University of Twente and BP Research Contract
Innovation should lead to more efficient oil extraction
23 September 2009
The University of Twente (UT) will contribute to the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Exploratory Research Program (ExploRe) from the energy company BP. In this program, researchers examine methods to increase oilfield production by approximately 10 percent. The Physics of Complex Fluids group (PCF), led by Professor Frieder Mugele, and was chosen from numerous research groups throughout the world. The contract lasts five years and the research group will receive more than €4 million from BP.
'Efficient oil extraction from the earth means effectively using
water to force oil from microscopic rock pores. This is micro- and
nanofluidics, the core activities of my research group, but applied
on an extremely large scale. Our expertise in these areas,
supported by two research institutes with excellent facilities,
MESA+ and IMPACT, ensured that the UT was chosen by BP', said
research leader Mugele.
ExploRe
Current oil extraction technology leaves about two thirds of the
oil in the ground. The aim of ExploRe is to increase the efficiency
of oil production by at least 10 percent. This means if the world's
oil consumption was to remain constant, known oilfields could be
used for an extra ten years. BP is seeking innovative technologies
by working intensively with three world-class research groups.
These were deliberately sought outside the oil industry to
facilitate innovation. Alongside the UT, the Max Planck Institute
for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen (Germany) and the
University of Copenhagen (Denmark) are also participating.
Professor Mugele's PCF group will research the interaction between
oil, water and rocks on micro- and nanoscales. This research will
be carried out within the next few years in MESA+, the Institute
for Nanotechnology, and IMPACT, the Institute of Mechanics, Process
and Control Twente.
University of Twente
The University of Twente strives to use technological research to
solve society's problems. This contract with BP is an excellent
example of this. 'It is recognition of our commitment to excellence
that an international party like BP chooses our University', said
Anne Flierman, President of the UT Executive Board. The Executive
Board President directs attention in this context to Kennispark
Twente, the UT's valorization sector, which supports innovative
entrepreneurship for new and developing businesses, and thus
also the region's development.
For more information contact Paul van Tongeren, spokesperson for
the University of Twente T: 053 489 2210, E: p.h.vantongeren@utwente.nl
