Paul Bondor (CIT ’63, ’66, ’69) will give a talk on “The Future of Oil” as a part of the Great Lakes Energy Institute Speaker Series Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m. in Nord Hall 310.
Liquid hydrocarbons will continue to be a major contributor to the world’s energy for decades to come. The exploration for, and production of, oil is an undertaking which requires the talents of thousands of scientists and engineers.
However, the “easy” oil has been produced. Tomorrow’s newly discovered oil will come from difficult environments: deepwater, the Arctic, high pressure, high temperature, unconventional reservoirs, reservoirs under salt, etc. Tomorrow’s oil also will come from improved recovery in already discovered reservoirs. All of these present as unsolved technical challenges.
A brief overview of the outlook will be given, followed by an introduction to the exploration and production process. Finally, the potential contribution of research to the solution of these challenges will be discussed.
Bondor, an independent energy and oil consultant began working for Shell Oil Co.’s Exploration and Production Research Laboratory in Bellaire, Texas, in 1969, and over the next 35 years worked in both production (in the U.S. and worldwide) and research (as an individual researcher, a supervisor and head of Royal Dutch Shell’s enhanced oil recovery research). After retirement in 2003, he has worked as a consultant to oil companies worldwide.
Find more information and register at the Great Lakes Energy Institute website.