Improving Performance of Miscible Floods of Heterogeneous Oil Reservoirs: Rock variations from well to well significantly affect reservoir injection operations for improved oil recovery. This research project investigates the effects of various reservoir heterogeneities on the behavior of the miscible fluid composition between the injector and the producer, and on the calculation of optimum solvent slug size. The emphasis is on developing a practical technique for predicting the performance of miscible floods in presence of radial variations of transmissibility, storability, and natural fractures.

Remediation of Near Wellbore Paraffin and Asphaltene Damage: The objectives of this laboratory research project is to design a novel chemical treatment utilizing the alkali induced in-situ generation of surfactants and micellar systems for prevention and remediation of permeability damage resulting from paraffin and asphaltene deposition in oil producing reservoirs. 

Pulse-Test and Interference-Test Analysis in Naturally Fractured and Highly Faulted Reservoirs: This research deals with developing new pressure analysis techniques for determining the fracture orientation, permeability anisotropy, directional transmissibility and storativity, fracture density, and number and locations of faults. 

Identification and Characterization of Flow Units in Oil Reservoirs: The objectives of this study is to develop a universal zoning process for identifying and characterizing flow units of petroleum reservoirs, using a combination of: core data, well log analysis, pressure transient analysis, three-dimensional seismic data, and geostatistics. The emphasis is on shaly sandstone reservoirs, naturally fractured reservoirs, and carbonate formations. 

Predicting Post-Fracturing Production from Low Permeability Reservoirs: This laboratory study investigates various parameters capable of affecting post-fracturing production. Some of the main parameters are: stress, type of proppant, fracture damage, fracture dimensions, and flow rates. 

Improving Sweep Efficiency by Alcohol Induced Plugging of High Permeability Channels or Watered-Out Oil Zones: A new selective plugging process for improved sweep efficiency is being tested in laboratory experiments. The new process is based on the "salting-out" theory. Preliminary laboratory tests and phase equilibrium analysis support the feasibility of the new process to plug high permeability zones. 

Horizontal Well Technology: Several research projects related to horizontal wells have been initiated including (1) the development of a three-dimensional boundary element model for predicting horizontal well performance and reservoir characteristics, such as permeability and porosity distributions and (2) interference pressure analysis between horizontal and vertical wells and between test points along the horizontal portion of a single horizontal well. 

Evaluations of Gas Reservoirs: This research deals with several aspects of gas wells performance including (1) the pressure analysis of gas wells producing through asymmetric vertical fractures of finite conductivity, (2) production forecasting for heterogeneous gas reservoirs with multiple zones of limited sizes, (3) predicting recovery of gas reservoirs under various conditions of waterdrive, (4) pressure behavior and performance of geopressured gas reservoirs, and (5) stimulation of gas condensate wells by Nitrogen or CO2 to maximize liquid recovery and gas productivity.