Welcome to the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Research (CPGE). Our aim is to

Our formal vision statement: CPGE's vision is to be the premier academic research organization in all facets of oil and gas exploration and production. Through its leadership and technology innovation, CPGE will enable energy security that balances environmental impact and affordable resources.

Please explore our many research programs and contact the Program Managers or myself if you would like additional information.

Thank you,
Gary A. Pope, Director (gpope@mail.utexas.edu)

March 2012
New Training Initiative
HOUSTON-March 8, 2012-Colorado School of Mines, Penn State University and The University of Texas at Austin today announced a new training initiative to support the rapidly growing shale natural gas and oil development sector. The training programs created under the initiative will be led by the faculty at each academic institution and are designed to ensure that regulators and policymakers have access to the latest technology and operational expertise to assist in their important oversight of shale development.

ExxonMobil and GE, two of America's leading energy corporations, today announced they would each contribute $1 million to this new educational initiative.

"Regulators have expressed the need for increased training is one of their highest priorities due to the rapid expansion of shale resource development and the equally active evolution of technologies and best practices in the field," said Gary Pope, director of The Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (CPGE) at The University of Texas at Austin.

[Photo of Hilary Olson] To meet this demand, CPGE, which provides engineering leadership and technology innovation related to energy and the environment with special emphasis on the production of hydrocarbons from both conventional and unconventional sources, added an Education, Training and Outreach Program, directed by Dr. Hilary Clement Olson.

"This funding provides us with the resources to broaden our partnerships and our scope to create a new training program for regulators in the oil and gas industry that is collaborative and interdisciplinary," said Olson.

CPGE's new Education, Training and Outreach Program is involved with workforce training and capacity building in the area of carbon storage. In addition, it leads professional development programs related to energy, climate and water for teachers from Texas. Please see the complete press release (PDF format) for more details.

February 2012
[Photo of Chun Huh] Please join us in congratulating CPGE Research Professor Chun Huh who is a 2012 recipient of SPE's IOR Pioneer Award. The award will be handed out on Monday, April 16, 2012, at the 18th Improved Oil Recovery Symposium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From the press release announcing the award:

"Most surfactant EOR researchers are familiar with the 'Chun Huh equation' which estimates interfacial tension (IFT) from phase behavior. This equation is very accurate and has virtually eliminated direct measurement of IFT by a spinning drop tensiometer. Huh also played a key role in the development and implementation of various process model features in Exxon reservoir simulators for surfactant flood processes, polymer flood processes, gas-flood processes, and miscible/foam processes.

"He developed improved characterization of non-Newtonian rheology and retention of aqueous solutions of polymer flowing in porous media and for thermal decomposition of polymer in porous media. He participated in the design and execution of three single-pattern and two multiple-pattern micellar/polymer flood field pilot tests while at Exxon. He led a team to interpret/evaluate the results of the series of field tests.

"At UT Austin, Huh has started research on application of nanoparticles for upstream research. He also is developing methods to determine oil saturation in reservoir rocks using paramagnetic nanoparticles and magnetic field and is working on the use of nanoparticles for EOR mobility control."

October 2011
[Photo of Quoc Nguyen] Congratulations are in order for Dr. Quoc P. Nguyen who is the recipient of the Foundation CMG Industrial Research Chair in Subsurface Process Modeling at The University of Texas at Austin. Through the chair, the Foundation CMG funding will be used to support Dr. Nguyen's team of research associates and students in undertaking leading edge research in innovative hydrocarbon recovery processes in fractured, tight, and unconventional petroleum reservoirs. Founded in 1978, the CMG Reservoir Simulation Foundation (Foundation CMG) promotes and financially supports research and development along with students through research grants at universities and industrial research centers.

August 2011
Unconventional Resources Research Program
A new research program has been added to the CPGE web page. Please go to our new Unconventional Resources page to learn more about the program. We are adding additional research projects as fast as we can.

July 2011
CPGE will be well represented at ATCE 2011
CPGE researchers will present 26 papers and ePosters covering a wide variety of topics at the 2011 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in the fall. Please see the full list of presentations to get an idea of just how broad the scope of CPGE research can get.