 including cost-share). Co-PI, 06/15/2015-05/30/2019, 30%.
  • EOR and Transport Mechanisms of Particle Gels, funded by Conoco-Philips, OXY and New Wantong, funded amount of $70,000, 7/2016-9/2017; co-PI, 50%.
  • Shimadzu sampler instrument, funded by Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LEDP), US Department of Energy (DOE), $22,239.68, September 9, 2016. PI (100%)
  • EOR and Transport Mechanisms of Particle Gels, funded by Conoco-Philips, OXY and New Wantong, funded amount of $65,000, 10/2015-9/2016. Co-PI (50%).
  • Non-iterative Multi-physics Domain Decomposition Method for the Navier-Stokes-Darcy Model, funded by NSF, funded amount $90,000 from 9/1/2014-8/31/2017; Co-PI (20%).
  • Study on the Development of Fluid Channeling in Unconsolidated Reservoirs, funded by International United Technology Group, funded amount $31,500.00, 2/3/2014-12/31/2014; PI (100%).
  • Study and Pilot Test of Preformed Particle Gel Conformance Control Combined with Surfactant Treatment, funded by Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) under US DOE contract, funded amount $1,762,315, 1/2013-12/2014; Co-PI (15%).
  • Water Management in Mature Oil Fields Using Advanced Particle Gels, funded by University of Austin – Texas (funded by DOE), total budget of $487,052, 1/2013-1/2015; Co-PI (50%).

Internally Funded Projects

  • Coupling Low Salinity Water Flooding and Preformed Particle Gel Treatment to Enhanced Oil Recovery for Mature Oilfields, UM Research Board, funded amount of $28,997, from 1/1/2017-12/31/2017; PI (100%)
  • Building an Online Knowledge Sharing and Decision Support System for Polymer Flooding, Energy Research and Development Center, Missouri University of Science and Technology, funded amount $18,358, from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014; PI (100%)
  • Undergraduate research from 2012 to 2016, supervised and finished 10 students, sponsor budget of $1,200 per student, total budget of $12,000; PI (100%)

Funded Projects before MS&T

  • Reservoir Characterization of Bohai Bay Basin in the Gudong Oilfield and Shengli Oilfield, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC), total amount of ¥500,000, 8/1999-8/2000. Co-PI (20%)
  • Reservoir Simulation and Performance Prediction of Jin-16 and Niu-12 Blocks for On Water Control Treatments in the Liaohe Oilfield, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), total amount of ¥20,000, 5/1998-8/1999. PI (100%)
  • Transient Pressure Analysis During Mini-fracturing in the Liaohe Oilfield, CNPC, total amount of ¥10,000, 5/1998-12/1998. PI (100%)