Hydrocarbon recovery research within the energy initiative is carried out across a number of departments and research groups at the University of Cambridge.
The research area includes:
- New techniques for upstream exploration of fossil fuel resources and enhanced oil recovery techniques.
- Modelling of oil recovery processes
- Development of new approaches to remote monitoring of oil-water flow patterns
- Exploitation of novel surface chemistry to maximise oil output from reservoirs
- Physical solutions to oil recovery such as the optimisation of controlled hydraulic fracturing for ‘tight gas’ reservoirs.
Some key research centres include:
- The BP Institute (BPI) for Multiphase Flow, which is a multi-departmental collaboration.
Research on surfaces and particles include: cracking of surface films; colloidosomes; surface chemistry and shape changing particles. The Institute also focuses on the fundamental fluid mechanics of multi-phase flows with particular interest including turbulent mixing and plumes; surface tension modelling; dissolution and convection; oil and gas flows in porous rocks; and volcanic flows and turbidites.
We collaborate with industrial partners and are also actively involved in increasing both energy awareness and public understanding of the opportunities and challenges in hydrocarbon recovery.
Please visit individual faculty profiles to learn more about their research in the Hydrocarbon Recovery theme. The lead for Hydrocarbon Recovery is Professor Andy Woods.
People specializing in this area
Principal Investigators
