Geoenergy Production Engineering
The chair is recognized as a leading center for education, training and research in geoenergy production engineering with strong ties to a wide range of industries.
We are committed to research programs that meet the requirements of an environmentally conscious and responsible energy recovery including natural gas, petroleum, geothermal energy and other unconventionals. The international and interdisciplinary team of the chair is constantly working on innovative solutions for the future.
Geoenergy Production Engineering
DGE
Research
Artificial Lift Systems
Artificial lift systems play a significant role in the recovery of oil, gas, and geothermal fluid. The change in reservoir conditions and techniques applied to increase the fluid recovery, alter the produced fluid properties, and challenge the artificial lift systems. The chair is specialized in testing and improving artificial lift systems for the complete range of its application. Simulations, like computational fluid dynamics analysis and finite element analysis, are applied to evaluate the overall performance and improvement of the systems. Mechanical and operational optimizations of the artificial lift systems are studied.
The chair’s pump test facility allows testing artificial lift systems at almost real field conditions and fills the gap between simulations and field tests. The pump test facility allows low testing costs in a controlled environment before expensive field testing is performed.
Coupled Processes Simulation
Geological media are a strategic resource for the forthcoming energy transition and constitute an essential ally in the fight to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Several energy and environmental processes in the subsurface involve multi-physical interactions between the porous and fractured rock and the fluids filling the voids: changes in pore pressure and temperature, rock deformation, and chemical reactions coincide and impact each other. This characteristic has profound implications for energy production and waste storage. Forecasts are bounded to the adequate understanding of field data associated with thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes. Predictive capabilities heavily rely on the quality of the integration between the input data (laboratory and field evidence) and the mathematical models describing the evolution of the multi-physical systems.
Our chair is dedicated to studies investigating THMC problems, mainly utilizing analytical and numerical methods with applications of carbon capture and storage (CCS), geothermal systems, energy storage, fluid injection-induced seismicity, and radioactive waste storage.
Geomechanics
Geomechanics used to be a branch of geoscience that interests primarily drilling and completions engineers. However, with the advent of unconventional resource development, geomechanics now touches almost every aspect of geo-energy exploration and production activities from well completions to reservoir management (subsidence or induced seismicity). Beyond geo-energy applications, geomechanical integrity is a crucial component in the operation design for underground energy storage, CO2 sequestration, or nuclear waste disposal.
We look into subsurface stress estimates and its evolution associated with anthropologic pore-pressure or temperature changes. Apart from application importance, our chair is very fascinated by the scientifical challenges in the area of fracture mechanics.
Geothermal Energy Recovery
Geothermal energy is an inexhaustible source of primary energy, spread globally and in massive amounts worldwide. The recovery of geothermal energy requires only small footprint facilities, and its extraction is known to be CO2 neutral and waste-free. To reach the defined emission limits, a considerable effort will be spent in the early future. A key technology will be to recover geothermal energy from small to large scale, as it provided besides other ground load potential.
The chair concentrates on steady-state and transient heat flow simulations for the conditions in- and outside of the geothermal well. Besides, the investigation of alternative materials for improving the operability of geothermal wells is done.
Simulation and Production Data Management
We are living in the era of data and we must learn how to capitalize its meaning. In Petroleum Production Engineering we are focusing on developing tools based on gigabytes of production data received daily in order to reduce operating costs and risks, increase production rates, contribute to faster and better decision making processes, reduce emissions, all these in order to lead to a more sustainable industry.
Our Chair has already been successful in this area during tight collaborations with several operating companies by building well monitoring and failure prediction tools for artificial lift systems. The outcome has demonstrated an increased data quality, more efficient production operations and more effective decision support tools.
Well Stimulation
Be it a production or an injection well, many of them require stimulation at some point in their lives. A well could be damaged from drilling or completion operation or builds up formation damage during the course of production or injection. For Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS), well stimulation is a prerequisite for resource development.
We study not only conventional stimulation techniques such as hydraulic fracturing, acidizing, or acid fracturing but also unconventional techniques using ultrasound.
Faculty
Univ.-Prof. PhD
Keita Yoshioka
Head of Chair, University Professor
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University 2007
- BS Resources and Environmental Engineering, Waseda University 2003
Experience
- Head of Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, Montanuniversität Leoben since 2022
- Work Group Leader, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany 2017-2022
- Geothermal Reservoir Engineer, Chevron Geothermal, Jakarta, Indonesia 2008
- Staff Research Scientist, Chevron, Houston, USA 2007-2017
Research Interests
- Fracture propagation in porous media – webinars at ARMA HFC and GeoScience & GeoEnergy
- THM/C coupled process
- Well stimulation
- Computational geomechanics
- Supercritical geothermal system
- Profiles on ResearchGate and Google Scholar
Scientific Staff
PhD
Tao You
Senior Researcher
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD, Geotechnical Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China 2017-2021
- MSc, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, China 2014-2017
- BSc, Mining Engineering, Fuzhou University, China 2010-2014
Experience
- Senior Scientist, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria since 2023
- Postdoc Fellow, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany 2021-2023
- Visiting scholar, Computational Mechanics, Columbia University, New York, US 2019-2020
Research Interests
- Rock mechanics: damage, fracture and plasticity
- Fracture propagation in geomaterials
- THM/C coupled process in DFNs and porous media.
- High performance computing
Dr. rer. nat.
Chaofan Chen
Senior Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD in Applied Environmental Systems Analysis (Dr. rer. nat.), Technische Universität Dresden, Germany 2022
- MSc in Engineering Mechanics, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), China 2017
- BSc in Mining Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), China 2014
Experience
- Senior Lecturer, Montanuniversität Leoben, Leoben, Austria since 2025
- Research Associate, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany 2023-2025
- Postdoc Fellow, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany 2021-2023
Research Interests
- Geothermal reservoir simulation
- THM/C coupled process
- High-temperature geothermal well test and well simulation
- Ground source heat pump and organic Rankine cycle power plant
- Profiles on ResearchGate and Google Scholar
PhD
Weihong Yuan
Postdoctoral Researcher
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China 2025
- BSc Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China 2019
Experience
- Postdoc, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria since 2025
Research Interests
- Hydraulic fracturing simulation
- Phase-field modeling
- Multiphysics modeling
MSc
Mojtaba Abdolkhani
University Assistant
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- MSc Mechanical Engineering- Solid Mechanics, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran 2019-2023
- BSc Mechanical Engineering, Jundi-Shapur University of Technology, Dezful, Iran 2015-2019
Experience
- University Assistant, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria since 2023
- Research Intern, Engineering Mechanics of Soft Interfaces Laboratory, EPFL, Switzerland 2022
- Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran 2019-2022
- Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company, Iran 2017
- National Iranian Gas Company, Iran 2016
Research Interests
● Multiphysics modeling
● Computational methods for fracture prediction
● Phase field modeling
● Computational mechanics of materials
● Geomechanics
MSc
Prapti Roy
University Assistant
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- MSc Physics, University of Calcutta, India 2018-2020
- BSc Physics, University of Calcutta, India 2014-2018
Experience
- University Assistant, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria since 2025
- Junior research fellow, Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, India 2022
- Research fellow, Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India 2022-2025
Research Interests
• Multiphysics modeling
• THM/C coupled process
• Phase field modeling
Dipl.-Ing.
Mohammad Khasheei
PhD Candidate
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD candidate, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria since 2025
- MSc, Geoenergy Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria 2022-2025
- BSc, Petroleum Reservoir Engineering, Shiraz University, Iran 2014-2018
Experience
- Data Analyst for Deep Geothermal Development, EVN, Mödling, Lower Austria, Austria since 2025
- Internship Geothermal Development, EVN, Mödling, Lower Austria, Austria 2024
- Student Assistant, Chair of Geoenergy Engineering/EVN/OMV, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria 2023-2025
- Internship Oil Products Training, ParslianArvand Laboratory, Tehran, Iran 2021
- Internship, South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Co., Shiraz, Iran 2017
Research Interests
- Subsurface Process Modelling and Numerical Simulation
- Thermal Energy Production and Storage
- Data Science and Machine Learning
Dipl.-Ing.
Anitha Andiappan
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- Msc Petroleum Engineering (distinction), Montanuniversität Leoben 2011-2013
- BEng (Hons Chemical) National University of Singapore & ETH Zürich 2007-2010
Experience
- Expert Underground Hydrogen Storage since 2020
- Reservoir Engineer Subsurface Storage & Development since 2017
- Reservoir Engineer Reservoir Management, Exploration & Production, RAG Austria 2014-2016
- Tutor Chair of Petroleum & Geothermal Energy Recovery, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria 2012
- Process Engineer, WorleyParsons Singapore 2010
- Research Assistant Institute Of Chemical & Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Switzerland 2009
Research Interests
- Hydrogen Storage in Underground Porous Reservoirs USS2030
- Underground Gas Storages in Porous Reservoirs
PhD
Thies J. Buchmann
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD in Geology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands 0-2008
- MSc in Geology, University of Hamburg, Germany 0-2022
Experience
- Staff Research Scientist, Chevron, Aberdeen, UK 2008-2009
- Staff Research Scientist, Chevron, Houston, USA 2008-2015
- Internship, Chevron, Houston, TX, USA 2007-2008
- Research assistant, Geophysical Institute, University of Karlsruhe, Germany 2004-2007
Research Interests
- Modelling of geological systems
- Computational geomechanics
- Structural geology
Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing. Mag.iur. Dr.mont.
Clemens Langbauer
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- Diploma in Law, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz 2025
- Habilitation in "Geoenergy Engineering", Montanuniversität Leoben 2022
- PhD Petroleum Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben 2015
- MSc Mining and Tunneling, Montanuniversität Leoben 2012
- MSc Petroleum Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben 2011
- BSc Petroleum Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben 2010
Experience
- External Lecturer Montanuniversität Leoben, Geoenergy Production Engineering since 2021
- Federal Ministry of Finance, Mining Authority Leoben 2021-2024
- Senior Scientist, Montanuniversität Leoben 2011-2021
Research Interests
- Optimization and Development of Artificial Lift Systems
- Pump Test Facility
- Recovery of Geothermal Energy
- Production Optimization and Flow Assurance
- Data Science in Geoenergy Engineering
Dipl.-Ing.
Julian Pflügl
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- MSc Drilling Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria 2019
- None-Degree Petroleum Engineering & Economics, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia 2018
- Petroleum Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria 2017
Experience
- Visiting Lecturer, Department Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria since 2023
- Accenture GmbH, Intelligent Asset Management Consulting, Vienna Austria since 2022
- T.A. Cook & Partner Consultants GmbH, Intelligent Asset Management Consulting, Berlin, Germany since 2020
Research Interests
- Reliability Management
- Maintenance & Work Order Management
- STO (Shutdown / Turnaround / Outage) Management
- Digitalization
- Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Parma, Metals & Mining
B.Eng.
Joy Singh
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- Certificate Change Manager, Prosci, USA 2016
- Certificate Reliability Centred Maintenance Facilitator, Aladon, Canada 2014
- B.Eng Mechateronics Engineering, McMaster University, Canada 2009
Experience
- Visiting Lecturer, Montanuniversität Leoben since 2023
- Accenture GmbH, Industry X, Intelligent Asset Management Consulting, Berlin, Germany since 2022
- T.A. Cook Consultants Inc., Intelligent Asset Management Consulting, North America 2017-2022
- Deloitte, Strategy & Operations Consulting, Toronto, Canada 2014-2016
- Suncor, Project Engineer-In-Training, Fort McMurray Canada 2013
- ADI, Operations & Maintenance Manager, Mississauga, Canada 2010-2012
- Various, Sales Engineer, Toronto, Canada 2007-2010
Research Interests
- Asset Management and Operations
- Maintenance efficiency and Work Order Management
- STO (Shutdown / Turnaround / Outage) Management
- Maintenance & Reliability effectiveness and condition monitoring
- Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Parma, Metals & Mining
Dipl.-Ing.
Thomas Spörker
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- Post Graduate Studies focus on Economics and Legal Business, Technical University Vienna, Austria 1998
- Petroleum Engineering, Mining University Leoben, Austria 1993
Experience
- Lecture Mining University Leoben Health, Safety and Environment in the oil & gas industry since 2008
- Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy Head of division Mining - Technology and Safety since 2006
- Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor division Mining - Technology and Safety 2002-2006
- Federal Ministry of Economics - Local Mining Authority Vienna 1994-2001
Research Interests
- Safety in Borehole Mining Operations
- Occupational Safety and Health Issues
- Environmental Aspects in Oil & Gas Operations
- Risk Management and Emergency Planning
PhD MEng.
Dean Thornton
Visiting Lecturer
Geoenergy Production Engineering
Education
- PhD Civil & Computational Engineering, University of Wales Swansea 2005
- MEng Civil Engineering, University of Wales Swansea 2001
Experience
- Geomechanics Advisor – Lower Carbon, Chevron, Aberdeen UK since 2012
- Postdoctoral Senior Researcher, University of Wales Swansea 2005
- Geomechanics Project Manager, Rockfield Software Ltd., Swansea UK 2005-2012
Research Interests
- 3D/4D – Mechanical Earth Modelling
- Computational Geomechanics
- Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Coupled processes
- Hydrogen and Carbon Storage and Geothermal systems
- Geo-monitoring
