Prof. Ken Sorbie (FAST co-PI)
Ken Sorbie is the Cairn Energy Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. He has a first degree in Chemistry from Strathclyde University and a DPhil in Theoretical Chemistry/Applied Mathematics from the University of Sussex. Following this, he did postdoctoral research at Cambridge University working on theoretical aspects of semi-classical molecular quantum theory. He has worked in oil related research for over 40 years, firstly with the Department of Energy (now DECC) laboratory at AEA Winfrith where he led a group working on improved oil recovery, flow through porous media and reservoir simulation and, since 1988, at Heriot-Watt University. His current research is in three main areas: (i) on the fundamentals of multi-phase flow through porous media, and (ii) on oilfield chemistry, particularly mineral scale formation and control, and (iii) in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) both by gas injection (WAG) and chemical methods such as injection of polymer, surfactant etc. He has published over 350 technical papers and a book titled Polymer Improved Oil Recovery. In 2004 Ken was awarded the Society of Core Analysts (SCA) Technical Achievement Award in 2008, he was awarded the SPE IOR Pioneer Award for his contributions to Improved Oil Recovery and in 2013 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Royal Society of Chemistry (Speciality Chemicals) for his contribution to Oilfield Chemistry research and teaching.
Prof. Eric Mackay (FAST co-PI)
Eric Mackay holds the Foundation CMG Chair in Reactive Flow Simulation in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and is a Co-Principal Investigator for the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) Joint Industry Project. His research interests include the study of fluid flow and geochemical reactions in porous media. He has over 200 publications related primarily to inorganic scale management and to Carbon Capture and Storage. He was appointed SPE Distinguished Lecturer on the topic of Scale Management during 2007-2008. Eric has taught Reservoir Simulation at Heriot-Watt University since 1990. He holds a BSc in Physics from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. Eric is a member of SPE.
Dr Frederick Pessu (FAST co-PI, University of Leeds partner)
Frederick Pessu is a Lecturer of Corrosion Engineering within the Institute of Functional surfaces, School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds. He holds a BEng (2007) in chemical engineering from the University of Port- Harcourt Nigeria, a (MSc. Eng) in 2010 and PhD (2015) in Oilfield Corrosion Engineering from the School of Mechanical Engineering and 12 years aggregate experience in the area of corrosion science and engineering. He previously worked as an oil and gas corrosion research fellow between 2015 and 2018 within the institute of functional surfaces, University of Leeds. His research work is focused on corrosion; understanding and characterisation of corrosion interfaces, design and application of electrochemical methods; corrosion inhibition; and mitigation. The context of his research interests cuts across the oil and gas industry; CO2 and H2S corrosion, CO2 and H2S related scale formation, and pitting and localized corrosion. His research also includes material corrosion in renewable energy systems such as concentrated solar power (CSP), molten salt reactors (MSRs) and geothermal energy systems. He is an active member of NACE since 2013 and the chair of sour corrosion symposium at NACE 2021.
Mike Singleton (FASTrac manager)
Mike Singleton is a Senior Research Fellow at Heriot-Watt University, where his research interests include mechanisms of oilfield scale formation, its prevention and the chemical interactions that take place during fluid flow through porous media. He is an active member of the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) joint industry project (JIP) and is also responsible for the group’s consultancy activity (FASTrac). Mike joined the FAST group in 2004 following 10 years of service with Baker Petrolite, Liverpool, UK. During this time Mike was involved in the manufacture and testing of many oilfield service chemicals, ranging from demulsifiers to scale, wax and corrosion inhibitors. From 1997-98, he was seconded to Heriot-Watt University to study the molecular structure/activity relationship for a proprietary Baker Petrolite scale inhibitor and received an MPhil. degree for his work in this area. In 1999, Mike returned to the Institute of Petroleum Engineering to lead a 5 year joint Baker Petrolite/Heriot-Watt University research project into the area of Chemical Water Control, investigating the mechanisms of Relative Permeability Modification (RPM), the development of suitable RPM chemistries and the design and deployment of these chemistries in the field. Mike also holds a BSc. Degree in Chemistry from Salford University, UK (1991). Mike has authored/co-authored 8 publications and in excess of 50 consultancy research reports.
Dr Richard Barker is an Associate Professor in Corrosion Science and Engineering within the Institute of Functional Surfaces at the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds. He currently has over 10 years of experience working in the field of corrosion, graduating with a PhD from the University of Leeds in 2013. Dr Barker’s research interests lie in the areas of electrochemistry, corrosion science and corrosion engineering, particularly in the context of asset integrity in the oil and gas, carbon capture and geothermal sectors. His expertise can be divided into the following:
- Numerical modelling and experimental studies for erosion and corrosion prediction
- Design of unique, custom flow cells, systems and electrochemical techniques to observe and understand corrosion phenomena
- Development of in situ methods for surface characterisation during corrosion
- Corrosion measurements in extreme environments (strong acids, high temperature and high pressure)
Alan Beteta is a Research Fellow in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, where he has worked since 2012. His research area is Chemical EOR with a focus on Polymer Flooding. He is the Project Leader for the Polymer EOR Research Team in FASTrac, working with oil companies and polymer manufacturers to achieve successful implementation of polymer EOR projects. He has authored over 20 applied research reports on Polymer EOR and has been involved in the design stages of projects in the North Sea and further afield. He holds a MChem in Chemistry from Edinburgh University. Alan is a member of SPE.
Dr Lorraine Boak is currently Senior Research Fellow/Laboratory Manager in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, and has been with the group since 1993 in a number of different roles. Her research interests include oilfield scale surface nucleation and growth inhibition, and chemical analysis techniques – ICP and wet chemical methods. Health and Safety and PhD student supervision are also key aspects of Lorraine’s role. She has authored/co-authored numerous research and consultancy reports and over 25 technical conference/journal papers. Lorraine became a Heriot-Watt University Career Coach in 2011. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and both MPhil and PhD degrees in Petroleum Engineering, all from Heriot-Watt University. Lorraine is a member of SPE.
Ivan Davis is a Scientific Officer in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Ivan joined FAST in February 2006 having worked in industry for one year, and currently undertakes coreflooding experiments and designs LabView applications for recording instrumentation for both FASTrac and FAST. He holds a BEng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from Heriot-Watt University and is currently an associate member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Dr Oleg Ishkov is a Research Fellow in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. He has worked at the interface between reservoir simulation and geochemistry for over 9 years. Oleg performs mathematical modelling of chemical processes and oilfield mineral scale reactions in the reservoir. His research interests include predicting scale risk at production wells, interpreting produced water compositional data, and reservoir simulation history matching using natural tracers. He has over 10 years’ experience in the oil industry working in consulting roles at the Yukos R&D department, and most recently performing consultancy studies in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team. Oleg holds an MSc in Information Technologies (Optimization Algorithms and Methods) from the Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University.
Hunter Keil is a Laboratory Technician in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Hunter provides laboratory and analytical support for the team. Hunter holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from Plymouth University.
Niall Keith is a Mechanical Technician in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) at Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering. Niall embarked on his journey at Heriot-Watt in 2010, within the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Here, he pursued and successfully completed an apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering. For over 12 years, Niall worked in the EPS workshop within a teaching and research environment. Throughout this period, he specialized in CNC machining and vacuum systems. In January 2023, Niall joined the FAST group, and is responsible for the maintenance, manufacturing, and component design activities within our laboratory and workshop areas.
Wendy McEwan is a Laboratory Technician in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Wendy provides analytical support for the team, primarily by ICP-OES. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from Strathclyde University.
Katherine McIver is a Laboratory Technician in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Katherine provides technical, laboratory and analytical support for a number of ongoing research projects as well as performing static and dynamic scale inhibitor performance testing. She trains new laboratory personnel in a number of the practical techniques used within the group and has commissioned equipment manufactured for external clients. Katherine holds a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh.
Heather O’Hara is a Senior Administrative Assistant in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Her role involves coordinating and providing administrative support to the staff and students of the team for research, teaching/training and consultancy activities. Heather is the primary contact for all sponsor and outside enquiries.
Dr Olujide Sanni is a Research Fellow in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and works as part of a multidisciplinary research team at the University of Leeds. He joined FAST initially as a PhD student in 2013 under the supervision of Prof Anne Neville, during which he developed the novel technique for in-situ visualization and real time analysis of bulk and surface scaling equipment. The technique is the first that visualizes heterogeneous nucleation on surface, describing the growth mechanisms and showing that surface crystallisation can actually occur without bulk precipitation. He worked as an experimental officer in mineral scaling at the Institute of Functional Surfaces, University of Leeds; using specialist knowledge to analyse data provided by scaling equipment as well as coordinated the scale focus research group. He has been involved in various joint industrial projects and PhD supervision linked to surface/bulk crystallization such as Scaling in Arduous Conditions; Anti-Scale Surface Engineering Solution; Engineering Solutions for Scale in Domestic Appliances & Components; Enhanced Retention and Thermal-stability of Scale Inhibitors for HP/HT environments. He is developing and improving on the mechanistic understanding of bulk/surface scaling in multiphase flow systems with and without chemical inhibition. Olujide Sanni has a BSc (Hons) from OAU and MSC degree from University of Lagos, Nigeria, both in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. He obtained his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Leeds.
Robbie Skivington recently joined as a Laboratory Technician in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Since Graduating the University of Glasgow in 2018 with a BSc in Chemistry Robbie has worked as a Laboratory Analyst performing GMP testing of pharmaceuticals, a Medical Laboratory Analyst performing PCR testing and as a Technical Specialist for the quality control team of a lab performing tests for clinical trials.
Currently Robbie provides analytical support to the team, such as with the ICP-OES, while also undertaking further training in scale inhibitor analysis.
Dr Gregor Sneddon is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST), and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University whose research is focused on understanding the chemistry of scale inhibitors in carbonate rock systems. Gregor has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Heriot-Watt University, which focussed on using sustainable solid-state adsorbents for CO2 capture. After his PhD, Gregor worked as a crystallisation process development scientist for 7 years in industry, before returning to Heriot-Watt University in his current role.
Dr Oscar Vazquez is an Assistant Professor in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) and the associated Research and Consultancy activity (FASTrac) in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, where his research interests include the modelling of all aspects of scale inhibitor squeeze treatments, with a particular interest in the automatic optimisation of squeeze designs, reservoir history matching using Produced Water Chemistry (PWC) as natural tracers, and the optimisation of Enhanced Oil Recovery techniques. He has contributed to more than 30 publications about scale inhibitor squeeze treatment modelling, improved reservoir history matching using PWC, and optimisation of EOR implementation. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University Autonoma of Madrid, an MSc in Mathematical Modelling from East Anglia University, and both an MSc in Information Technology and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. Oscar is a member of SPE.
Ali Malik Al-Behadili is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance ad Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, where he commenced his studies in September 2021. His research interest includes the effect of geochemical reactivity on the scale problem. Furthermore, study the effect of changes in temperature, pressure, pH, and CO2 concentration in the aqueous or hydrocarbon phases. Ali has 13 (2008-2021) years of industrial experience working as a reservoir and petrophysics engineer in Iraq. Ali holds a BSc & MSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Baghdad in 2007 and 2009 respectively.
Patricia B. Gusmao is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance ad Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, where she commenced her studies in September 2021. Her research analyses the impact of geochemical reactions on the scale risk, investigating the effect of changes in flow rates, pressure, temperature, and CO2 concentration during water and gas flooding. Beyond that, her research interest includes the impact of residual oil saturation and CO2 partitioning on geochemical reactions and the application of reactive transport modelling for CO2 storage. Patricia has 12 years of experience as a reservoir engineer in Brazil, working with reservoir management, water management, and geochemical modelling in sandstone and carbonate reservoirs in the Campos basin and the Brazilian pre-salt fields. She holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Chemistry from Rio de Janeiro State University.
Mozhdeh Igder is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, where she started her studies in 2023. She holds a BSc in Reservoir Engineering from Petroleum University of Technology and a MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Tehran University, Iran. Before joining the FAST group, she worked in Oil and Gas industry as a reservoir engineer for several years. Currently, her research focuses on scale Inhibitor retention and release on carbonate substrates.
Mahdi Kalantari is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, which he joined in 2021. He holds a BSc and MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Iran, and before joining FAST, he worked as a petroleum engineer with several years of experience in reservoir and production engineering. Additionally, he has contributed to several technical software developments in the field of petroleum engineering. Currently, Mahdi is committed to the numerical modeling of the coupled squeeze treatment in porous media.
Shabnam Mohammadi is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, where she commenced her studies in January 2023. Her research interests include Scale Prediction and Prevention during Geothermal Brine Production. She holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering from Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Oluwatosin M. Ogundipe is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance and Scale Team(FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University which he joined in January 2022. He holds a BSc in Geology and MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Nigeria. His research interests include modelling halite precipitation in natural gas production systems and CO2 injection sytems; optimization of preflush and washwater treatments; CCUS and reactive transport simulations.
Hamid Rafiee is a PhD student in Flow Assurance ad Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, where he commenced his studies in FAST in September 2018. His research interest includes the kinetics of barium sulphate, numerical simulations and modelling applied to fluid transport systems. Hamid has 4 years of industrial experience working as a Flow Assurance engineer in Iran and the UK. Hamid holds a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Tehran.
Célia Silva is a PhD student in the Flow Assurance ad Scale Team (FAST) at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, where she commenced her studies in September 2021. Her research area is Scale inhibitors and EOR polymers interaction. She previously worked as a researcher focused on the study of micro and nanoparticle dispersions for EOR and the release of chemicals with a particular focus on microcapsules production for targeted chemical delivery at LMMP, PUC-Rio University. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry from Coimbra University and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico Lisbon.