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RESEARCH INTERESTS AND FACILITIES:
Research activities in Petroleum and Natural Gas
Engineering Department may be broadly categorized as follows:
rheological modeling of drilling fluids; environmental effects of
drilling and production activities; reservoir characterization by CT
scanning, geo statistical methods, fractal mathematics and
artificial intelligence methods, underground storage of natural gas;
enhanced oil recovery techniques; geothermal reservoir engineering;
natural gas hydrates; bioremediation; scaling in geothermal waters;
reservoir modeling.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department has the
following laboratories for training and research as well as a
machine shop.
1) Core Analysis and Sample Preparation:
Porosity, permeability, electrical properties, fluid
saturations, and the capillary pressure of rocks can be determined
in this laboratory. Equipment for coring and extraction of
reservoir rock samples are also available.
2) PVT: Fluid properties such as API gravity,
viscosity, surface and interfacial tension, pH, refractive index,
and vapor pressure analysis can be performed. Pressure, volume,
and temperature relations of field hydrocarbons can be studied in
this laboratory for graduate level research. Hydrocarbon
properties such as bubble and dew point curves, critical
temperature and pressure, and viscosity as a function of
temperature or pressure are determined and flash vaporization
analysis can be performed. Combustion and pyrolysis behavior of
various hydrocarbons are investigated in this laboratory. Thermal
and physical properties of petroleum , natural gas and products
can be determined.
3) Drilling Fluid Testing Laboratory:
Following experiments can be performed in the drilling laboratory:
Evaluation of the yield points of the various bentonites,
filtration properties, solids analysis, drilling fluid
contamination and property changes, viscosity and rheological
experiments. Finally, drilling fluid properties at elevated
temperatures and pressures can be determined.
4) Enhanced Oil Recovery Laboratory: This laboratory
is equipped with linear and three-dimensional fluid injection
models for undergraduate and graduate level researches. Different
techniques of steam injection, in-situ combustion reaction
kinetics and microbial EOR can be investigated for heavy crude
oils or oil shales. In addition, CO2 flooding, polymer injection,
surfactant and micellar flooding fundamentals and applications to
different crude oils in carbonate rocks are investigated.
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