letter from the editors...the petro-leum engineering officers will continue to provide opportunities...
TRANSCRIPT
University of Louisiana has proven that it has earned its ranking as one
of the top petroleum engineering schools in the world at the Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition in Amsterdam. The UL PetroBowl
team ranked 8th out of 36 international universities and made it to the
quarterfinals. A total of 72 universities attempted to qualify for the
competition. Back home, the students expanded their engineering
knowledge by attending meetings, tours, and volunteering in the
community. Activism and dedication among the students demon-
strates that we are an active and vibrant student body despite the
heavy course-load of the petroleum engineering program. The petro-
leum engineering officers will continue to provide opportunities for stu-
dents to make valuable connections with industry professionals. If you
have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in con-
tact with us. Our e-mail addresses are located below and on the con-
tacts page.
L e t t e r f r o m t h e E d i t o r s
N e w s l e t t e r D a t e
I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :
S P E N e w s 2
A A D E N e w s 3
S P W L A N e w s 4
P e t r o B o w l 5
U L G e n e r a l
M e e t i n g
6
I n t e r v i e w w /
D r . B o u k a d i
7
C a l e n d a r o f
E v e n t s
1 2
O f f i c e r
C o n t a c t I n f o
1 3
w w w . u l p e t r o l e u m . o r g N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4
Muhiad Elsanousy
Louisiana Engineering Society President
SPE Secretary
Joseph Kravets
Petroleum Engineering Newsletter
Editor
Page 2 www.ulpetroleum.org
S P E P r o f e s s i o n a l C h a p t e r N e w s
The October 14 SPE meeting featured Marc Erhardt as a speaker. Mr.
Ehrhardt is executive director of the Grow Louisiana Coalition, who
works to develop Louisiana’s oil and gas industry. In this meeting, Er-
hardt elaborated on the importance of oil and gas to Louisiana’s
economy. Louisiana is the foremost producer of crude oil and the
third-largest producer of natural gas in the United States; as a result,
avoiding relegation of the industry elsewhere is absolutely imperative
to the success of the economy in Louisiana.
The November 11 SPE Meeting featured Chris John, former U.S. Con-
gressman and President of Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas As-
sociation (LMOGA). LMOGA works to represent the Louisiana Oil and
Gas Industry for the government and media. In this meeting, John
discussed the current state of the Oil & Gas industry, especially in Lou-
isiana. Currently, the oil & gas industry is experiencing both “the best
of times and the worst of times”. Oil and gas production has in-
creased due to the advent of revolutionary technology, but orga-
nized environmentalist efforts have legally hindered optimal recovery
of oil & gas.
SPE also held a Fall Golf Tournament on November 10, and several UL
students volunteered for it. It was a huge success.
All students can join the UL SPE chapter for free by registering online
at the SPE website. For more information on SPE events and scholar-
ships, please visit www.spe-laf.org
For more information on UL’s SPE Chapter, please email Mr. Quy Ngu-
yen, Chapter President: [email protected].
Marc Erhardt
Chris John (Center) with UL Students November Meeting
The AADE Lafayette Chapter held its second meeting of the year on October 20 at the Pe-
troleum Club in Lafayette. Odon Simoneaux, representing Wild Well Control and its subsidi-
aries, spoke on industry well control training.
Mr. Simoneaux is in charge of Business Development for Wild Well Control in North America
for Wild Well Control and has more than 36 years of experience in drilling. Wild Well Control
and its subsidiaries are companies that specialize in well control methods and training and
were an integral part of the capping of Macondo oil spill.
Every year, Wild Well Control invites a number of UL students to attend their well control pro-
gram in Houston and receive training and certification. The program is a comprehensive
three-day session covering all aspects of well control and safety protocols and a great ex-
perience for UL students looking for training outside of the classroom.
Students are always welcome to attend AADE Lafayette Chapter meetings and events. All
students can join the UL AADE chapter for free by filling out a form in the PETE lounge. For
more information on AADE Lafayette Chapter meetings, events, and scholarships, please
visit:
http://www.aade.org/chapters/lafayette
To get in contact with UL’s AADE Chapter, please email Mr. Gavin Parria, Chapter President:
A A D E P r o f e s s i o n a l C h a p t e r N e w s
Page 3 www.ulpetroleum.org
Speaker Odon Simoneaux
The 15th Annual SPWLA Golf Tournament held last month was a huge success.
SPWLA raised $6574, of which $3000 will be awarded in scholarships and $1787 will
be split between UL SPWLA and UL AAPG.
SPWLA had a meeting on Thursday, October 13, featuring speaker Jeff Prillman.
On November 13, the SPWLA held a luncheon featuring Don Westacott from Halli-
burton, who spoke on “Sealed Wireline-Conveyed Rotary Sidewall Cores Capture
Reservoir Fluids Downhole”.
To get more information about SPWLA, please visit https://www.spwla.org/
chapters/lafayette. To get in contact with UL’s SPWLA Chapter, please email Ms.
Kobie Renard, Chapter President: [email protected].
S P W L A P r o f e s s i o n a l C h a p t e r N e w s
Page 4 www.ulpetroleum.org
UL Volunteers at the SPWLA Golf Classic
October Luncheon, President Spencer Johnson with Speaker Jeff Prillman
Page 5 www.ulpetroleum.org
U L G o e s F a r a t A T C E P e t r o B o w l 2 0 1 4
PetroBowl Team Left to Right: Chinedum Peter Ezeakacha, Raj Kiran,
Austin Notariano , Austen Catlin, and Gavin Parria
Every year, the Society of Petroleum Engineers holds the Annual Technical Convention and
Exhibition for the oil and gas industry. At this convention, there is an engineering quiz-bowl
type competition between universities, called the PetroBowl. In order to compete for the
PetroBowl, a university must first take a qualifying test online. 36 universities qualified this
year.
At the 2014 ATCE in Amsterdam, Netherlands, UL went further in the PetroBowl than it ever
has. In the first match-up, UL beat AGH University from Krakow, Poland, 85 to negative 5. In
the second match against Brigham Young University, UL won 55-15. In the third match
against the University of Kansas, UL won 25-0. In the highly intense quarterfinals, UL lost 65-
55 to Pennsylvania State University. Overall, UL placed 8th out of 36 schools.
We believe that we can even do better next year by having the previous attendees act as
mentors for the next team and establishing more support for the participants. Next year’s
team will be handpicked and will study year round for the 2015 PetroBowl in Houston.
On October 14, the Society of Petroleum Engineers commenced its general meeting by in-
viting Alden Sonnier to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Mr. Sonnier, seen in the cen-
ter of the above picture, is President of the Lafayette Chapter of the American Association
of Drilling Engineers, and works for the Mi-Swaco division of Schlumberger. Currently Sales
Executive at Mi-Swaco, Mr. Sonnier has spent much of his career in the oil and gas industry,
with experience ranging from mud engineering to executive account management to cor-
porate sales. He is considered by many to be a veteran in the oil and gas industry. In this
meeting, Mr. Sonnier presented his discussion of drilling fluids or drilling mud. He introduced
the different types of drilling muds used to facilitate oil and gas operations. In doing so, he
highlighted the unique costs and benefits of using water-based, oil-based, or synthetic-
based drilling muds. This presentation is especially pertinent for those who will be taking PETE
382/384, the Drilling Fluids class and lab.
U L P e t r o l e u m O c t o b e r 1 4 G e n e r a l M e e t i n g
Page 6 www.ulpetroleum.org
Alden Sonnier (center) with University of Louisiana Petroleum Engineering Students
Q: How are you?
A: Always busy. Working hard to make this
department better.
Q: What have you been doing for the de-
partment?
A: I’ve been extremely busy giving lec-
tures to different boards including the AA-
DE, API, and SPE to introduce the depart-
ment and increase our exposure and
make industry aware of our status. I do
this once to twice a year and give up-
dates. I also seek funds and contributions.
Q: What kind of contributions has UL received?
A: Software suites from FEKETE, Weatherford and Schlumberger, $100,000 from SPE Evange-
line to purchase new equipment, $35,000 from AADE to purchase new equipment, $50,000
from API to refurbish one of the classrooms and pay for graduate students stipends and tui-
tions. I also presented Schlumberger with a proposal for the purchase of 50 new desktops
for a new computer lab. On the $100,000, I asked the Bureau of Regents through an Educa-
tion Enhancement Fund proposal for about $230,000 to match the SPE Evangeline dona-
tion. AADE is also seeking matching funds for the $35,000 donation through AADE National.
These funds will be used to purchase new instruments for two new drilling fluids and engi-
neering labs. We’re approaching service companies to get them to donate instruments for
reservoir fluids, reservoir engineering and production engineering labs which also need re-
vamping and refurbishing. We’re working on creating a Deepwater niche. The motion was
passed during the last PETE Advisory Board meeting on November 8. UL will be recognized
as a Deepwater Institution. We will be reviewing the curriculum to accommodate the niche
by updating course contents and adding classes to meet the requirements. Steve Bodden
(Stone Energy) and Eduardo Proano (Schlumberger) will be helping with the undertaking.
We’re also preparing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the department sometime in
the first week of May, and we may possibly have an open house around that time.
Q: Let’s talk about your research.
A: Sure. Right now, my main research focus is enhanced oil recovery using CO2 sequestra-
tion and surfactant-aided water flooding. Sequestration is the extraction CO2 from the
I n t e r v i e w w i t h D r . B o u k a d i , U L P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r i n g D e p a r t m e n t H e a d
Page 7 www.ulpetroleum.org
atmosphere and injecting it in the reservoir to enhance oil recovery by improving miscibility.
Injecting gas at high enough pressure (minimum miscibility pressure) makes oil less viscous
and less dense and easier to produce. The gas is constantly kept in a closed loop and is
never released into the atmosphere. So, besides improving recovery, sequestration helps
reducing CO2 level in the atmosphere. CO2 sequestration is used in many parts of the world
in an effort to reduce pollution. Surfactants (surface active agents/soap) are chemicals
that reduce interfacial tension between oil and water and in turn lower dominant capillary
pressures in the reservoir. It helps oil escape from capillarities and flow. The surface active
agents will help breaking chemical bonds at the interface between the oil and the water
phases. This is how oil gets free and can be produced. The chemical agents act as “soap”
washing away oil from microscopic flow channels. I have also worked with 2 MS students on
two fields, one in Louisiana and one in North East Texas. In Louisiana, we helped in the de-
sign of a surfactant for a surfactant-aided waterflooding operation. Results were extremely
encouraging in both projects. The design yielded an incremental oil recovery of around 6%.
For the East Texas shale oilfield, we designed a huff and puff in-situ steam generation com-
positional simulator. Results were dramatic. Oil flow rates jumped 5 times. We’re currently
doing pilot tests in the US to validate the model results. The work will be patented soon. Most
of the research done at UL is very practical and heavily beneficial to the industry.
Q: What do you see for the future of the department?
A: I see more expansion, better quality students, more professors and instructors, more labs,
quality research and services. This all leads to more exposure and better recognition. The
vision is to be ranked in the top 5 in the world. But, this can’t happen without the assistance
of stake holders (everyone involived) including students, industry, community, advisory
board, faculty, staff, and the UL administration.
Q: How are you going to meet these challenges?
A: 3-5 more professors by Fall 2016 and much more active involvement in the industry and
community.
Q: What advice can you offer the students?
A: Work together, get closer, help promote the department by participating in volunteering
events and taking part in UL, industry and community functions. Students will benefit im-
mensely; all of this allows them to network and make connections.
Q: Thank you very much for your time, Dr. Boukadi!
A: My pleasure.
I n t e r v i e w w i t h D r . B o u k a d i , U L P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r i n g D e p a r t m e n t H e a d
Page 8 www.ulpetroleum.org
On Friday November 7, Louisiana Engineering Society (LES) hosted a Habitat for Humanity build
near downtown Lafayette. A limit of 20 volunteers was placed on the build and petroleum engi-
neering students quickly filled 15 slots. Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that oper-
ates all over the world and builds affordable housing for those in need. This is accomplished by
charitable donations and volunteer efforts by active members of the community. The future home-
owners are also required to work on housing projects in order to qualify for a home. This is a con-
cept that Habitat for Humanity refers to as “sweat equity” and is one of the cornerstones of the or-
ganization. After a lengthy process, the home is then sold at cost to the prospective homeowner at
a competitive mortgage rate. Twenty students picked up paintbrushes, rollers, and paint and got to
work on the house and completed painting the entire interior of the house. UL petroleum engineer-
ing students showed that they care about the community and will continue to do everything they
can to give back. LES was proud to host this event and will continue to provide opportunities for stu-
dents in the future.
http://www.ul-les.org/
To get in contact with UL’s LES Chapter, please email Mr. Muhiad Elsanousy, Chapter Presi-
dent: [email protected].
P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r i n g S t u d e n t s R o l l U p T h e i r S l e e v e s f o r H a b i t a t f o r H u m a n i t y
Page 9 www.ulpetroleum.org
On November 21 and 24, Core Laboratory in Broussard hosted two tours for petroleum engi-
neering students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Headquartered in Houston,
Core Lab is a reservoir optimization lab that primarily deals with fluid properties and pressure
-volume-temperature analysis. Mr. William “Toddy” Guidry brought two groups of students to
Core Lab located off Highway 90, where he commenced the tour by providing a 45-minute
presentation on PVT analysis and the primary functions of the company. After his presenta-
tion, Mr. Guidry led the students around the facility. Most notably, the novel pieces of
equipment that Mr. Guidry demonstrated to the students were the mercury-free spike flash
equipment and automated rock properties analysis systems. For the next hour, Mr. Guidry
introduced new equipment, existing equipment, and industry professionals to give students
the best possible image of what the PVT analysis industry has to offer.
C o r e L a b T o u r
Page 10 www.ulpetroleum.org
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U L P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r i n g M e r c h a n d i s e
www.ulpetroleum.org
The petroleum department is designing and ordering an entire line of merchan-
dise including jackets, fishing shirts, long sleeve shirts, and Dri-Fit short sleeve
shirts. All merchandise will be available for order or pickup in the petroleum
lounge in Madison hall. If you are interested in getting more information about
this please contact Kirby Garret and Christian Marshall below.
Kirby Garret Christian Marshall
AADE Secretary Sports Coordinator
Page 13
S t u d e n t O f f i c e r C o n t a c t I n f o r m a t i o n
SPE President: Quy Nguyen [email protected]
SPE Vice-President: Frank Ben-Eze [email protected]
SPE Treasurer: Stephen Au [email protected]
SPE Secretary: Muhiad Elsanousy [email protected]
Pi Epsilon Tau President: Austin Notariano [email protected]
Pi Epsilon Tau Vice President: Austen Catlin [email protected]
Pi Epsilon Tau Treasurer: Claude Joseph [email protected]
Pi Epsilon Tau Secretary: Daniel Ballard [email protected]
SPWLA President: Kobie Renard [email protected]
SPWLA Vice President: Lauren Jordan [email protected]
SPWLA Tau Treasurer: Edward Dupont [email protected]
AADE President: Gavin Parria [email protected]
AADE Vice-President: Emmanuel Ngalamou [email protected]
AADE Treasurer: Kirby Garrett [email protected]
AADE Secretary: Alex Deshotel [email protected]
O t h e r O f f i c e r s
Newsletter Editor: Joseph Kravets [email protected]
Grad Student Coordinator: Peter Ezeakacha [email protected]
Event Coordinator: Ashvika Sathianathan [email protected]
Sports Coordinator: Christian Marshall [email protected]
LES Sports Coordinator: Donald Blue [email protected]
www.ulpetroleum.org