An Nguyen: Doctoral Student of Petroleum Engineering
An Nguyen, PhD Candidate in Petroleum Engineering, has been awarded the Best Young Professional Paper at the 2024
Society of Core Analysts (SCA) Annual Symposium, held last August in Canada. Her paper was selected among
90 submissions across 12 technical sections, and the award decision was officially
announced by the technical committee on Tuesday, October 24th, 2024.
The award will be presented to An the 2025 SCA Symposium in Germany. She has also
been invited to submit her work to the
Petrophysics Journal.
An's research focuses on how the surface properties of nanoporous materials—specifically
their wettability, or whether they attract water or oil—impact the behavior of confined
fluids like ethane. This research is critical for advancing applications in hydrocarbon
recovery, hydrogen storage, and carbon dioxide capture and storage. The findings demonstrate
that water-wet surfaces absorb more fluid, especially in smaller pores, and that wettability
plays a key role in determining phase transition pressures. These insights are essential
for improving the efficiency of energy and environmental technologies.
The SCA, founded in 1986, is a global organization dedicated to advancing the understanding
of rock and core samples to better explore underground reservoirs such as those used
for oil and gas. As a chapter of the
Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA), the SCA unites geologists, engineers, and scientists worldwide, fostering
collaboration and driving innovation in core analysis. With its symposium rotating
between the US, Europe, and the Middle East, the SCA remains a leading platform for
groundbreaking research and knowledge exchange in reservoir evaluation.
