Chairholders
Profile
Roberto Aguilera
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
University of Calgary
Chair title
NSERC/ConocoPhillips IRC Chair
Chair program
Industrial Research Chairs program
Role
Executive Chairholder since 2007
Summary
The demand for natural gas in Canada cannot continue to be met by the conventional Canadian reserves.
The NSERC/ConocoPhillips IRC Chair in Tight Gas focuses on evaluating unconventional sources of tight gas to determine the economical viability of recovering these resources.
Using the GFRE model (Geoscience, Formation evaluation, Reservoir drilling, completion and stimulation, and Reservoir Engineering), tight gas formations will be studied and their analogues will be developed. These analogues will represent the Canadian situation which is different from the current analogues available.
Presently, it is estimated that trapped gas which has a significantly low permeability will comprise 40 per cent of Canadian natural gas production by 2025. To date, the exploration of this unconventional tight gas has been very limited. To move this process forward we need the information that Dr. Aguilera's research project will provide.
The research will have five prongs, each interdependent:Tight Gas, Pressure Transient Analysis, Discrete Fracture Networks, Reservoir Simulation, Fracture Propagation, Fracture Placement, Petrophysics, Production Analogues, Coupled Geomechanic Models, Well Response Analysis
- Developing tight gas sands analogues;
- Evaluating natural fractures;
- Well stimulation in tight gas sands;
- Improving available well test interpretation techniques; and
- "Rules of thumb," material balance and simulation models
Dr. Aguilera has worked exclusively for industry for the past 30 years, all the while building his reputation as a distinguished international scholar. He has authored and co-authored numerous books, manuals, and journal publications. His contribution to international education is outstanding – working on every continent and teaching in over 40 countries. Continuing his desire to share his extensive expertise, the research from this Chair will support 12 master's and Ph.D. students.
Partners
- ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp.
- Alberta Energy Research Institute
Contact information
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
University of Calgary
Schulich School of Engineering
2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, Alberta
T2N 1N4
Tel.: 403-210-7943
Fax: 403-210-9770
Email: raguiler@ucalgary.ca
Website:
www.schulich.ucalgary.ca/resrch_chem/Chem_Aguilera.htm
