[BANANA] Oct 16 ICME Seminar

[Chana Chiemi Motobu]

Subject
ICME Seminar (CME 500)

Date
Monday, October 16, 2006

Speaker
Aziz Khalid, Otto N. Miller Professor of Earth Sciences and Professor of
Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University

Title
Petroleum Reservoir Simulation: Modeling Multiphase, Multi-Component Fluid
Flow in Complex Geological Formations

Location and Time
Building 380, Room 380C (basement), 4:15-5:05PM
Refreshments are served at 4:00PM in the courtyard outside Room 380C

Abstract
Modeling of flow of oil gas and water in natural petroleum reservoirs and
production systems poses many challenges. The fluids consist of many
individual components, these components are transferred between phase as a
result of changing pressure and temperature during flow in the reservoir,
and the geology of the reservoir itself is highly uncertain. The
mathematical models resulting from mass conservation over each component
(or pseudo components) and momentum balance applied to phases are highly
nonlinear and complex. Numerical techniques for solving these equations
have been in continuous development in both academia and the industry for
over fifty years. The challenge has been to be able to produce useful
results from such models in a timely manner to influence critical decisions
that can involve many billions of dollars of expenditure.  This requires
models that robust, accurate and fast.

As the production systems have become more and more complex, the oil
industry has become more and more dependent on reservoir simulation to aid
in decision making. In the current environment of scarce resources and high
oil prices virtually every significant reservoir is managed with the aid of
numerical models know as reservoir simulators.

In my talk I will provide an overview of the current state of this
technology and give examples of areas of current research.


Bio
Khalid Aziz is the Otto N. Miller Professor of Earth Sciences and Professor
of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University. Before coming to
Stanford in 1982, he was a Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
at the University of Calgary. In Calgary he established the Computer
Modeling Group, which is now one of the leading provider of modeling
software to the petroleum industry. At Stanford Professor Aziz co-directs
three industrial consortia dealing with various aspects of reservoir
modeling:

http://pangea.stanford.edu/ERE/research/suprib/index.html
http://pangea.stanford.edu/ERE/research/suprihw/index.html
http://pangea.stanford.edu/research/cees/smartfields/index.html

He has served as the Associate Dean for Research (School of Earth Sciences)
and as Chair of the Petroleum Engineering Department at Stanford. Professor
Aziz studied engineering at the University of Michigan, University of
Alberta and at Rice University. He has received several international
awards including the highest award (Honorary Membership) of the Society of
Petroleum Engineers. His publications include a book on Petroleum Reservoir
Simulation published in 1977 that is still popular. He is a frequent
consultant to major oil and gas companies and government agencies
throughout the world. Professor Aziz is a member of the National Academy of
Engineering.

Other Links
ICME Seminar Schedule: http://icme.stanford.edu/Events/
School of Earth Sciences: http://pangea.stanford.edu/about/
http://ekofisk.stanford.edu/pe.html