Masdar Institute to feature 16 oil research projects

The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, yesterday announced it will feature 16 innovative oil and gas-related research projects at the Abu Dhabi International Research and Development Conference and Exhibition, ADRAC, 2015.

The fourth annual ADRAC event is scheduled to be held from 24th-26th May at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC. A premier conference for the international research and development community in the Middle East, ADRAC is sponsored by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and its operating companies, as well as the Petroleum Institute, PI.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President of the Masdar Institute, said, "The oil and gas sectors are expected to continue to play an important role in the world's energy mix for the next 50 years. In the interim, research and development is crucial to reduce their impact on the environment. Masdar Institute will be displaying a number of its research projects that aim to do just that at ADRAC 2015 and we look forward to forming new collaborations to pursue more."

Led by a group of Masdar Institute faculty members, post-doctorate researchers and PhD students will showcase their research projects at ADRAC. The conference is expected to be attended by 2,000 research professionals, including faculty, researchers and students from universities, industry experts from national and international oil companies and service providers, as well as R&D specialists and research institutes.

Some of the projects that will be showcased by Masdar Institute range from enhancing oil and gas production to facilitating smooth flow of the petroleum products from exploration sites to export terminals. They include projects on enhancing condensation for natural gas processing, designing corrosion resistant pipes, developing smart sensor systems to detect scale in pipes and examining rocks for a more efficient oil recovery system.

The projects are: ‘Enhancing Energy Efficiency via Nanostructured Condensers for Natural Gas Processing' by Dr. TieJun Zhang, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, ‘Design and Development of High Performance Composites for Hydrocarbon and Water Transmission and Distribution Systems: An Integrated Approach' by Dr. Kumar Shanmugam, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, ‘Real-time Graphene-Based Scale Monitoring Smart Sensor Systems' by Dr. Irfan Saadat, Professor of Microsystems Engineering and Dr. Amal Al Ghaferi, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and ‘Experimental and Digital Rocks Physics: Mechanical Properties and Multi-phase Flow Properties from Nanotomography to Whole Core Scale Analysis' by Dr. Mohammed Sassi, Professor and Interim Dean of Faculty.

Masdar Institute won three awards at ADRAC 2014, while its faculty and students presented 11 scientific papers on future energy, including one co-authored with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Abu Dhabi's Petroleum Institute. It also has a number of research partnerships with companies such as Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, ADCO, Takreer, BP and Total in the oil and gas sector.
Source: WAM