MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

 

International EIA Conferences

“Opportunities and Obstacles to Energy Integration of the Americas” April 1-3, 1997. Attendance to this conference was over 250 people. The keynote speakers at the conference were James Schlesinger former CIA director and Secretary of Defense, Luis Giusti, President and CEO of PDVSA, Julio Sosa Rodriguez, former Minister of Energy in Venezuela, Archie Dunham, President and CEO of Conoco, Charles Schusterman, President and CEO of Samson Investment Co. among others.

The conference examined, within a worldwide context, the desirability and feasibility of hemispheric energy integration by focusing on the Western Hemisphere Energy Initiative put forward at the October 1995 Washington Energy Symposium. Was the endeavor a valid one? What was achieved? What was left to be accomplished? The points of view of government, sub-regional groups and industry were presented and examined.

"Energy in the New Century" was held in Oklahoma City at the Marriott Hotel, on October 1-3, 2000. Co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OIPA) and the Energy Institute of the Americas (EIA), this was attended by more than 300 persons. It was targeted at the Oklahoma Independent producers who wanted to know more about possibilities for investments abroad, and also provided an important opportunity to strengthen the relations among Oklahoma’s oil and gas executives, state and federal government energy officials, the OU Sarkeys Energy Center institutes, and several countries in the Western Hemisphere. The keynote speakers where Larry Nichols, CEO, Devon Energy, Jim Mogg, CEO, Duke Energy and Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating. Other prominent panelist included Oklahoma Secretary of Energy Mike Smith, Charles Schusterman, President and CEO, Samson Investment Co, W. Arthur Porter, Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology and OU Dean of Engineering, H. G. “Buddy” Kleemeier, Executive VP-COO, Kaiser-Francis Oil Co. The twelve technical and country sessions throughout the conference provided the audience with current information on areas such as reservoir characterization, rock mechanics, and gas utilization, among others. All sessions were presented by SEC Institute directors. High level representatives from state oil companies and governments from Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala and Venezuela provided valuable information on their countries resources and opportunities for investments.

Sample Research Projects

Reservoir Characterization Project for YPF on Argentinean Oil Field

The "Los Cavaos " project was developed by Dr. Daniel O’Meara, Director of the Sarkeys Energy Center Institute for Reservoir Characterization with a team of geophysicists, geologists, seismic interpreters, and petroleum engineers. The principal objective of the study was to build a three dimensional model of Los Cavaos reservoir by integrating geophysical, geological, petrophysical, and production data. This model was use for estimating oil reserves and for planning the future development of this field which was on production for 15 years.

Geological Model and Reservoir Simulation of Xan Field in Guatemala

Based on negotiations initiated by the Energy Institute of the Americas, the Hydrocarbon Division of the Guatemalan Ministry of Energy and Mines entered into an agreement with the Sarkeys Energy center to conduct the study. The Xan Field project was developed by professors from the Sarkeys, the School of Geology and Geophysics and the School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering. It was designed to determine the strategy for future development and field management that would provide near optimum economics to both the operators and Guatemala. The study integrated all available geophysical, geological, petrophysical and well performance data to build an accurate geological model of the field that was suitable to use for quantitative reservoir simulation.

The Supergas Project in Bolivia

Professor Richard Mallinson, Director of the Institute for Gas Utilization Technologies (IGUT), and Professor William Sutton (OU Department of Mechanical Engineering) developed a new fuel technology known as “Supergas”. Basically it is a high energy density liquid natural gas based fuel. A Bolivian company sponsored part of the project.

 

EIA Energy Courses

The Organization of American States (OAS) in partnership with EIA/OU approved for two consecutive years an interdisciplinary course entitled “Geological Description and Mathematical Simulation of Petroleum Reservoirs”. The OAS offered 10 travel scholarships to students from the country of origin to the site location of the course in the Western Hemisphere. The course was taught by OU professors Roy Knapp from the School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, and Professor James Forgotson from the School of Geology and Geophysics. In both occasions the professors were assisted by two graduate research assistants from the two schools to enhance the experience of the students.

EIA/OU Course at the University of Oklahoma, July 1999

The course was attended by eight OAS scholarship students from Mexico, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador and Brazil. OAS students ranged in experience from one recently graduated student with a bachelor’s degree to mid and senior officials of state oil companies, and former ministry of energy officials to the dean of a university school of engineering.

EIA/OU Course in Bucaramanga, Colombia, March 2000

The course, organized jointly by EIA/UIS with the leadership of Mario Alvarez, and EIA/OU was sponsored in part by ECOPETROL, the Colombian state oil company, and took place at the Colombian Petroleum Institute (ICP), ECOPETROL’s research institute in Bucaramanga .

There were 28 people enrolled. Eight OAS scholars participated coming from Venezuela, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay, Suriname and Brazil. The course also had ECOPETROL and ICP employees, UIS professor, and professionals from the petroleum industry (one from PETROBRAS). As the previous one, the course was very successful in the delivery of the material, the experience of the professors and the hands-on opportunity for all the participants. Also important is the fact that the students worked always on computers in interdisciplinary teams, so geologist, petroleum and chemical engineers were forced to learn from each other and complemented the knowledge provided in the basic materials and by the instructors.

Master Degree in Oil and Natural Gas Engineering in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (2004-2005)

The Energy Institute of the Americas has been collaborating with the Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz in the development of a master program in Oil and Natural Gas Engineering for the petroleum industry of Bolivia. The University of Oklahoma professors as well as other university professors in the USA will be teaching courses in three main modules: Hydrocarbons Engineering, Natural gas Industrialization and Hydrocarbon Industrial Management.