Petroleum Engineering

Soheil Saraji

Soheil Saraji

Associate Professor in Energy & Petroleum Engineering

Richard and Marilyn Lynch Non-endowed Chair in Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation

Adjunct Professor at School of Energy Resources


University of Wyoming
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Department of Energy & Petroleum Engineering
Dept. 3295
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
Email: ssaraji@uwyo.edu
Phone: 307.766.6557
Research website: https://www.sarajiresearch.com/

Education

  • Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming, 2013  

  • M.S., Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2007

  • B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2004


Professional Experience

  • Associate Professor, University of Wyoming, 08/2022 - present

  • Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming, 08/2016 - 08/2022

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Wyoming, 01/2014 - 08/2016

  • Research Assistant, University of Wyoming, 07/2008 - 12/2013

  • Research Scientist, Petroleum University of Technology, 03/2007 - 07/2008

Research Interests

  • Enhanced/Improved Oil Recovery and Reservoir Dynamics

  • Geochemistry and Reactive Transport in Porous Media

  • Carbon and Hydrogen Geological Storage

  • Blockchain Innovations in Energy and Sustainability

Books

  1. Saraji, and D. Akindipe, “The Role of Oil and Gas Industry in the Energy Transition”, in Sustainability in the Oil and Gas Industry, Palgrave Macmillan, 2024.

  2. Saraji, and S. Chen, “Sustainable Oil and Gas using Blockchain", Springer Nature, 2023, 978-3-031-30697-6.

  3. Saraji, and C. Khalaf, “Blockchain Applications in the Energy Industry”, in Regulatory Aspects of Artificial Intelligence on Blockchain, P. M. Tehrani (Ed.), IGI Global, 2022, 159 -180, DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7927-5.ch008.

Journal Publications

  1. Li, D.; Zhang, Y.; Jiao, Z.; Saraji, S. An Experimental Study of CO2 Injection Strategies for Enhanced Oil Recovery and Geological Sequestration in a Factured Tight Sandstone Reservoir. Geoenergy Science and Engineering 2023, 230, 212166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.212166.

  2. Li, D.; Zhang, Y.; Jiao, Z.; Saraji, S. Three-Dimensional Core Reconstruction and Performance Evaluation of CO2 Displacement in a Tight Oil Reservoir. Fuel 2023, 349, 128622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2023.128622.

  3. Hanamertani, A. S.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. A Comparative Investigation of the Effect of Gas Type on Foam Strength and Flow Behavior in Tight Carbonates. Chemical Engineering Science 2023, 276, 118798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2023.118798.

  4. Shoukry, A. E.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Two-Phase Displacement Dynamics in Fractured Porous Media of Varying Wettability States: A Micromodel Experimental Investigation of Matrix/Fracture Interactions. Advances in Water Resources 2023, 176, 104447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2023.104447.

  5. Medina, J. A.; Obasi, E. C.; Elshehabi, T.; Saraji, S. Wettability Alternation and Interface Tension Modification for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Oil-Wet Carbonates: A Comparative Study of Different Surfactants. Geoenergy Science and Engineering 2023, 225, 211637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211637.

  6. García, B. F.; Mousaviraad, M.; Saraji, S. Verification and Validation for Microfluidic CFD Simulations of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Flows. Applied Mathematical Modelling 2022, 107, 557–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apm.2022.02.019.

  7. Aly, M.; Hanamertani, A. S.; Saraji, S. Impact of Fracture Orientation on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide -Foam Performance and Optimization in Sandstones. Journal of Cleaner Production 2022, 377, 134212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134212.

  8. Akindipe, D.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Salt Precipitation in Carbonates during Supercritical CO2 Injection: A Pore-Scale Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Wettability and Heterogeneity. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 2022, 121, 103790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2022.103790.

  9. Akindipe, D.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Pore Matrix Dissolution in Carbonates: An in-Situ Experimental Investigation of Carbonated Water Injection. Applied Geochemistry 2022, 147, 105483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105483.

  10. Akindipe, D.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Carbonated Water Injection in Oil-Wet Carbonate Rock Samples: A Pore-Scale Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Brine Composition. Energy Fuels 2022, 36 (9), 4847–4870. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2c00326.

  11. Yu, Y.; Saraji, S. Supercritical CO2 Foam Stabilized by a Viscoelastic Surfactant in Fractured Porous Media: The Effect of Fracture Surface Roughness. Energy Fuels 2021, 35 (12), 10051–10061. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.1c00281.

  12. Sri Hanamertani, A.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. The Effects of In-Situ Emulsion Formation and Superficial Velocity on Foam Performance in High-Permeability Porous Media. Fuel 2021, 306, 121575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2021.121575.

  13. Li, D.; Saraji, S.; Jiao, Z.; Zhang, Y. CO2 Injection Strategies for Enhanced Oil Recovery and Geological Sequestration in a Tight Reservoir: An Experimental Study. Fuel 2021, 284, 119013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2020.119013.

  14. García, B. F.; Saraji, S. Transient Interfacial Rheology and Polar Component Dynamics at Oil-Brine Interfaces. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 2021, 624, 126773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.126773.

  15. Akindipe, D.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Salt Precipitation during Geological Sequestration of Supercritical CO2 in Saline Aquifers: A Pore-Scale Experimental Investigation. Advances in Water Resources 2021, 155, 104011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.104011.

  16. Yu, Y.; García, B. F.; Saraji, S. Surfactant Viscoelasticity as a Key Parameter to Improve Supercritical CO2 Foam Stability/Foamability and Performance in Porous Media. Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics 2020, 282, 104311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnnfm.2020.104311.

  17. Kuang, W.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Pore-Scale Sweep Efficiency Enhancement by Silica-Based Nanofluids in Oil-Wet Sandstone. Energy Fuels 2020, 34 (2), 1297–1308. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b03081.

  18. Kuang, W.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. Nanofluid-Induced Wettability Gradient and Imbibition Enhancement in Natural Porous Media: A Pore-Scale Experimental Investigation. Transp Porous Med 2020, 134 (3), 593–619. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-020-01459-0.

  19. García, B. F.; Saraji, S. Linear Rheology of Nanoparticle-Enhanced Viscoelastic Surfactants. Journal of Molecular Liquids 2020, 300, 112215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2019.112215.

  20. Barsotti, E.; Saraji, S.; Tan, S. P.; Piri, M. Correction to “Capillary Condensation of Binary and Ternary Mixtures of n-Pentane–Isopentane–CO2 in Nanopores: An Experimental Study on the Effects of Composition and Equilibrium.” Langmuir 2020, 36 (18), 5084–5084. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c01127.

  21. Yu, Y.; Soukup, Z. A.; Saraji, S. An Experimental Study of In-Situ Foam Rheology: Effect of Stabilizing and Destabilizing Agents. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 2019, 578, 123548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.06.014.

  22. García, B. F.; Saraji, S. Mixed In-Situ Rheology of Viscoelastic Surfactant Solutions Using a Hyperbolic Geometry. Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics 2019, 270, 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnnfm.2019.07.003.

  23. Kuang, W.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M. A Systematic Experimental Investigation on the Synergistic Effects of Aqueous Nanofluids on Interfacial Properties and Their Implications for Enhanced Oil Recovery. Fuel 2018, 220, 849–870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2018.01.102.

  24. García, B. F.; Saraji, S. A New Insight into the Dependence of Relaxation Time on Frequency in Viscoelastic Surfactant Solutions: From Experimental to Modeling Study. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2018, 517, 265–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2018.01.078.

  25. Barsotti, E.; Saraji, S.; Tan, S. P.; Piri, M. Capillary Condensation of Binary and Ternary Mixtures of N-Pentane–Isopentane–CO2 in Nanopores: An Experimental Study on the Effects of Composition and Equilibrium. Langmuir 2018, 34 (5), 1967–1980. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b04134.

  26. Mirchi, V.; Saraji, S.; Akbarabadi, M.; Goual, L.; Piri, M. A Systematic Study on the Impact of Surfactant Chain Length on Dynamic Interfacial Properties in Porous Media: Implications for Enhanced Oil Recovery. Eng. Chem. Res. 2017, 56 (46), 13677–13695. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.7b02623.

  27. Akbarabadi, M.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M.; Georgi, D.; Delshad, M. Nano-Scale Experimental Investigation of in-Situ Wettability and Spontaneous Imbibition in Ultra-Tight Reservoir Rocks. Advances in Water Resources 2017, 107, 160–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.06.004.

  28. Barsotti, E.; Tan, S. P.; Saraji, S.; Piri, M.; Chen, J.-H. A Review on Capillary Condensation in Nanoporous Media: Implications for Hydrocarbon Recovery from Tight Reservoirs. Fuel 2016, 184, 344–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.06.123.

  29. Saraji, S.; Piri, M. The Representative Sample Size in Shale Oil Rocks and Nano-Scale Characterization of Transport Properties. International Journal of Coal Geology 2015, 146, 42–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2015.04.005.

  30. Mirchi, V.; Saraji, S.; Goual, L.; Piri, M. Dynamic Interfacial Tension and Wettability of Shale in the Presence of Surfactants at Reservoir Conditions. Fuel 2015, 148, 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2015.01.077.

  31. Saraji, S.; Piri, M.; Goual, L. The Effects of SO2 Contamination, Brine Salinity, Pressure, and Temperature on Dynamic Contact Angles and Interfacial Tension of Supercritical CO2/Brine/Quartz Systems. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 2014, 28, 147–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2014.06.024.

  32. Goual, L.; Sedghi, M.; Mostowfi, F.; McFarlane, R.; Pomerantz, A. E.; Saraji, S.; Mullins, O. C. Cluster of Asphaltene Nanoaggregates by DC Conductivity and Centrifugation. Energy Fuels 2014, 28 (8), 5002–5013. https://doi.org/10.1021/ef5010682.

  33. Saraji, S.; Goual, L.; Piri, M.; Plancher, H. Wettability of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide/Water/Quartz Systems: Simultaneous Measurement of Contact Angle and Interfacial Tension at Reservoir Conditions. Langmuir 2013, 29 (23), 6856–6866. https://doi.org/10.1021/la3050863.

  34. Saraji, S.; Goual, L.; Piri, M. Dynamic Adsorption of Asphaltenes on Quartz and Calcite Packs in the Presence of Brine Films. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 2013, 434, 260–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2013.05.070.

  35. Shokrlu, Y. H.; Kharrat, R.; Ghazanfari, M. H.; Saraji, S. Modified Screening Criteria of Potential Asphaltene Precipitation in Oil Reservoirs. Petroleum Science and Technology 2011, 29 (13), 1407–1418. https://doi.org/10.1080/10916460903567582.

  36. Saraji, S.; Goual, L.; Piri, M. Adsorption of Asphaltenes in Porous Media under Flow Conditions. Energy Fuels 2010, 24 (11), 6009–6017. https://doi.org/10.1021/ef100881k.

Select Conferences & Presentations

  1. Discussion Panel Member, “Blockchain's Evolution: From Finance to Social Impact, Sustainability and Beyond”, Future of Digital Assets, 2023, New York City, New York.

  2. Discussion Panel Member, “ESG Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain”, 9th Annual Digitization in Oil and Gas Conference, 2023, Houston, Texas.

  3. Invited Attendee, “Decentralized Science Workshop”, Columbia University, 2023, New York City, New York.

  4. Discussion Panel Member, “AI and Digital Technology Applications in Oil and Gas”, Rockies Petroleum Conference, 2023, Laramie, Wyoming.

  5. Discussion Panel Member, “Measuring, Reporting, Verifying and Tracking using Blockchain”, Blockchain in Oil and Gas Conference, Houston, Texas.

  6. Invited Talk, “Enhanced Oil Recovery in Niobrara Shale: Challenges and Opportunities”, Niobrara Shale Production Conference, 2021, Denver, Colorado.

  7. Invited Talk, “CO2 Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery in Tight Oil Reservoirs”, US-China Clean Energy Research Center, 2018, Online.

  8. Symposium Organizer and Chair, “MS 1.17: Flow of Non-Newtonian and Complex Fluids Through Porous Media”, Interpore Conference, 2018, New Orleans.