Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for April
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Petroleum Engineer Seminar
Thu, Apr 07, 2011 @ 12:45 PM - 01:30 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Behnam Jafarpour, Texas A & M University
Talk Title: Feature Based Reservoir Descriptions for Improved Dynamic Data Integration
Abstract: Subsurface systems pose some of the most challenging characterization and modeling problems in science and engineering with significant hydrological, environmental, and energy security implications. The main uncertainties in characterizing these systems arise from the lack of convenient access to deep geologic formations, the multiscale heterogeneity in rock physical properties, and the complex interactions between fluids and porous rocks over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Consequently, significant uncertainty is introduced into modeling and prediction of the related flow and transport processes, complicating the development of subsurface energy and natural resources. Calibration of prior reservoir models through integration of dynamic flow data is an important mechanism for reducing flow modeling and prediction uncertainties. In this talk, I will discuss the advantages of posing the dynamic flow data integration as a geologic feature estimation problem. The fundamental premise of the proposed methodology is that subsurface property distributions often form connected patterns (features) that exhibit strong spatial correlations. The most salient features in the description of these correlated flow properties are amenable to sparse (or compact) representations in properly designed geologic domains (i.e., geologic dictionaries), which motivates the need for a feature estimation problem formulation. In addition, flow data often have low-resolution content and do not allow for reliable reconstruction of high resolution models. A geologic feature estimation framework is also useful for reconciling model and data resolutions during data integration. By combining advanced computational and mathematical tools with physical insight from the intrinsic properties of geologic formations and fluid flow data, integration of flow data into reservoir models can be more consistently posed as a feature estimation problem. Using several numerical experiments, I will demonstrate how the proposed geologically-inspired feature estimation framework leads to a more robust (against prior uncertainty) and geologically consistent method for solving large-scale subsurface characterization inverse problems.
Host: Mork Family Dept. , Petroleum Eng. Program
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 324
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Takimoto Idania
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Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 @ 12:45 PM - 01:50 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Joerg Lahann,
Talk Title: Engineered Biointerfaces: From Switchable Surfaces to Multifunctional Polymer Coatings
Series: Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series
Abstract: Our improved understanding of molecular biology, microfabrication, and materials chemistry has stimulated crossfertilization of chemistry, biotechnology and materials engineering. In my presentation, I will discuss current advances in the design of multifunctional biomaterials including three distinct examples under research in the Lahann group: (i) Switchable surfaces that can reversibly alter properties in response to an external stimulus, i.e., application of a weak electric field, have been designed and synthesized based on self-assembled monolayers [1]. (ii) Reactive coatings with one or multiple functions can be synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) polymerization [2,3] as well as CVD co-polymerization and may find use in a range of different biomedical applications [4,5].
Host: Professor Gupta
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/l-04-14-11.htmLocation: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/l-04-14-11.htm
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Distinguished Lecture Series
Thu, Apr 21, 2011 @ 12:50 PM - 02:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Professor Francis J. Doyle III, Chemical Engineering Dept University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
Talk Title: The Role of Process Systems Engineering in the Quest for the Artificial Pancreas
Series: Distinguished Lectures Series
Abstract: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting approximately 3 million individuals in the US, with associated annual healthcare costs estimated to be $15 billion. Current treatment requires either multiple daily insulin injections or continuous subcutaneous (SC) insulin infusion (CSII) delivered via an insulin infusion pump. Both treatment modes necessitate frequent blood glucose measurements to determine the daily insulin requirements for maintaining near-normal blood glucose levels. More than 30 years ago, the idea of an artificial endocrine pancreas for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) was envisioned. The closed-loop concept consisted of an insulin syringe, a blood glucose analyzer, and a transmitter. In the ensuing years, a number of theoretical research studies were performed with numerical simulations to demonstrate the relevance of advanced control design to the artificial pancreas, with delivery algorithms ranging from simple PID, to H-infinity, to model predictive control. With the advent of continuous glucose sensing, which reports interstitial glucose concentrations approximately every minute, and the development of hardware and algorithms to communicate with and control insulin pumps, the vision of closed-loop control of blood glucose is approaching a reality. In the last 8 years, our research group has been working with medical doctors on clinical investigations of control algorithms for the artificial pancreas. In this talk, I will outline the difficulties inherent in controlling physiological variables, the challenges with regulatory approval of such devices, and will describe a number of algorithms we have tested in clinical experiments for feedback control of the artificial pancreas, based on model predictive control.
Host: Professor Qin
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/d-04-21-11.htmLocation: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 159
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/d-04-21-11.htm
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Graduate Seminar
Fri, Apr 22, 2011 @ 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Yvonne Chen, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
Talk Title: Genetic Control of T-Cell Proliferation with Synthetic RNA Regulatory Systems
Series: Graduate Seminar
Abstract: Adoptive T-cell therapy seeks to harness the precision and efficacy of the immune system against diseases that escape the bodyâs natural surveillance. Clinical trials have demonstrated the use of cytolytic T cells (CTLs) genetically engineered to express disease-specific antigen receptors as a promising treatment option for opportunistic diseases, virus-associated malignancies, and cancers. However, the safety and efficacy of T-cell therapies depend, in part, on the ability to regulate the fate and function of CTLs with stringency and flexibility. The emerging field of synthetic biology provides powerful conceptual and technological tools for the construction of regulatory systems that can interface with and reprogram complex biological processes such as cell growth. Here, we present the development of synthetic RNA-based regulatory systems and their applications in advancing cellular therapies. Rationally designed, drug-responsive ribozyme switches are linked to the proliferative cytokines IL-2 and IL-15 to construct cis-acting regulatory systems capable of T-cell proliferation control in both mouse and primary human T cells. We further demonstrate the ability of our synthetic controllers to effectively modulate T-cell growth rates in response to drug input in animal models. In addition, we report the development of rationally designed, miRNA-based regulatory devices capable of drug-responsive control over the expression of endogenous cytokine receptor chains. The RNA-based regulatory systems exhibit unique properties critical for translation to therapeutic applications, including adaptability to diverse ligand inputs and regulatory targets, tunable regulatory stringency, and rapid response to input availability. By providing tight gene expression control with customizable ligand inputs, RNA-based regulatory systems can greatly improve cellular therapies and advance broad applications in health and medicine.
More Info: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/g-04-22-11.htmLocation: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 116
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Petra Pearce
Event Link: http://chems.usc.edu/academics/10-11/g-04-22-11.htm
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Petroleum Engineering Seminar
Wed, Apr 27, 2011 @ 12:45 PM - 01:30 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Mohammad Piri, University of Wyoming, Dept. of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
Talk Title: Multiphase Flow Properties in Mixed-Wet Porous Media:
Abstract: Development decisions for hydrocarbon fields or CO2 storage sites are based on reservoir performance predictions under different putative development strategies. These predictions use numerical simulation of multiphase fluid flow through a geological description of the reservoir. Much attention has been given to the assignment of properties - such as porosity and permeability - that faithfully represent the expected spatial heterogeneity and are consistent with a variety of different measurements of reservoir properties. In comparison, multiphase properties, particularly relative permeability, are given less attention, and a single set of relative permeabilities is often assigned to a given rock type, or even to the whole field. For many improved/enhanced hydrocarbon recovery projects and CO2 sequestration schemes, accurate estimates of relative permeabilities are crucial. The uncertainties associated with assigning multiphase flow properties often mean that the development projects are not carried out, with lost opportunity costs that may be hundreds of millions of dollars for a single field. This problem is even more acute for recovery of hydrocarbons from unconventional resources such as tight gas reservoirs.
In recent years there has been a surge in interest in pore-scale modeling as a physically-based tool to predict macroscopic properties such as relative permeabilities. The displacement physics for two- and three-phase flow in mixed-wet porous systems has been worked out at the pore scale. In this seminar, two distinct groups of state-of-the-art physically-based pore-level models will be presented: 1) A three-dimensional random network model will be discussed that is capable of simulating two- and three-phase flow processes at the pore level using faithful representations of the pore space. The displacement mechanisms incorporated in the model are based on the physics of multiphase flow observed in micromodel experiments. The model computes relative permeabilities, saturation paths, and capillary pressures for a variety of displacement sequences. The predicted two- and three-phase relative permeabilities are successfully compared against their experimental counterparts. Other applications of the technique, for instance, in fractured systems, will also be discussed. 2) A dynamic particle-based model for direct pore-level simulation of incompressible flow and contaminant transport in disordered porous media will be presented. The model is capable of simulating flow directly in three-dimensional high-resolution microtomography images of rock samples. The model is based on moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method and is used to predict various flow and transport properties such as longitudinal dispersion coefficient. The accuracy of the model is validated against analytical, numerical, and experimental data available in the literature. The validated model is then used to simulate both unsteady- and steady-state flow and transport directly in representative elementary volume (REV) size microtomography images of naturally-occurring porous systems.
The need for better experimental measurements in order to improve the predictive capabilities of the aforementioned models will be discussed next. A state-of-the-art three-phase flow laboratory, established from scratch at the University of Wyoming, will be presented. The facility can be used to study a wide range of two- and three-phase flow experiments at reservoir conditions using a medical CT scanner to measure in-situ fluid saturations. The experiments may be carried out using vertically-placed core samples as the scanner can be rotated to the horizontal orientation. An extensive experimental program designed to complement the modeling effort will be discussed. Recently generated experimental data on the permanent trapping of supercritical CO2, relevant to CO2 sequestration in deep saline aquifers, and results related to a novel EOR technique will be presented.
Biography: Dr. Mohammad Piri is an Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Wyoming (UW). He received his PhD in Petroleum Engineering at Imperial College London in 2004. Before joining the faculty at UW, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. His research interests include pore-level physics of multiphase flow and transport in disordered porous media with applications in energy and the environment as well as measurement and prediction of macroscopic properties in multiphase flow systems. In particular, he works on three-phase flow systems with applications to oil and gas recovery, CO2 sequestration and leakage, effects of saturation history, trapping, and wettability on three-phase relative permeability, and direct pore-level modeling of flow in microtomography images. He currently leads a research group with seven graduate students and one postdoctoral research associate and is the Associate Director of the Center for Fundamentals of Subsurface Flow of the School of Energy Resources at UW.
Host: Mork Family Department
Location: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) -
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Takimoto Idania