Dr. Deepak Devegowda presents at Society of Petroleum Engineers London meeting.
Title: Advances in Modeling Recovery in Shales using Molecular Dynamics
Abstract: Pores that span a couple of nanometers in shales produce thousands of barrels of large and complex hydrocarbon mixtures. We have even made the jump to EOR in these unconventional plays. Yet, we lack a fundamental understanding of the surface phenomena, the fluid-fluid and fluid-rock interactions that govern PVT and transport in tight, nanoporous rocks.
Answers to these questions can transform reservoir management and expedite the discovery of novel processes to enhance recovery. Unfortunately, these answers are challenging to obtain. Several surface phenomena and nanoscale processes cannot be observed directly. Molecular dynamics (MD), the modeling of molecular motion, is the key to revealing the unobservable, to interpret lab-based and field observations and to design new experiments and recovery processes. As an example, medical drug discovery would be significantly more expensive, potentially dangerous and time consuming without the use of molecular dynamics.
This talk discusses the role of molecular dynamics in transforming our understanding of complex fluid-fluid and rock-fluid interactions in shales. I discuss applications such as modeling fluid distributions, primary recovery, and EOR to highlight the myriad possibilities of MD. But I also emphasize that modeling does not occur in isolation – it is important to tie experimental and field observations to insights derived from modeling.
Bio: Deepak Devegowda is Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests span the area of unconventional reservoir modeling and enhanced oil recovery as well as subsurface applications of machine learning. He holds an MS and PhD degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University.
