A Brief Conversation with Hossein Kazemi

During his forty years of experience in industry and academia, Hossein Kazemi’s research has yielded major improvements in oil and gas production from naturally fractured reservoirs. His accomplishments earned him the appointment as Mines’ Chesebro’ Chair in Petroleum Engineering in 2006.  Dr. Kazemi is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) and a Distinguished Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). His other honors include the 2006 IOR Pioneer Award, 1995 Everette Lee DeGolyer Medal, 1987 John Franklin Carll Award, 1991 SPE Distinguished Service Award and the 1980 Henry Mattson Technical Service Award.

The Chesebro’ Distinguished Chair in Petroleum Engineering was established in 2003 through a gift from Steve ’64 and Dollie Chesebro’ and was the first endowed faculty position for the Department of Petroleum Engineering. 

In between Kazemi’s research activities and business trips to the Middle East, Mines magazine had the opportunity to chat with him.

Mines: What brought you to a career in petroleum engineering?

Kazemi:  As a high school student, I developed a great attachment to applied science and mathematics, which led me to petroleum engineering. The research opportunities I received in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin helped me to launch my research career, and upon graduation in 1963 I was presented with offers from several oil company research centers to pursue my dream of conducting scientific research. I spent five years with Sinclair Research in Tulsa, where I built the foundation of my future career path by solving field problems through scientific research. I later joined Marathon Oil Technology Center in Littleton, as a research scientist and, eventually I headed the production research and reservoir management technology departments. There we had the equipment and the brainpower to investigate and solve a broad range of industry problems. The proximity of the Marathon Center to Mines provided me with a unique opportunity to become closely associated with the School first as an adjunct professor  and researcher and now as Chesebro’ Chair.

Mines: In what ways is your work focused on the challenges the oil and gas industry will face over the next several decades?

Kazemi: I focus on finding ways to produce oil and gas more efficiently from conventional and unconventional reservoirs—especially, oil. At the moment, we produce, on the average, about 30 to 35 percent of the oil in conventional reservoirs. Increasing production from existing fields by just five percent would yield an additional 100 to 150 billion barrels of oil. As for the future, the problems will be tougher because we will be dealing with harsher deep water environments and unconventional oil and gas resources. In addition, the bulk of the world’s oil reserves in the Middle East are in carbonate rocks. These rocks are often extensively fractured, which causes additional difficulties for producing oil.

I have spent much of my professional career analyzing fluid flow in these reservoirs to find ways to improve oil recovery. To be specific, early in my career I developed a numerical single-phase flow model and a water-oil flow model for naturally fractured reservoirs. The latter model was extended to include water-oil-gas flow and multi-component flow. These numerical models have been debated in the reservoir engineering circles and, as result, have led to a better understanding of the capillary-gravity oil drainage mechanism from the rock matrix in fractured rocks. In the last twenty years, I extended numerical modeling of naturally fractured reservoirs to deciphering the mechanism of the enhanced oil recovery by surface active agents (both wettability altering and interfacial tension lowering chemicals). Most recently, I have been focusing on dilation of natural fractures to enhance oil and gas recovery from fractured shale and their impact on low-permeability gas reservoirs.

The teams of engineers and geoscientists I worked with during my twenty years as a research manager at Marathon Oil made critical advancements in technology for the industry. Our collaborative results were a great success in terms of scientific contributions, technical service and technology transfer.

Mines: What do you anticipate will be the next big breakthrough in oil recovery?

Kazemi: This is a very difficult thing to predict, but I believe in the U.S. we will develop more efficient and comparatively cheaper techniques for recovering hydrocarbons from unconventional resources and globally there will be massive resurgence of enhanced oil recovery by steam, miscible CO2 gas, hydrocarbon gas and micellar solutions. I also believe we will focus a lot of effort on environmental issues such as CO2 sequestration, water disposal and reduction of hydrocarbon and other undesirable gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Mines: What qualities are important for success in petroleum engineering today—beyond a sound grasp of the required technical knowledge?

Kazemi: Business ethics are particularly critical today. I do not find any personal happiness without moral and ethical integrity in my own day-to-day conduct, which translates to the business world as well. I teach students to use science as an instrument of good. I strive to help my students realize that a major mission of a great university, such as Mines, is to develop men and women guided by the highest ethical standards as a rule of life.

I also believe it is important to emphasize collaboration and team work among the bright minds from many countries that come to study at Mines. In recent years, as I have spent more time on the campus, I have observed great camaraderie among my graduate students irrespective of their country of origin—just as you would wish it for the world community at large.

As for the future, Mines needs petroleum engineering students who can relate to physical sciences better. Our students must be willing to get back in the laboratory to design and conduct relevant experiments, go to the computer lab to write mathematical models and continue the Mines reputation and tradition of solving field problems in the business world.

Mines:  You have been associated with Mines and involved in research for the oil & gas industry for many years—how has your appointment as the Chesebro’ Distinguished Chair influenced your work?

Kazemi: It has given me an added dimension of recognition and a vote of confidence to push forward the frontiers of research. My research is more focused and productive, because I’m less influenced by government and industry funding trends. I am also able to attend more conferences—that kind of exchange of information is good for my research work, the department and the School. It fosters collaboration and helps to attract more funding and higher caliber students to Mines.

Mines:  What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?

Kazemi:  My peers are the right judge for this—not me. However, I was fortunate to work simultaneously in industry and academia, as a bridge between the two worlds.
As for technology, while I have worked on many problems, I developed a very good understanding of flow of multi-phase fluids and their interaction in naturally fractured reservoirs, which constitutes about half of the petroleum reservoirs worldwide. This understanding continues to be very crucial for the industry when planning for improved and enhanced oil recovery applications in such reservoirs.

Mines: On a lighter note, how would you describe your ideal weekend?
 
Kazemi: It follows a successful week with my students in the classroom or labs, and a productive week with my colleagues. With the resulting sense of accomplishment, I am able to fully enjoy a jog in the sunshine, coach a youth soccer team, enjoy a delicious meal with my family and perhaps watch a sports event.