Surfactants in Upstream E&P

This edited book explores the use of surfactants in upstream exploration and production (E&P). It provides a molecular, mechanistic and application-based approach to the topic, utilising contributions from the leading researchers in the field of organic surfactant chemistry and surfactant chemistry for upstream E&P.

The book covers a wide range of problems in enhanced oil recovery and surfactant chemistry which have a large importance in drilling, fracking, hydrate inhibition and conformance. It begins by discussing the fundamentals of surfactants and their synthesis. It then moves on to present their applicability to a variety of situations such as gas injections, shale swelling inhibition, and acid stimulation.

This book presents research in an evolving field, making it interesting to academics, postgraduate students, and experts within the field of oil and gas. 

Introduction.- Main properties of surfactants.- Type of surfactants.- Surfactants in enhanced oil recovery.- Design and synthesis of low molecular weight surfactants for EOR.

Dr Theis Solling gained his PhD in 2000 from the University of Copenhagen. He has worked in various research positions both prior to and since this, including working with Professor Ahmed Zewail at the California Institute of Technology from 2000 until 2002, and as a Professor at the University of  Copenhagen. Since 2018, he has been the program lead in the Center for Integrative Petroleum Research, KFUPM. He has been a member of numerous conference organizing committees and was a board member for the Danish Chemical Society from 2007-2013. He has written numerous publications, including nearly 40 papers in the last five years alone.

Dr Shahzad Kamal is a research engineer at the Center for Integrative Petroleum Research, KFUPM. He gained both his BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, in 2008 and 2010 respectively, and his PhD from KFUPM in 2015. He is a member of several professional societies, includingthe Pakistan Engineering Council and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He has authored or co-authored over 50 journal papers.

Dr Syed Shakil Hussain gained his MSc in organic chemistry from the University of Karachi in 2002, and his PhD in a joint programme from the University of Karachi and Queen’s University, Kingston in 2009. He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Queen’s University, before moving to KFUPM, where he is currently a research scientist in the Center for Integrative Petroleum Research. He has authored or co-authored over 40 journal articles and conference papers.