26 August 2015
Muscat: The Shell Development Oman (SDO) will be supporting the Shell Chair at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) for another year as part of its commitment to developing Omani talents and investing in research projects.
The aim of the Shell Chair is to encourage Omani students to pursue masters in Science and Doctorate-level degrees in Petroleum Geosciences.
The Shell Chair at the SQU was introduced in 2006 as part of a joint endeavour to develop research capabilities in the field of petroleum geosciences in the Sultanate and to prepare Omani youth to contribute to the future of energy in Oman.
Under the Shell Chair, students typically focus on the different aspects of limestone reservoirs from the Upper Shu'aiba Members (Lower Cretaceous age) in north-western Oman. In 2014, three Omani students completed their thesis and obtained their MSc degrees in Petroleum Geosciences under the supervision of the Shell Chair at the SQU. Three new students are expected to join the programme by the beginning of the new academic year.
Every year, the Shell Chair advertises PhD positions in Petroleum Science and Engineering for Omani nationals. The PhD studies include scholarships at the SQU, which are sponsored by Shell Development Oman. The prioritised areas for investigations lie in the fields of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and development of unconventional resources. The SQU possesses advanced technical base for various kinds of researches and experimentations.
Ali Al Lawati, general manager of external affairs at the SDO stated, "The Shell Chair is part of our ongoing partnership with the SQU, and is in line with our commitment to support Oman in laying the foundations for a sustainable energy future. We are proud of this association and we are confident that there is a great opportunity to be realised through the students' future role in sustaining Oman's position in the energy market."
Thus far, the biggest highlights of the Shell Chair are in the areas of the international co-operation in enhanced oil Recovery (EOR), heavy oil researches and the tight gas project.
International co-operation
The high level of technical equipment in SQU is well recognized by universities worldwide, which attracts foreign students to come to Oman to conduct research. Thus, at the initiative of Oil and Gas Research centre, the SQU signed memorandum of understanding with Al Farabi University, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Kazakh PhD and MSc. students financed by Republic of Kazakhstan will come to the SQU for a few months to take part in joint researches in extraction, processing and upgrading of heavy oils under supervision of a Shell Chair. One of the challenging tasks in Oman is a development of Hubhub heavy oil deposit where such investigations are needed to ease oil production.
Tight gas project
With the increasing demand for gas with the growing population in the Sultanate, expectations are high for the development of a Khulud tight gas-condensate field, the deepest tight gas project in the world. The development of tight gas reservoirs differ from the conventional in the manner gas and water is flowing through the reservoir. The application of tracking operations are usually required to produce gas otherwise trapped in rock. Therefore, the understanding of the distribution of the fluids inside of the tight gas reservoir is of a crucial importance.
The SQU MSc. student Amal Al Lamki, who is now a reservoir engineer working for the PDO, has completed her thesis in Development of Saturation-Height Profile for Khulud field under supervision of a Shell Chair. The created model will allow calculations of the gas and water distribution in the uncored wells. The results of this MSc thesis were presented at the Arabian Sea Region Oil and Gas Summit, May 2015.
Commenting on her experience with this research, Amal Al Lamki said, "I have conducted research on modelling the saturation profile of Khulud tight gas. Conducting my research under the supervision of a Shell Chair was a unique experience. I have learnt a lot through every stage of the research. The support I received from the Shell Chair experts helped me complete a successful research that was published in an este
Muscat: The Shell Development Oman (SDO) will be supporting the Shell Chair at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) for another year as part of its commitment to developing Omani talents and investing in research projects.
The aim of the Shell Chair is to encourage Omani students to pursue masters in Science and Doctorate-level degrees in Petroleum Geosciences.
The Shell Chair at the SQU was introduced in 2006 as part of a joint endeavour to develop research capabilities in the field of petroleum geosciences in the Sultanate and to prepare Omani youth to contribute to the future of energy in Oman.
Under the Shell Chair, students typically focus on the different aspects of limestone reservoirs from the Upper Shu'aiba Members (Lower Cretaceous age) in north-western Oman. In 2014, three Omani students completed their thesis and obtained their MSc degrees in Petroleum Geosciences under the supervision of the Shell Chair at the SQU. Three new students are expected to join the programme by the beginning of the new academic year.
Every year, the Shell Chair advertises PhD positions in Petroleum Science and Engineering for Omani nationals. The PhD studies include scholarships at the SQU, which are sponsored by Shell Development Oman. The prioritised areas for investigations lie in the fields of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and development of unconventional resources. The SQU possesses advanced technical base for various kinds of researches and experimentations.
Ali Al Lawati, general manager of external affairs at the SDO stated, "The Shell Chair is part of our ongoing partnership with the SQU, and is in line with our commitment to support Oman in laying the foundations for a sustainable energy future. We are proud of this association and we are confident that there is a great opportunity to be realised through the students' future role in sustaining Oman's position in the energy market."
Thus far, the biggest highlights of the Shell Chair are in the areas of the international co-operation in enhanced oil Recovery (EOR), heavy oil researches and the tight gas project.
International co-operation
The high level of technical equipment in SQU is well recognized by universities worldwide, which attracts foreign students to come to Oman to conduct research. Thus, at the initiative of Oil and Gas Research centre, the SQU signed memorandum of understanding with Al Farabi University, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Kazakh PhD and MSc. students financed by Republic of Kazakhstan will come to the SQU for a few months to take part in joint researches in extraction, processing and upgrading of heavy oils under supervision of a Shell Chair. One of the challenging tasks in Oman is a development of Hubhub heavy oil deposit where such investigations are needed to ease oil production.
Tight gas project
With the increasing demand for gas with the growing population in the Sultanate, expectations are high for the development of a Khulud tight gas-condensate field, the deepest tight gas project in the world. The development of tight gas reservoirs differ from the conventional in the manner gas and water is flowing through the reservoir. The application of tracking operations are usually required to produce gas otherwise trapped in rock. Therefore, the understanding of the distribution of the fluids inside of the tight gas reservoir is of a crucial importance.
The SQU MSc. student Amal Al Lamki, who is now a reservoir engineer working for the PDO, has completed her thesis in Development of Saturation-Height Profile for Khulud field under supervision of a Shell Chair. The created model will allow calculations of the gas and water distribution in the uncored wells. The results of this MSc thesis were presented at the Arabian Sea Region Oil and Gas Summit, May 2015.
Commenting on her experience with this research, Amal Al Lamki said, "I have conducted research on modelling the saturation profile of Khulud tight gas. Conducting my research under the supervision of a Shell Chair was a unique experience. I have learnt a lot through every stage of the research. The support I received from the Shell Chair experts helped me complete a successful research that was published in an este
© Times of Oman 2015
