The OU Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering gratefully acknowledges a donation of valuable resources worth $6,564,992.28 from PE Limited.
Thanks to PE Limited, this contribution gives students pursuing bachelor’s and master's degrees in petroleum engineering hands-on experience with industry-leading software, strengthening both their education and future career readiness.
With the rise in energy demand and push for renewable energy, the use of clean and unconventional sources of energy is sought-after. Geothermal energy is vital in achieving the net-zero target set by various countries, as it is a clean and sustainable energy source. Nonetheless, drilling and achieving production from geothermal wells come with their challenges; these issues have to be addressed to maximize efficiency and ensure the long-term viability of geothermal energy as a key renewable resource.
One of the challenges is to resolve the issues related to the isolation tool during the stimulation operation. Currently, most packers follow API standard 11D1, which is mainly for oil and gas wells and does not represent the High-pressure High-temperature (HPHT) downhole geothermal condition. To address this industry-wide gap, the University of Oklahoma pioneered a groundbreaking testing facility, the world’s first large-scale HPHT testing setup specifically engineered for geothermal isolation tools. This setup can simulate the geothermal well condition and perform rigorous testing to assess the workability of the isolation tool. The feature of the novel geothermal setup consists of:
· Temperature up to 350°C - which is higher than the temperature of conventional oil or gas wells and depicts the condition of the downhole geothermal environment.
· Pressure up to 10,000 PSI - Replicate the geothermal reservoir condition with high pressure.
· Multiple cycles - The setup can go through multiple cycles of HPHT testing that can last from days to weeks.
· Precision and real-time monitoring – The setup gathers the data with precision and captures real-time dynamic changes in various parameters during the test.
· V6 certification: The rating of the packer under V6 can be certified from this testing setup
This state-of-the-art facility has been used to test the packers that have to be installed in the UTAH FORGE project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Zainab Iyiola Wins First Place in OU’s 2025 Three-Minute Thesis Competition
Zainab Iyiola, a master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Ramadan Ahmed at the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, won first place at the 2025 University of Oklahoma Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. The event was held on February 28, 2025, at the Sam Noble Museum. Zainab is the first student from the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy to win this competition.
Her winning presentation, “A Smart Approach to Safe Hydrogen Transport in Natural Gas Pipelines,” was selected for its clarity, creativity, and impact. The Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, originally founded by the University of Queensland, is now a global research communication event. It challenges graduate students to present their work to a non-specialist audience using only one static slide and under three minutes. The goal is to make complex research accessible, engaging, and impactful.
Zainab advanced through the preliminary and semifinal rounds to compete in the final against nine doctoral students. Her ability to communicate a highly technical topic with confidence, precision, and passion earned her top recognition.
Her success highlights the innovative and interdisciplinary research taking place in the Petroleum Engineering department at the University of Oklahoma. It also underscores the department’s commitment to addressing real-world energy challenges through impactful research and public communication.
As the 2025 OU 3MT Champion, Zainab will go on to represent the University of Oklahoma at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 3MT Regional Competition in Indianapolis this spring.
“I am incredibly grateful and humbled to be the first student from my college to win this competition,” said Zainab. “As someone deeply passionate about the future of the energy industry, this experience has been empowering. A huge thank you to my advisor, Dr. Ramadan Ahmed, for his invaluable guidance, and to everyone who supported me along the way."
Emeritus Professor Djebbar Tiab Book Release
Dr. Djebbar Tiab, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oklahoma's Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, has co-authored the 5th edition of "Petrophysics: Theory and Practice of Measuring Reservoir Rock and Fluid Transport Properties." This seminal work serves as an indispensable guide for reservoir and production engineers, geoscientists, geoenergy engineers, petroleum engineering students, and geoscience students, offering a comprehensive exploration of crucial aspects of rock-fluid interactions. You may find Dr. Tiab's newest book "Petrophysics 5th Edition" in the link provided.
It is with immense pride and excitement that we announce the outstanding achievement of Dr. Dang, Dr. Rai, and Dr. Sondergeld at the 2023 Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. This international conference is organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. We are thrilled to share the news that their paper titled, "Understanding NMR Responses of Different Rock-Fluid Components Within Organic-Rich Argillaceous Rocks: Comparison Study Across 2, 12, and 23 MHz Spectroscopy," has been selected as one of the best papers presented at the conference in Denver, Colorado.
