Improving Sustainability with Reliability Management Course by Accenture

From October 21 to October 24, 2024, our department hosted the course Improving Sustainability with Reliability Management, led by Julian Pflügl, alumni of our university, and his colleague Joy Singh. Both are professionals at Accenture, a global leader in consulting.

The course, now part of the department’s official curriculum, provided students with practical tools in asset management and reliability engineering. Through real-world examples and problem-solving activities, participants explored methods to reduce risks, improve efficiency and sustainability, as well as build business cases for production in various industries.

The event also featured a networking dinner, offering students a valuable opportunity to engage with the guest lecturers and connect with each other. Feedback from participants was highly positive, with students praising the practical approach and industry relevance of the course.

A big thank you to Joy and Julian for their dedication and expertise. We look forward to welcoming them back next year for another round of this impactful course!

Shwetank Krishna Publishes a New Study on Machine Learning in Pore Pressure Prediction

A new open-access paper from the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, led by Shwetank Krishna along with co-authors Sahar Keshavarz and Gerhard Thonhauser has been published on SpringerLink. The research titled "Smart predictions of petrophysical formation pore pressure via robust data-driven intelligent models" focuses on improving pore pressure prediction, crucial for safe and efficient oil exploration.

The paper highlights the importance of accurate pore pressure prediction in optimizing drilling strategies and ensuring the safety of exploration activities. The researchers compared several ML and DL models, including decision trees (DT), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forests (RF), recurrent neural networks (RNN), and convolutional neural networks (CNN), using a dataset from five wells in the North Sea's Volve oil field. Their findings indicate that the random forest (RF) model outperformed other approaches, achieving a high degree of accuracy.

This research underscores the potential of machine learning to enhance pore pressure prediction, making oil field exploration safer and more cost-effective. To access the paper, visit the Springer Link website.

New Research Publication by Thomas Sammer and the WIP Team

We are pleased to announce the latest research publication by the WIP team, titled "Insight into Carbon Black and Silica Fume as Cement Additives for Geoenergy Wells: Linking Mineralogy to Mechanical and Physical Properties." (Thomas Sammer, Arash Nasiri, Nikolaos Kostoglou, Krishna Ravi and Johann G. Raith)

This study explores the challenging demands on cements used in geoenergy wells, focusing on enhancing the durability and permeability of cement sheaths. By investigating Class G cement and comparing it to formulations containing carbon black and silica fume, the research provides new insights into how these additives influence the microstructure, porosity, and mechanical properties of the cement.

Key findings include the development of a denser microstructure and reduced porosity with the addition of carbon black and silica fume. The research also reveals that while carbon black reduces the Young’s modulus, resulting in more plastic behavior, silica fume enhances both mechanical strength and permeability. The study emphasizes that similar improvements can be achieved through careful adjustments of the water/cement ratio in the initial slurry.

This work offers valuable contributions to the geoenergy industry and well integrity, providing a deeper understanding of how cement additives can be optimized to meet the requirements for downhole materials.

We congratulate Thomas Sammer and the entire WIP team on this publication! The full article is available now for detailed reading at MDPI Open Access Journal.

Sahar Keshavarz Participates at EAGE Digital 2024

DI Sahar Keshavarz, Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, presented her newest research at the EAGE Digital 2024 conference, held in Paris, France. The conference, themed "Delivering Better Energy in a Transforming World," gathered experts to explore digitalization's role in the energy sector.

DI Keshavarz's presentation, titled "Deep Reinforcement Learning Algorithm for Wellbore Cleaning Across Drilling Operations," introduced a novel framework for automating real-time drilling decisions using deep reinforcement learning. The approach promises to enhance drilling efficiency by optimizing wellbore cleaning operations through real-time data analysis.

EAGE Digital 2024 successfully highlighted the growing impact of digitalization in the energy sector. The conference served as an important platform for experts to share insights and innovations, driving discussions on how digital technologies can transform energy operations. 

Mohab Abdellatif Participates in the Summer School on the Underground Hydrogen Storage

Mohab Abdellatif, Chair of Reservoir Engineering, participated in the 3rd International Summer School on Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS), held in Edinburgh from July 8th to 12th. The event attracted students, researchers, and industry experts to discuss the latest developments and challenges in hydrogen storage.

The summer school featured a series of lectures, site visits, and interactive sessions, focusing on a range of topics including the technical and economic aspects of UHS, regulatory issues, and new research techniques. During the event, Mohab presented a poster on his recent research in cooperation with RAG Austria titled "Sensitivity Analysis of Methanation Process in
Underground Hydrogen Storage." (Author: Mohab Abdellatif, Coauthors: Holger Ott, Siroos Aziz­Mohammadi, Markus Pichler from RAG.). The primary goal of this research is to quantify the parameters that control the methanation process and to develop a robust strategy for conducting insightful sensitivity analysis. Methanation is modeled by the Sabatier reaction using CMG GEM simulator.

This annual event provides a platform for participants to network and exchange ideas, enhancing their understanding of the complexities and potential of underground hydrogen storage.

Chair of Reservoir Engineering at the EAGE Annual Conference 2024

Patrick Jasek and Boris Jammernegg recently had the privilege to represent the Chair of Reservoir Engineering at the 85th EAGE Annual Conference in the vibrant city of Oslo, held from June 10-13, 2024. This event attracted over 6,000 participants and featured more than 1,300 keynotes and presentations, focusing on the theme: "Technology and talent for a secure and sustainable energy future."

They presented their latest research on subsurface geo-methanation at lab-scale and the effects of CO₂ evaporation kinetics on mass transfer, which received significant interest and positive feedback from the audience. The conference also included exhibitions, workshops, short courses, field trips, and community activities, offering insights into the latest advances in subsurface technology.

This year's EAGE Annual Conference provided a blend of knowledge and inspiration, fostering dialogues on advancing sustainable energy through innovative technologies and highlighting the importance of young talents. All of this took place against the stunning backdrop of Norway's beautiful landscapes, adding an extra layer of inspiration to the event.

Yuhao Liu and Mojtaba Abdolkhani at ECCOMAS 2024

At the recent ECCOMAS Congress 2024, researchers Yuhao Liu and Mojtaba Abdolkhani from the Chair of Geoenergy Production Engineering presented their latest findings in hydraulic fracture modeling. This event is a major meeting place for experts in computational methods used in science and engineering.

Mojtaba Abdolkhani discussed his work on "Variational Phase-field Modeling of Dynamic Hydraulic Fracture," which helps in understanding and improving how fractures are created in the earth for extracting oil and geothermal energy.

Yuhao Liu shared his research titled "A Variational Phase-field Approach for Non-isothermal Hydraulic Fractures in Porous Media." His study adds the effect of temperature changes to the models that simulate these fractures, which is important for realistic predictions, especially in areas with geothermal activity.

Their presentations at ECCOMAS 2024 highlight important steps forward in energy production engineering, showing better ways to predict and manage the process of hydraulic fracturing. This gathering continues to support the sharing of new ideas and advancements in computational science that help solve big problems in engineering and technology.

Long Night of Research at Department Geoenergy

On May 24 the Department Geoenergy hosted the "Long Night of Research", focusing on sustainable energy technologies and geoscience. The event featured hands-on experiments and demos, helping attendees understand how energy can be extracted and stored using geological formations.

Visitors explored cutting-edge technology like micro-computer tomography to view rock samples and engaged in interactive experiments. One of activity was the Hele-Shaw cell experiment, where participants were injecting different fluids and observing fluid dynamics in porous media, highlighting the potential for sustainable energy storage and decarbonization.

The event showcased the vast energy potential beneath the Earth’s crust, emphasizing the importance of renewable energy solutions for climate resilience. We were happy to see many of you at our station and look forward to the next Long Night of Research.

Chair of Reservoir Engineering Participates in the DGMK/ÖGEW Spring Conference 2024

The ÖGEW/DGMK Frühjahrstagung conference in Celle, Lower Saxony, brought together over 600 delegates to discuss the crucial role of subsurface technologies in the energy transition. Held in the Congress Celle, this event highlighted advancements in hydrogen storage, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), and the latest technological innovations addressing challenges like decarbonization of the heat sector, hydrogen loss due to geology-driven physical effects and biochemical interactions and microbial induced corrosion (MIC).

Notably, Prof. Ott, Jakub Kulich, Mohab Abdelatif, and Patrick Jasek from our department presented their recent research findings, contributing to lively discussions on industry challenges and future visions for subsurface engineering. Emphasizing resilience and sustainability, the conference underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among academia, industry, and government to drive innovation. Key takeaways included the need for an enhanced understanding of geological and biochemical interactions, the development of more resilient materials, and comprehensive modelling to predict and mitigate issues in hydrogen storage.

The event not only showcased significant strides in subsurface technology but also set the stage for future research and collaboration, reinforcing the vision of a sustainable and efficient energy future.

New Exchange Program with UKH

Montanuniversität Leoben Launches New Exchange Program with University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) for Petroleum Engineering Students

Montanuniversität Leoben has introduced a new exchange program in collaboration with UKH, aimed at students studying Petroleum Engineering. This program is the first of its kind to invite UKH students to the Austrian university, where they will have the opportunity to study abroad and earn internationally recognized academic credits.

Designed to enrich the students' academic experience, the program allows participants to choose to study for either a semester or a full academic year at Montanuniversität Leoben. The focus is on giving students a mix of classroom learning and practical, hands-on experience in their field. The university is eager to extend its international connections and equip students for success in a globally connected environment.

The first batch of UKH students has already arrived, and there is a lot of excitement about the potential benefits this partnership could bring. Further expansions into other academic areas may be considered in the future.

WIP Workshop 2024

The fourth annual Well Integrity Platform (WIP) Workshop wrapped up on April 25, 2024, in Leoben.

This event brought together over 30 professionals from industry and academia to engage in fruitful discussions about well integrity. The workshop featured presentations from companies such as OMV and Equinor, along with several interesting technical talks delivered by industry partners and experts from Montanuniversität:

• Faisal Al-Nakeeb (SNOC) discussed "Integrity of Barrier Elements, Observed in the Field.”
• Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont. Asad Elmgerbi focused on "Enhancing Well Integrity through Sensor Innovations."
• Univ.- Prof. PhD Keita Yoshioka tackled "Geothermal Wells Modeling and Integrity."
• Dr.mont. Oleksandr Glushko (Department Material Science) talked about “Laboratory Characterization of Metals.”

The “gallery walk” sessions highlighted key research areas our department is working on in the field of well integrity. Participants had the opportunity to have a tour at our cutting-edge laboratories and discuss our findings, which included:

• In-situ monitoring of CO2 and cement interaction
• Insights on CO2 sequestration
• CCS Data Analytics
• Fast mineral detection through topological investigation
• Improved application of non-destructive strength measurement
• Real-time autonomous decision making in well construction
• Hydrogen and downhole cement interaction
• Resin for remediation
• Application of fiber optics in well integrity monitoring
• Hyperbaric welding for downhole application
• Flow characterization

Networking events provided opportunities for informal interactions, with dinners hosted at Schwarzer Hund and Brückl Wirt, enhancing the collaborative atmosphere. The workshop concluded with a brainstorming session on "Testing of Metal Barrier Elements" and a feedback session to pave the way forward. Throughout the event, participants from companies like Petrobras, Wintershall DEA, Petrom, eni, TotalEnergies, OMV, SNOC, Equinor, TDE, GTN, and Chandler Engineering, engaged deeply, sharing insights and discussing future projects to advance well integrity practices.

The Well Integrity Platform is a unique collaboration between the university and industry led by Prof. Kris Ravi and Prof. Michael Prohaska. We focus on well integrity, sustainability, novel materials, digitalization and automation, over the lifecycle of an asset; well construction, well operation, well remediation and repurposing, and well abandonment . The collaboration established through WIP and the workshops leads to networking, strengthens the bond between the researchers and companies and and helps in solving industry challenges.

Special thanks were extended to the whole team who worked on the organization of the workshop, as well as the speakers and attendees for their contributions and discussions. We look forward to the next WIP Workshop, aiming to expand the scope of collaboration and innovation in the field of well integrity.

Anna Cernetchi Wins Student Paper Contest in Zagreb, Croatia

Anna Cernetchi won first place at the undergraduate level of the Student Paper Contest (SPC) in Zagreb, Croatia, organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The contest, part of SPE's efforts to engage students across 14 regions worldwide, allows participants to present research findings to peers and industry professionals. Winners from regional contests have the opportunity to advance to the International Student Paper Contest at the SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (ATCE), which will take place this year in New Orleans, USA. They also have the option to be published in OnePetro, the online library of technical literature for the oil and gas industry.

Anna's paper, "Investigation of Sustainable Alternatives for Microbial Risk Mitigation in Geothermal Energy Production," addressed the use of green biocides in mitigating biofouling and corrosion in geothermal energy systems. The research highlighted the challenges and potential solutions for enhancing the sustainability of geothermal power plants. This project, supervised by Patrick Jasek from the Chair of Reservoir Engineering, was conducted in cooperation with industry partners from OMV, including Larissa Compassi and Johann Badstöber.

The SPC is an important platform for future engineers to showcase their work, receive feedback from industry experts, and interact with fellow students from various regions, promoting academic and professional growth. As Anna prepares to advance to the SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (ATCE), we wish her the best of luck!

Department Geoenergy Welcomes New Colleagues

Department Geoenergy is happy to announce the addition of two new members to our team: Tao You, joining as Senior Researcher at the Chair of Geoenergy Production Engineering, and Mohab Abdellatif, as Research Associate at the Chair of Reservoir Engineering.

Tao You holds a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from Hohai University of China. His experience includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, where he focused on the computational modeling of rock mechanics and fracture propagation in geomaterials. Dr. You will bring valuable expertise to the department's research efforts in enhancing geoenergy production.

Mohab Abdellatif, currently a PhD candidate at Montanuniversität Leoben, specializes in underground hydrogen storage, an area of increasing importance for sustainable energy solutions. His background as a reservoir engineer at Eni in Egypt will aid to the department's objectives in energy storage efficiency and sustainability.

The department looks forward to the contributions of both Dr. You and Dipl.-Ing. Abdellatif in advancing the research in geoenergy and the development of innovative energy solutions. Welcome to the DGE team!

DGE Extends Partnership with eDrilling

Department Geoenergy is happy to announce the extension of our partnership with eDrilling, aimed at incorporation of industry software tools into our petroleum and geoenergy study programs. This collaboration is designed to provide students and researchers with access to practical tools and research opportunities in the field of geoenergy.

Key aspects of our partnership include:

• The integration of eDrilling's wellSim and wellPlanner software into graduate courses, offering students hands-on experience with industry-standard tools.
• Support for Master's and PhD thesis projects with a focus on areas like Machine Learning, Data Analytics, and Cementing Modeling, aiming to encourage innovative research and potential joint publications.
• The initiation of joint R&D projects targeting advancements in Geothermal Drilling, CCUS, and AI-driven drilling techniques, with activities extending across the EU, Austria, and Norway.

This collaboration is part of the department's effort to align its curriculum with the evolving needs of the geoenergy sector and to foster research that contributes to advancements in drilling and well monitoring technologies. Partnership with eDrilling aims to bridge the gap between academic education and industry application, preparing students for future challenges in the geoenergy field.

Big thanks to eDrilling team for visiting us in Leoben and we look forward to our close cooperation!

RAG Company Visit

Our student representatives StV GE hosted recently the RAG Austria AG company presentation, featuring DI Markus Pichler discussing "Alternative Uses of Mature Hydrocarbon Fields."

Attendees gained insights into innovative applications for mature hydrocarbon fields, exploring alternative uses beyond conventional extraction methods. DI Markus Pichler shared valuable perspectives on maximizing the potential of these fields, like gas storage and hydrogen storage.

Following the presentation, participants enjoyed a relaxed get-together, complemented by sponsored pizza. The event fostered networking opportunities and a casual environment for further discussions.

RAG Austria AG continues to contribute to the energy sector by exploring alternative approaches to mature hydrocarbon fields, showcasing its commitment to innovation and sustainable practices within the industry.

New Year, New Name: Introducing "Department Geoenergy"

Dear students, colleagues and friends of the DPE,
I wish you a happy and successful 2024!

I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break and have started the new year full of energy.

In recent years, we - the university and the department - initiated a transformation towards sustainability. Most of our research activities and also our study programs are aimed at a sustainable energy future - with this we positioned ourselves for the future and tackle problems that are absolutely relevant to society. This opens up new playing fields for each of us and new opportunities to participate in the engineering of our future energy system.

As a logical next - but not final – step, we have renamed the department as "Department Geoenergy" (as of January 1, 2024). This is who we are - fill it with life!

All the best, Holger Ott (Head of Department)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from DPE

As the holiday season approaches, the Department Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben is extending warm wishes and heartfelt greetings for Christmas and the upcoming New Year 2024!

This time we are not only celebrating the accomplishments of the past year but also looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in 2024. In a joint statement, Prof. Ott, Prof. Thonhauser, and Prof. Yoshioka expressed their gratitude for the hard work and dedication of the entire department, acknowledging the resilience and adaptability demonstrated by students and faculty alike.

The department's leadership is optimistic about the future and the role that petroleum and geoenergy engineering can play in addressing global energy challenges. As we approach the New Year, let us continue to work together towards a sustainable and prosperous future. Our field has a crucial role to play in shaping the energy landscape, and with our collective efforts, we can make a positive impact.

In conclusion, the entire Department extends warm wishes to students, staff, and the wider community for a joyful Christmas and a prosperous New Year. May the holiday season be filled with love, laughter, and moments of peace, and may 2024 bring success and fulfillment to all.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Wonderful New Year!

Field Trip to the Geothermal Plant in Larderello, Italy

After an exciting five-day journey, students from the Montanuniversität Leoben have returned from their exciting field trip to the Geothermal Plant in Larderello, Italy, which took place from November 24th to 28th. It offered participants a unique opportunity to delve into the world of geothermal energy, explore the historic Larderello Geothermal Power Plant, visit the University of Pisa, and gain insights into the operations of Schlumberger (SLB) in Italy.

The itinerary was packed with engaging activities, beginning with a travel day to Pisa on Friday. Saturday featured a city visit to both Florence and Pisa, providing students with a taste of the rich culture and history of the region.

Sunday was the highlight of the trip as students had the chance to explore the Larderello Geothermal Power Plant. The day included visits to the geothermal museum, the opening of a geothermal well, and a stop at the Geothermal Natural Park.

Monday was equally exciting with a visit to Smith Bits, the SLB Company. The students received a warm welcome and presentations from key figures, including Alessio Cechi, Delivery Center Manager, and Simone Pallesi, QHSE & Facility Manager. A plant tour led by Alessandro Bertini, a Reliability Engineer & Quality Team Lead, provided valuable insights into the operations. Afterwards students had a particularly informative session led by Davide Fanti, Product Champion Roller Cone and Bits. Mr. Fanti engaged the students in technical discussions, showcasing real-life cases and ongoing geothermal projects that SLB is actively working on.

In the afternoon, students visited the University of Pisa's Department of Earth Science, where they had a lab visit led by Prof. Stucchi and Prof. Pandolfi, Head of the Department. The students had the opportunity to explore cutting-edge research facilities and listen to the presentations from PhD students. Topics ranged from water-recharge and circulation in the Larderello geothermal field to satellite geodesy and remote sensing imagery for geothermal energy exploration.

The trip was not only educational but also a chance for students to make connections, gain practical knowledge, and immerse themselves in the fascinating world of geothermal energy. Big thanks to DPE and our SPE Student Chapter for making this trip possible. We look forward to the future field trips and enriching learning experiences!

ÖGEW/DGMK Autumn Conference 2023

Our students recently had an exciting learning experience at the ÖGEW / DGMK Autumn Event 2023 in Vienna. The event, with the topic "Energy Supply: Resilience and Sustainability," gave the students a chance to discover the latest happenings in the energy world.

During the event, students attended talks by industry experts, learning about topics like making energy cleaner, using eco-friendly aviation fuel, and tapping into geothermal power. They had the opportunity to connect with industry experts, making the event a great networking opportunity. The event was both educational and inspirational for their future careers.

Big thanks to ÖGEW and our student representatives StV GE for the provided opportunity! We are looking forward to the next events and collaborations.

Improving Sustainability with Reliability Management Course by Accenture

The Department of Petroleum Engineering recently concluded a week-long course on "Improving Sustainability with Reliability Management" organized by Prof. Keita Yoshioka. The course, led by guest lecturers, our alumni - Julian Pflügl and his colleague Joy Singh, both consulting professionals at Accenture, aimed to provide participants with practical insights into enhancing sustainability within production industries such as oil & gas, geothermal, mining, and petrochemicals. The presenters focused on a practical approach to addressing industry challenges, including safety, energy efficiency, equipment breakdowns, and overall sustainability.

Key areas covered during the course included:
1. Asset Management and Reliability Engineering: Understanding the foundational principles of physical asset management, participants delved into the core concepts of reliability engineering to create value for production industries.

2. Practical Examples and Business Case Calculation: The course provided practical examples from real-world project scenarios, illustrating criticality analysis to assess equipment failure risks and using root cause analysis to eliminate recurring equipment failures. Additionally, participants gained insights into the business case calculation process.

Throughout the week, our students exhibited high engagement, expressing that the content was both informative and inspirational for their careers. Many of them highlighted the practical examples, consulting elements and problem-solving activities as main components that significantly enhanced their comprehension of sustainability and reliability management.

Julian Pflügl and Joy Singh, representing Intelligent Asset Management (IAM) group within Accenture Industry X, expressed their interest in teaching the course again in the future. Looking ahead, DPE aims to host also other similar courses, contributing to the professional development of our students - future industry leaders.

Sharen Leon at the SPE/APOGCE 2023 Conference in Jakarta

Dipl.-Ing. Sharen Leon, a PhD student at DPE, presented her research at the SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition (APOGCE) held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The APOGCE 2023, themed "Managing the Base During the Net Zero Transition," provided a platform for industry leaders and experts to discuss strategies for maintaining productivity, sustainability, and business resilience in the evolving energy landscape.

Ms. Leon’s research, part of the We3D project, titled "Hyperbaric Welding and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing for Downhole Applications in the Oil and Gas Industry," focuses on developing efficient and cost-effective methods for addressing challenges in the oil and gas sector, particularly in well plugging and abandonment operations. The study explores the proof of concept of a Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process under hyperbaric conditions, aiming to revolutionize wellbore P&A with corrosion-resistant steel barriers.

During the conference, the participants had the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals, exchange technical and cultural experiences, and share innovative ideas. The DPE team congratulates Dipl.-Ing. Sharen Leon for her participation at the conference and looks forward to her future contributions to both academia and industry.

Read more about Ms. Leon's research here

Establishment of the IGA Montanuniversität Leoben Student Chapter

We are thrilled to announce the establishment of the International Geothermal Association’s (IGA) first-ever student chapter at Montanuniversität Leoben. IGA President Marit Brommer is to officially announce it at the Geothermie Österreich Symposium (Nov 22-24) in Vienna.

This student chapter aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry. With a focus on geothermal energy, the chapter seeks to provide students with a platform to connect with industry professionals, explore internship opportunities, and access specialized training courses and job placements.

Key Objectives of the IGA Montanuniversität Leoben Student Chapter:

• Connecting Students and Industry: Facilitating connections between students and industry experts to enhance their understanding of real-world applications in the geothermal sector.
• Infrastructure for Career Development: Providing an infrastructure to assist students in finding internships, training courses, and job opportunities in geothermal-specific areas.
• Participation in Conferences: Enabling students to actively participate in conferences and symposiums related to geothermal energy, fostering a deeper engagement with the industry.
• Scientific Events: Organizing scientific events featuring professionals from both industry and academia, creating a space for the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
• Regular Meetings and Journal Club: Hosting regular meetings and a journal club to facilitate the exchange of information among students, promoting a collaborative learning environment.

To express gratitude for this significant milestone, we extend our appreciation to Marit Brommer, CEO at IGA, and her dedicated board members for their efforts in making this initiative a reality. Special thanks are also extended to Prof. Yoshioka for his support throughout the establishment process.

In the coming months, an introduction event is planned to provide students with more details about the chapter's activities and objectives. If you already have any question, please contact Mohammad Khasheei.

Stay tuned for the geothermal revolution at Montanuniversität Leoben!

Exploring Petroculture and Embracing Energy Transition: A Science & Art Seminar

On the 22^nd of November, the Petroculture & Energy Transition Seminar brought individuals together to discuss the vital topics of energy use, sustainability, and cultural influences. Speakers Ernst Logar and Holger Ott led engaging conversations, focusing on the historical, technical, and cultural aspects of our energy choices.

The seminar showed the participants how energy has been used throughout history and the challenges we face in transitioning to cleaner options. Mr. Logar and Ott emphasized that beyond the technical challenges, making these changes involves a cultural shift in our everyday habits and choices.

A key highlight of the event was the role of art in understanding and addressing contemporary energy issues. The speakers showed that artistic perspectives can help bridge the gap between scientific concepts and public awareness, making complex topics more accessible to everyone.

The message of the seminar was clear: changing our approach to energy isn't just about technology; it's about changing our mindset and behaviors. A sustainable future starts with each individual making informed choices in their daily lives!

The First CCUS Autumn School at Montanuniversität Leoben

Montanuniversität Leoben has marked a significant milestone with the successful conclusion of its first Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Autumn School. The event, organized and hosted by the Chair of Reservoir Engineering led by Holger Ott, Bettina Matzer, and Boris Jammernegg, took place at DPE in Leoben from November 6 to 10.

A diverse group comprising professionals from various industries, government authorities, and academia gathered to delve into the latest CCUS technologies and strategies. The week-long program covered the entire CCUS technology chain, with experts from Montanuniversität Leoben providing in-depth insights into carbon capture, CO2 transport, geological conditions, storage, containment, projects, and utilization.

Markus Ellersdorfer led discussions on carbon capture and together with Thomas Kienberger he addressed CO₂ transport. Jakob Kulich and David Misch delved into geological conditions and storage, respectively. Holger Ott shared expertise on geological CO₂ storage, and David Misch, Kris Ravi, and Keita Yoshioka covered CO₂ containment. Further insights were provided by Holger Ott on CO₂ projects and Markus Lehner on the options for CO₂ utilization.

The Autumn School not only offered a comprehensive educational experience but also served as a valuable platform for networking and collaboration. Participants engaged in intensive discussions and had the opportunity to foster potential future collaborations and a sense of community among those involved.

"We have the feeling that the course was valuable and fun for everyone involved – participants and speakers alike. This type of interaction is probably what is needed for the future decarbonization of Austria," remarked the organizers.

The success of the CCUS Autumn School highlights its importance in advancing knowledge and collaboration in the crucial field of carbon capture and storage. Looking ahead, anticipation is already building for the next CCUS School in Leoben, with the possibility of a Spring edition on the horizon.

Delegation from University of Kurdistan Hewlêr Visits DPE

On October 24, DPE had the pleasure of hosting a delegation from the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr. The delegation was led by Dr. Keith Sharp, President of the University, and Prof. Dr. Dana Wawlood, Vice President.

The visit started with warm welcome from DPE faculty and staff, who were excited to engage in fruitful discussions with our esteemed guests. Prof. Thomas Prohaska, Vice-Rector for Teaching and International Affairs at Montanuniversität Leoben, along with professors from the Department of Petroleum Engineering, including Prof. Ott, Prof. Thonhauser, Prof. Yoshioka, and Prof. Kharrat, held discussions centered on potential collaborative initiatives and the prospects of research and student exchange.

During the visit, the guests were given an informative tour of the advanced laboratories within the DPE, where they were introduced to the department's research interests. This tour allowed for a comprehensive overview of our cutting-edge facilities and ongoing projects.

Both institutions expressed their enthusiasm for the possibility of future collaborations, aiming to enhance research efforts and promote academic exchange between their respective faculties and students.

We are very grateful for visit from the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr delegation, as it was a significant step toward strengthening international academic ties, fostering research collaboration, and providing valuable opportunities for students to broaden their horizons. 

DPE Welcomes Two New Colleagues

The Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery has recently welcomed two new staff members, Mojtaba Abdolkhani and Hadi Fathipour-Azar. Both colleagues are set to bring new energy and insights to DPE's research and teaching efforts.

Mojtaba Abdolkhani, a University Assistant, brings a strong academic background in Mechanical Engineering. With a Bachelor's degree from Jundi-Shapur University of Technology and a Master's degree in Solid Mechanics from Isfahan University of Technology, Mojtaba is well-prepared to delve into his research interests, which include topics like multiphysics modeling and computational mechanics of materials. His international experience as a research intern at EPFL in Switzerland and his current role as a University Assistant in Austria equip him to contribute significantly to DPE's academic environment.

Hadi Fathipour-Azar, now a senior lecturer, is a geomechanics engineer with a Ph.D. in Rock Mechanics Engineering from Shahrood University of Technology. Hadi's journey to this position includes academic excellence, with top-ranking BSc and MSc degrees in Mining Engineering and Rock Mechanics Engineering. His research interests revolve around developing realistic simulations for engineering applications. With experience as a Postdoc in France and research visits in Hong Kong and Finland, Hadi's expertise is set to enrich DPE's educational and research activities.

With their academic knowledge and varied international experiences, Mojtaba and Hadi are excellent additions to the DPE team, promising exciting new perspectives and ideas for the future. Welcome to the DPE family!

OPEC Visit

On Monday, the OPEC Secretariat hosted a group of passionate and bright students from Montanuniversitaet, Leoben, as part of the Organization’s Outreach initiatives. Ms. Karez Abdulhammed, Chairperson of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Leoben Chapter, found the visit “very informative and inspiring”. The participants commended OPEC active role in engaging the youth in the industry, in particular Montanuniversitaet students, referring to OPEC outstanding initiative in sponsoring three students from Montanuniversitaet at the 8th OPEC International Seminar. They have also expressed their thanks and appreciation to OPEC, not only for hosting them and providing first-hand knowledge and informative interactive sessions, but also for enabling young students perusing their careers, to get the necessary knowledge, training and career opportunities through the Secretariat’s internship and Academic Committee various programs.

Short Course on Pore Pressure Prediction

The eagerly anticipated "Pore Pressure Prediction (PPP)" short course, held on 3rd October 2023, was a great success and left attendees equipped with vital skills and knowledge in the field of petroleum engineering.

The event, organized by the Chair of Reservoir Engineering, featured Dr.mont. Walter Obendrauf, a renowned expert in pore pressure prediction, sharing insights from his extensive experience. Mr. Obendrauf, who holds a PhD from the Montanuniversität Leoben and a Master's degree from the Technical University Graz, Austria, has served in influential roles in the energy industry, including Hydrocarbon Resource Manager, Discipline Lead Reservoir Engineering in the UK, and Subsurface Team Lead in Brunei.

Pore pressure prediction is a key to a safe and efficient well drilling, crucial for various well types, including oil and gas development, exploration, CCS, and injector wells. It also plays a great role in well entries and the safe abandonment of wells, making it indispensable in the energy sector.

The short course delved into essential aspects, including fundamentals, the prerequisites for accurate PPP, and practical techniques for implementation. Attendees also got insights from the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) guidelines and a wealth of case studies and examples from around the world, providing a comprehensive understanding of this critical field.

The event provided a platform for petroleum engineers to enhance their expertise, contributing to safer and more cost-effective drilling operations. Big thanks to Mr. Walter Obendrauf for sharing his knowledge and we look forward to welcoming him again at DPE in the future.

New Course: Improving Sustainability with Reliability Management

Julian Pflügl, alumni of the Montanuniversität / DPE, together with his colleague Joy Singh, will visit Department Petroleum Engineering as guest lecturers from 20.11 - 24.11.2023.  Both Julian and Joy work for one of the world’s largest consulting firms, Accenture.

Course Details:

Improving Sustainability with Reliability Management (550.023)

“A practical approach to solving the industry's biggest losses – safety, energy, equipment breakdowns, and sustainability based on real-life examples and problem-solving activities.” Gain an overview of physical asset management, reliability engineering, and the value-creation in improving sustainability for production industries such as oil & gas, geothermal, mining petrochemicals, etc.

The course covers two main areas:

• Asset Management and Reliability Engineering
• Practical examples to explain the value creation process incl. business case calculation

The basics of physical asset management lay the foundation for a deep dive into reliability engineering. Reliability engineering principles can be used to create value for production industries by solving problems that stand in the way of sustainability. Criticality analysis to evaluate equipment failure risks, and using root cause analysis to eliminate recurring equipment failures are some methods that will be explained using practical examples from real-world project scenarios.

Successful participants will be able to apply the learnings to help production industries achieve goals of improving environmental sustainability, reducing energy consumption, increasing production output, and optimizing cost using a consulting approach.

Curious? Sign up for the course here

About Accenture

The Intelligent Asset Management (IAM) group within Accenture Industry X is one of the top players in the asset management consulting space. Circa 250 consultants, engineers and change agents are passionate to optimize capital-intensive industries. This international team includes seven graduates of the Montanuniversität Leoben, who now contribute their qualifications successfully to asset management consulting.

Professor Kharrat Presents Groundbreaking Research at EAGE Conference

Professor Kharrat, from the Chair of Reservoir Engineering,  delivered a captivating presentation titled "Workflow of fracture characterization and its impact on oil production in naturally fractured reservoirs" at the EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers) conference held from 5th to 8th June 2023 in Vienna. The paper, co-authored by Professor Holger Ott and Professor Ali Kadkhodaie, sheds light on crucial aspects of fracture characterization that directly affect oil production in naturally fractured reservoirs.

The conference, attended by industry professionals, researchers, and academics, provided a platform for Professor Kharrat to share groundbreaking research findings, presenting a comprehensive workflow for fracture characterization. The paper explores the intricate relationship between fracture properties and their influence on oil production in reservoirs with natural fractures.

During the presentation, Professor Kharrat highlighted the significance of accurate fracture characterization, emphasizing the need for precise data collection, analysis, and interpretation. By understanding the characteristics and behavior of fractures, engineers can better predict reservoir performance and optimize production strategies, leading to increased oil recovery rates and improved economic viability.

New Publication from the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering

Environmentally Friendly Additive Enhances Cement Performance

Interested in exploring environmentally-friendly cement additives for hydrocarbon and geothermal well cementing? Look no further than the latest research published by the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, conducted by Asad Elmgerbi, Alexander Fine, Ibrahim Abou Askar, and Gerhard Thonhauser.

Integral cement sheaths play a crucial role in ensuring the safe production of hydrocarbons in wells. To reduce carbon footprints, researchers are actively seeking greener additives, and one promising option is CNCs (Cellulose Nanocrystals) derived from renewable sources. This study specifically focuses on the application of CNCs in well cementing.

By employing standard API test procedures, the study discovered that incorporating just 2 vol% of CNCs increased the cement slurry's viscosity by 7% and reduced free water by an impressive 50%. Furthermore, it significantly decreased cement shrinkage by 78%, all while not affecting the slurry thickening time. When using a lower concentration of 0.2 vol% of CNCs, the compressive strength of the cement surged by an impressive 56% after 21 days, with a noteworthy 9% acceleration in achieving a strength of 500 psi.

These findings strongly indicate that CNCs are not only an eco-friendly choice but also offer high-performance benefits for well cementing. By utilizing CNCs as additives, sustainable practices can be promoted without compromising the integrity of the cement sheath. This study opens up new possibilities for greener and more environmentally-friendly well cementing technologies.

You can read the full research article on ScienceDirect

Technical Talk by TDE

Last month Mr. Rick Barton, Product Line Manager at TDE Group, was invited by SPE Students Chapter Leoben to deliver a technical talk to petroleum and geoenergy engineering students at DPE. The topic of his presentation centered around the use of powered/wired drill pipe and its potential in conjunction with surface and downhole intelligent technologies to reduce risks and costs in well construction.

During the talk, Mr. Barton discussed the integration of these innovative technologies into traditional drilling practices, emphasizing the supposed benefits they offer. By incorporating real-time monitoring systems and automated controls, operators can gain insight into well conditions and drilling operations. According to Mr. Barton, this enhanced visibility enables proactive decision-making, improved operational efficiency, and cost reduction.

Throughout his presentation, Mr. Barton shared experimental evidence and case studies, pointing out that the implementation of powered/wired drill pipe, alongside intelligent technologies, had yielded positive outcomes in terms of drilling efficiency and cost savings for oil and gas companies.

The talk provided students with an introduction to these advancements, leaving them intrigued about potential future applications in well construction. The Department of Petroleum Engineering extends its appreciation to Mr. Rick Barton for sharing his insights, sparking interest among the students. 

New Geothermal Energy Project at DPE

OMV-Funded Project Explores Feasibility of High Temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES)

OMV, a leading energy company, is funding a groundbreaking project in collaboration with the Chair of Reservoir Engineering, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, Chair of Energy Network Technology and Chair of Petroleum Geology. The project aims to investigate the feasibility of implementing High Temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES) in an industrial area, revolutionizing the energy landscape.

By combining OMV's comprehensive understanding of the regional subsurface with expertise from different fields, the project takes a holistic approach. The Petroleum Geology chair develops a robust geological reservoir model, while the Reservoir Engineering chair conducts dynamic flow simulations. Simultaneously, the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery chair focuses on wellbore flow and energy recovery simulations. Additionally, the Energy Network Technology chair analyzes regional heat demand and waste heat supply.

This collaborative effort will provide a thorough assessment of HT-ATES in an industrial area, offering valuable insights for sustainable energy management. HT-ATES has the potential to reshape urban energy systems by efficiently storing and retrieving thermal energy, contributing to our society's sustainable energy goals and positioning the city as a leader in sustainable urban energy management.

Movement in the Case of CCS

The Ministry of Finance recently organized a professional exchange on the subject of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Austria, inviting Holger Ott from the Department of Petroleum Engineering to a panel discussion. The discourse focused on the increasing demand for CCS technology in decarbonizing energy and "hard-to-abate" industries. The consensus among the participants was that CCS will play a crucial role in achieving climate targets.

Austria's Ministry of Finance estimates that the country will need an annual storage capacity of 5-10 million tons of CO2 to achieve national climate neutrality. The experts emphasized the importance of advancing technological solutions, particularly highlighting the safety and effectiveness of geological storage. Minister of Finance Brunner expressed support for Austria to take a leading role in the development and implementation of CO2 storage technologies.

The gathering held at the Ministry of Finance served as a kick-off for a crucial platform where policymakers and experts discussed the intricate dynamics between climate protection, sustainable economic growth, and the indispensable role of CO2 storage technologies. This event marked the beginning of ongoing discussions aimed at shaping Austria's strategy for a sustainable future, with a focus on leveraging the potential of CO2 storage to address climate challenges effectively.

InterPore Conference 2023

The annual InterPore Conference, widely regarded as the largest and most influential forum for Porous Media research, recently concluded its latest edition in Edinburgh, Scotland. Researchers and experts from across the globe gathered to share their insights and discuss the latest developments in this fascinating field.

The Chair of Reservoir Engineering was well-represented at the conference, with Holger Ott, Patrick Jasek, Boris Jammernegg, Bianca Brandstätter, Omidreza Amrollachi, Ali Mirzaalian Dastjerdi and Gerald Stiedl participating. The team presented their ongoing research projects, covering topics such as hydrogen methanation, CCS, digital rock physics, and molecular dynamics.

Arash Nasiri, from the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, contributed with a presentation on the potential applications of Mono-energetic Micro-computed tomography(µCT) as an alternative method for investigating formation rock.

In addition to the engaging academic program, participants had the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of Heriot-Watt University and explore the beautiful city of Edinburgh. This experience allowed attendees to visit state-of-the-art facilities and establish valuable connections with fellow researchers.

The InterPore Conference in Edinburgh 2023 reaffirmed its status as the leading global platform for Porous Media research, facilitating collaboration and driving innovation in this rapidly evolving field.

EAGE Conference 2023

The highly anticipated annual European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) Conference unfolded from June 5 to 8, 2023 in  Vienna, Austria. With industry leaders, researchers, and professionals converging, the event proved to be a great platform for knowledge exchange and networking.

SPE Student Chapter Leoben participated in this event and had a unique chance to tap into a wealth of opportunities at the conference. Through a diverse range of technical sessions, workshops, and panel discussions, the EAGE Conference equipped students with profound insights into the latest developments and innovations in the geosciences and engineering fields.

For aspiring geoscientists and engineers, the conference served as a springboard to expand their professional networks, engage with industry experts, and potentially secure internships or job prospects. Additionally, attending students had the privilege of exploring exhibition halls, witnessing cutting-edge technologies and solutions firsthand.

The EAGE Conference in Vienna unquestionably served as an invaluable occasion for students to broaden their horizons, gain industry exposure, and lay the foundation for a successful career in the geosciences and engineering domains. A special acknowledgment goes to SPE Vienna Basin for their sponsorship, facilitating the participation of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben and further enriching the conference experience.

Business Run in Bruck an der Mur

 Department of Petroleum Engineering Takes Part in Bruck an der Mur Business Run.

The Department of Petroleum Engineering from Montanuniversität Leoben recently participated in the Bruck an der Mur Business Run, demonstrating their teamwork and physical capabilities. The team represented by Prof. Keita Yoshioka, Patrick Jasek, Gerald Stiedl, Bianca Brandstätter, Ahmand Kharrat, Sharen Leon, Boris Jammernegg, Arash Nasiri, Jakob Kulich, and Ramzy Albishini showed their commitment and resilience during the challenging race.

The Business Run provided an opportunity for our department to come together and demonstrate their unity and determination. We thank each member for their contribution and eagerly anticipate future team events!

New Board Members at SPE SC Leoben

SPE Student Chapter Leoben Welcomes New Board Members, Igniting Excitement for the Future

The SPE Student Chapter Leoben is proud to announce the appointment of its new board members, who are excited to lead the chapter into a promising future of growth and innovation. After a rigorous selection process, a group of passionate and dedicated individuals has been chosen to guide the chapter's activities, foster knowledge sharing, and create valuable networking opportunities for its members.

Under the leadership of the newly elected board members, the SPE Student Chapter Leoben is set to strengthen its position as a dynamic and forward-thinking organization that supports the professional development of its members. With diverse backgrounds and expertise, the board members bring a wealth of knowledge and fresh perspectives to the chapter.

Introducing the New Board Members:

1. Fahmi Al Salmi - President: Fahmi's visionary leadership and commitment to fostering a vibrant community will drive the chapter's strategic direction and overall success.

2. Karez Abdulhameed - Vice President: Karez's dedication to excellence and passion for professional development will ensure the delivery of exceptional events and initiatives.

3. Renato Emilio Gómez Vargad - Secretary: Renato's organizational skills and attention to details will facilitate effective communication among members.

4. Georgia Caruso Carter - Treasurer: With her financial knowledge, Georgia will be responsible for managing the chapter's funds and ensuring their efficient allocation to support various activities.

The board is further complemented by three teams, each playing a vital role in enhancing the chapter's impact:

- Team Event Planning (Jose Kevin Pauyac Estrada, Tochukwu Merit Ikechukwu, Donald Hermann Ava) will organize a diverse range of engaging events that respond to the interests and professional growth of the chapter's members.

- Team Public Relations (Paul Toeppmann, Edward Desmond Muyomba, Borna Les) will spearhead communication efforts, building strong relationships within the industry and other student chapters.

- Team Social Media (Anna Cernetchi, Ahmed Al Jadidi, George Otonyemieba Godstime) will harness the power of digital platforms to increase the chapter's visibility and create captivating content that resonates with the members.

The newly appointed board members are enthusiastic about their roles and are eager to collaborate with the chapter's members to foster an environment of continuous learning, growth, and professional excellence. They recognize the importance of engaging the student community and providing opportunities that go beyond the classroom, equipping members with the skills needed to succeed in the petroleum engineering industry.

As the chapter embarks on this exciting new chapter, members are encouraged to actively participate in events, workshops, and initiatives organized by the board. Their valuable input and ideas will shape the future of the chapter and help create a thriving community that supports the aspirations of its members.

The SPE Student Chapter Leoben extends its heartfelt appreciation to the outgoing board members for their exceptional contributions and congratulates the new board members on their appointment. Together, they will pave the way for an exceptional year ahead, filled with exciting opportunities, networking possibilities, and memorable experiences!

About SPE Student Chapter Leoben:
The SPE Student Chapter Leoben is a dynamic community of students and professionals passionate about the field of petroleum engineering. Their mission is to foster knowledge sharing, professional development, and networking opportunities to empower their members and prepare them for success in the industry. Through engaging events, workshops, and initiatives, they strive to create a supportive and inspiring environment that encourages growth and collaboration. Thei are committed to providing a platform for students to enhance their skills, expand their networks, and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field. Together, they aim to make a positive impact on the petroleum engineering community at Montanuniversität Leoben and contribute to the sustainable development of the industry.

Short Course on "Oil and Gas Companies' Strategies in the Energy Transition"

Renowned energy expert and former SPE President Kamel Ben Naceur recently conducted a highly anticipated short course on "Oil and Gas Companies' Strategies in the Energy Transition." The course, sponsored by TDE Group, aimed to equip participants with essential knowledge and insights into the evolving landscape of the energy sector.

Over the course of two intensive days, participants from various study fields as well as oil and gas professionals dived into the complex dynamics of the energy transition. With 40 years of experience in the field, Kamel Ben Naceur provided invaluable guidance on developing effective strategies to navigate the changing global energy landscape.

The course covered a broad range of topics, including the role of CCUS (Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage) and hydrogen in the transition, emerging technologies, policy frameworks, and the challenges faced by traditional oil and gas companies. Dr. Ben Naceur's interactive teaching style engaged participants through case studies, discussions, and real-world examples, facilitating a deep understanding of the subject matter.

"The energy transition is an inevitable reality, and it is crucial for oil and gas companies to adapt and innovate in order to thrive in the future," emphasized Dr. Ben Naceur. "By exploring various strategies and approaches, participants gained insights into how to seize opportunities and successfully transition towards a sustainable energy future."

Participants praised the course for its practicality and relevance to the industry's ongoing transformation. Many expressed their gratitude for Dr. Ben Naceur's expertise and his ability to break down complex concepts into understandable insights.

As the world moves towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, Kamel Ben Naceur's short course has undoubtedly empowered our students to make informed decisions, drive innovation, and embrace the energy transition with confidence. With his guidance, petroleum engineers are well-positioned to play a crucial role in shaping the future of the energy sector.

New Book "GeomInt2" by Prof. Keita Yoshioka

Prof. Keita Yoshioka, Head of the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, is a coauthor of the newly published book "GeomInt2". This book is a follow-up to the project "Geomechanical Integrity of Host and Barrier Rocks—Experiment, Modelling and Analysis of Discontinuities (GeomInt)." It examines discontinuities in clay, salt, and crystalline rocks, posing geotechnical safety risks due to potential fluid migration.

The book offers in-depth analysis of experiments, models, and techniques for studying these discontinuities. It serves as a valuable resource for geotechnical engineering professionals, providing insights into discontinuity formation and propagation in different rock types. "GeomInt2" promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing, making it a crucial reference for future studies and geotechnical safety analyses related to fluid migration and rock discontinuities. Published by Springer, it is available in open access worldwide.

You can acces the book by following this link.

SPE Symposium in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

The SPE AI Symposium "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Shape the Future of the Energy Industry" was held in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia on the 17 - 18 of January 2023. This is the second symposium on digital transformation in the oil and gas industry held in Saudi Arabia. The symposium brings together professionals from academia, industry, and government to exchange their digital technology ideas and breakthroughs in order to deliver tomorrow’s energy more sustainably, efficiently, and safely.

Our Senior Lecturer at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, M.Sc. Sahar Keshavarz, has submitted her research paper for the conference. The paper was presented by Uros Cendak, the TDE machine learning engineer, since Ms. Keshavarz could not attend in person.

Topic: A Reinforcement Learning Approach for Real-Time Autonomous Decision-Making in Well Construction
Authors: Sahar Keshavarz, Petr Vita, Elmar Rueckert, Ronald Ortner, and Gerhard Thonhauser
The drilling industry is permanently seeking to reduce operational costs by improving the efficiency of the drilling process. To achieve these goals, our department has been developing a fully autonomous drilling sequence. It is a novel method for well construction operation planning that connects decision-making over multi-level operation levels. The proper design of such a system is an essential step toward a fully automatized well construction decision-making system.

The SPE Symposium was a great opportunity to share cross-functional expertise, knowledge and science in the AI domain. It provided a platform to showcase groundbreaking innovations and key enablers for successful digital transformation. We congratulate Sahar Keshavarz on her achievement and wish her good luck in all the research projects!

PetroBowl Regional Qualifiers 2023

The 10^th Annual Student Energy Congress (ASEC) and the PetroBowl Regional Qualifiers took place on the 20-24 of March in Zagreb, Croatia. Mohamed Ibrahem, Stefan Stanković, Alexander Rekin, Jose Kevin Pauyac Estrada, Anna Cernetchi and Paul Töppmann represented Department Petroleum Engineering at this event. ASEC 2023 brought together students and young professionals from all over the world to discuss the latest novelties in the the oil and gas industry as well as energy transition, while the PetroBowl competition pitched SPE student chapter teams against each other in a series of quick-fire rounds, answering technical and nontechnical industry-related questions.

Ot the first day of the conference there were two pannel discussions:

• “Different perspectives of looking at the Energy Industry” with the professionals from the Croatian oil and gas industry,
• “From student to Young Professional – navigating the waters of employment” with the SPE members from the Romanian and Vienna Basin Sections.

Next day, the Student Paper Contest (SPC) was the main focus of the program, where students at the master’s and PhD Levels were presenting the abstracts of their papers. Later, Laura Precupanu, SPE Regional Director for Europe, and James Whitaker, Senior Young Member Programs Manager, held a workshop “How to excel through your SPE student chapter “.

Day three was the day of the PetroBowl competition. In the first round our team from Leoben won 25:0 against the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Afterwards, in a very close game in the quarterfinals, our students were defeated by the team from Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, Romania. Now it is the time to analyze the performance and get ready for the next tournament. We will come back stronger!

Qualifying Teams of the competition as well as medalists of the SPC will be invited to participate in the PetroBowl Championship which is due to take place in San Antonio, USA as part of the 2023 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (ATCE). We congratulate the winners and wish them good luck in US!

The conference ended with a breathtaking field trip to an offshore jackup rig in Pula, Adriatic Sea. For many students it was a first-time experience at an oil rig, and everyone was very excited to see the theory they learned in class being applied in real life.

Overall, ASEC 2023 was a huge success and a great opportunity for students to expend their professional network, meet and get inspired by the experts in the industry, learn about the trends in energy sector, explore Zagreb as well as get to know what benefits can SPE membership bring them. We are very grateful to SPE Student Chapter Zagreb for the organization and their hospitality and we are looking forward to the future SPE events!

Do-it-lab Project Winners!

Do-it-lab is the new and innovative course introduced by Montanuniversität Leoben last fall. This course is designed for students to acquire the ability to work in groups or independently on fundamental problems in the field of Geoenergy. The do-it-lab subjects can be conceptual, experimental, or numerical in nature. Students selected four topics for their projects, and we organized a competition to add some extra motivation.

Group 1:  Bastian Leitgeb, Philip Leopoldinger, Marco Cavalli, Olivia Yakunina
Topic: Think Tank - Energy transitioning
Students covered the social and political limitations within emerging and developed countries that society is currently facing in trying to transition into a sustainable future. They highlighted the key terms needed to understand the oil industry, issues within oil-led countries, flaws within renewable sources, and the environmental dilemma within the lack of infrastructure. In the end, students discussed the possible solutions to the barriers that the world is facing.

Group 2: Martin Kopeinig, Mauricio Salkeld, Anna Cernetchi
Topic: Paper-quake experiment
In their project, students used absorbent porous paper and the tensile testing device to explore earthquake mitigation. They showed that wetting the absorbent paper allows them to weaken the material and induce small tremors, which progressively releases energy and modifies the energy budget of the whole system. Thus, a bigger earthquake can be mitigated, and the catastrophe can be avoided.

Group 3: Anna Cernetchi, Konstantin Orlov, Edin Sahurity, Kimia Mohammadi
Topic: From Rock to Cuttings
Cement fills the space between the casing string and the formation. Students were provided with some cement core plug samples and tried to measure their compressive strength using improvised means. Compressive strength can show the reliability of the cementing job. As the second objective, students designed a fluid resembling drilling mud that could suspend small cuttings produced during rock drilling. This is one of the many functions that the drilling fluid has during drilling operations.

Winners of the competition - Group 4: Benjamin Garcia de Otazo Hernandez, Sydney Simbürger, Florian Nosek
Topic: Sandbox closed-loop geothermal well
Closed-loop geothermal is a system that extracts or stores heat from underground through a closed-loop pipe (well) system. Currently, there are several configurations of well geometries with varying efficiency and cost. In this exercise, students built a sandbox with heating devices and constructed a pipe system with temperature measurement. By exploring different well configurations, they tried to find an optimal geothermal well system.

Here is the impression of doi-it-lab course from one of the winners:
“Two fellow students and I chose to do a closed sandbox loop, which was supposed to simulate how a closed-loop geothermal well would work in practice. We had quite a bit of fun when building it, since it allowed us to get an actual hands-on grasp on the theory regarding geothermal wells. There were a few issues along the way but we managed to overcome most of them, which definitely let us appreciate the practical approach even more. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would go as far as to say that it has encouraged us greatly, mostly because we were able to create something from scratch and have it work, cementing the idea of us being engineers.”

The event has ended successfully. Students had an opportunity to practice their soft skills while sharing and defending their ideas as well as acquiring and putting in practice knowledge related to their field study. This event also helped students learn about current developments in the Geoenergy industry and encouraged them to pursue the path that they have chosen.

We congratulate the winners and are looking forward to future do-it-lab projects!

SPE Leoben at Petro Barza Event in Oman

SPE Student Chapter Leoben, represented by Patrick Jasek, Paul Töppmann, Jose Kevin Pauyac Estrada and Ahmad Kharrat, participated in the "Petro Barza" event in the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, Muscat.

The various SPE student chapters, who had come to Oman from the USA, Argentina, the Netherlands, Iran, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, presented their SPE chapters and the Geoenergy industry progress in their countries. It was a part of the exhibition showed to a broad audience. The six-day event also allowed time for networking with industry professionals and students from all over the world, a cultural tour in the historic city and an excursion to Petroleum Development Oman's Knowledge World. On top of that, the student chapters competed in a presentation contest, showcasing their views on "How to Pave the Path Towards Energy Transition?". The event ended with a festive closing ceremony with Omani artistic and musical contributions, where the winners of the contest were announced.

It was a perfect opportunity for our students to create valuable connections, learn about the Geoenergy potential of other countries and let other nations know about the current developents in Austria and especially our department. We would like to sincerely thank SPE Sultan Qaboos University Student Chapter for the invitation and organization of the great event!

Field Trip to the Drilling Rig, RAG Austria

The visit to the RAG Drilling Rig and Underground Sun Storage facility in Upper Austria took place on the 1^st of February 2023. It was a very educational and fun experience for our petroleum and geoenergy engineering students. They were very motivated and interested, asked a lot of questions and engaged in fruitful discussions with the RAG team.

On the Drilling Rig, Georg Leipold from RED Drilling Services explained the drilling processes, drilling equipment, and all the components used in the well being drilled. He also showed the BHA (bottom hole assembly) and the directional drilling unit. It was a fulfilling experience for our students, especially those who just finished the Drilling Engineering course this Winter Semester and had the chance to see the theory into practice.

Afterward, RAG team member - Hannah, Alumni from our University, talked about the different completion equipment and explained the benefits of horizontal drilling for the currently drilled well.

The discussion proceeded with the Underground Sun Storage facility tour. Stephan Bauer and his research team discussed the development of the large-scale storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen in underground gas reservoirs. This innovative storage of renewables will play an essential role on the path to climate neutrality. Our students were encouraged by seeing the evolution of the energy industry and the research facilities.

Here is the impression from one of our Bachelor students:
"The field trip was very interesting for all of us. It is a necessary experience to understand how the oil and gas industry works in reality. I personally liked the fact that I and some other students just took this semester Drilling Engineering and we finished the course with this field trip. It was an eye-opening experience, and we could see how everything we learned was put into work."

We are very grateful to the whole RAG team for the provided opportunity and look forward to our future collaborations!

New office manager at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering

Ms. Elisabeth Koch has joined DPE as the new Office Manager of the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering in January 2023.

Ms. Koch has started her career at the Montanuniversität Leoben, moving afterwards to Graz and working at the Medical University for 11 years. After some further work experience at the Styrian Government she has now returned to her birthplace and to her professional beginnings at the MUL. This is the impression of Ms. Koch after one month at our department: "I felt well accepted by all colleagues right from the start, they are always there to help me and give an advice. Together we will certainly be able to master the extensive tasks very well."

We are very happy to welcome Ms. Koch at DPE and we are sure she will use her gained knowledge and organizational skills to help us reach our goals and plans.

Introducing Virtual Reality at DPE

Introducing Virtual Reality at DPE! Our bachelor's students have virtually traveled to a drilling rig and learned its main components in a very interactive way! All this in their first semester of studies.

Virtual Reality (VR) opens up plenty of new opportunities for educational purposes in all of our focus areas: Reservoir, Drilling, Production and Geothermal Engineering. This initiative was supported by our professors: Prof. Thonhauser, Prof. Ott and Prof. Yoshioka.

As a first step, we've successfully implemented virtual reality sessions in the lecture "Introduction to Geoenergy Engineering". One software used in this lecture is TrainBeyond, where students complete three interactive modules: Rig Site Components, Safety Awareness, and Emergencies. Experiencing field environments without the real-life risks. Moreover, a variety of VR tools and software will be available for different learning and training goals at DPE.

VR sessions offer a great way to engage our students from the first contact with Geoenergy and Petroleum Engineering topics and enhance our existing teaching methods. Some of the benefits of VR used for educational purposes are:

• Learning through experience can boost knowledge retention by up to 75%
• VR can improve student achievements increasing exam results by up to 20%
• We only remember 10% of what we read but can retain 90% of what we experience

We look forward to bringing our lectures to a new level with VR and new ways of teaching!

ÖGEW/DGMK Autumn Conference 2022

On the 10.11. - 11.11.2022 the ÖGEW/DGMK Autumn Conference (Herbsttagung) took place as usual in Vienna at the Industriellenvereinigung. The topic of the conference was "Energy Transition - Wish & Reality 2.0". 

The topics of the seminar were:

• World oil outlook 2022.
• Energy transition and raw materials.
• Upscaling of green hydrogen for mobility and industry.
• Use of industrial waste heat for district heating purposes (using the OMV refinery as an example).
• Renewables - and in particular the potential of geothermal energy.

Several students of Montanuniversität Leoben got an opportunity to join the event. Here are their impressions:

"The ÖGEW event gave a broad, interesting overview of the desire and reality of the implementation of the energy transition. Topics such as hydrogen, geothermal energy, CCS and more conventional types of energy supply were addressed and their potential was discussed. Lecturers from OMV, MU Leoben, Burgenland Energie and many others have made this event an absolute must for anyone interested in energy science.”
Pascal Klemenschits (Bachelor PE)

“The clear focus of this year's conference was on the technological and political challenges that the transformation of the energy sector faces. The consensus that Europe's climate goals can only be achieved together with research, innovation and rethinking shows that the time of standstill is over and the way for change is paved. Now it's time to breathe life into these ambitious projects and technologies."
Christoph Manzl (Bachelor IE)

“Every year, the ÖGEW conference takes place in the magnificent building of the Federation of Austrian Industry on Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna. As a student who has attended the event several times, I would like to emphasize that I very much appreciate the invitation, which was also addressed to us, students. The proximity between students and industry is excellent at Montanuniversität, and the ÖGEW also strengthens the exchange between young professionals and industry. Participants were able to gain valuable insights into current trends in the industry, such as reducing CO2 emissions and storing hydrogen underground.”
Felix Waltenberger (Master PE)

“I found it very important to discuss and weigh different options for solving the climate and energy crisis. Although there are known problems with the availability of raw materials for the energy transition, their dimensions are always fascinating. It's a good thing that this as well as the transition of industry were discussed at this event."
Giuseppe Singer (Bachelor IE)

Big thanks to ÖGEW and our student representatives StV for the provided opportunity! We are looking forward to the next events and collaborations.

Meet Our Visiting Lecturer - Nikolaus Knezevic

This time, Nikolaus Knezevic, OMV Senior Expert of Low Carbon Business, gave a great insight to our DPE students in his lecture “Measurement Control, Monitoring and Analysis.”

From the 2^nd to 4^th of November, Mag.rer.nat. Nikolaus Knezevic was giving lectures to our Petroleum Engineering master’s students. It was a perfect opportunity for them to get a hands-on information and experience from the OMV expert.

The participant were introduced to all aspects of measuring at the rig, as well as reporting requirements and are now able to apply that knowledge in the field. They also learned the necessary skills to perform analysis of all available data in real-time and to prepare the data for post analysis.

Our main objective at DPE is to prepare the high-skilled graduates who will be ready to excel in the petroleum engineering field and be able to apply the acquired information in practice. This goal can only be achieved through a tight collaboration with the industry and the expertise that they can share with our students.

We are very grateful to Mr. Knezevic, who for the past 15 years has been the visiting lecturer at DPE, for the shared knowledge and skills. We are looking forward to seeing him again in one of our master classes.

Stay tuned to know more about our visiting lecturers!

Well Integrity Platform Workshop 2022

Our 3_^rd Well Integrity Platform Workshop took place on October 18-20, 2022, in Leoben Austria.

WIP members, DPE staff and industry representatives from OMV, TotalEnergies, Petrobras, Chandler, Halliburton, Eni, ADX Energy Ltd, RAG Austria AG, Equinor, PEMEX, Wintershall Dea, SNOC, tde and Baker Hughes gather together at DPE after 2 years of COVID restrictions. During the 3-day event, the participants had plenty of opportunities to discuss the current projects, present the results and brainstorm new ideas.

The workshop consisted of the gallery walk to our laboratories, where the guests had an opportunity to dive into the research conducted at DPE. CT scan in the reservoir lab, MiniRig in the drilling lab as well as the Pump & Sucker Rod Test Facility were the highlights of the tour. At the same time a lot of important topics were presented, such as:

• Effect of Hydrogen and Methane on Downhole Cements
• Hydrogen: Reservoirs and Well Integrity
• Flow Digitalization: Capturing Fluid Flow Profile
• Real‐Time Autonomous Decision‐Making in Well Construction
• Innovative Detection of Undesirable Drilling Events
• Effect of CO₂ on Cement Sheath Integrity
• Effective CCS Digitalization and Data Analysis

The workshop was followed by breakout sessions in small teams to share knowledge and experience in CO₂ capture and storage, H₂ technologies and digitalization. Several team-building activities like a visit to the Gösser museum, kegeln and dinners at Schwarzer Hund and Gasthof Alltman allowed the participants to get together, socialize and build connections and meaningful relationships.

Well Integrity Platform is a unique collaboration between the university and industry led by Prof. Ravi and Dr. Prohaska. It focuses on various fascinating projects related to the well construction, casing leaks, drilling operations and digitalization of processes. Such workshops strengthen the bond between the researchers and companies and bring in life new ideas and solutions.

We are very grateful for the fruitful and productive discussions that we had and we are looking forward to meeting all the partners again at the next event!

Special thanks to our WIP members OMV, TotalEnergies, Petrobras, and Chandler Engineering, represented by Sabine Wagner and Jovan Stojkovski (OMV), María Pérez Fernández (TotalEnergies), Ingrid Ezechiello (Petrobras), and Robert MacLeod (Chandler). As well as project partners and representatives from global operators and service providers, Kyriacos Agapiou (Halliburton), Fabio Parrozza (Eni), Alan REINGRUBER and Maria Pham (ADX Energy Ltd), Gerald Sam (RAG Austria AG), Rune Godøy (Equinor), Sergio Alberto Sosa Solis (PEMEX), Karsten Karl Krückert (Wintershall Dea), Faisal Al-Nakeeb (Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC), Bernhard Lungwitz (tde) and Yasser Haddad (Baker Hughes).

New Head of Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery

In October 2022, Prof. Keita Yoshioka joined Montanuniversität Leoben as the new Head of the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery. He replaced Prof. Herbert Hofstätter, who recently retired.

Dr. Yoshioka received his Bachelor of Science in Resources and Environmental Engineering from Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) in 2003 and PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2007.  From 2007 to 2017, he worked for Chevron's technology center in Houston, conducting internal consulting and corporate research on various geomechanical problems. During this time, he was seconded to Chevron's geothermal operation in Indonesia to work on hydraulic stimulation in the geothermal fields. In 2017, he crossed the pond and joined the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany. For the last five years with the Helmholtz Centre, he worked on an open-source code development project, OpenGeoSys, especially focusing on computational fracture mechanics in applications for such as nuclear waste disposal, geothermal system and underground energy storage.

We asked Prof. Yoshioka, what message he would like to send to his students and colleagues.

“It is a fact that mankind will continue to use oil and gas for decades to come - whether we like it or not. It is hypocritical and cruel for us in the industrialized society to say ‘Stop using fossil fuels now!’ to the rest of the world. However, at the same time, adverse impacts of climate change are no longer disasters happening in distant places. They are literally happening in our backyard. We must act now and I believe we at the DPE can and should have a bigger role in this fight against climate crisis through our knowledge and skills in dealing with the subsurface. Specifically, we need to dispose gigatons of CO2 per year underground to achieve net zero emissions (IPCC, 2022). We also need to drastically increase the production of hydrogen which would not be economical without abundant subsurface storage. We also need geothermal energy not only for power generation but also for heating homes and industrial use. We should address all these issues through the skill set acquired as Petroleum/Geo-energy Engineer. It surely is a daunting task but I am optimistic that together we can do it.”

Prof. Yoshioka looks forward to meeting all of his students and working closely with his new colleagues. He will be a great addition to our team and we are excited to have him on board. Welcome to DPE and we hope to see you at the Ledersprung!

15 great years with Prof. Hofstätter

Thank you for all these amazing 15 years Professor Herbert Hofstätter!

Prof. Hofstätter retires on September 30^th, after a remarkable career in the industry and 15 years of being the Head of Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery at the Department of Petroleum Engineering.  

Prof. Hofstätter studied Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben and got his PhD degree back in 1992. For many years he was gathering his experience and expertise at RAG Rohoel Aufsuchungs AG (ExxonMobil, Shell affiliate) working as Reservoir Engineer and later as Drilling and Production Manager. Thus, he knew Petroleum Engineering from all aspects and returned to Montanuniversität as the Head of the Chair in 2007. Since then he participated in various projects, published a considerable amount of papers, taught many generations of students, presented his research progress at multiple conferences and collaborated with different industry partners.

The Department of Petroleum Engineering wants to congratulate Prof. Herbert Hofstätter on his retirement and wishes him good luck in his future plans. Dear Professor, we hold you in the highest esteem and greatly appreciate your contributions over the past years at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery. You are not only a great professor, but you always guided your students whenever they needed guidance and helped anyone who needed help. You have always made us realize the importance of life, humanity and have helped in defining what success really means. You are a role model and your achievements in industry and research will serve as a solid foundation for the future generations.

We wish you all the best in your retirement and enjoy the new chapter of your life. We want you to know that you have inspired dozens of students to pursue the Petroleum Engineering path and become great experts in this field. Your legacy will forever stay with DPE, Glück Auf!

Pangeo 2022 - DPE Contributions

Don’t forget! The PANGEO 2022 presentations will start this Sunday and we are happy to announce our contributions!

Time and date: 12.09.2022 at 09:20 AM
Presentation: “A fundamental mineralogical investigation of downhole cements within the context of underground hydrogen storage.”
Presenters: Sammer, T. 
Supervisors: Ravi, K.; Raith, J.
This project is a collaboration between the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering and the Chair of Resource Mineralogy. Our colleagues analyzed the effects that hydrogen might have on the mineralogical phase composition and subsequently on the physical and mechanical parameters of downhole cement.

Time and date: 12.09.2022 at 10:20 AM
Presentation: “A novel upscaling workflow of multi-phase flow properties for water-, and mixed-wet reservoirs – applications for conventional hydrocarbon field developments and low-carbon business”.
Presenters: Burmester, G.
Co-authors: Zekiri, F.; Jurcic, H.; Jones, A.; Arnold, P.; Ott, H.

Time and date: 12.09.2022 at 11:40 AM
Presentation: “A Robust Technique to Predict Formation Fracture Pressure of North Sea - Volve Oil Field Using Petrophysical Log Data.”
Presenters: Krishna, S.; Keshavarz, S.
Supervisor: Thonhauser, G.
In their research our colleagues talk about the necessity of prediction of formation fracture pressure (FP) to optimize different drilling and exploration processes which include well geometry design, analyzing well stability, and designing mud programs. Precise determination of FP will help to prevent mud loss during drilling, selective production and injection, and hydrocarbon migration flow mapping. Their study combines industry-approved empirical equations with machine learning (ML) techniques to identify a robust approach for FP prediction using petrophysical log data.

Time and date: 12.09.2022 at Poster Session
Poster: “Mono-energetic Micro-computed tomography: A reliable potential alternative to the mineral investigation of formation rock”.
Presenters: Nasiri, A.
Supervisors: Prohaska-Marchried, M.; Ravi, K.

As a reminder, PANGEO is a biennial event and an important cornerstone for networking between industry and academia, the promotion of interdisciplinary activities, as well as the support of young academics in geosciences and related fields. It will be held at the Montanuniversität Leoben from the 10th to 13th of September 2022 and will offer a broad scientific program and emphasize applied aspects related to engineering geology and the utilization of raw materials and geoenergy.

For more information about the event as well as the full schedule, please visit the official PANGEO website: https://pangeo.unileoben.ac.at/conference-program/session-program

DPE Introduces New Study Programs: BSc and MSc Geoenergy Engineering

Another step towards a sustainable energy future! DPE introduces new Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Geoenergy Engineering starting in the upcoming winter semester 22/23.

Registration for these programs is already open. You can apply now!

What is Geoenergy Engineering?

Geoenergy Engineering tackles global warming through carbon capture and storage, along with the energy supply challenges via underground storage of natural gas, hydrogen and heat. Furthermore, the future energy systems must be well integrated and requires digital solutions and the development of technologies related to big data, machine learning, and automation, subjects included in our study programs.

The curriculum is designed to teach topics on fossil fuels and their decarbonization, renewable energy, and subsurface energy storage for a sustainable energy future. Geoenergy Engineering is thereby focusing on our hydrocarbon reserves and renewable energy in view of energy transitioning. Aspects are conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources, geothermal energy and hydrogen as a future energy carrier.

The ability to integrate geology, programming and engineering as well as the skills to understand, simulate and predict subsurface behavior, allows future Geoenergy Engineers to develop viable and environmental solutions for the ever-changing energy landscape.

Why study Geoenergy Engineering at DPE?

The Geoenergy Engineering Bachelor’s and Master’s programs are ideal for students seeking an environmentally responsible and geosciences-related career centered on reliable and sustainable energy. It is suited for those aiming to retrain from the traditional energy industry to meet the low carbon needs of the future.

DPE has been involved and actively developed future technologies in this field for several years. Therefore, our top scientists and extraordinary graduates are well equipped with comprehensive knowledge and adequate tools for the transition to a sustainable energy future. They are ready to share and exchange academic and professional expertise in the new study programs.

A tremendous amount of work, experience, and all our passion have been put into creating the Geoenergy Engineering study programs. We are looking forward to welcoming the future Geoenergy Engineers at Montanuniversität Leoben!

The information about our new study programs will soon be available on our website. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, please visit the website of Montanuniversität Leoben for further details about the BSc and MSc Degrees in Geoenergy Engineering.

CURRICULUM GEOENERGY ENGINEERING

Welcome to the DPE Team!

Let us welcome our new DPE team members! Ramzy Albishini, Ameneh Sobhani, Shwetank Krishna and Elena Chevelcha have joined Department Petroleum Engineering in 2022. They all are such a great addition to our team, and we are thrilled to have them on board.

Ramzy Albishini was a workover production engineer at the Syrian Petroleum Company. After that, he finished his Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben and became a university assistant at DPE. Here is what Dipl.-Ing. Albishini says about his experience at Department Petroleum Engineering: “I have had a positive experience working at DPE regarding the super-friendly working environment and the room for creativity and personal growth.”

Ameneh Sobhani has a Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Petroleum University of Technology of Tehran and has worked in the petroleum engineering department at the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC). She is now a research assistant at DPE and is working on machine learning and geoenergy data analysis.

Shwetank Krishna has a Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering and worked as a research assistant at the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS in Malaysia before joining DPE as a senior lecturer. Dr. Krishna works at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering and focuses his research on predictive and mathematical modeling, complex fluid flow, and rheological analysis.

Elena Chevelcha obtained a Ph.D. in Petroleum Production at Montanuniversität Leoben in 2014 and worked as a senior production engineer at MOL Group in Hungary a few years later. In 2022 Elena became a senior lecturer at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery.

Welcome to the team!

DPE Alumni Driving the Transformation Forward with T.A. Cook - Part of Accenture

With T.A. Cook - Part of Accenture to the Intelligent Asset Management of the future - alumni of DPE Montanuniversität Leoben drive the transformation forward.

DPE graduates, who successfully completed their studies in petroleum engineering, are now contributing their acquired qualifications to the management consulting at T.A. Cook. The DPE alumni, Manuel Habernig (Consultant), Florian Weninger (Consultant), Julian Pflügl (Senior Consultant) together with their team develop programs to optimize profitability in capital-intensive industries. At the same time, they apply a unique combination of change management, technical expertise, and innovative exchanges with well-known clients.

T.A. Cook (Part of Accenture) is the top player in the asset management market and a two-time hidden champion in asset performance management. The approximately 130 consultants, engineers and change agents are the experts when it comes to optimizing capital-intensive assets.

The Step Towards Accenture Industry X

T.A. Cook and Accenture are creating the Intelligent Asset Management of the future and help businesses rethink and accelerate their industrial transformation journey. To this end, Accenture formed a team of Industry X specialists strengthened by T.A. Cook's portfolio and expertise. T.A. Cook’s skills bring Accenture in direct contact with industrial “hardware” and focuses on core asset management topics, while Accenture brings its extensive digital expertise and scalability to the table.

T.A Cooks (Part of Accenture) is also offering job positions to our DPE students. Curious and looking for more information? Then take a look at their official website or contact them directly!

Contact: www.tacook.com
Julian Pflügl, Senior Consultant bei T.A. Cook (Part of Accenture)
E-Mail: julian.pfluegl@accenture.com

Nicole Sommerlatte, HR Manager bei T.A. Cook (Part of Accenture)
E-Mail: nicole.sommerlatte@accenture.com

Research Highlights Summer 2022

For the foreseeable future, oil and gas will remain the world's primary energy source. Thus, petroleum assets are just as important today as they have been during the last century to meet the world's energy demands.

Researchers at our DPE Laboratory facilities are studying how to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of oil and gas exploration and production, which rely so heavily on technology innovation and automation.

Our scientific staff focuses their research on maximizing the economic recovery from reservoirs. Their activities in this area include reservoir engineering, well and drilling engineering, petroleum production, geomechanics and wellbore integrity, fluid flow through porous media, modelling, machine learning and simulation. Here are some of the latest publications and articles submitted by our researchers and PhD students:

• Prof. Ott and Prof. Kharrat - Evaluation of Gas based EOR Methods in Gas Invaded Zones of Fractured Carbonate Reservoir (2022)
• Dipl.-Ing. Arnold - Benchmarking conventional and machine learning segmentation techniques for digital rock physics analysis of fractured rocks (Feb 2022)
• Dipl.-Ing. Elmgerbi - A Practical Decision Tool to Evaluate and Rank Potential Solutions for Expected Downhole Drilling Problems During the Well-planning Phase (Feb 2022)
• Prof. Kharrat, Dipl.-Ing. Brandstätter, Dipl.-Ing. Arnold and Prof. Ott - Development of foam-like emulsion phases in porous media flow (15 Feb 2022)
• Dipl.-Ing. Elmgerbi and Prof. Thonhauser - Machine Learning Techniques Application for Real-Time Drilling Hydraulic Optimization (21 Feb 2022)
• Prof. Kharrat - The development of novel nanofluid for enhanced oil recovery application (1 Mar 2022)
• Prof. Kharrat - The Mechanistic Investigation On The Effect Of The Crude Oil /Brine Interaction On The Interface Properties: A Study On Asphaltene Structure (May 2022)
• Prof. Ott - Comparability of in situ crude oil emulsification in phase equilibrium and under porous-media-flow conditions (June 2022)
• Dipl.-Ing. Elmgerbi and Prof. Thonhauser - Holistic autonomous model for early detection of downhole drilling problems in real-time (22 June 2022)

As part of many research projects, DPE strives to develop state-of-the-art technologies for petroleum as well es geoenergy fields. Our team is currently working on CO₂ capturing and storage, hydrogen technologies and geothermal energy recovery. These innovations are very significant for the energy transition and the world’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by year 2050.

To learn more about our research areas and partners, visit DPE website https://dpe.ac.at/research/areas/.

DPE at the InterPore 2022 Conference

InterPore 2022 conference was held in Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi from 30^th May to 2^nd June. Our team from the Chair of Reservoir Engineering attended the InterPore 2022 conference to present their latest work.

The InterPore annual conference enables the collaboration of researchers across disciplines and facilitates the exchange of new ideas. It also brings awareness of research activities from porous media scientists from around the globe. General themes of the conference are:

• Fundamentals of porous media
• Computational challenges in porous media simulation
• Experimental studies, and applications involving porous media. 

The main goal of the conference is to bring together researchers from all areas of porous media science and technology development, particularly people who do not have the opportunity to meet in other single discipline-oriented conferences.

This year, DPE academic staff presented the following research topics:

Ahmad Kharrat: Intrinsic Mobility control by Foam-like Emulsion. The Influence of Imaging Contrast Agents on Emulsification under Flow Conditions.

Omidreza Amrollahinasab: Simultaneous Uncertainty Analysis for SCAL Data Interpretation.

Patrick Jasek: Microfluidic study of biomass-growth induced changes on hydraulic properties. Investigation of growth characteristics under varying nutrient gas environments.

Pit Arnold: Extension and Uncertainty Modeling of Imbibition Processes using the Morphological Method – a Reality Check.

The conference was an excellent opportunity to learn and share multidisciplinary advances in porous media such as CO₂ sequestration, energy storage, geothermal energy and meet the people of the community in person. 

Bouchra Lamik-Thonhauser wins Female Entrepreneurs AWARD 2022

We are very happy and proud to announce that Bouchra Lamik-Thonhauser, our DPE alumni and COO of tde digital GmbH, won 1^st place in the category “Export“ at the Female Entrepreneurs AWARD ceremony. The gala at The Ritz Carlton Vienna hotel was attended by around 160 guests, and the ceremony was streamed live online.

Female Entrepreneurs AWARD, a joint award presented by "Women in Business" and "Die Presse", took place for the eighth time this year. Five categories recognized exceptional women entrepreneurs who have demonstrated courage, innovative strength, creativity, and their very special entrepreneurial success stories. The Entrepreneurs AWARD aims to increase visibility of female entrepreneurs and their great achievements. With 241 submissions this year, the award set a new record.

After graduating from Montanuniversität Leoben as a petroleum engineer, Mrs. Lamik-Thonhauser founded a company that offers digital solutions with data as a core source, and develop technologies to speed up the energy transition including hydrogen and geothermal applications.

tde digital is now an international company in the energy industry that provides technologies for the sustainable production of affordable and clean energy. The company's core focus is energy transition and contribution to a CO₂-free future. tde has global branches in Norway, the Middle East, Russia, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, and North and South America with an export rate of almost 100%. Bouchra Lamik-Thonhauser supports oil and gas companies to produce energy more sustainably and is a great example of a successful entrepreneur in the energy field.

Congratulations Bouchra Lamik-Thonhauser!

To learn more about the Female Entrepreneurs AWARD 2022, please visit the following link.
For more information about Bouchra's career and success story, read the following news article.

PANGEO 2022: Reservoir Engineering Trends and Challenges

We are proud to announce that our professors, Prof. Holger Ott and Prof. Riyaz Kharrat, are organizing and hosting the session "Reservoir Engineering Trends and Challenges" at the PANGEO AUSTRIA 2022 conference!

PANGEO is a biennial event and an important cornerstone for networking between industry and academia, the promotion of interdisciplinary activities, as well as the support of young academics in geosciences and related fields.

PANGEO 2022, to be held in Leoben from 10th to 13th September 2022, will offer a broad scientific program and invites contributors from all earth science disciplines and institutions. Following up on the last event held in Leoben in 2010, the conference will furthermore emphasize applied aspects related to engineering geology and the utilization of raw materials and geoenergy.

The conference will cover 21 Technical Sessions and Four Excursions. A Company Exhibition at the venue will promote networking between industry and academia. The evening program will include Icebreaker, Public Evening Lecture and Conference Dinner, guaranteeing interesting and versatile conversations.

IMPORTANT DATES

01/02/2022 Registration opens
30/04/2022 Deadline for exhibitor registration
30/06/2022 Deadline for abstract submission 
30/06/2022 Deadline for early bird fee
10/09/2022 Pre-conference excursions and icebreaker

More information about his event can be found on the official website: https://pangeo.unileoben.ac.at/

Long Night of Research 2022

The Long Night of Research (LNF) is the largest event for science and research in the German-speaking countries. Every 2 years, innovative findings, the latest research results and groundbreaking technologies are made accessible to a wide audience on an evening throughout Austria. The aim of the LNF is to present science and research in an innovative, understandable and entertaining way with free admission. This year, on May 20, DPE took part in this event and offered visitors a possibility to experience research live!

The tour started with a short presentation in which our guests learned about the functions of well cements and their testing procedures. These are particularly demanding in CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) processes, in which CO₂ is stored underground. Afterwards, in an experiment, we tested cement samples for their compressive strength by applying force on them until they break.

Next was the Flow Digitalization Station where students demonstrated how different drilling fluids behave when they are pumped through a pipe one after the other. The behavior of the liquids was recorded with a high-speed camera and was analyzed together with visitors.

Lastly, in order to get a better feeling for the functions of different drilling fluids, another experiment on viscosity was prepared. Three liquids of different compositions were mixed and people could test whether these liquids were able to slow down a falling egg so much that it did not break on the ground.

In the end, we had a nice discussion with our guest about the oil and gas field, the projects we are working on and what are the prospect of this field in the future. We were very happy to see so many children and girls interested in science and especially in petroleum engineering.

The Long Night of Research has become a fixed point for the open dialogue between science and society. The LNF is also a contact exchange where young people can experience the latest developments and technologies in a playful way and get to know training facilities, areas of application and the jobs of the future. We are looking forward to the next Long Night of Research event in 2024!

Big thanks to our DPE staff, who made this event possible: Fabian Fasching, Felix Hahn, Stefan Lebwohl, Patrick Lutz, Daniel Angyal, Nico Masching, Alexander Fine and Shwetank Khrishna.

Field Trip to OMV, Gänserndorf

On May 19, our students went on a field trip to OMV, Gänserndorf, which was organized by StV PE. They had the opportunity to meet with Reinhard Oswald, Senior Vice President of OMV Austria Exploration & Production GmbH. We are very thankful to Mr. Oswald for such an interesting presentation and inspiring discussion.

The trip was also a great opportunity to see the production field in action, get to know more about workover operations and photovoltaic system, visit of the laboratories and core center. The highlight of the trip was the excursion to the OMV Innovation & Technology Center, where the cutting-edge technologies can be seen up close.

Field trips are important for the future engineers as it gives them an overview of the oil industry so that they can decide which direction they would like to proceed in the future. Especially we were happy to see that majority of the group were women, our promising Petroleum Engineers. 

We are looking forward to the many other field trips that are bound to come in the future. Stay tunned!

Interviews with Prof. Hofstätter on Kurier, ORF, and Servus TV

Check out these interesting interviews with Prof. Herbert Hofstätter on Kurier, ORF, and Servus TV.

Prof. Hofstätter, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, and his team developed a fracking technology that allows production in a more environmentally friendly way. Want to know more about it? Please visit the links below:

▪️ORF: https://steiermark.orf.at/stories/3154343/

▪️Kurier: https://kurier.at/wirtschaft/die-renaissance-des-frackings

Published papers on the topic:

▪️ https://pure.unileoben.ac.at/Development_of_a_new_Stimulation.pdf

▪️ https://pure.unileoben.ac.at/Green_Technology_for_Economic_Productivity.pdf

We3D Annual Meeting - Innovative Additive Manufacturing Applications

In cooperation with about 25 partners in a project funded by the COMET Competence Projects for Excellent Technologies program, DPE is bringing forward a new generation of Wire-based Additive Manufacturing (WAM) to the O&G industry.

On the 7^th and 8^th of April, the first We3D Annual Meeting took place in the Schloss Ranshofen, Braunau am Inn. Organized by Dr. Stephan Ucsnik and his team at LKR, the 2-day event was an excellent opportunity to bring the project partners together and create a useful forum for the exchange of views and ideas. Researchers and industrial partners presented the activities and progress carried out during the first year of this ambitious and exciting project. Representing Montanuniversität Leoben, Prof. Martin Stockinger, Sharen León, Manuel Keinprencht and Karin Hartl, attended the meeting and talked about their activities, findings and next steps regarding the sub-project 1.2 steel alloys.

The overall We3D project’s goal is to produce high quality 3D alloy components, innovative methods and technologies using WAM. All this is to be done whilst simultaneously reducing the cost, environmental impact, and time taken. Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) is one of DPE’s many fields of research, with the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering already having completed a series of research projects on this topic.

While previous MAM projects at DPE focused on producing spare parts for the oil and gas industry, We3D 1.2 tackles challenges in the wellbore. Thus, the technology has to be developed to withstand harsh environments and constrained positions. With this innovation, the industry could experience an alternative, rigless technology and an entire new way of applying additive manufacturing to solve complex challenges in the oil and gas industry.

It was really great to finally meet all the partners in person during the first We3D Annual Meeting! Looking forward to the next event. Stay tuned!

Project partners: AVL List GmbH, Fronius International GmbH, hightech metal ProzessentwicklungsgesellschaftmbH, INOCON Technologie GmbH, Johann Rohrer GmbH, Linde Gas GmbH, MatCalc Engineering GmbH, OMV AG, Plasmo Industrietechnik GmbH, RHP-Technology GmbH, SBI GmbH, Siemens AGc, SinusPro GmbH, voestalpine Metal Forming GmbH, x-technik IT & Medien GmbH, LKR Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum Ranshofen GmbH, RECENDT GmbH, TU Graz, Institut IMAT, Montanuniversität Leoben, Department für Petroleum Engineering, Montanuniversität Leoben, Institut für Umformtechnik, TU Wien, Institut für Werkstoffkunde und Werkstofftechnologien, TU München, Lehrstuhl für Werkstofftechnik der Additiven Fertigung, pro-beam GmbH & Co. KGaA, robotized rm systems GmbH, voestalpine Böhler Welding GmbH.

Read more about this project here.

Reflecting Oil: Arts-Based Research on Oil Transitionings

In collaboration with the University for Applied Arts Vienna, DPE combines art and engineering to bring forward a new understanding of crude oil.

Our society is not only technically but also culturally dependent on oil (as a metaphor for fossil fuels). On the other hand, oil is abstract because hardly anyone comes into contact with it. Therefore, the project aims to reflect oil in its four conceptual elements. Its material element as a chemical mixture, in its global element as a geopolitical cause of conflict and environmental pollution, and in its symbolic element as a worldwide object of desire. 

The project aims at new perspectives on the resource oil through experiments and reflections. These experiments have been performed in collaboration with artists and the Chair of Reservoir Engineering in several events taking place in our DPE laboratories. During these sessions, experiments traditionally used in petroleum engineering were adapted to analyze crude oil together with different culturally significant substances like honey and milk. The lead artist, Ernst Logar, stated that “the unconventional manipulation of material and creative use of technical devices provides space for speculative research and new ways of thinking”.

Research projects like these allow scientists and artists to expand their knowledge and exchange their experiences in ways never thought of before. Thus, resulting in the creation of a cultural connection between them.

To learn more about this project, click here.
https://www.reflectingoil.info/en/

Public Speaking Workshop

On the 25th and 26th of February, Florence Le Clézio, a Public Speaking trainer and specialist, visited DPE and held yet another successful workshop with our students.

Soft skills matter! At DPE we know how public speaking skills can help students in their future career advancement, as they imply professionalism, leadership skills, critical thinking abilities and creativity. Such qualities are very valuable for the competitive oil business and help young engineers excel in job interviews as well as stand out at work. That is why the Public Speaking Workshop was a wonderful addition to the Socializing Skills Workshop which took place a week ago.

Here is what Ms. Le Clézio said about her experience with our students:

"During the Influential Speaking Workshop, students learned how to increase their power and self-confidence when speaking in public. Besides tips and tricks on how to connect with their audience, they learned how to use verbal and non-verbal communication (voice, body language, posture, breathing) to support their message and, last but not least, how to manage stress and anxiety, with specific exercises borrowed from singing and theater techniques.  Both groups were very active. Some students were given the opportunity to deliver a short speech and received constructive feedback."

We are very grateful to Ms. Le Clézio for sharing her experience with the participants and to our STV for giving the students another opportunity to master their communication skills.

Socializing Skills Workshop

On the 18^th and 21^st of February, DPE students and staff attended the online workshop “Socializing Skills” held by Prof. MEd Mag. phil. Norbert Berger from K.F. University of Graz. The event was organized and sponsored by the PE STV board (Petroleum Engineering students’ representatives).

Communication exists in various forms. Whether by gestures, speaking or writing, we communicate to interact with other people, express our thoughts and share information every day. But how to do it more efficiently? This question is even more important for the oil and gas industry, where international negotiations and information exchange play a significant role. At DPE, we prepare students and equip them with the set of soft skills required for their professional life. Therefore, the STV PE invited Prof. Norbert Berger to share his experience and train our future petroleum engineers to develop and analyze their social skills.

During the 2-day event, students had a chance to express their challenges in communication, work on them and finally improve their communication skills. Professor Berger was very attentive to the students’ needs, made the workshop interactive and filled with diverse activities. The participants were given access to the numerous learning materials on Moodle that Prof. Berger designed in collaboration with other leading communication experts.

All participants were very satisfied with the organization and workshop’s outcome.

‘I very much enjoyed the workshop with Prof. Berger. Great thanks to our Student Representatives for organizing this event and giving me an opportunity to improve my social skills as well as learn about cultural differences.’ – Fahmi Al Salmi

‘Norbert provided us with a lot of useful materials. Especially I enjoyed small talks and role play. Thanks for the instructive and fun atmosphere! ‘- Paul Töppmann

In the end, the social skills workshop was an excellent opportunity for the participants to broaden their horizons, step on to a new level of communication and get precious advice from an expert in this field.

Chair of Reservoir Engineering Attends 34^th SCA Symposium

Last fall, the Chair of Reservoir Engineering took part in the International Symposium of the Society of Core Analysts.

With the new year upon us, it is important to reflect on DPE’s various accomplishments over the past year - the symposium being one of them. From the 13-16^th of September the Chair of Reservoir Engineering participated in the symposium’s technical workshops, live sessions, Q&As as well as research presentations.

Of the DPE staff, two presented their insightful research:

• Ahmad Kharrat: Developed emulsification in porous media flow.
• Mostafa Borji: Material balance and mixing behavior during emulsification of crude oil by using micro-X-ray tomography.

Other participants presented on a variety of perceptive topics such as improved Special Core Analysis techniques and interpretations and geomechanics. Having completed the symposium, the Chair is looking forward to what next year’s symposium will bring.

To read more about the conference, click here. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We’d like to wish you all a pleasant and relaxing Christmas break and a good transition into 2022.

We have now mastered another year affected by COVID-19. Despite the ongoing pandemic, DPE is breaking new ground! The development of new study programs in "Geoenergy Engineering" alongside Petroleum Engineering is underway and will be completed early next year. In this way, we make it visible what we have been living in research and teaching for a long time; energy supply must not only be secure, but also sustainable. Issues such as decarbonization, energy transition, and renewable energies will move into our focus and gain importance for society and our department. With this move, we keep our current strength and prepare for the future!

On behalf of our department, thanks to everyone for the hard and constructive work in 2021. Stay healthy and enjoy your holidays!

Holger Ott, Head of Department Petroleum Engineering

DPE Hosts its 7^th Reservoir Engineering Seminar

On the 18^th of October, DPE hosted its 7^th Reservoir Engineering Seminar on the subject of multiscale pore structures and fluid interactions in nanoporous mudrocks. The guest speaker, Dr. Leon Leu, took the audience through his journey of developing an accurate prediction of pore structures and fluid flow and transport in mudrocks.
 
Creating and using statistically relevant multiscale pore network models in mudrocks is a challenge that the industry has yet to overcome. The sheer multiscale complexity and heterogeneity of pore structures is the largest contributor to the issue. Solving this challenge is Dr. Leu’s scope of experimental research.
 
During the seminar Dr. Leu briefly went over his research throughout his academic career, with a particular focus on his work using X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) microscopy in combination with statistical analysis to understand mudrock pore structures. To largen the scope of understanding, his research was complemented with a neutron scattering (SANS) investigation of reservoir fluid behavior under nano confinement and reservoir conditions. The research has a multitude of industry specific applications, such as economic natural gas extraction, to broader uses, such as safe CO₂ storage, and radioactive waste management.
 
With the attendance of professors and PhD students, the seminar’s Q&A session brought up perceptive questions to help further analyze the topic. DPE is looking forward to the insight that the next guest speakers will share at the upcoming seminars.

To read more about his work click here.

Meet the New PE STV

Sophie Decker, Alexander Perzinger and Lukas Maier are the newly elected PE STV board who will be the bridge between the students and the department for the next two years.

As per the results of the ÖH elections held last semester, the new PE student representatives were voted unanimously by the petroleum engineering student body.  The board are all in their 7th semesters giving them a depth of knowledge and experience when it comes to helping other petroleum engineering students. With Decker as the chairwoman, Perzinger as the first deputy and Maier as the second deputy, the board has a multitude of plans, from networking events to department merchandise.
 
When it comes to more events, the PE STV have got it covered. Having hosted their first Regular’s Table last month, the board are looking forward to making this a regular event. This will not only develop a better connection between the students themselves, but also between the students and the department staff. Students can also look forward to field trips and multiple company presentations to further prepare them for the sector.
 
Stay up to date with all of the PE STV’s exciting plans by checking the Petroleum Crew WhatsApp group chat. If you have not joined the group chat yet or have any questions, feel free to contact the PE STV at stv-pe@oeh.unileoben.ac.at.

Chair of Reservoir Engineering Participates in InterPore 2021

During the summer, a team from the Chair of Reservoir Engineering attended the prestigious InterPore conference to present their latest work.

Due to COVID this event was hosted online, allowing researchers from around the world to continue sharing their findings from the 31^st of May to the 4^th of June.

DPE academic staff presented the following:

• Ahmad Kharrat - Developed emulsification in porous media flow.
• Pit Arnold - Multi-phase flow parameters for unconsolidated reservoirs using digital rock physics.
• Mostafa Borji - Material balance and mixing behavior during emulsification of crude oil by using micro-X-ray tomography.

The conference was an excellent opportunity to learn and share multidisciplinary advances in porous media such as CO₂ sequestration, energy storage, geothermal energy and food. Kharrat praised the conference stating that the “diversity in presentation topics was amazing” and that it was a “great opportunity” to present his work there.

For more information regarding the conference, click here. 

Montanuniversität and UFES Partnership

Montanuniversität Leoben and Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo have strengthened their ties. By signing their new partnership on the 28^th of May, the universities have eased not only the transfer of knowledge between the universities, but also that of Erasmus students. This partnership was made possible thanks to our visiting Professor Dr. Nascimento, and 2012 MUL graduate, who helped pioneer this development upon arriving at DPE in 2019.
 
UFES is situated in south-eastern Brazil with its main campus in Vítoria and other three campuses located in the same state of Espírito Santo. The campus in Sāo Mateus offers a bachelor’s program in petroleum engineering which covers exploration, reservoir, well and production engineering. The program is in Portuguese, thus it requires students to have a minimum of a B2 level to participate. For DPE bachelor’s students looking to do a semester abroad, UFES might just be the perfect place.
 
DPE is looking forward to the research possibilities and student exchanges that will stem from this new partnership.
 
Read more here. 

voestalpine Attends Wire Rope Test Stand Launch

On June 6th, members of voestalpine Wire Technology GmbH gathered in Leoben to attend the launch of the Wire Rope Test Stand facility at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery.

The optimization of Artificial Lift Systems has always been key in reaching the goals of a production plan. For sucker rod pumps as the most common type of Artificial Lift, this means extending the mean time between failures and increasing lifting efficiency.

In this regard, the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery established a cooperation with voestalpine Wire Technology GmbH to investigate the possible application of wire strands as a replacement for sucker rod strings. With their advanced mechanical properties and continuous structure, wire strands are expected to minimize sucker rod failures as well as the corresponding Lost Time Incident (LIT).

To analyze the behavior of the strands under wellbore conditions, the hydraulic test stand, sponsored by voestalpine, was constructed at the Pump Testing Facility at Montanuniversität Leoben. There, the durability of these strands can be observed under various loading and movement conditions. The test stand has been operational as of early 2021. The results will offer a contained, adjustable, and economical infrastructure to gain handling and operational expertise which will be the basis of future field installations.

First MUL-CSM Double Degree Graduate

The first graduate from the double master’s degree with Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Daniel Rathmaier, shares his experience.

After a successful completion of his master’s studies focused on Reservoir Management, Mr. Rathmaier will now begin his PhD with a full ride scholarship at CSM, to which he greatly credits his success to the double degree.
 
“Travel is the only thing you can spend money on that makes you richer”. Upon completing his bachelor’s degree in 2019 at DPE, these words echoed in Daniel Rathmaier’s mind. Having always wanted an experience studying abroad, Mr. Rathmaier decided that the best thing for his future career was to apply for the brand new and competitive double degree program with Colorado School of Mines. The double degree program consists of a year at DPE, followed by a year at CSM. The thesis must be defended against the two universities, resulting in a double degree.
 
Daniel Rathmaier’s favorite aspect of the program was “definitely the collaboration between North America and Europe”. It gave him the opportunity to expand his knowledge on what reservoir engineering can be. This was particularly seen with shale. Over there he found, “the main point was on unconventionals, so it's great to have different perspectives”. Another benefit was “working, with industry experts, not just from industry, but also from different universities all over the world”.
 
Regarding the application process, his advice to future students is to “get in touch with universities as soon as possible”. The application process requires a lot of planning, by contacting the universities earlier, students will not only have a better understanding of the requirements, but also obtain assistance from the two universities. Moreover, he not only encourages students who are interested to apply, but also to contact him, through the department, if they have any questions.

Virtual WIP Workshop 2021

DPE academic staff and students hosted the second WIP Workshop on May 18-19, 2021.

WIP members and industry delegates from Baker Hughes, Chandler, ENI, Equinor, Halliburton, OMV, Petrobras, Saudi Aramco, TDE, TOTAL and WintershallDea attended the Virtual WIP Workshop 2021.  With representatives from the United States, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Norway, France, Saudi Arabia, and Austria, the event was held online due to COVID-19 restrictions.

During the 2-day event, DPE academic staff, students and professionals presented and discussed research projects in four sessions: 

• Effect of Hydrogen, Methane, CO2 on Cement Sheath Integrity
• Digital Flow Loop & Measurement Techniques
• In-Situ Cement Sheath Fatigue Evaluation, Ultrasonic Correlations & Wellbore Cleaning Techniques
• SAAB, Well Restoration, Additive Manufacturing & MiniRig

The DPE staff prepared a virtual video tour to show the laboratory facilities and research. In addition, networking activities were organized, including WIPacks with Austrian goodies that were sent in advanced to further the connection between attendees.

The virtual event was highly productive, insightful, and fun thanks to all participants and their fruitful discussions as well as the use of the networking software Remo. In their feedback, all attendees expressed their keenness in participating in further DPE activities and next year’s workshop to meet again.

Didaktik-Werkstatt: Implementation of Innovative Didactics Concepts in Higher Education

Dr. Patrick Eisner, Senior Lecturer at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, was awarded a Didaktik-Werkstatt's certificate of the program's completion in January 2021.

He participated in the Didaktik-Werkstatt program from January to December 2020. During this training, he learned how to create interactive content, apply innovative didactic concepts, and how to use digital media to lift DPE’s lectures to a new level of teaching. Moreover, the concept of properly gathering feedback from students as well as working with heterogeneous student groups were key topics of the individual sessions. Finally, the online networking module perfectly fitted into the current pandemic's requirements.

Didaktik-Werkstatt is a University didactic training program focused on the implementation of innovative didactics concepts in higher education. The program is offered by the Styrian University Conference, which is comprised of nine Styrian Universities.

WintershallDea Offers Projects for MSc and PhD Theses

WintershallDea is offering MSc and PhD theses topics, the application deadline is next Tuesday, February 2^nd, 2021.

If you are interested in a topic, please submit a short application, CV and a letter of motivation referred directly to the project you want to juergen.maehs@wintershalldea.com.

The company will provide mentors who will advise students during their research. In addition, depending on the project, students might be required to work on their analyses at the company's facilities.

• Project A >> for a PhD student, it is complex and it requires some independent work with Kongsberg.

Application of Data Science and Machine Learning Algorithms for ROP Optimization

The industry has so far published a number of algorithms for ROP’s optimization (ROP = Rate of Penetration, in drilling of formations). During planning and execution of a multi-well campaign, machine learning algorithms can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by optimizing parameters or simply by suggesting a trip for the drillbit change out. Wintershall Dea is willing to investigate the use of those commonly available algorithms and to implement them on a field development campaign.

The work will be performed in two stages:
1. A theoretic part will screen the available algorithms and will source the data input required for them to work in real-time (during operations) or in planning stage (before the start of the operations).
2. A practical part will aim at the development of a Smart Agent in Kongsberg SiteCom environment (as an enhancement of their ROP Optimization existing console) for the field implementation. The selected algorithm(s) should act as a digital advisors to the field crew.

The ideal candidate should have a good knowledge of data mining. A preliminary understanding of drilling practices and parameters is expected.

• Project B >> for a MSc student (5 months minimum time), it is a mix of a compiling exercise with practical field research.

Estimation, measurement and monitoring of emissions related to rigless intervention and well services activities

Wintershall Dea seeks to contribute to the decarbonization of its products, and to minimize its environmental impact by optimizing its energy efficiency. As part of our environmental and sustainability targets for 2030 Company is embarking on a journey to estimate, measure, monitor and abate the emissions derived from its operated activities. Global Well Construction is part of this process and is willing to support Company effort through a detailed analysis of the emissions associated with rigless interventions and well services activities. The study should aim at summarizing how the CH4, NOx and CO2 emissions from rigless activities are accounted and estimated within Company. A field research in different BUs in Europe will be carried to measure (where possible) and validate the given assumptions. A monitoring plan and a technology selection will be screened as part of the research.

• Project C >> for a MSc student, it is a mix of international standard review, practical lab capability assessment, and workflow definition.

Test protocol for the assessment of shale as a barrier in the decommissioning of wells

The assessment of shale as a barrier (SAAB) in well decommissioning is still to gain acceptance within the Industry and the Regulators. There are many reported cases in which creeping shale formations have closed the annular gap and provided a sealing barrier, however isolated occurrences cannot be used to justify the adoption of such technique for the long term abandonment of wells. O&G UK together with NORSOK have defined national guidelines and standards for the qualification of barrier materials for the decommissioning of wells, including some indication on the qualification of shale as a barrier. Wintershall Dea is willing to understand the current level of acceptance of SAAB within Industry and Regulators in the countries where it operates. The study should aim at summarizing status quo, understanding the optimization potential for Wintershall Dea, assessing lab capabilities, and identifying sampling requirements and log measurements needed for the qualification process of SAAB. Ideally, a general workflow and decision tree should be developed which can be used as a tool for planning and execution of decommissioning projects considering the SAAB application.

• Project D >> for a MSc student (4 months minimum time), it is a practical design verification exercise.

Challenges in the conversion of existing oil/gas producer wells to CCS wells – a practical application

Wintershall Dea seeks to contribute to the decarbonization of its products and to minimize its environmental impact. As part of Company environmental and sustainability targets for 2050 Wintershall Dea is partnership with other European players in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects. Global Well Construction is part of this effort and is willing to perform a detailed analysis of the technical challenges associated with the conversion of existing production wells into CO2 injection wells. The candidate should evaluate the integrity of the well barrier envelopes throughout the lifecycle of a CO2 injection project. A field and a set of candidate wells will be given as a real example. The candidate should have a good knowledge of well design (casing and cementing design), and a preliminary understanding of CO2 thermophysical properties during compression cycles.

Christmas Gifts & Online Event

On December 19^th, our International Coordinator, Saikhantuya Buyannasan, conducted an online Christmas event with our students enrolled in the Joint International Master's Program. During this online session the students were informed about Austrian Christmas traditions, whereas the students also compared their individual ways of celebrating Christmas in their home countries. Finally, Saikhantuya instructed the participants how to prepare a delicious Austrian Glühwein, for which the students received the spices as a gift the day before. This event was fully sponsored by DPE. On behalf of all participants, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021!

We wish you a nice and relaxed holiday season and a New Year full of health and happiness!

Even though an unusual year is coming to an end, it is great to see that our department remains very lively in every respect, even from a distance. I want to thank all of you who contributed to this positive and constructive atmosphere – it is really a pleasure to work with you and for such a department! After all, it is not just about managing the situation. It seems that academic and also private life will no longer be the same after the pandemic but perhaps more modern, virtual, and flexible. Let's use the current momentum and keep turning it into something positive.

On behalf of DPE and my colleagues, Profs. Gerhard Thonhauser and Herbert Hofstätter, Merry Christmas! Stay safe, and enjoy the holidays.

Holger Ott, Head of Department Petroleum Engineering.

Travel Information COVID19

Last update 19.12.20

Departure from Austria:

• Students should inform themselves on the temporary entry requirements of their destination country. This can be done on https://www.bmeia.gv.at/reise-aufenthalt/reiseinformation/laender/ or on the respective homepages of the embassy.
• Some countries require negative PCR Test results, some do not. Students can be tested in Leoben before their departure or at the airport. We recommend to do it in Leoben, due to the possible waiting time at the airport. In Leoben, it will be done quickly and easily.
• There is one PCR test center in Leoben: Labor Dr. Tiran https://www.labor-tiran.at/kontakt/, located at Roseggerstraße 19.
• A PCR COVID test costs 120 euros, if an appointment is made online, it costs 108 euros instead, with results ready on the next day around 14:00. If the results are needed on the same day, it is possible to get them at an additional cost of 25 euros. It is also possible to get the result in English or another language, however it will cost an additional 15 euros.
• Appointments can be made on https://tiran.cerdio.com/. It is also possible to make an appointment by sending an email to office@labor-tiran.at or by phone 0316/712176.
• For information about the tests in Vienna: Airport: https://www.viennaairport.com/en/coronatest

Arrival in Austria:

Please check the official page for Austrian Travel and Tourism: https://www.sozialministerium.at/Informationen-zum-Coronavirus/Coronavirus---Haeufig-gestellte-Fragen/FAQ--Reisen-und-Tourismus.html:

From December 19, 2020:

• The list of less-risk countries will be shortened: ONLY THOSE coming from Australia, Finland, Ireland, Island, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Uruguay and the Vatican can enter Austria without a test and without quarantine.
• People coming from any other country have to be isolated immediately for a 10 day quarantine. The quarantine can be ended after 5 days if there is a negative Sars-Cov-2 antigen test result. The test will be paid by the person taking the test.
• For more detailed information in English visit: https://www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information/entry-regulations

Keep in mind that the measures are constantly changing. 

If you have any specific question, please contact:

Saikhantuya Buyannasan
saikhantuya.buyannasan@unileoben.ac.at
International Student Coordinator

Karina Michelini-Rodríguez, BA
incoming@unileoben.ac.at
+43 3842 402 7231

Alumnus Received SPE Distinguished Membership

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) honored Dr.mont. Luiz C. Amado, MUL-DPE graduate, with an “SPE Distinguished Membership”. Mr. Amado was recognized for his technical expertise in ​​reservoir engineering, professional success, and commitment to the SPE association.

Every year, the SPE recognizes members for their outstanding contributions to the industry and society through an SPE Distinguished Membership. Amado was recognized for his extensive accomplishments in reservoir engineering, formation evaluation, and more than 20 years of working at esteemed companies in the oil and gas industry. During his career, Dr. Amado has consistently promoted SPE’s cause through the constant contribution in conferences, journals, forums, and books.

“It is an honor to recognize Luiz for his commitment and dedication to the oil and gas industry with the SPE Distinguished Membership. SPE international award winners were nominated by their colleagues and selected by their peers for their achievement and contributions and it’s my pleasure to congratulate him on receiving this prestigious international award from SPE,” said Shauna Noonan, 2020 SPE President, at the SPE’s Member Monday Awards Session held on the 26^th of October, 2020.

Watch the SPE event here.

Digital Technology Supported by OMV

During such unprecedented times, the DPE quickly adapted to create a safe learning environment for students and university staff thanks to OMV. The master’s lecture classrooms, sponsored by OMV, were built with the latest technology, making the rooms fully equipped for livestreaming lectures, conferences and events. This innovative addition elevates the student’s learning experience tremendously, not only during the pandemic but also since its inauguration in 2016.

By having the technology to livestream lectures online installed, it facilitated a seamless transition to both online and hybrid learning for the students. When COVID regulations permitted, hybrid lectures took place with a limited number of students in the spacious rooms, with the lectures being livestreamed to students who could not be there in person. Currently, the lectures are running completely online, and thanks to the digital technology, the personal touch of “in person lectures” was not lost in the change.

The DPE’s emphasis on the advancement of technology covers all areas, whether it is in research or creating the best learning environments for students. Due to the success with online learning, the DPE is now looking into expanding its horizons by redefining “traditional” education. With support from OMV, the DPE’s potential in advancing eLearning is limitless.

Additive Manufacturing – Its Future in Oil and Gas

OMV and DPE investigated potential applications of Metal Additive Manufacturing in the O&G industry as part of a collaborative project.

With the technology of Additive Manufacturing (AM) rapidly evolving, its implementation in the oil and gas industry is imminent. AM enables on-demand production, thus solving spare part issues in the oil and gas industry. From reducing lead time to decreasing warehouse sizes, the solutions it could provide are bountiful. However, one must take into consideration whether the technology has reached the stage to do so effectively. OMV in cooperation with the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering sought to find out the extent it is possible with the current technology. A team, consisting of OMV professionals, DPE academics and master students, conducted an investigation on the applicability of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) in the oil and gas industry.

To fully understand its possibilities, the project was split into three sections: testing additive manufacturing parts, an industry specific SWOT-Analysis and a procedure for the workflow for spare part manufacturing. As part of the project, AM parts were thoroughly tested and their mechanical properties were compared to conventionally produced parts. Opportunities and flaws of the manufacturing process were also evaluated. The areas for implementation in the oil and gas production supply chain as well as service areas were assessed. In addition, the workflow, from recognizing the need of a component at a certain location, to its delivery to said location was also examined.

It was concluded that there is great potential for this technology in the oil and gas industry. However, issues in standardization and material properties must be addressed first. The second phase of this project is now initiating and both OMV and the DPE are looking forward to continue the research and development of Additive Manufacturing in our field!

LUKOIL Internships and Scholarships Granted to DPE students

LUKOIL solidifies ties with Montanuniversität Leoben, granting scholarships to PE students.

Montanuniversität Leoben is proud to have collaborated with LUKOIL again in developing their students’ engineering capabilities and shaping their prospective careers.  LUKOIL, a firm that has been dominating the oil and gas industry for the past 25 years, gives petroleum engineering students worldwide the chance to win grants from their esteemed LUKOIL Scholarship Fund. Once again, our bright students from the DPE were granted a scholarship from the fund.

The LUKOIL Scholarship Fund aims to allow gifted students to thrive in the industry by offering scholarships, with an opportunity to complete a summer internship at the firm. Master’s students Anass Al Didi, Boris Jammernegg, Amro Al Hmoud and Gernot Polke received this prestigious award for their outstanding academic accomplishments over the past year.

As part of the scholarship, Al Didi and Polke’s internship took them to Oslo, Norway, working at LUKOIL Overseas North Shelf. There, they joined teams reviewing innovative topics such as offshore power generation and Carbon Capture and Storage. Surrounded by supportive professionals, both students enhanced their technical knowledge in the industry and grew as engineers.

GRC/SPE Virtual Workshop - High Temperature Well Cementing

Abdelfattah Lamik, senior lecturer and PhD student at the DPE, represented Montanuniversität Leoben at the High Temperature Well Cementing and Integrity Workshop organized by the Geothermal Resources Council and Society of Petroleum Engineers.

From the 14^th to the 16^th of September, the Geothermal Resources Council and Society of Petroleum Engineers virtually hosted the first phase of their two-part workshop. The workshop was targeted to keep industry professionals up to date with the technical geothermal practices, advancements, and innovations. The DPE contributed to the exchange of knowledge by hosting one of the technical sessions.

Abdelfattah Lamik, senior lecturer and PhD student as the Chair of Drilling and Completion, hosted a session on his research regarding the “Evaluation of Cement/Casing and Cement/Rock Bond Integrity during Well Operations”. A particularly pressing matter, as multiple incident reports have questioned the competence of wellbore cement as a barrier for up-hole hydrocarbon flow.

The topics presented during the virtual workshop were:

• Daniel Bour: Technical Challenges for Cementing Super-Hot Geothermal Wells.
• Catalin Teodoriu: A Discussion on Casing-Cement Bonding at Elevated Temperatures and Its Implications to Well Integrity.
• Arpita Bathija: Cement Strength with Silica.
• Abdelfattah Lamik: Evaluation of Cement/Casing & Cement/Rock Bond Integrity during Well Operations.
• Carlos Fernandez: Self-Repairing Polymer-Modified Wellbore Cements with High Thermal and Chemical Stability for Enhanced Geothermal Systems.
• Stephen J. Bauer: Experimental Method Development to Evaluate Cements at Elevated Pressure and Temperature.
• Arash Dahi Taleghani: Smart Expandable Fiber Additive to Improve Zonal Isolation in Geothermal Wells.
• Yunxing Lu: Experimental Study of Genesis of Geologically Activated Cementing Materials for Deep Wellbore Plugging and Its Self-Healing Behavior for the Resilient P&A System.

“The structure and the whole process of this virtual workshop were excellent. All sessions were designed to maximize the exchange of information and ideas between attendees and presenters through technical presentations followed by interactive Q&A periods. Also, the GRC and SPE offered a special opportunity enabling both industries to share their experiences, technologies, technical procedures and best practices on this important aspect of well integrity,” Abdelfattah Lamik said.

Double Degree Master’s Program in Global Energy Transportation and Storage

Receiving two Master’s degrees from two outstanding universities is a unique opportunity to broaden your job prospects and the best way to get to know different cultures, people, places, and learn a new language. Registration deadline for the next winter semester is 21^st of September 2020.

The current environmental and economical state of the world is naturally forcing us to switch to cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient solutions to cover our increasing energy demand. It is evident that an abrupt stop of using fossil fuels is not a reasonable approach, as only gradual changes towards alternative energies will have a sustainable effect. Globally, this has led to the current energy transition period in order to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants.

To tackle the upcoming challenges and fully prepare the students to the industry’s needs, the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery as part of DPE is offering a brand new Double Degree Master’s Program in Global Energy Transportation and Storage. This is a collaboration with Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (USPTU) located in Ufa, Russia, and is considered one of the leading technological universities in the region.

This is a fulltime program, completely taught in English, and for a duration of 4 semesters as described below:

• First semester – at home university
• Second semester – at USPTU
• Third semester – at MUL
• Fourth semester – work on MSc thesis (defense before a joint committee from MUL and USPTU)

For information about the enrolment process visit https://dpe.ac.at/apply/msc-double-degree-petroleum-engineering/

Your benefits:

• Contribute to the global energy transition
• Earn a Master’s degree from both MUL and USPTU
• Become an expert in energy transportation and storage
• Take the opportunity to dive into the Russian culture
• Industrial internship provided
• Improve your language skills
• Erasmus+ financial support

COVID-19 Information: This program is designed not to be affected by any pandemic-related restrictions. If necessary, the corresponding lectures can be held online. Nevertheless, the program is expected to take place normally.

Check out USPTU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brIuyqcXR9Y
For further questions contact: patrick.eisner@unileoben.ac.at

Internships at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery

The current situation in the industry caused a reduction of provided internships. As a reaction, the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery offers several paid internships, which can be credited for your studies.

Please apply until the 10^th of July at Mrs. Helbl (marlies.helbl@unileoben.ac.at) by submitting a motivation letter and your CV.

The internships are sponsored by ÖGEW.

Bosch Rexroth Sponsors PLC's to Pump Test Facility

Bosch Rexroth has sponsored four PLC (Programmable Logical Controller) for teaching purposes to the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery.

The Pump Test Facility at the DPE Montanuniversität Leoben has been operated at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery for several years. The integration of the current industry 4.0 trend enabled establishing two independent courses at the chair, with a focus on digitization and big data analysis with strong integration of the Pump Test Facility.

Bosch Rexroth has been a competent and reliable partner for us since the beginning of the development work on our systems. This time, Bosch Rexroth has sponsored four PLC for teaching purposes to the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery.

Within the framework of the basic course on digitization, our students experience a detailed insight into the programming of controls, drives, axes, and peripheral devices. The four XLC L25 controllers and peripheral modules provided by Bosch Rexroth will enable the students to interact with our Pump Test Facility.

The concept of the course is based on the path of the data, from the sensor to the data server, and its professional evaluation. The learning of the correct integration of sensors and the sensor technology, as well as the transfer of these from the controller utilizing, e.g., OPC UA server technology, are core competencies. Via the OpenCore interfaces from Bosch Rexroth, Matlab Simulink is used for targeted intervention in the controls. The competence of Big Data Analysis is taught in the advanced course Production Data Analysis. The recorded data are examined and interpreted here using state-of-the-art algorithms.

Thanks to the professional support of Bosch Rexroth, we were able to significantly expand the training in this area and make our graduates fit for the current and future requirements of the industry.

Apply Now—ExxonMobil Scholarship

Submit your documents to the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery until June 30, 2020.

All Petroleum Engineering Master's students, as well as Bachelor's students who only have two examinations left until the end of their undergraduate studies, can apply for the ExxonMobil scholarship.

Required documents: 

• Motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Proof of your studies “Studienerfolgsnachweis”

Please submit all required documents via e-mail to the office of the Chair of Petroleum & Geothermal Energy Recovery.

Application's deadline: June 30, 2020

Contact person
Mrs. Marlies Helbl
marlies.helbl@unileoben.ac.at

For additional information regarding scholarships visit: dpe.ac.at/scholarships/

Public Speaking Workshop

Florence LeClezio, a certified specialist in Public Speaking, has successfully held a workshop at the DPE on the 7^th of March.

We live in a world of influencers, where public speaking is essential to strive. Public speaking is vital in all aspects of our lives, from our career to our personal life. It ensures that we stand a better chance of getting results and meeting our goals. This goes beyond simply delivering information to boost one’s credibility, authority, or influence with stakeholders.

On the 7^th of March, Florence LeClezio, a certified specialist in Public Speaking, has successfully held a workshop focused on “The power of influential speaking” at the DPE. Attendees had the opportunity to practice public speaking for self-confidence in both work and other areas of life to gain greater awareness of their personal strengths and enhance their charisma.

Florence presented the most effective methods of preparing, practicing, and performing an excellent presentation. She also exercised different ways of non-verbal communication and stress management. In the end, every participant held a presentation and received constructive feedback about their performance.

2020 SPE President Shauna Noonan Visits DPE

Shauna Noonan, 2020 SPE President, visited our university on February 26. She met with students, academic staff and engaged in fruitful discussions with our professors.

The visit included Mrs. Noonan’s presentation, "Transformation of the Petroleum Engineer: Impact of the Digital Revolution and Social Responsibility". DPE students and staff, who attended the event, derived tremendous value and inspiration from her enlightening presentation.

During the presentation, she weighed in on challenges young engineers will face in adopting responsibilities and navigating their careers through the digital revolution and shifting social obligations. Mrs. Noonan discussed the challenges she faced in balancing her family life with the professional one, a point that resonated with our audience, especially our talented female engineers in-the-making. Lastly, Shauna stressed the importance of the SPE in shaping her career and personal development in every step of the way.

Following a stirring round of Q&A, Shauna's visit concluded with a tour of our university grounds and laboratory equipment. It left deep impressions on our guest and confirmed DPE's commitment to paving the road to the future with cutting-edge technology and top-quality research. Mrs. Noonan’s visit was a resounding success in every way, we eagerly await the opportunity to host her again.

“The visit to your university has been one of the highlights so far, as SPE President. My expectations for visiting the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversitt Leoben were high given its reputation of being one of the best in the world, and I can honestly say that those expectations were exceeded. The discussions with the SPE student members, faculty and Dr. Ott were very informative and thought-provoking. The work being done within the research laboratories was impressive and so vital towards the technological advancements our industry needs. I am very thankful to everyone’s hospitality and kindness during my visit and I look forward to returning in the near future,” Mrs. Noonan said.

Environmental Awareness Among Younger Generations

"SOS Earth - Exploring natural diversity and creating awareness of environmental problems" was the topic covered during the visit of the Modellschule Graz students.

Kata Kurgyis and Pit Arnold, PhD candidates at the Chair of Reservoir Engineering, gave an informative and very interactive talk to the group of 16 school-age children, between 12 and 15 years old. 

The school students were extremely active during this workshop. They learned the role that petroleum engineers have in solving current environmental issues and shared their thoughts about solutions and actions to be taken in the near future to decrease the CO₂ emissions on our planet.

Eisstockschießen International Students Sport Day

Eisstockschießen (“ice-stock shooting”) is a winter sport similar to curling which became popular in Bavaria and Austria by the late 19^th century. International students, mostly Petroleum Engineering students from Russia enrolled in the Joint International Master Program, enjoyed and had a lot of fun last Saturday. They mastered this sport mostly played in southern Germany, Austria and the north of Italy.

This time, the Eisstockschießen sport day was organized by Mrs. Cornelia Praschag, DPE’s International Student Coordinator, and Mrs. Erika Augustin. They support international students living in Leoben and promote cultural activities throughout the year.

Soft Skills Training for Petroleum Engineers

Rules of respect, as well as code of conduct, may vary from one culture to another. In a global business world, where experts with different cultural backgrounds meet each other, as a guest or host, it is essential for petroleum engineers to improve our cultural awareness and communication skills not only in the office but also at business dinner. 

Every winter semester DPE offers the elective lecture “Business Etiquette for Petroleum Engineers.” DI Arman Valian, Montanuniversität's graduate, describes a basic understanding of business etiquette and intercultural behavior to the students. This semester, DPE together with Mr. Valian organized a business dinner at the end of the sessions where the table manners were explained.

WIP Member Petrobras Visits DPE

The Brazilian National Oil Company, Petrobras, one of the members of the Well Integrity Platform (WIP), visited DPE from November 8 to 12.

Dr. Crisitane Richard de Miranda, Petrobras representative, visited DPE and attended a series of presentations on well integrity ongoing projects at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering. The 3-day meeting was organized by the WIP team, which also coordinated a laboratory tour through the DPE and MUL facilities.

Topics related to digitalization, cement bond integrity evaluation, fiber optics applications, plug cementing, non-shrinking sealant materials, in-situ evaluation of cement degradation under CO2 and other corrosive fluids and WIMS were comprehensively discussed.

"I really appreciated all the discussions we had about the projects conducted by the Department Petroleum Engineering. The projects are very interesting and important for the Oil & Gas Industry. The meetings were very productive and I´m very happy PETROBRAS is taking part of the Well Integrity Platform," Dr. Richard de Miranda expressed.

LUKOIL Employees Attended Workshop at DPE

Mr. Robert Gulla, Managing Director at LUKOIL Holding GmbH, and LUKOIL employees from Moscow, London, Prague, Amsterdam and Vienna attended the workshop organized by the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery.

Legal and financial aspects of international oil exploration and production projects were some of the topics covered from Nov. 4-5 by Univ. Prof. Hofstätter and Hon. Prof. Thomas Gäbler.

Dr. Thomas Gäbler Receives Honorary Professorship

During the academic celebration on October 25, 2019, Dipl.-Ing. Dr. mont. MBA Thomas Gäbler was awarded the Honorary Professorship in recognition of his outstanding pedagogical and academic accomplishments.

Sincere congratulations and special regards to our DPE visiting lecturer Thomas Gäbler at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery.

DPE Students Awarded “Best Cross-Disciplinary Team” at SEG19

This year, Denis Sergeevich Nikolaev, Patrick Jasek, and Jean Donald Minoungou participated in the SEG EVOLVE program organized by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. 

They represented DPE-Montanuniversität during the SEG 2019 International Exposition 89^th Annual Meeting and received the award for the "Best cross-disciplinary team".

One of the participants shared his experience:

“The program started in February and continued with weekly workshops and case studies until the end of May. Firstly, taking part in such a project was a big challenge in the sense that we have an engineering background. However, we were driven by the idea that the interdisciplinary approach is the key to nowadays engineers. Therefore, we had to work intensively to get acquainted with the geophysical data interpretation, reservoir characterization, reserves estimation, etc. The goal was to identify prospects, evaluate the volumetric potential, assess geological risks and uncertainties, and finally to present a reservoir development plan including the economic analysis. It was a very educational, intense and exciting time. Finally, we were awarded as the best cross-disciplinary team. As a student, I believe this is the type of event you want to attend to learn, improve your profile and broaden your network. This is why we have to express our gratitude to the Society of Exploration Geophysicist for supporting us from the first day, DPE-Montanuniversität and Dr. Doris Gross for helping us during such an amazing experience.” - Jean Donald Minoungou

Learn more about the 2020 SEG EVOLVE program application on seg.org/EVOLVE.

SIS Global Forum 2019

From September 17-19, 2019, Schlumberger Software Integrated Solutions (SIS) has launched its prestigious conference in Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum. 

With presenters coming from more than 50 different countries, 162 technical talks and 60 poster sessions, it covers the entire E&P lifecycle including digital and business transformation. The repertoire of sponsors and participating companies with the respective CEOs and VPs included not only tech giants such as Google and Microsoft, but also ADNOC, ExxonMobil, BP, Total, Shell, Rockwell Automation, OMV and many more.

The Montanuniversität Leoben was represented by Felix Waltenberger, bachelor student of petroleum engineering. His abstract “Integrated augmented reality in PPE and cross linked data sharing in the workover process” was selected among 500+ submissions to be presented.

“The SIS Global forum provided many interesting insights about the future and trends of the industry that are otherwise not accessible to students. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate and already continued to work on further developing my abstract,” Felix Waltenberger said.

Summer Course 2019

Our DPE summer course from July 15 to September 6 came to an end with a wonderful end-of-course gathering.

Every summer, DPE welcomes students from all over the globe to acquire the full skill-set and knowledge needed to start a master program at DPE-Montanuniversität.

“The summer school was everything I expected and beyond that. What I appreciated the most was the boost of knowledge gained in a friendly manner and the passionate people I came across. I can confirm now that joining MUL was the right decision and will offer me the perfect academic environment to accomplish my goals. In two words, I would describe the summer school as dynamic and intense.” -Marius Nitu, BSc in Petroleum and Gas Engineering from the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, Romania. 

“This program was very educative and fun as I got to meet people from different countries and cultures, the lecturers made the learning process interesting whilst making sure we learned a lot in the short time period. Hope to see everyone again!” -Ahd Maguri, BSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tripoli, Libya.

Impressions on DPE Facebook page.

WIP Workshop & Lab Opening 2019

DPE academic staff and students hosted the first WIP Workshop. The event took place at the DPE buildings from August 21-23, 2019.

WIP member and industry delegates from Austria, United States, Germany, Russia, Norway, France, Brazil, and Italy connected and gathered during the first WIP Workshop at DPE. Prof. Ravi led the workshop where they presented and discussed various well integrity challenges and solutions and created effective network.

During the 3-day event, DPE academic staff and graduate students presented and discussed their research projects, results, and recommendations. WIP members and industry delegates also joined a tour through the state of the art, well-equipped laboratories at DPE and other departments at MUL. The entire event, technical and social, was a remarkable success and the participants expressed they are looking forward to active participation in DPE activities and the next workshop to meet again.

Impressions of the WIP Workshop event here. 

Apply Now—MUL-UFA Master Program

Joint International Master Program focused on “Design and Operation of Pipelines and Storage Facilities."

As you might already know, in June 2018, the Montanuniversität Leoben and UFA State Petroleum Technological University commissions approved a Joint International Master Program focused on “Design and Operation of Pipelines and Storage Facilities,” you can apply now!

The benefits of a Joint Double Degree are as following:

• Experience two different educational environments
• Get a greater access to resources, professors, opportunities
• Increase your options
• Learn new exceptional skills
• Explore a new country
• Expand your network, both professional and social
• Great advantage for your CV

Interested students of the Montanuniversität Leoben can apply for the Winter Semester 2019/20 via the following procedure:

• Have your Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering by October 2019
• Send a cover letter along with a transcript of records to the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery
• Prepare for a Skype interview and an admission test with the International Committee of MUL/UFA State Petroleum Technological University
• Upon approval, register at Montanuniversität Leoben and UFA State Petroleum Technological University

Please send your application to DPE:
Cornelia Praschag
E-mail: cornelia.praschag@unileoben.ac.at

DPE Visits UFES

With the Professors Ott and Kharrat, a DPE delegation visited the Federal University of Espirito Santo in Vitora and Sao Mateus in Brazil. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the relationship between the two Partner Institutions and to connect to the local industry; student exchange as well as common R&D activities were discussed. The delegation visited TOTAL, Petrobras, Repsol Sinopec and Shell and discussed R&D opportunities in Brazil to develop a way forward for common research activities for the Brazilian Oil & Gas industrial sector.  

Reservoir Engineering at DESY

The research team experimented at DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) in Hamburg on the high-resolution X-ray tomography beamline to dive into the pore space. High-resolution / high-contrast tomographic scans have been taken for structure analysis of various rock types of different petroleum fields around the world. The information will be used to simulate petrophysical parameters and multi-phase flow properties – the next milestone for the OMV / MUL Digital Rock project has been reached!

70^th BHT - Freiberger University Forum

The 70^th BHT - FREIBERGER UNIVERSITY FORUM with the focus on "Sustainable Processes for Innovative Material Design" took place from June 5-7, 2019.

With the 70^th BHT – FREIBERGER UNIVERSITÄTSFORUM, the TU Bergakademie Freiberg gave an insight into the latest findings from research and development. Interested parties from science, industry and society were invited to take part in the dialogue. A varied and cross-thematic program was offered during the entire event. In one of the workshops entitled "Kolleger Roboter(?)- Digitalization in Drilling", our colleague Dr. Fruhwirth, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, held the presentation: "Neural Networks – principles and application scenarios in the oil business" followed by a fruitful discussion.

Reservoir Engineering at InterPore

A delegation of the Chair attended the world’s leading conference on porous media, which was held in Valencia, Spain. The Chair of Reservoir Engineering participated with 5 researchers and contributed with three oral talks about topological and numerical descriptions of EOR processes and the impact of microbial growth on hydraulic properties in porous media.

DGMK Spring Conference 2019

DGMK/ÖGEW Spring Conference, German and Austrian Oil & Gas Sector, took place in Celle, Germany on April 25-26, 2019.

According to DGMK News, more than 650 experts from the O&G industry and science met at the Congress Union Celle under the theme "Innovations in the E&P Industry". During the annual DGMK / ÖGEW Spring Conference, the latest results from research and developments in the fields of geosciences and engineering were discussed in 59 technical presentations and 16 posters.

DPE students and researchers presented their work during the conference and poster-exhibition sessions with the following studies:

• Daniel Eisengschirr - Numerical Study of Swab and Surge Pressures in Wellbores.
• Anton Lettner - The complexity of drilling digitalization, a display of potential pitfalls during implementation.
• Clemens Langbauer and Manuel Hartl - Efficiency Testing of Oil Field Downhole Desanders.

Read the full article on DGMK News (german language).
Learn about DPE research and projects on dpe.ac.at/research.

DPE Team Wins Best Start-Up Idea & Pitch

Mikhail Pavlov and Oliver Spenger awarded the Best Start-Up Idea & Pitch during the event “Start-Up Werkstatt” at Montanuniversität Leoben.

The Start-Up Werkstatt (Start-Up Workshop) is an event organized by the Montanuniversität Leoben that offers potential founders and business concept development to students and young professionals with innovative start-up ideas.

Every year the event takes place at MU Leoben, where twenty-five teams with original start-up ideas from all industries met with more than 50 entrepreneurs and experts to sharpen their business concepts and develop them further together.

From March 22 to 24, Mikhail Pavlov and Oliver Spenger from DPE participated and won the Best Start-Up Idea & Pitch. They introduced their business concept: LEMON Solutions, which aims to marketing and advertising the technology and solutions developed in our department and the university. 

This event is a great opportunity for students and young professionals to get objective feedback from experienced experts from the industry, financial sector, university, and successful start-up founders. They learn how to develop their ideas, work on prototypes, and market demanded products.

Webinar with LUKOIL-Engineering LLC and Gubkin University

A video conference organized by LUKOIL-Engineering LLC and Montanuniversität Leoben was held for students of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas on March 25.

Within the cooperation framework between Montanuniversität Leoben and LUKOIL-Engineering LLC, a web seminar was held on the topic: “New Technologies Development for an improved Oil and Gas Production”, and organized for students of the (basic) modeling of physical and technological development of oil and gas fields. Prof. Herbert Hofstätter, Head of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery Chair, delivered the lecture on March 25, 2019 to the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas.

LUKOIL-Engineering LLC is the center of management of all innovation activities of LUKOIL: from the analysis of the problematic issues of the operations of subsidiary extractive companies to the distribution of successful innovations across the structures of the Group. Since 2018, LUKOIL-Engineering LLC together with Montanuniversität Leoben initiated a project to conduct scientific and educational lectures for students and young professionals, using video conferencing. Which will allow them to be introduced to the latest trends in the development of new technologies for oil and gas production.

Mikhail Chertenkov, Deputy General Director of LUKOIL-Engineering LLC for well construction, field development and production technologies, opened the webinar and thanked his colleagues for supporting this project. The lecture was held in English, and issues related to the intensification of oil production, in particular, new developments of environment-friendly hydraulic fracturing fluids, the use of ultrasonic waves, the processing of the inner surface of pipes, technologies to optimize the wear of sucker rods, and neural networks to enhance  production were discussed.

At the end of the lecture, as students showed big interest in this event, it was decided to continue the course with a future lecture on the topic: “Technologies and Problems in Oil and Gas Production” for students of Montanuniversität Leoben.

CSM and Montanuniversität Sign Dual Degree Program

New Dual Degree Program in Reservoir Managment is now available for students from Department Petroleum Engineering and Colorado School of Mines.

In times of a globally connected world, it is of irreplaceable value to offer education programs that provide students with the necessary international and intercultural skillset, in order to persevere and compete in such a work environment.

Montanuniversität Leoben and the Colorado School of Mines that are top-of-the-notch expertise leaders in Petroleum Engineering, not only academically but also personally well-connected, have thus joined efforts and now provide the graduates of tomorrow with an undisputed academic option.

A Dual-Master Degree Program in Reservoir Management has been developed and signed in a cooperation agreement between the Petroleum Engineering Department of Colorado School of Mines and the Chair of Reservoir Engineering at Montanuniversität.

The duration of the program is two years, the first year of which will be in Leoben, Austria and the second in Colorado, USA. At the end of the studies, graduates will earn both Austrian and American degrees. As such, these degrees will give the graduates access to the worldwide petroleum engineering markets. Interested students can already apply for the academic year 2019/20.

For detailed information, please contact us via email to reservoir.engineering@unileoben.ac.at

Related News:
3-day meeting with Colorado School of Mines faculty

OMV Company Presentation

OMV representatives held a presentation at DPE about their company and programs for Master students and graduates, and the biggest 3D study conducted in Austria.

On March 18, specialists from different departments of OMV held a presentation to DPE students at Montanuniversität’s Main Building. The event was supported and hosted by the SPE Student Chapter Leoben.

The presentation was opened by Mr. Cristopher Veit, Senior Vice President Exploration, Development & Production OMV Upstream. His talk was about the OMV 2025 Upstream strategy with daring vision fitted to the current market climate as well as the opportunity to apply for the OMV Excellence Scholarship to interested Bachelor students. Shortly after, Mr. Rafael Tomososchi, Talent Pipeline Expert at OMV, held a presentation about the IGD program for fresh graduates who want to join OMV and also internship and master thesis opportunities for the DPE students.

Later on, Mr. Bernhard Novotny, Lead Operations Geophysicist at OMV, presented the biggest 3D study ever conducted in Austria (Schönkirchen). Together with a fellow colleague of him, they described the amplitude of the project along with the challenges they faced while trying to acquire the 3D seismic data in an area close to Vienna.

The attendance for the presentation was quite impressive and students now have all the information to apply to these amazing programs that OMV has to offer. Moreover, the SPE Student Chapter Leoben invites you to join them and be connected with people of the Oil and Gas industry.

DPE Professors Visited NOC and Universities in Oman

On February 20-22, 2019, Profs. Holger Ott and Riyaz Kharrat, Chair of Reservoir Engineering, visited Muscat and Sultan Qaboos Universities in Oman.

The aim of this visit was to explore the possibilities for research collaboration with the NOC, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), and Omani universities.

An SPE seminar was organized by the SPE-Oman section in collaboration with Muscat University, where Profs. Ott and Kharrat presented research results and challenges on enhanced oil recovery and carbonate reservoirs. Experts from the Oman National Oil Company, PDO, and international oil companies participated in the event.

On February 21^st, the professors of MU Leoben held technical presentations at Sultan Qaboos University and discussed the basis for possible collaboration between the two universities.

Photo cover description: Left to right: Prof. Holger Ott, Head of Chair of Reservoir Engineering at DPE, Prof. Riyaz Kharrat, Carbonate Reservoir Engineering at DPE, Prof. Rashid Ai-Maamari, Head of Petroleum & Chemical Engineering Department of Sultan Qaboos University of Oman, and Prof. Nadar Mosavat, Program Director of Muscat University of Oman.

29^th Produced Water Society Seminar 2019

Verena Leitenmüller, PhD candidate at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, represented DPE during the 29^th Produced Water Society Seminar in Texas on February 6-7, 2019. Ms. Leitenmüller actively supported the event with a technical presentation.

The PWS event in Sugar Land, Texas, is a gathering of professionals from the oil and gas industry, which purpose is to enhance the handling as well as the settlement of produced oilfield water. Around 400 experts on produced water from all around the globe exchanged their thoughts and insights about current oilfield water technologies and innovations to further sustain the environment.

Verena Leitenmüller, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, gave a technical speech on the topic: “Multi-Disciplinary Approach to EOR Screening: Oil Characterization using GC-FID/MS to improve the Produced Water Quality.” This paper combines reservoir engineering with geochemistry and displays the description of the alkali-crude oil interaction in alkali flooding through the biodegradation model. Geochemical oil characterization allows a fast screening to a better understanding of the fluid-fluid properties.

The purpose of the workshop was to focus on breakthrough technical presentations, panel discussions featured by operators and service providers. The scheme was round table sessions about conventional onshore and offshore production issues as well as the booming activities linked with shale plays across the US. The event enabled an intense networking with key players of the industry.

Austrian Land Forces Command Agreement

The Austrian Land Forces Command and Montanuniversität Leoben further intensify their cooperation with a newly signed agreement.

Colonel Dr. Peter Hofer, in December 2018, managed a workshop for the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Production. This meeting was of essential importance to set up the chair goals and strategy for the near future since most chair members will leave in the next few years.

The workshop was guided by Colonel Dr. Peter Hofer with highest professionality and turned out to be extremely important as well as successful. Upon request of the chair members, the event will be repeated on an annual basis, and further mutual support between the Land Forces Command and the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Production has been agreed.

PE Alumni Receive Silver Diploma

Petroleum Engineering alumni and academic staff were awarded the Silver Engineering Diploma during their annual meeting “Absolvententreffen”, organized by Montanuniversität Leoben on November 29^th, 2018.

Sincere congratulations to our DPE visiting lecturers: Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont. Thomas Gäbler, MBA, and Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Spörker, and their colleagues Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Thum, Dipl.-Ing. Johann Grubbauer and Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont. Hermann Spörker who were granted the Silver Diploma to acknowledge 25 years of holding a Dipl.-Ing. in Petroleum Engineering.

Special regards to Dr. Michael Prohaska, Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, who received the Silver PhD to celebrate 25 year of having his PhD in Petroleum Engineering.

SPE Middle East Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition 2018

The SPE Middle East Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition took place in Manama, Bahrain on 28-29 of November.

Dr. Clemens Langbauer, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, represented DPE in Bahrain and actively supported the event with two conference contributions. The event took place at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa. 

The artificial lift industry has been facing a new challenge where focus is shifted to "Intelligent lift 4.0", which is driven by four disruptions: data volumes, computational power, connectivity and emergence of new analytics and business intelligence capabilities. Intelligent lift 4.0 will usher a new chapter of the industry’s history.

MEAL certainly brought together the industry's subject matter experts in artificial lift, operators and service providers alike to share their best practices, cutting-edge technologies, successful business models and success stories. Which allowed the production community at large to leverage and benefit from their experiences.

DPE’s contributions:

• The presentation of the Sucker Rod Pumping System Optimization based on a novel Finite Elements Analysis was given which describes an alternative method to efficiently design the sucker rod string.
• The topic Volumetric Efficiency Evaluation of Sucker-Rod-Pumping Applications Performed on a Pump Testing Facility was presented. Together with Daniel Kochtik, a research study on sucker rod pump plunger slippage was performed at the Pump Testing Facility.

Total Representative Visits DPE

Mr. Lagarde, Containment & Wells Project Leader, visited DPE on November 26-27, 2018.

Mr. Lagarde’s visit confirmed the beginning of the partnership between the French multinational integrated oil and gas company Total and DPE through the Well Integrity Platform, led by Prof. Kris Ravi.

The main objective of the two-day meeting was to introduce the research areas and ongoing projects at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering related to Well Integrity issues. Prof. Ravi and Dr. Prohaska, together with the PhD and Master students, presented their research in a Q&A session.

Profs. Kris Ravi and Holger Ott showed Mr. Lagarde the new lab and equipment which will be soon inaugurated in the new building of the University in Parkstrasse 31.

"It was a pleasure to discover Montanuniversität Leoben and meet professors and alumni of the DPE. Visiting the different laboratories of the university was quite impressive, and our exchanges were enriching. I thank all of you for your warm welcome and your time. Looking forward to working with you," Mr. Lagarde stated.

Petrobras Representative Visits DPE

Mrs. Cristiane Richard de Miranda, Petroleum Chemist at Petrobras, visited DPE.

Dr. Cristiane Richard de Miranda, Petrobras representative, met DPE’s academic and scientific staff on November 9^th, 2018.

One of the main objectives of this meeting was to present to our guest, current Post-doc, PhD and Master thesis projects from the Chair of Drilling and Completion as well as introduce the University facilities.

As a part of the activities of the Well Integrity Platform (WIP), led by Prof. Kris Ravi, potential collaboration on this topic was also discussed.

“I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to visit the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben. There, I knew very interesting projects presented with enthusiasm by people from all over the globe, together, contributing to the development of the petroleum science,” Mrs. Richard de Miranda said.

What is WIP?

WIP is an international research and education platform at Montanuniversität Leoben (MUL) that will focus on well integrity problems and solutions.

WIP aims to bring together global operators, service providers, manufacturers, universities and technology providers with distinctive and complementary skills to contribute toward and benefit from the solutions developed. The strength of the platform lies in its independence and its ability to draw on the experience of personnel that have successfully worked in the industry to provide real-world solutions. WIP will have highly motivated professionals, students and staff drawn from across the globe.

For more information please visit wip.dpe.ac.at

SPE Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition

SPE’s flagship technical Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition of the Asia Pacific region APOGCE returned to Brisbane, Australia.

Dr. Clemens Langbauer, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, represented DPE in Brisbane and actively supported the event with four conference contributions. 

The event took place at the Royal International Convention Centre from October 23 to 25. Senior industry leaders, subject matter experts, experienced regulators, and prominent academics shared insights, expertise, and experience in the energy industry.

Themed “Challenging the Conventional,” APOGCE provided opportunities for energy professionals to showcase their accomplishments, identify areas of improvement and enable collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Discussions went on about remaining ways of success in today’s low-margin business climate while taking society’s expectations into account. In addition, networking with Australian Universities and valuable conversations about the studies of Petroleum Engineering took place.

DPE’s contributions:

• The presentation of the Bio-Enhanced Energy Recovery Technology for Clean and Efficient Energy Production (BEER®) was given. It describes an alternative, environmentally-friendly way to recover energy from tight or unconventional reservoirs.
• The new Hydraulic Concentric Tubular Pumping System for Unloading Gas Wells was presented, as Australia is producing a lot of coalbed methane and dewatering has been a huge challenge.
• The Sucker Rod Anti-Buckling System to Enable Cost-Effective Oil Production, which is currently field-tested, was also displayed. It prevents the sucker rod string from buckling and reduces the rod and tubing failures significantly.
• Finally, Clemens Langbauer presented on behalf of Fatemeh Fazeli, the Behavior Analysis of a Wire Rope Replacing Sucker Rods with Finite Element Simulation, which enhances the workover and pumping process of sucker rod pumps.

DPE Alumni Meeting in Abu Dhabi

DPE Alumni gathered together in the Rotana Beach Hotel in Abu Dhabi on November 8^th.

Prof. Thonhauser and DPE Alumni - this month, more than twenty colleagues from the Oil & Gas industry and friends living and working in the UAE - had their alumni meeting on November 8^th at the Rotana Beach Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Special thanks to Martin Hartlieb, Technical Manager at Schlumberger, who invited and coordinated another very nice and very enjoyable evening joining friends in a unique network in the UAE.

SPE Annual Caspian Technical Conference & Exhibition

Viorica Sîrghii, PhD candidate, presented a knowledge-sharing poster during the SPE Annual Caspian Technical Conference & Exhibition in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The three-day conference took place at the Astana’s Palace of Independence in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 31^st to November 2^nd. The main focus was on the market conditions faced by the Oil & Gas industry in the Caspian region. 

The program contained three keynote topical panel sessions, 12 technical sessions involving debate, and 50+ research-based presentations with the intention of exchanging knowledge, best practices, and experience. 

Viorica Sîrghii, Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, presented a knowledge-sharing poster named “Sucker Rod String Rod Guide Service Life Estimation,” a concept that was developed under Dr. Langbauer’s supervision, which allows better understanding and estimation of the SRP string service life.

All in all, the SPE Annual Caspian Technical Conference and Exhibition provided a platform for local, regional and international experts, professionals and students. They all had the opportunity to discuss relevant topics related to maintaining and boosting technological advancements and developments in this region.

eDidactics Teaching Certificate

Patrick Eisner, Research Associate and Lecturer, was awarded an eDidactics’ certificate of the program’s completion on October 30^th.

Mr. Eisner, Research Associate and Lecturer at the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, participated in the eDidactics program from January 2017 to February 2018. 

During this training, he learned how to apply new teaching methods, integrate innovative didactic concepts and use digital media to enhance the quality of the lectures. An important skill set to lift DPE’s lectures to a new level of teaching.

On October 30^th, the final ceremony took place in Graz, at the FH Campus 02, where Mr. Eisner was awarded a certificate of successful completion of the eDidactics program.

eDidactics is a University didactic training program focused on the use of technologies in higher education. The program is offered by the Styrian University Conference, which is comprised of nine Styrian Universities. The central administration is located at the University of Graz.

Highlights of the Young Vision Award 2018

Ksenia Sherbakova and Tatiana Kruglikova, from the Russian State Geological Prospecting University in Moscow, are the winners of the YVA 2018.

This year, the Young Vision Award, a Gazprom EP International and Wintershall initiative to support sustainable and efficient technology solutions developed by young scientists in the field of oil and natural gas production, was hosted and organized in collaboration with DPE-Montanuniversität Leoben.

During the event, students from Russian, German, Croatian and Austrian Universities had the opportunity to meet professionals from Gazprom and Wintershall and exchange views on their experiences, creating a positive and friendly atmosphere. On the arrival day, Russian and German guests enjoyed a welcome meeting followed by a tour around the city of Leoben and one of its trademarks, the Gösser Brewery.

On October 18^th, Torsten Murin, Managing Director of Wintershall Russia, Alexander Nikiforov, Deputy Managing Director at Gazprom International and Prof. Herbert Hofstätter, Head of the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, opened the ceremony and congratulated the finalists on their impressive ideas. Afterwards, the four finalist teams from Croatia, Austria and Russia presented their exciting projects on the topic: "How can we use our E&P know-how to create new business opportunities in times of energy transition and decarbonization?", to the international jury, students and a professional audience.  

Ksenia Sherbakova and Tatiana Kruglikova from the Russian State Geological Prospecting University in Moscow, were chosen as the winners of this year’s competition. The prizes were an internship at Wintershall, the publication of their project in two industry journals as well as the evaluation of the idea by a team of experts and 50,000 Euros worth of project-financing if the idea is found technically feasible, appropriate and economically justified.

YVA 2019 topic was announced: “Digital Revolution – how would you like to work on an E&P project in the future.”

"This is now the sixth time that the Young Vision Award is held, and each year the contestants face a new set of challenges. What doesn't change, though, is the curiosity and desire to use innovative solutions to improve our lives and work in our industry. This year's winners have once again done credit to the Young Vision Award.", Mr. Murin expressed in his opening speech.

SEG18: DPE Student Receives Special Award

Alexandru Badescu, DPE Student, was awarded a special recognition during the Society of Exploration Geophysicists 2018 International Exposition and 88^th Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.

First-year master student, Alexandru Badescu, represented Department Petroleum Engineering during the Society of Exploration Geophysicists' Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA on October 14-19.

Alexandru took part in the EVOLVE program together with Zbigniew Wilczyński from AGH University of Science and Technology. Their team, ZA Petrol, was selected along with 9 other teams to participate in this educational program where they had to evaluate seismic cubes, wireline, core, production and other types of data to identify the best prospect in a given area. They worked, under SEG mentors’ supervision, on a dataset from the Gulf of Mexico, using the Halliburton’s software: Decision Space Enterprise and IEnergy Cloud.

During the SEG Annual Meeting, they gave a presentation on their 6-month work and conclusions and also displayed a poster. Their team, ZA Petrol, was recognized by industry members as the Best Investment Opportunity for their work. Moreover, due to the endeavor shown during the project, Alexandru was awarded a special recognition for persistence in achieving the results.

What is EVOLVE? SEG EVOLVE 2018 offered 60 students hands-on experience in conducting multidisciplinary subsurface projects. Project management, teamwork skills and business values are sharpened within the context of exploration, reservoir appraisal, field development planning and production enhancement scenarios. Being part of a strategic collaboration between Halliburton and the SEG Foundation, EVOLVE provides unique learning projects in an interactive, non-competitive team.

SPE/IATMI Workshop: A Novel Approach to EOR Implementation

Mrs. Verena Leitenmüller visited SPE/ IATMI Workshop on September 26-27, 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Verena Leitenmüller represented the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery at the SPE EOR Workshop in Jakarta.

The purpose of this workshop was to share knowledge and experiences about EOR projects over the last 10 years. Upcoming challenges in the design, planning, execution, and operation phases were discussed as well as adequate experiments and modeling tools to reflect the field conditions were proposed.

The workshop was mainly focused on reservoir and project management but also on important laboratory and surface facilities requirements. The topics showed a practical approach to design new installations on- and offshore.

This SPE workshop gave an intensive learning opportunity within a short period of time, an insight of the last trends about EOR implementations by international industry partners and the space to discover and discuss similar global cases. The event provided an excellent possibility to directly connect with specialized E&P experts from all around the globe as well as to connect with key players of the industry.

Prof. Kris Ravi Visited CSM and Edgar Mines

Prof. Kris Ravi visited the Petroleum Engineering Department and the Edgar mines at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Golden, Colorado on September 20-21, 2018.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss opportunities and strengthen the relationship between CSM and MUL. Kris met with Prof. Alfred (Bill) Eustes of CSM and discussed collaboration opportunities concerning education, research, and innovation. A potential academic collaboration between CSM and MUL on Well Integrity Lifecycle Management was discussed.

In addition, opportunities for joint projects in the areas of lost circulation, digital solutions, well integrity and cementing were outlined. Prof. Kris also visited the Edgar mines where Bill was kind enough to tour the mines and discuss potential opportunities for joint projects.

"We are looking forward to strengthening our collaboration between MUL and CSM in the areas of education, research, and innovation," Prof. Ravi said.

Photo description: The picture shown was taken after the Apache Drill, a Sandvik DE130 coring rig, successfully drilled 123 feet (37.5 m) from the Bodin to the Orica drifts within CSM’s Edgar Experimental Mine, located 20 miles (32 km) west of the main Golden campus.  This was done for the development of a flow loop through the mountain.  The people in the photo beside Kris and Bill are Zackary Zody, a Petroleum MSc student working within CSM’s new Space Resources program and Kirt McKenna, a PhD student working with Apache Corporation on drilling data analytics and automation.  The drill-bit can be seen towards the bottom in the picture. This test successfully demonstrated the drilling process using the equipment at hand. The performance was accurate horizontally but showed a sag effect as the drill came out of the rock about 3 feet (1 m) low.  Additional tests are planned to study with different sensors and evaluate the effect on ROP, etc.

TU Austria Summer School Doc+ 2018

The Summer School Doc+ 2018 organized by TU Austria, an association between Montanuniversität Leoben, TU Wien and TU Graz, took place from September 3-7, 2018 at Oberlaa, Vienna.

The first Summer School Doc+ of the TU Austria started on September 3^rd, 2018. The goal was to offer doctoral students a special education to improve their skills in academic writing. A total of 15 students, including PhD candidates from DPE, benefited from this course and were supported in improving their writing abilities. 

This event was such a success for both students and organizers that a sequel is already planned. As for writing style, the key-phrase remains: "when in doubt, leave it out."

In 2010, the three Austrian Universities of Technology: the Vienna University of Technology, the Graz University of Technology and the Montanuniversität Leoben founded "TU Austria". This association, which focuses on the fields of science and engineering, has more than 46,500 students, 5,000 graduates and 9,600 staff members.

The TU Austria-Universities join forces and use synergy effects in order to accomplish more in research, teaching and higher-education policy. And to be convincing as a strong partner in the industrial and economic sectors with their cumulative combined expertise.

Source: TU Wien News 

Bundeswehr University Munich Delegation Visited DPE

The "Bundeswehr University Munich" (Department of Economics) has visited Department Petroleum Engineering on August 16^th, 2018.

Univ.Prof. Dr.Dr. Eva-Maria Kern and Univ. Prof. Dr. Herbert Hofstätter have agreed upon future mutual cooperation in various fields e.g. research, Bachelor- and Master Theses as well as guest lectures. Science is our game!

Design and Operation of Pipelines and Storage Facilities – Joint International Master Program (JIMP)

A new Joint International Master Program was approved by the “Montanuniversität Leoben” and “UFA State Petroleum Technological University” commissions in June 2018.

The Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery has worked together with the UFA State Petroleum Technological University to introduce the new educational program: “Design and Operation of Pipelines and Storage Facilities”.

As a result of these joint efforts, the Rectors of the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University and Montanuniversität Leoben signed a cooperation agreement in June 2018.

Students who join the program will study the first semester at their home universities (MUL or UFA), for the second semester, all the students will attend the lectures at UFA and for the third semester, all the students will attend the lectures at MUL. Finally, they will work on their Master Thesis project at their home University. The subject of the Master Thesis must be approved by both Universities and it shall be defended at the home university.

After a successful completion of the entire program, the students will graduate with a Master’s Degree from both Universities, also known as a double degree.

Students of the Montanuniversität Leoben can apply for the Winter Semester 2018/19 via the following procedure:

• Have your Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering by October 2018
• Send a cover letter along with a transcript of records to the Chair of “Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery”
• Prepare for a Skype interview and an admission test with the International Committee of MUL/UFA State Petroleum Technological University
• Upon approval, register at Montanuniversität Leoben and UFA State Petroleum Technological University

Contact person, Montanuniversität Leoben:
Mikhael Pavlov
E-mail: mikhail.pavlov@unileoben.ac.at

7^th OPEC International Seminar

“Petroleum – cooperation for a sustainable future” was the theme of the 7^th International Seminar of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), held on June 20^th & 21^st at the Imperial Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.

According to the OPEC’s press release, more than 950 participants from over 50 countries attended the event. Three delegates from DPE, David Petutschnig, Abdelfattah Lamik and Mostafa Borji, had the exceptional opportunity to take part in this seminar.

This high-level gathering of key figures gave student and staff delegates the opportunity to personally discuss with those who shape the energy industry on a regular basis. Being a forum for industry leaders, ministers, analysts and experts, a range of panel discussions and presentations provided a set of diversified opinions and exhibited some of the challenges that we are facing today and possibly in the future.

One of the main themes governing the panel discussions was the increasing importance of cooperation between producing and consuming countries. The Declaration of Cooperation - which was signed in 2016 between OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries - aims to bring balance and stability to the oil market while protecting the interests of producers and consumers consubstantially. Further, the industry’s task of taking on the leading role in driving a sustainable energy transition was highlighted on numerous occasions.

“I had the pleasure to firsthand exchange with some of the ministers and executives. None of my questions were left unanswered and some close face-to-face discussions led to several new insights. Yet, it was not only the networking opportunity with industry professionals that made a lasting impression. Liaising with the other student delegates led to fruitful conversations and new friendships. We all appreciated that: with our attendance, OPEC demonstrated its commitment to foster the development of the next generations of industry leaders,” David Petutschnig expressed.

LUKOIL Scholarship Granted to DPE Students

DPE students were granted the LUKOIL scholarship during the Academic Celebration, on June 29^th, 2018.

The LUKOIL Scholarship Fund projects to support the studying program at an international partner University. For the second time, the scholarship was granted to students of the Department Petroleum Engineering. This year, it was given to the following remarkable students: Daniel Eisengschirr, Maroua Jaoua and Benjamin Ulrich.

“Being one of the recipients of the LUKOIL scholarship fund is a huge honor. It especially shows that LUKOIL cares about the development of its future engineers as well as cooperation with the Department Petroleum Engineering,” Daniel Eisengschirr said.

Pre-Announcement DPE Laboratory

It is expected that in October 2018, the brand-new DPE laboratory, built on the campus of Montanuniversität Leoben (Parkstraße 31), will start its activities.

The construction activities of the Montanuniversität's new building in Parkstraße 31 started in May 2017 and will come to an end in the upcoming months. Once the building is completed, it will be handed over to the University for the setting up of the equipment, offices and classrooms. It is expected that the building’s inauguration will take place in October 2018. 

The three chairs of the department, - Drilling and Completion, Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery and Reservoir -, will install state-of-the-art equipment to set up laboratories for Bachelor and Master’s lectures as well as research areas. Some of the laboratories will be:

Chair of Drilling and Completion:
Mud Monitoring & Solids Control Lab
Well Integrity Lab
Cement Lab
Flow Loop

Chair of Reservoir:
Flooding & Imaging Lab
Wet Lab
Teaching/Plug & Play Lab

Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery:
Ultrasonic Lab
Geothermal Engineering Lab

Global Petroleum Show 2018

From June 12^th to 14^th 2018, the most important energy event in North America: The Global Petroleum Show, attracting thousands of global thought leaders and influencers, took place at Stampede Park, Calgary, Canada.

During this comprehensive three-day program, various business debates, panel discussions, high-level keynotes and technical presentations were used to share knowledge, best practices and pursue market excellence in an ever-changing field.

Patrick Eisner, representing the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery at the Global Petroleum Show, held a presentation concerning the optimization of beam pumping operations “Sophisticated Performance Evaluation of Sucker Rod Pumping Systems.” The presented approach developed by Dr. Clemens Langbauer and Patrick Eisner allows a more precise and detailed analysis, in combination with a significant flexibility. This innovative method of analyzing the Sucker Rod String’s dynamic behavior also shows a huge potential to model alternative materials and pumping systems.

Moreover, Eisner displayed two posters “Sophisticated Performance Evaluation of Sucker Rod Pumping Systems” and “Bio Enhanced Energy Recovery (BEER®): Technology for clean and efficient Energy Production.” All in all, this event was a great opportunity not only for networking and exchanging knowledge, but also discussing the latest technological advancements in the industry.

PetroQuiz at VBS SPE Annual BBQ

The SPE Vienna Basin Section held the PetroQuiz at its Annual BBQ on May 17^th, 2018 in Prušánky, Czech Republic.

Six teams - bachelor and master’s students - from DPE-Montanuniversität Leoben took part in the PetroQuiz organized by the SPE Vienna Basin Section during its Annual BBQ, in Czech Republic, on May 17^th, 2018. Professionals from sponsor companies such as OMV, RAG, SLB, MND, Terra, Greenwell, ProNova, VTU, PetroVisor and Nafta attended the event and shared their experience with the young students.

The SPE Student Chapter Leoben was responsible for the transportation and the promotion among the students. The first activity of the day was a guided-tour of the Slavic Fortified Settlement in Mikulčice, an early-medieval Great Moravian Memorial built along the 8^th and 9^th centuries. After the tour, students and professionals drove to the Hotel Beatrice, in Prušánky.

The PetroQuiz started with Alexander Gerstner, SPE VBS President, giving a speech and presenting the teams. The jury, Alexander Gerstner, Reinhard Pongratz and Jean-Marc Dumas explained the rules and kicked off the PetroQuiz. The teams, Oil Brothers, JL, Perdido, Wildcatter II, Slavinator and New Kids competed against each other during 9 rounds of questions. In the final-round, Perdido (Oscar Rojas, Luis Gonzalez, Sahar Abdullatif ) won against Slavinator (Sharadiya Kozak, Andreas Liegenfeld, Markus Frauwallner) in a hard-fought game.

After the award ceremony, all the participants gathered together and enjoyed the BBQ and wine tasting at the Hotel Beatrice’s restaurant and cellar.

New Professor for Alternative Drilling Systems

This Summer Semester 2018, Professor Mikhail Gelfgat joined the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering in the focus area of Alternative Drilling Systems.

Dr. Mikhail Gelfgat, Professor for Alternative Drilling Systems at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering was born in Moscow in 1947. He studied Mechanical Engineering in Bauman Moscow State Technical University and obtained his master’s Diploma with Honors in 1971.

Mikhail Gelfgat worked at the Drilling Technology Research Institute VNIIIBT from 1965 to 1997 where he occupied positions from a technician up to the Head of Laboratory of Special Wells Construction. In 1980, he achieved his Doctorate in Oil & Gas Wells Drilling from the VNIIBT.

In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia started its way to new forms of economy and business. In Feb. 1991, Mikhail together with several colleagues from VNIIBT founded Aquatic Company. This R&D and Engineering firm successfully grew and became the well-known international expert in aluminum tubulars for Oil & Gas Industry. In 2007, Aquatic was acquired by Weatherford, where Mikhail Gelfgat worked as a Global Product Line Manager and Director of R&D and engineering until 2015. Simultaneously, in 2013, he started as a Professor in the Oil & Gas Wells Drilling Department at Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas.

After 52 years of working in the industry and research, his expertise is mainly focused on well construction technologies in the areas of drilling with casing; managed pressure drilling; tubular goods; risers; the superdeep, ERD and multilateral wells; drilling process optimization; scientific drilling, electrodrilling and other Alternative Systems.

“Based on my extensive research and some teaching experience, I would be happy to contribute to graduate and postgraduate modules of both research-led and methodological nature” Prof. Gelfgat said.

Highlights of DGMK Spring Conference 2018

On the 18^th and 19^th of April 2018, the DGMK/ÖGEW Spring Conference, one of the biggest conferences of the German and Austrian Oil & Gas sector, took place in Celle, Germany.

During these 2 days, nearly 60 presentations were held in 4 parallel sessions, covering topics from classic HSE issues over geothermal energy to production engineering and well integrity. Moreover, scientific and technical posters were presented, reaching a similar variety of subjects covered.

Students and researchers from DPE presented their work during the conference and poster-exhibition sessions. Dr. Clemens Langbauer held a presentation of his research “Sucker Rod String Design Optimization using an Innovative Finite Elements Simulation Approach.” Master student Gerald Jax described a pump designed and manufactured at the Montanuniversität Leoben and currently under further development as part of his master thesis project “Hydraulic Subsurface Pump Numerical Study.” Furthermore, PhD candidates Anton Lettner and Fatemeh Fazeli Tehrani displayed their posters entitled “Innovatives Trainingskonzept mittles Echzeit Simulation des Bohrprozesses” and “Analysis and Simulation of a High-Performance Wire Rope as Continuous Sucker Rod String,” respectively.

Next to the interesting and diverse discussions and possibilities for the sharing of information, the accompanying program didn’t come too short. The highlights thereby were the great dinner organized for all participants as well as the ice cream truck sponsored by one of the companies. All in all, the conference was an excellent occasion for networking and discussing the latest technological advances with professionals from the industry.

3-Day Meeting with Colorado School of Mines Faculty

Professor Erdal Ozkan, Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, visited DPE from April 3^rd to 5^th, 2018.

A delegation from the Colorado School of Mines met with Professors Peter Moser and Holger Ott to discuss student exchange and the possibility of introducing a new coordinated program in Petroleum Engineering.

From the Colorado School of Mines, Erdal Ozkan (Reservoir Engineering) and Priscilla Nelson, Heads of the Departments of Petroleum and Mining Engineering respectively, together with Professor Alfred William Eustes III (Drilling Engineering) and Kay Godel Gegenbach (Director of International Programs) visited Leoben from April 3^rd to 5^th, 2018.

During the 3-day meeting, Professors Ott and Kharrat welcomed the CMS’s faculty, worked on the current international exchange program and drafted a new coordinated program in Petroleum Engineering with focus on Reservoir Management.

The cooperation between the two Universities has been very close and beneficial for both parties since its beginning in the 1990s, when our former MUL vice-rector Brigitte Weinhardt signed the agreement that has given the possibility to students to gain international experience during their studies and in research.

Moscow Petroleum Institute Delegation Visited DPE

On March 27^th, 2018, Rector and Doctor of Science, Rustem R. Shagiev and Executive MBA program participants from the Moscow Petroleum Institute visited DPE.

Professors Kris Ravi, Riyaz Kharrat and PhD candidate, Asad Elmgerbi welcomed the Rector of the Moscow Petroleum Institute and Russian petroleum executives, responsible of the MPI Executive MBA program. The DPE academic staff presented the structure, facilities, research areas and current projects of the department.

The main MPI objective of this meeting was to learn about the University and DPE academic programs for petroleum engineers and international cooperation as well as petroleum-related research and new technologies.

The Moscow Petroleum Institute is a leading Russian center of education, information and research for the petroleum industry, offering educational programs, including the Executive MBA program for senior executives, along with a wide range of specialized courses for technical/professional specialists.

“We appreciate a lot the possibility to visit DPE with our Executive MBA group. During such meetings, technical experts from our industry may share and discuss ideas with scientists. Which will improve their efficiency and promote cooperation on future projects”, Dr. Shagiev said.

New Professor for Carbonate Reservoir Engineering

In February 2018, Dr. Riyaz Kharrat joined Montanuniversität Leoben as the new University Professor for Carbonate Reservoir Engineering at the Chair of Reservoir Engineering.

Prof. Kharrat was born in Iran in 1956. He graduated from Kansas University in the United States, with a master’s degree and Doctorate in Chemical Engineering, majoring in Enhanced Oil Recovery. Afterwards, he worked there for 10 years. In 1990, he moved to Tehran, Iran where he taught at the Petroleum University of Technology (PUT). 

In addition to his work at the PUT, Dr. Kharrat worked in consulting for various Oil and Gas companies and State Ministries. He has achieved more than 170 publications in well-known international journals and written several textbooks. His expertise is underpinned by numerous honors, including his didactic skills at the University of Kansas as well as 10 patents, mainly focused on reservoir engineering.

Prof. Kharrat is now teaching the two newly established courses on Water Flooding and EOR in Fractured Carbonates. On the research side, he will build up a platform for EOR developments in the Middle East and especially in Iran, where fractured carbonates are common.

During his interview, he stated: “Based on my research and industrial expertise, I am looking for the development and implementation of new ideas and technologies in the area of Enhanced Oil Recovery, especially for Naturally Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs. This objective can be achieved through the integration of the young talented students, new integrated reservoir engineering lab facilities, and expert staff of DPE”.

Introducing the new SPE Board Members

Christoph Flicker (President), Christian Wimmer (Vice-President), Julian Weghofer (Treasurer) and Andreas Liegenfeld (Secretary) are the new Board Members of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben.

After more than one month of taking over the activities and responsibilities of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben, the recently elected SPE Board Members have been working hard together with the SPE Officers Nesrine Haddar, Sharadiya Kozak, Daniel Holzer, Manuel Hartl, Josef Gerhard Berger, Negar Kiani, Chaima Khammassi, Florian Maierhofer, Emre Aydudu and Dominik Lorber to have the students of the Montanuniversität Leoben in contact with the industry.

The SPE Student Chapter in Leoben organizes corporate presentations of domestic and foreign oil-and-gas companies and recruiting sessions with HR departments from several firms. These events usually include buffets where networking with the industry experts can be conducted.

Furthermore, the SPE Student Chapter Leoben also tries to help its members by improving their set of skills with workshops, distinguished lectures and mock job-interview sessions, in collaboration with relevant industry representatives to prepare them for possible hiring processes. In collaboration with the Stv PE, a yearly multi-day field trip is organized: this year the destination is Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Apart from the business-related topics, the chapter organizes social events throughout the year, like the already well-known Oil BBQ, the Glühweinstand, a Bodega-Party and a lot more.

A few closing words from the board: “After a tough couple of years, the oil price and the industry outlook are promising again. The local SPE Student Chapter and especially the newly appointed members are looking forward to using this opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the students and the industry. Especially, the restoration of the students’ confidence in the industry and their chosen path have been set as the main goal for the new board. These challenges will be tackled by a well-rehearsed and motivated team. However, new additions to the group are always welcome. We also want to emphasize that being a petroleum engineer involves much more than solving technical problems or dealing with engineering itself. Communication skills, flexibility, cross-cultural curiosity, team spirit and courage to explore new territories are all important competencies for a person who wants to survive in this multi-disciplinary environment. These can be acquired at our events and during the organizational processes of those. Therefore, we want to act as a good supplement to the broad technical education at the University.”

New Professor for Well Integrity

Univ. Prof. Kris Ravi - who has been recently engaged by Montanuniversität Leoben - will take over the Well Integrity area of the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering at DPE.

In February 2018, Dr. Kris Ravi has started his activities as a University professor at the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering. Dr. Ravi has twenty-seven years of experience working with multi-disciplinary teams; universities, research institutions, suppliers and customers. He's worked in developing and deploying solutions, has reached one hundred publications in scientific journals and conferences and has been issued more than one hundred U.S. patents on various processes and products to solve some challenges in the petroleum industry.

Dr. Ravi was born in Nagpur, India and moved to the United States for higher studies after his post secondary education in India. In 1989, he accomplished his doctoral studies in Chemical Engineering and later on, in 1999, his MBA at the Oklahoma State University and the Erasmus Business School in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

His professional career started at Halliburton in the United States, as a Senior Engineer and gained global experience through working in different parts of the world, including The Netherlands. He achieved positions such as Team Leader, Project Leader, Chief Technical Advisor and Technology Fellow (in a timeline) from 1989 to 2016. In 2016, Dr. Ravi founded KRIS-RAVI Consultancy in Houston, Texas, a company focused on the reduction of non-productive time and the safe and economic production of hydrocarbons.

During an interview, Dr. Ravi explained: “I am looking forward to working with the DPE students because the young come with new and fresh ideas. Now that there is an important advance in technology, it is a great opportunity to bring them together and make a difference. I’d like us to solve the different challenges and real problems in the industry together and learn from each other.”

Invitation to Participation—Young Vision Award 2018

The International Student Contest Young Vision Award is a joint social initiative of Wintershall and Gazprom International.

The two companies decided to organize it in order to bring together young students and experts from different countries. The aim is to foster the exchange of ideas in the area of oil and gas production and to create an intercultural communication platform. In 2018, Montanuniversität Leoben will host the event from October 17^th to 19^th.

Competition task for 2018:
How can we utilize our E&P knowhow to create new business opportunities in times of Energy Transition and Decarbonisation?

Contestants:
Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree program and maintaining student status in Fall Semester 2018. Participants must have a valid passport for traveling abroad.

Deadline for applications:
May 1^st, 2018

Invitation to participation - Young Vision Award 2018
Application Form - Young Vision Award 2018 
For more information, please visit: www.wintershall.com

Contact:
Alexandra Alekhina (English, Russian)
youngvisionaward@wintershall.com
+7-495-231-73-00

Election Results 2018—SPE Student Chapter Leoben

Christoph Flicker celebrated his narrow election over Chaima Khammassi by just six votes as president of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben.

The election of the new Board and Officers of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben took place during the SPE Annual Meeting on January 22^nd, 2018 at Department Petroleum Engineering. A total of 44 student members attended the meeting and voted for each position.

SPE Student Chapter Leoben election results:

Board

President: Christoph Flicker (25) Chaima Khammassi (19)
Vice-President: Christian Wimmer (20) Ben Eru Rukevwe (7) Saif Elshebli (17)
Treasurer: Julian Weghofer (33) Redha Hamel (11)
Secretary: Andreas Liegenfeld (34) Felix Waltenberger (9)

Officers

International Relations: Nesrine Haddar
Membership Chairperson: Firuz Karimov
Head of Public Relations: Sharadiya Koyak
Assistant of Head of Public Relations: Daniel Holzer

The SPE Student Chapter Leoben encourages all engineering students interested in the O&G industry to join and become an active member. For further information send an e-mail to chapter@speleoben.com.

LUKOIL Awards Scholarships to DPE Students

Within the frame of the Bachelor's Academic Celebration on December 13^th 2017, LUKOIL awarded scholarships to DPE outstanding students.

The cooperation agreement between LUKOIL and Montanuniversität was signed in May 2017 with the main objective of having an intensive know-how transfer and development of sustainable technologies for oil and gas production. The LUKOIL Scholarship Fund is a program that projects to support the studying program at an international partner University.

During the Academic Celebration, Mag. Robert Gulla (CEO of LUKOIL Holding GmbH) and Prof. Herbert Hofstätter (Head of the Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery) awarded scholarships to Mariia Mironova and Jacob Petutschnig to recognize their excellent performance during their bachelor's studies.

"The partnership with Montanuniversität Leoben is very important to us. That is why we try to intensify it and set the course for the future of the industry. This also includes highly qualified specialists. Through the support of the study exchange programs, we want to provide students with international education at the highest level possible," said Mr. Gulla.

During an interview, Jacob Petutschnig explained: "I feel tremendously honored to receive the LUKOILscholarship grant. LUKOIL had a significant impact on shaping my future professional career and has been providing me with continuous possibilities to develop my engineering knowledge but also my interpersonal skills. I hope that my involvement with LUKOIL, especially LUKOIL Middle East Upstream continues and helps me to grow into a highly capable professional."  

CCM / Joint International MSc PE at Gubkin University

The Joint International Master Program in Petroleum Engineering (JIMP-PE) started during this WS 2017/18.

In this context, Dr. Petr Vita shared his experience as a lecturer for Computational Continuum Mechanics at the Faculty of Oil and Gas Field Development of the Gubkin University in Moscow, Russia. 

The lecture, Computational Continuum Mechanics, was introduced to students and academic staff for the first time from 20^th to 24^th of November 2017 at the Gubkin University. It was the starting point of the newly approved JIMP-PE.

“Cooperation with our Russian colleagues was excellent. The students were well prepared and attentive and mastered the challenging topics with ease. I would like to thank each and every one who contributed to my overwhelmingly positive experience in Moscow. I am looking forward to meeting our Russian partners again in the next academic year,” said Dr. Vita.

Students from Montanuniversität Leoben and Gubkin University who successfully pass the entire program will obtain a Double Degree in Petroleum Engineering focused on “Advanced Well Construction and Operation Technologies.”

Know more about the Joint International Master Program in Petroleum Engineering.

Wintershall Company Presentation

Wintershall representatives held a presentation about the company and its SPEAD program at Montanuniversität Leoben on November 14^th, 2017.

Specialists from different departments of Wintershall held a presentation before DPE students at Montanuniversität Main Building on November 14^th and interviews on November 15^th to select candidates for the SPEAD program starting on January 1^st, 2019. 

The event was assisted and hosted by the SPE Student Chapter Leoben. The presentation was opened by Ms. Heike Pieper, Discipline Capability Manager for Drilling, followed by Mr. Helge Christian Beuthan, Wintershall Vice President Global Subsurface Evaluation, who presented an overview of Wintershall as well as its goals, projects and achievements.

Later on, HR Specialist Ms. Helene Hein talked about the SPEAD program’s selection process followed by Mr. David Kutas, Montanuniversität Leoben graduate, who described his own experience during his training at the SPEAD program.

On November 15^th, Ms. Pieper and Ms. Hein carried out a couple of face-to-face interviews for the selection of the next candidates to join the SPEAD program in 2019.

Meet the new PE Student Representatives

Florian Weninger, Thomas Herzog, David Jenni and Julian Pflügl are the recently elected members of the STV Petroleum Engineering.

Every two years at Montanuniversität Leoben, a democratic election is held to choose the Students’ Union’s (ÖH Leoben) chairmanship together with the Student Representatives for each study program.

According to the 2017 election: the STV Petroleum Engineering will be represented, for the next two years, by Florian Weninger (Chairman), Thomas Herzog (1st Deputy), David Jenni and Julian Pflügl. The STV Petroleum Engineering members have the responsibility to represent the interests of all PE students.

The new representatives started their activities by the end of the summer semester 2017. “Our main goals are to strengthen the bond between the Petroleum Engineering students and closely collaborate with all other study disciplines. The flow of information between professors and students is extremely important. Therefore, we will inform every single student about all ongoing matters,” Florian Weninger affirmed.

DPE Students at SPE PetroBowl^® Championship 2017

DPE students, Markus Hofmeister, Alexis Koulidis, Michael Nirtl and Mathias Bayerl, represented Montanuniversität Leoben at the SPE PetroBowl^® 2017 in San Antonio Texas from October 9^th to 11^th, 2017.

After achieving the 2^nd place in the regional PetroBowl^® qualifier in Cracow, Poland, the team of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben representing DPE and Montanuniversität Leoben qualified for the international finals as one of the top five European universities in the SPE PetroBowl® Championship 2017.

From October 9^th to 11^th, the PetroBowl^® Championship 2017 took place during one of the most prestigious conferences in the petroleum industry, the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas.

Before the competition, the team had several months of intense preparation, hours of organizational work and Skype conferences.

The first game was scheduled against the University of Kansas from the United States. With an impressive performance, the SPE Student Chapter Leoben team won with a final score of 89 to 5, which allowed them to advance to the top-16 round.

The next opponent was the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). In a tight game, in which both teams showed their knowledge about technical details about the petroleum industry, eventually, the Mexican team achieved a narrow victory. Later on, UNAM was the winner of the 2017 PetroBowl^® competition.

The SPE Student Chapter Leoben team was sponsored by the Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment AG, DPE, SPE Student Chapter, the SPE Vienna Basin Section, and the city council of Leoben. The PetroBowl^® competition, as well as the conference itself, was an excellent experience for all the team members.

OMV Executive Board Member Visits DPE

Mr. Johann Pleininger, OMV Deputy Chairman and Member of the Executive Board, visited DPE on October 16^th, 2017.

Mr. Johann Pleininger, Member of the OMV Executive Board, and Mr. Christopher Veit, OMV Upstream SVP for Exploration, Development & Production, visited DPE on October 16^th, 2017. The main purposes of the event were: getting an insight into the DPE's research areas as well as having a glance at the new DPE building and meeting with the students who are part of the OMV scholarship program. 

During the first session, Profs. Thonhauser, Ott, and Hofstätter introduced the DPE facilities and discussed future challenges for the petroleum industry and how they can be met together as well as possible future projects between OMV and DPE. In particular, the brand-new drilling digitalization lab was presented by Prof. Thonhauser who emphasized the potential benefits for both, the education of students and the training of professionals.

Later that day, Mr. Johann Pleininger and Mr. Christopher Veit opened up a round-table discussion on the OMV's scholarship program and overall situation. During this meeting, students had the opportunity to ask about important issues regarding their future and oil and gas' cutting edge topics.

SPE Romanian Section Exchange Program

From October 2^nd to 4^th this year, members of the SPE Romanian Section visited MUL and DPE. The Romanian delegation was hosted and guided by SPE Student Chapter Leoben.

15 members of the SPE Romanian Section traveled to Austria to visit OMV, Montanuniversität Leoben, DPE and OPEC from 2^nd to 4^th of October, 2017. During the first day, they were welcomed by the SPE Student Chapter Leoben representatives and taken to the OMV headquarters in Vienna, where Alexander Gerstner, OMV Austria E&P Gmbh Chairperson, held a lecture about the history of OMV and domestic activities within Oil and Gas Production. Later that day, the students arrived in Leoben and met Prof. Thonhauser who welcomed them and gave a speech about the opportunity of studying Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität.

On October 3^rd, the students visited DPE and received information about its study programs. Then, they had a tour through the new building and mini drilling rig and pump test facilities. Around 3pm, Ines Smaoui, SPE Student Chapter Leoben president, held a presentation about achievements and goals of the chapter. Afterwards, Tudor Catanoiu and Monica Stancu respectively introduced both the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti and the University of Bucharest Chapters.

During the last day, they went back to Vienna and had a meeting with OPEC representatives. At the OPEC's headquarters, the Public Relations Specialist held a presentation about the OPEC and its main objectives. The entire exchange program was an excellent experience for the SPE Student Chapter UPG Ploiesti and SPE Student Chapter University of Bucharest. This event had an important impact on the SPE Romanian Section and SPE Student Chapter Leoben's relationship, knowledge, and networking.

DPE Student Internships at LUKOIL

Outstanding DPE students had the opportunity to join an internship at LUKOIL Oil Company during the summer break 2017.

As part of the partnership and close relationship between LUKOIL and DPE, seven excellent students from the Department Petroleum Engineering were granted internships opportunities at LUKOIL facilities in Russia, Austria, UK, and Belgium during the summer break 2017.

The seven interns were greatly benefiting from the professional experience acquired during their training in Geosciences and Reservoir Engineering. During their internships, the students were mentored and supervised by highly skilled engineers from different fields of specialization who were eager to transfer their knowledge to the next generation.

The students were involved in daily work activities, learning the engineering process and analyzing data from different fields. Additionally, they gained practical experience in specialized software as well as problem-solving skills.

"To summarize my experience at LUKOIL: Firstly, it helped me to link and apply the theoretical knowledge obtained from my lectures to actual engineering problems and solutions. Secondly, now, I have a better idea of which direction I'd like to take in my future career and finally, it developed my networking," Sharadiya Kozak said.

LUKOIL Scholarship Fund

LUKOIL and Montan University Leoben are closely cooperating in the field of new technologies for oil and gas production.

LUKOIL also supports the educational program of petroleum engineering by providing internships in their regional headquarters (Moscow, Antwerp, Abu Dhabi, London, Houston). Over the last two years, some 15 students had the unique opportunity to experience such a challenging internship.

In the future, LUKOIL will also sponsor students by providing the “LUKOIL Scholarship Funds.” This program is basically foreseen to support the studying program at an international partner university. Applicants may send their CV to Irene.jauck@unileoben.ac.at, application deadlines will be announced each semester.

The candidates will be selected by the board members of the “LUKOIL Scholarship Funds” Mag. Robert Gulla (CEO LUKOIL Holding GmbH), Dr. Walter Kreutzwiesner (Bezirkshauptmann Leoben, responsible for living allowances and social purposes) and Prof. Herbert Hofstätter (Institute of Petroleum Engineering Montan University Leoben).

Memorandum of Understanding between KAUST and MUL

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Montanuniversität Leoben and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

The MoU was signed by Prof. Jean Fréchet (KAUST). The primary objective of the recently signed agreement is to establish a close and active collaboration between Department Petroleum Engineering (DPE) and Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center (ANPERC). 

In this context, Profs. Gerhard Thonhauser and Holger Ott visited ANPERC from 25^th to 28^th of September 2017. During their visit, the professors introduced MUL and its research disciplines to ANPERC's students and academic staff, they also held lectures about drilling engineering, data monitoring and analysis as well as reservoir engineering and geological carbon storage.

From now on, several potential projects will be carried out between DPE and ANPERC that will promote students exchange, collaborative research funding and further ventures in the interest of students and academic and research staff from both parties.

Intensive Short Course 2017

Main subjects from the Petroleum Engineering BSc program were covered during the Intensive Short Course that took place at Department Petroleum Engineering from July 31^st to September 22^nd. 

This year, around 20 graduates and professionals from Russia, Romania, Mexico, Germany, Iran, Argentina and Libya joined the Intensive Short Course 2017. The participants received invaluable knowledge in the various aspects of Petroleum Engineering as a basis for their future professional or academic careers.

During the summer school, seven subjects were offered - Geology, Mineralogy, Petrophysics, Petroleum Economics, Production Engineering, Reservoir Engineering and Drilling Engineering -, covering the main topics of the Petroleum Engineering BSc program.

Interviewing Oscar Rojas from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico, and Vladislav Arekhov from the Gubkin University of Russia, both Petroleum Engineering graduates, they remarked they were considerably benefited from the course content and teaching methods. They also agreed that besides the technical knowledge acquired, this course was highly useful to get used to the English terminology.

“DPE and Montanuniversität Leoben covered all my expectations; thanks to modern infrastructure, distinguished professors, excellent libraries, and laboratories. While living and studying in Leoben, you will have all the necessary tools to succeed in your Master’s program,” Oscar Rojas said. 

Furthermore, the DPE academic staff is looking forward to welcome some participants as Master’s students in the coming winter semester 2017/2018.

SCA Annual Symposium 2017

The Chair of Reservoir Engineering was widely recognized for its support and participation in the Annual Symposium of the Society of Core Analysts (SCA), held in Vienna from 28^th to 31^st of August 2017.

DPE, represented by Holger Ott, Head of the Chair of Reservoir Engineering, and his team, provided great support during the coordination of the SCA Annual Symposium 2017 that took place at The Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.

The SCA Annual Symposium is a four-day conference and exhibition, which covers science and developments from special core analysis to digital rock physics. This year, in its 31^st edition, more than 200 participants from all over the world – 28 countries – attended and discussed the latest technical innovations in Core Analysis.

DPE contributed to the technical program with three papers: Dr. Rahman Ashena, DPE graduate, presented his paper “A thermo-poro-elastic model developed for core tripping failure analysis”, Kata Kurgyis, PhD candidate, described her current research “Explicit continuum-scale modeling of water-based IOR/EOR”, and Verena Leitenmüller presented “EOR by alkali flooding in the Vienna basin”, both during the poster session.

On top of the technical program, events were organized for socializing and networking. DPE helped to organize two scenic field trips, from Vienna to the Austrian countryside, to explore the “Mines & Mountains” in the Erzberg in Styria - special thanks to Prof. Robert Galler for guiding through the Zentrum am Berg -, the OMV facilities, and the Schloss Hof Palace of Empress Maria Theresia, in the north of Vienna.

Furthermore, the Young Professionals Event allowed fresh graduates and junior employees to exchange their professional experiences over an enjoyable meal at the well-known Schweizerhaus, and there was a delightful gala dinner on a cruise on the Danube.

DPE scores 3^rd Place in Worldwide Ranking

According to the renowned CEOWORLD Magazine, Department Petroleum Engineering (DPE) at Montanuniversität Leoben is ranked third in the "World's Best Universities for Oil, Gas and Petroleum Engineering" study.

The survey carried out on behalf of the renowned CEOWORLD Magazine places DPE at Montanuniversität Leoben as the third world’s best university for oil, gas, and petroleum engineering with a score of 98.3 out of 100.

World’s Best Universities for Oil, Gas, and Petroleum Engineering in 2017 by the CEOWORLD Magazine is based on six major indicators of quality; overall score is the sum of academic reputation, admission eligibility, job placement rate, recruiter feedback, specialization and, global reputation and influence.

CEOWORLD Magazine surveyed 85,000 people in 52 countries. The overall score are numerical scores given to the universities based on students, industry professionals, and recruiter feedback — measuring the quality of the university.

"A few years ago, we reached 7^th place worldwide in the field of Material Science, now we rank top 3 in Petroleum Engineering. In my opinion, this is another milestone proving our focus on excellence in teaching and research," Rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wilfried Eichlseder said. 

Link: "World's Best Universities for Oil, Gas and Petroleum Engineering in 2017", CEOWORLD Magazine

New Elective Course—Geothermal Engineering

Department Petroleum Engineering has introduced a new focus area in its International Study Program in Petroleum Engineering: Geothermal Engineering. Students can already apply for it on MUonline, the online tool of MUL.

In addition to Drilling & Completion, Reservoir, and Petroleum Production Engineering, now, DPE students can select Geothermal Engineering as a focus area in their master studies.

The new elective course catalogue, Geothermal Engineering, is being introduced to transfer the knowledge and technology used in the O&G Industry to the geothermal energy recovery process and comply with the increased concern about global warming, and the limitation of non-renewable resources.

Geothermal Engineering as an elective course catalogue is already available on MUonline. From now on, DPE students can select it as their elective course for winter semester 2017/2018.

Elective course catalogue: Elective Subject Geothermal Engineering

Summer School 2017 at Gubkin University

DPE collaborated with Gubkin University in the Gubkin Summer School 2017, which was focused on "Modern solutions in the field of development, construction, and logistics of oil and gas fields". The event was hosted from 2^nd to 9^th of July 2017, by the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas.

Lecturers from Gubkin University, together with Montanuniversität Leoben, University of Molde, Norway, and experts from the oil and gas industry, presented and discussed topics of global trends in the energy sector. Topics such as the evolution of the well construction technologies, the latest challenges in the development of the Arctic offshore fields, maritime logistics, and many others, were covered.

The training sessions on the offshore drilling simulator, and the visit at the hydrocarbon development control center - both facilities located at the Gubkin University - gave valuable practical insights.

The international event was attended by 30 participants from 8 countries and 12 universities, such as the University of Aberdeen, University of Manchester, China University of Petroleum, Technical University of Brno, Freiberg University of Mining and Technology and Montanuniversität Leoben.

The rich scientific program was completed with an extensive cultural program in the capital of the Russian Federation, Moscow. The Red Square and Kremlin Museums, a  cruise on the river Moscow, and a closing two-day tour of the Golden Ring left unforgettable impressions on all the visitors and underlined the hospitality of the Gubkin University team.

Well Integrity Platform - WIP

The Well Integrity Platform (WIP) is a new initiative by the Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering, which will be managed by Dr. Kris Ravi and Dr. Michael Prohaska. The new website was launched on July 4^th, 2017.

WIP shall be a place where members and partners from all over the world can exchange and promote knowledge on important emerging topics related to the safety and integrity of both old and new wellbore installations. Members and partners will initiate research to contribute to new and better well integrity solutions. The platform will also give students from Montanuniversität and partner Universities a good overview of available Thesis projects and other work in progress at Department Petroleum Engineering.

Visit the new platform here.

Joint International Master Program in Petroleum Engineering

The opportunity of obtaining a Double Degree in the International Petroleum Engineering Master’s Program is now available for Montanuniversität students.

Montanuniversität Leoben and Gubkin Russian State University Oil & Gas joined forces to introduce the newly approved Joint International Master Program in Petroleum Engineering, which is focused on “Advanced Well Construction and Operation Technologies.”

In June 2017, the Montanuniversität Senate agreed on the curriculum. The new agreement, which is eligible for current and future students interested in holding a Double Degree, will take effect in October 2017.

How can Montanuniversität students apply for winter semester 2017/18?

• Have your Bachelor Degree in Petroleum Engineering by October 2017
• Send a formless application, including Transcripts of Records
• Prepare for a Skype interview before the International Committee MUL/Gubkin
• Decision by the International Committee
• Registration at Montanuniversität and Gubkin University

Contact person:

Michael Prohaska

e-mail: michael.prohaska-marchried@unileoben.ac.at

Business Etiquette for Petroleum Engineers

Today’s oil & gas industry demands synergy and intercultural communication. Therefore, DPE has been offering the elective lecture “Business Etiquette for Petroleum Engineers.”

On June 6^th and 7^th, 2017, Arman Valian, Montanuniversität graduate and NAILAV CEO, held the elective subject “Business Etiquette for Petroleum Engineers” for master’s students at DPE. During his career, Mr. Valian experienced the opportunity to operate in an international environment, where he has also realized the value of etiquette training, especially for young professionals.

Understanding how culture and social norms affect communication becomes a fundamental element in the professional life as globalization is in process.

The lecture emphasized on communication across different cultures–especially in the Middle East–as well as dress code and a set of manners accepted or required while working and collaborating in an international atmosphere.

Students who attended the lecture obtained a basic understanding of business etiquette and intercultural behavior. The acquired skills will be particularly relevant when participating in high-level business meetings and working with professionals from all over the world.

SPE Applied Technology Workshop

The SPE Workshop "Data Enabled Operational Excellence - The Value of Information in Oilfield Operations" took place in Congress Leoben on May 16^th and 17^th 2017.

SPE Vienna Basin Section member and past Chair person Reinhard Pongratz initiated this 2-day SPE Applied Technology Workshop.

Around 50 leading industry experts from operations, service and software companies as well as universities joined the workshop in Leoben to discuss initiatives, latest results, lessons learnt and the way ahead. The workshop received very positive feedback from the attendees, and a follow-up workshop is already in planning.

LUKOIL and Montanuniversität Partnership

On May 16^th, 2017 LUKOIL Engineering and Montanuniversität Leoben have signed an agreement to start an extensive transfer of know-how in the area of petroleum engineering. 

LUKOIL Engineering and Montanuniversität Leoben have signed a partnership agreement to initiate research projects together and expand their international cooperation network. The aim is to closely cooperate in science and research in the field of oil production and to ensure a more intensive exchange of information.

"Montanuniversität Leoben is renowned for excellent research and teaching. With this partnership, we intend to expand our investments in research and development." Vadim L. Voevodkin, General Director of LUKOIL Engineering, said.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wilfried Eichlseder, Rector of Montanuniversität, added: "The partnership with LUKOIL has enabled Montanuniversität to expand its network of international research cooperation. Not only we will work together on advancing in research and development, but we will also involve our students in these innovative projects."

Read the complete news article on MUL NEWS.

Iranian Delegation Visits DPE

A body of Iranian delegates - representing the Iranian Embassy, Ministry of Petroleum and National Companies of the oil and gas industry - visited Montanuniversität and DPE on May 2^nd, 2017.

The event hosted by DPE in cooperation with Montanuniversität and HOT Engineering took place in the DPE building where important figures from Montanuniversität and delegates from the Islamic Republic of Iran met and discussed academic and professional collaboration possibilities.

The delegation’s members were representatives of the Iranian Embassy in Austria, Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, National Iranian Oil, Gas, Refinery and Distribution, and Petrochemical Companies (NIOC, NIGC, NIORDC, and NPC respectively).

Univ.-Prof. Peter Moser, Vice Rector of Montanuniversität, welcomed the participants with an introductory presentation of Montanuniversität, emphasizing the strong connections that exists between the university and industry partners as well as the possible opportunities for international students. A second presentation held by Univ.-Prof. Ott described the International Petroleum Engineering program and the concept of Master Classes along with areas of scientific focus at DPE.

Kazem Mohammadi, Iranian Embassy Counsellor, expressed his gratitude for the presentations and opened a panel where some points were discussed in order to find opportunities for collaboration.

The visit ended with a tour through the new DPE facilities and lunch with Mr. Kurt Wallner, Mayor of Leoben.

CV Workshop by OMV

“How to get the job you want?” was one of the topics discussed during the CV Workshop organized by  the SPE Chapter here in Leoben and conducted by a Human-Resources Specialist from OMV.

SPE Student Chapter Leoben hosted a CV Workshop in cooperation with OMV at Department Petroleum Engineering. The primary objective was to advise and show students how to write and prepare their CV in the best way possible to capture the attention of a company’s recruiters.

The CV Workshop was held by Birgit Hönigmann, Technical Recruiter in OMV HR coordination since 2011. Mrs. Hönigmann, who has a vast experience in training and recruiting newly graduated specialists from the Oil and Gas Industry, explained the key elements that should be considered when writing a CV. The main highlights were that one should be unique and honest, to write a maximum of two pages, to mention hobbies and whether or not to include a photo depending on the country within which you are applying.

In the second part of the workshop, four students were chosen to simulate a job interview. Mr. Rustamov, AlHammo, Anton and Oghenerukevwe submitted their CV and were subjected to a job interview. In the end, Mrs. Hönigmann gave them a list of comments with specific feedback relating to what  they did right and what they could have improved.

Cross-Country Skiing Excursion

On March 19^th, international students of Petroleum Engineering took part in a cross-country skiing event sponsored by TDE Group.

To support and strengthen the international Petroleum Engineering student community, Department Petroleum Engineering coordinates and offers several social gatherings all over the year. This time, a cross-country skiing excursion was organized by Cornelia Praschag, DPE’s International Student Coordinator, in which students had the opportunity to learn and enjoy winter sports.

A drive of 45 minutes from Leoben led to the foot of the ‘Kaiserschild,' the so-called  ‘Eisenerzer Ramsau.' On the way, students saw the Erzberg mine, the largest iron ore reserves in Austria and historic places such as the first university building in Vordernberg.

During the morning session, an initial training in cross-country skiing and snowshoeing was given to the participants. Once they excelled in the required skills, they were able to do cross-country skiing and snowshoeing by themselves as well as admire the landscapes from this extraordinary region.

At the end of the day, all participants shared experiences about how to deal with deep snow or how to gain speed with cross country skies. They all enjoyed the ‘adventure’ they have joined on a sunny winter day.

Soft Skills Workshop by AOC

On March 3^rd and ^4th, 2017 members of the Montanuniversität Leoben SPE Student Chapter participated in a sophisticated workshop to improve their soft skills.

Eight students participated in the Soft Skills Workshop held in the DPE. Mrs. Lori and Mr. Dwyann Dalrymple from Architecture of Communication (AOC) introduced the workshop performing interactive activities to meet the students.

The first session held by Lori Dalrymple covered critical thinking and its influence in daily life, concepts and definitions, the differences between vertical and lateral thinking and the importance of personal appearance when meeting people.

During the second day, Mr. Dwyann presented how to create a personal brand as well as the attitude and dress code that candidates should consider when preparing for job interviews. Furthermore, he focused on the so-called SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) goals.

This workshop sponsored by SPE Vienna Basin Section was an excellent opportunity for students to build and improve their soft skills throughout the introduction and implementation of new concepts and paradigms which are deepened with practical exercises.

Darcy Spady Visited MUL

SPE International President Elect Darcy Spady visited Montanuniversität on February 20^th, 2017, hosted by SPE Student Chapter Leoben and Department Petroleum Engineering.

Darcy Spady, managing director of Broadview Energy Asset Management, is the first Canadian elected as president of SPE in 2018. An active SPE member since his graduation in petroleum engineering in 1986, Spady previously served on the SPE International Board as regional director for Canada.

Highlights of Darcy Spady’s visit were as follows: the new DPE building, the laboratory facilities of the Polymer Science Department and a presentation he gave during the evening session. Thomas Gundacker from British Petroleum made a speech in this session, too.

Darcy Spady put emphasis on the fact that the new DPE building with its high-end multimedia infrastructure together with the recently introduced master class system are important and impressive steps forward in the International Study Program Petroleum Engineering at DPE. He also agreed that SPE and DPE will work even closer in the future to facilitate joint projects between industry and university.

During his presentation, Darcy Spady mentioned that Montanuniversität has a remarkable level in teaching and research and he encouraged students to write papers and participate in SPE International conferences.

The evening ended with a dinner and more talking where both Thomas Gundacker and Darcy Spady took part along with student participants.

PETEX: IPM Software Licences Extension

Petroleum Experts has proudly granted the extension of educational licences of IPM Suite Software to the Department Petroleum Engineering.

The renowned company Petroleum Experts (Petex) focused on developing petroleum engineering software for the oil industry and research purposes is proud to announce the extension of the IPM Suite licences to the Department of Petroleum Engineering.

Petex has donated IPM software tools worth over 1.8 mio Euros, which include PROSPER, GAP, PVTP, MBAL, REVEAL & RESOLVE modules, enabling students and researchers to dynamically model oil reservoirs, production and injection wells, and surface pipeline networks as an integrated production system.

DPE Master Class 2017

A novel way to teach master students of Petroleum Engineering in a focused way within one year.

The implementation of a new lecturing concept at DPE, master classes in Reservoir, Drilling and Production will provide leading-edge knowledge enabling graduates of this program to face nearly any complex challenge in their professional career.

Master classes mainly comprise integrated lectures following these core targets:

• Imparting of new concepts
• Deepening of the knowledge
• Application to engineering problems

Lecture specific additional support for master classes will be provided by each chair in a flexible way. The master class covers semester 2^nd and 3^rd of the Master Study Program Petroleum Engineering for which you have to hold a BSc and attend potential supplementary courses as a prerequisite.

Each master class student has its own workspace and locker for one year. 

The target number of students per master class is 25 which enables group work, first-class discussions and dedicated excellent support.

For special cases like foreign exchange students which attend selected lectures only, as well as for detailed information please contact the chair of the elective master class:

• Drilling and Completion Engineering: patrizia.haberl@unileoben.ac.at 
• Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery: irene.jauck@unileoben.ac.at
• Reservoir Engineering: bettina.matzer@unileoben.ac.at

Computational Continuum Mechanics (CCM): New Lecture in Master’s Curriculum

A new lecture is introduced by Department Petroleum Engineering in the Winter Semester 2016/17 focused on numerical simulation: Computational Continuum Mechanics (590.028).

Many technical problems nowadays rely on numerical simulation in order to get an insight into processes and phenomena in their background. The numerical simulation has been established in design and optimization and is often the only option if measurement and/or experiment are too expensive or technically not possible. Therefore, there is a strong need for simulation experts who can face these challenges.

Students meet a lot of theory in the field of physics, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics and mechanics of materials during their studies. The Computational Continuum Mechanics lecture strives to connect the acquired theorethical knowledge with a numerical solution of practical problems within the continuum framework. Our students experience the full simulation workflow from pre-processing, over solving to post-processing during the course.

“A strong emphasis is placed on the understanding of techniques used inside numerical solvers. Therefore, we use an Open Source simulation software OpenFOAM^® that allows us to look under the solver’s hood”, says the lecturer, Dr. Vita, and adds: “We are pragmatic. The commercial solvers have their firm place in the industry, however for educational purposes it is better to see the real deal otherwise hidden behind user interfaces. Our students develop a better feeling for numerics in the background.”

At the end of the semester the first students are ready to use their newly acquired expertise in university projects, ideally supplied by industrial partners.

65^th ÖGG Geomechanics Colloquium 2016

The Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery proudly represented DPE in the 65^th Geomechanics Colloquium celebrated in Salzburg, Austria.

In the context of “Geothermal Energy - Experiences, Chances and Risks”, the Head of Chair of Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Recovery, Prof. Herbert Hofstätter and Dr. Rudolf K. Fruhwirth presented their article “An innovative approach for optimizing geothermal energy recovery”. A simulator that has been developed in recent years for the modelling of heat transfer processes in a well enables the optimization of energy recovery by simulating various borehole conditions and materials over a long term.

The conference was organized by the Austrian Society for Geomechanics and held in Salzburg on 13^th and 14^th of October, 2016, at the congress center Salzburg Congress. The main topics of the conference were dedicated to (1) Geothermal energy - experiences, chances and risks, (2) TBM - expectations and reality, (3) Geomechanical aspects in mining (surface and underground mining) and (4) Large projects in Austria.

The Geomechanics Colloquium developed since 1951 is always a perfect get together for scientists and practitioners. The event's success can not only be seen in the fact that it has already been held over 60 years but also in the impressive amount of more than 100 regular participants.

New Professor for Advanced Well Monitoring and Analysis

Montanuniversität Leoben has welcomed Univ.-Prof. Dr. Miso Solesa as a new Professor to the Department Petroleum Engineering and will hold the lecture “Advanced Well Monitoring and Analysis.”

To cope with the new challenges that the oil and gas industry is facing, Montanuniversität and the DPE are committed to embrace the most distinguished scientists. Professor Solesa fulfills all the requirements to educate and mentor high performing students is now part of the DPE academic team.

Dr. Solesa was born in 1959 in Banatsko Veliko Selo, Serbia. In 1993, after his PhD studies in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Belgrade, he worked for the Serbian National State Oil and Gas Company NIS Naftagas achieving the position of General Director.

In 2002, he joined Schlumberger and developed his skills as an expert in Well Completion and Artificial Lift Systems in projects carried out in both Mexico and Russia. His academic work started in 1988 at the Faculty of Mining and Geology of University of Belgrade, first as an assistant professor and later as professor.  Additionally, Prof. Solesa has been part of the Montanuniversität staff as a visiting professor since 1996.

In conversation with Dr. Solesa:

What are your primary purposes when working at DPE?

“During my relatively long presence in the oil industry, I have spent a lot of my time trying to identify potential cost saving initiatives by using all the available historical data during the whole lifecycle of the wells and reservoirs as well as learning from the results of implemented plans. I will try to transfer the knowledge and experience acquired during my professional career and convert them into an adaptable system based on well monitoring and database management. Understanding all relevant details in the well’s life, recognizing the importance of collected data, using and converting the data to find value and solutions. This will be one of my key objectives while work at the DPE.”

Key Findings of SCOPE

Within the frame of DPE’s 60^th anniversary, the SPE Student Chapter Leoben hosted its first International Student Congress of Petroleum Engineering (SCOPE) on October 12-13, 2016.

SCOPE started with a field trip to the OMV Refinery and Schoeller Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment where students not only from Montanuniversität, but also from Clausthal (Germany), Moscow, Ufa and Almetyevsk (Russia) participated.

“PEfficiency: New Technologies to Improve the Energy Efficiency of the Oil and Gas Industry” was the headline for the congress. Speakers from world-leading companies such as Baker Hughes, Tendeka and RAG as well as from different departments and organizations like the Electrical Engineering Department of Montanuniversität and the SPE Vienna Basin Section took to the stage in Congress Leoben and the recently inaugurated DPE building. Key challenges and trends of sucker rod pump electrical engineering, outer space drilling as well as technical advances in LWD, mud level measurement and autonomous inflow control devices were covered.

The Poster Contest and PetroQuiz sponsored by Schlumberger and SPE Vienna Basin Section concluded the SCOPE event by awarding those demonstrating outstanding performance. The winners were Airat Kashkarov, representing Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, and the team “SPEcialists” consisting of students of Leoben and Zagreb universities.

As the event was a remarkable success, both students and academic staff are looking forward to the next edition.

Learn more at www.spe.leoben.org/scope

Highlights of DPE’s 60^th Anniversary

Department Petroleum Engineering (DPE) of Montanuniversität Leoben and the SPE Student Chapter Leoben have hosted and commemorated the 60^th anniversary of DPE at Congress Leoben on October 11-12, 2016.

More than 200 participants including alumni, active students, professionals and professors took part in the event. On the opening day, the keynote speeches have been held by experts of different parts of the oil value chain, from national and international leading industrial companies such as OMV (Christopher Veit, SVP), Rosneft (Franz Wohlfart, Deputy Director of Oilfield Services), Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment (Gerald Grohmann, CEO), voestalpine Tubulars (Ted Christiansen, CEO) and Kris-Ravi Consultancy (Kris Ravi, President).

A joint celebration dinner enabled valuable discussions in a convenient environment. On the next morning the alumni breakfast gave the participants the opportunity to resume their conversations and meet informally. Concluding the event, a high-level panel discussion put the emphasis on the next 60 years of the oil and gas industry. All three heads of the chairs including Gerhard Thonhauser (Drilling), Herbert Hofstätter (Production) and Holger Ott (Reservoir) as well as Helmut Langanger (ex-management board OMV), Kris Ravi (former Halliburton) and Matthias Meister (Baker Hughes, Regional Director of SPE) agreed on the following:

• Oil and gas will stay the major energy carrier over the next decades (within a portfolio of sustainable energy sources).
• New reservoirs are found, while more efficient solutions increase production.
• Knowledge is applied to obtain energy of different sources such as geothermal.
• Environmental aspects and the code of conduct/acting ethically are additional framework conditions besides economic challenges and technical chances.

As we plan a bi-annual event to keep you informed on the latest technological developments and trends, we meet again in 2018, when the next DPE conference will take place at Montanuniversität Leoben.

Opening of new DPE building

The Department Petroleum Engineering DPE at Montanuniversität Leoben had a lot to celebrate these past few days.

Such as the opening of the new DPE building, sponsored by OMV as part of our long-standing cooperation as well as the BIG (Bundes-Immobilien-Gesellschaft, federal estate agency). The department is also celebrating its 60^th anniversary – just like OMV.

OMV Senior Vice President for Exploration, Development & Production Dipl.-Ing. Christopher Veit, CEO of BIG Dipl.-Ing. Hans-Peter Weiss, Rector of Montanuniversität Leoben Univ-Prof. Dr. Wilfried Eichlseder and Head of Department Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gerhard Thonhauser gathered to present a symbolic key.

Agreement for Scientific & Technical Cooperation

On October 4, Gazprom, OMV, Montanuniversität Leoben and Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas signed an Agreement for scientific & technical cooperation and partnership.

Key areas will be efficient drilling technologies, saving energy and environmental protection, as well as innovation and R&D management.

The document was signed by Oleg Aksyutin, Member of the Management Committee and Department Head at Gazprom, Johann Pleininger, Member of the Executive Board at OMV responsible for Upstream, Prof. Gerhard Thonhauser, Department Head at Montanuniversität Leoben and Prof. Viktor Martynov, Member of the Gazprom Board of Directors and Rector of Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas.

Intensive Short Course highlights

Like every summer, the Department Petroleum Engineering has successfully held its specific lectures in petroleum engineering.

The DPE Intensive Short Course focuses on domestic and international students who want to enroll in the International Master Program in Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniversität without having an equivalant petroleum bachelor degree as offered from our university. It especially caters to those who have a different professional background, namely mechanical, chemical, electronics or geoscience engineers among others.

From August 8 to September 30, 2016, internationals students from different countries were part of the summer course that took place in the new DPE building and the Geoscience buildings of Montanuniversität. Leading-edge senior lecturers and professors covered lectures such as drilling, production and reservoir engineering, integrated PE projects, mineralogy and petroleum geology.

Antonia Bogdana from Romania, one of the participants of this year, stated that the summer course was extremely helpful. Even though she has a bachelor of science in petroleum engineering from her home country, Antonia learned and revised important concepts that will be useful in her further studies. She remarked that it was particularly helpful for building and expanding her technical English vocabulary.

New Curriculum for Reservoir Engineering

The winter semester 2016/2017 starts with a new curriculum for Reservoir Engineering.

A new curriculum for Reservoir Engineering has been approved with the designation of the new Head of Chair, Prof. Ott and the introduction of the Master Class system. The changes mainly affect the Master course. The majority of advanced courses have been adjusted to Integrated Lectures (IVs) that will be taught in blocks in order to make the study program compatible with the newly introduced RE master class.

This is the first step to introduce advanced and modern topics such as unconventional resources, geological energy storage and sequestration without compromising the traditional RE education. In the medium term, it is further planned to introduce laboratory courses and to synchronize courses for example on geomodeling, geostatistics and reservoir modeling for a more holistic learning approach. All these steps pose a challenge and consequently require time, but the foundation is now established.