Pavel Bedrikovetski

Professor Pavel Bedrikovetski

Professor

School of Chemical Engineering

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Pavel is Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Adelaide. He authors a seminal book on reservoir engineering and 290 papers in international journals and SPE. His research covers CO2 and Hydrogen storage, well injectivity and productivity, formation damage and EOR. He holds MSc in Applied Mathematics, PhD in Fluid Mechanics and DSc in Reservoir Engineering, all from Moscow Gubkin Oil-Gas University. Pavel boasts 40-year industrial experience in Europe, USA, Brazil, Ukraine, Russia, and Australia. Pavel is 2008-2009 and 2016-2017 SPE Distinguished Lecturer worldwide. He is SPE Distinguished member worldwide. Pavel was ranked among the world's top 2% scientists by Stanford University (2020).

Research Profile

I. WELL INJECTIVITY DURING CO2 AND HYDROGEN STORAGE. This work focuses on formation damage mechanisms due to Joule-Thompson effect of the reservoir cooling, halite precipitation, wellbore drying and induced fines migration. The scope includes mathematical modelling, derivation of explicit expressions for skin factor, developments of formulae for well testing of the damaged injector, laboratory tests and determination of the model parameters, and injection regime optimization. The project is sponsored by Petronas.

II. DECLINE IN WELL PRODUCTIVITY AND DAMAGE MITIGATION DURING HYDROGEN STORAGE. The aim of the project is the laboratory-based mathematical-modelling prediction of production well behavior during hydrogen storage. This includes the formation damage due to dissolution-precipitation chemical reactions and induced mobilization and straining of the reservoir suspensions and colloids. The project involves mathematical modelling on the core- and reservoir scales as well as calculation of the model parameters from the laboratory experiments. The predictive modelling is used to prevent or mitigate the formation damage in wells producing hydrogen and cushion gas. The project is sponsored by ARC LP and involves collaboration with Shell Research and Delft Uni (The Netherlands).

III. RESERVOIR PREDICTION AND OPTIMISATION OF CO2 STORAGE. The goal of the project is optimization of the storage capacity, well completion, and injection regimes. The project further develop analytical models from the areas of waterflooding, EOR, and well injectivity. The mathematical models for segregated flow of CO2 plume below the seal accounting for capillary hysteresis, chemical reactions, and leakage allows maximizing CO2 entrapment by the rock until its arrival to the trap. A novel reservoir management methodology is using different formation damage mechanisms to increase CO2 and areas sweep during CO2 injection and reservoir flows. The project is sponsored by ARC DP and involves collaboration with Unis of Stanford (US) and Denmark Technical Uni.

IV. DETERMINATION OF RELATIVE PERMEABILITY AND CAPILLARY PRESSURE DURING CO2 STORAGE. Unsteady state method is developed for relatively long reservoir cores. During continuous injection of equilibrium saturated gas, the total rate, pressure drop across the core and its first section, and breakthrough component concentrations are measured. Extended Welge-JBN method, recently developed at ASPER for the cases of phases transitions and chemical reactions, is transformed for CO2 and hydrogen injection. For short cores, recently developed at ASPER so-called steady-state-transient-test (SSTT) is under development for CO2 flow in aquifers and depleted gas fields. This development is the result of 7-year sponsorship by Wintershall (Germany).        

Eleven ARC projects during 2010-2022, including 4 ARC DPs, 4 ARC LPs, and 3 ARC LIEFs, have been granted. All of them relate to laboratory and mathematical modelling for CO2 and hydrogen storage in aquifers and depleted gas and oil fields, i.e. two-phase reactive multicomponent transport in porous media, including reservoir and well behavior prediction an optimization. 

In particular, 2020 ARC Discovery Grant DP 200103548 “A spatio-temporal partitioning approach to suspension flow in porous media”  forms a theoretical basis for formation damage in injection and production wells during CO2 and hydrogen storage in aquifers and depleted gas fields.

2019 ARC Discovery Grant DP190103457 “Multiscale theory to understand secondary migration of hydrocarbons” develops analytical models for buoyant flow of gas plume below seals and migration towards geological traps for optimal project and design of CO2 and hydrogen storage in aquifers and depleted gas fields.

2018 ARC Linkage Grant LP180100890 “Multiscale physics for enhanced oil recovery” develops multiscale laboratory and mathematical models for two-phase reactive multicomponent transport in porous media, which is the essence of flows during CO2 and hydrogen storage in aquifers and depleted gas fields.    

2017-2023 “Fines-assisted waterflooding”, Wintershall Holding GmbH / UNSW also transforms multiscale laboratory and mathematical models for two-phase reactive multicomponent transport in porous media.

2021-2023 “Fines migration prediction in natural subterranean reservoir”, Petronas Research Sdn Bhd develops the lab and math models for formation damage in injection and production wells during CO2 and hydrogen storage in aquifers and depleted gas fields. 

Teaching Interests

CO2 and hydrogen storage: reservoir and production engineering

Formation damage, its prevention and mitigation;

Waterflooding;

EOR and IOR;

Environmental fluid mechanics;

Mathematical modelling and fluid mechanics for petrleum engineers and geo-scientists;

Transport in porous media;

Non-linear waves in continuous mechanics;

Systems of conservation laws;

Reservoir Simulation

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Principal Supervisor Well injectivity during Carbon Dioxide storage in depleted gas fields and aquifers Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Christina Chesnokov
    2023 Co-Supervisor Mathematical and Laboratory Modelling of Two-Phase Flow with Colloids in Aquifers- Environmental Aspects Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Amin Keykhosravi
    2022 Principal Supervisor Analytical Modeling of Carbon dioxide (CO2) with Low-Salinity Water Injection in Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Kofi Ohemeng Kyei Prempeh
    2022 Principal Supervisor Mathematical and laboratory modeling of geological formation of ancient petroleum accumulations. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Syeda Sara Mobasher
    2021 Principal Supervisor Effect of Rock Failure on Particle Detachment in colloidal Flow Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Bryant Dang-Le
    2021 Principal Supervisor Fines migration in porous media. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yutong Yang
    2021 Principal Supervisor Environmental colloidal transport in aquifers: modelling and laboratory study Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Amin Shokrollahi
    2021 Principal Supervisor Exact Solutions for Suspension-Colloidal Transport in Porous Media Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Nastaran Khazali
    2020 Co-Supervisor Laboratory and mathematical modelling of the produced water disposal in the reservoir Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Cao Cuong Nguyen
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Advanced theory for colloidal detachment of detrital and authigenic fines in rocks Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Abolfazl Hashemi
    2019 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Mechanical Theory for Particle Detachment in Porous Media Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Heng Zheng Ting
    2019 - 2023 Principal Supervisor A novel laboratory method for simultaneous determination of relative permeability and capillary pressure from laboratory corefloods Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Nassim Hemmati
    2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Analytical Modelling of Formation Damage in One-phase and Two-phase Flows: Applications for Laboratory Experiments Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Shuyan Yang
    2017 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Suspension-Colloidal Transport in Porous Media: Basic Equations, Analytical Model and Nonlinear Physics Effects Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Hao Zhang
    2017 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Deterministic and Stochastic Modelling of Fines Attachment and Detachment during Colloidal Flows Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Thomas Linsay Russell
    2016 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Particle Detachment in Single-Phase and Two-Phase Flows in Porous Media Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Larissa Boechat Chequer
    2016 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Analytical Modelling and Upscaling of Multicomponent Suspension-Colloidal Transport in Porous Media Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Gabriel de Veiga Cabral Malgaresi
    2016 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Low Salinity Waterflooding: Effect of Fines Migration and Ion Type on Oil Recovery Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Alan Gussmann
    2013 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Analytical Modelling of the Water Block Phenomenon in Oil and Gas Wells Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Saurabh Naik
    2012 - 2016 Principal Supervisor Analytical Modelling of Two-Phase Multi-Component Flow in Porous Media with Dissipative and Non-equilibrium Effects Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Sara Borazjani
    2012 - 2016 Co-Supervisor A New Solution for an Edge Dislocation with Applications to the Stress and Fracture Analysis of Multilayered Media Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Aditya Shankar Khanna
    2012 - 2016 Principal Supervisor Analytical Modelling of Fines Migration in Porous Media Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yulong Yang
    2011 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Advanced Analytical Models for Well Injectivity Decline Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Azim Kalantariasl
    2011 - 2015 Principal Supervisor A novel technology for enhanced coal seam gas recovery by graded proppant injection Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Alireza Keshavarz
    2010 - 2014 Principal Supervisor The Experimental and Theoretical Study of Fines Migration in Porous Media Under Particle-rock Repulsion and Attraction Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Aji Kaiser
    2010 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Reservoir Simulation Studies of Formation Damage for Improved Recovery on Oil-gas Reservoirs Master of Engineering Science Master Full Time Ms Thi Nguyen
    2010 - 2014 Co-Supervisor Petrophysical and Mineralogical Evaluation of Shale Gas Reservoirs - A Cooper Basin Case Study Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Maqsood Ahmad
    2010 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Thermally Enhanced Gas Recovery and Infill Well Placement Optimization in Coalbed Methane Reservoirs Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Alireza Salmachi
    2010 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Uncertainty Reduction in Reservoir Characterisation through Inverse Modelling of Dynamic Data: an Evolutionary Computation Approach Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Mohammad Sayyafzadeh
    2009 - 2012 Principal Supervisor New Technologies and Mathematical Modeling of Fines-Assisted Oil and Gas Recovery Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time APrf Abbas Zeinijahromi
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    1993 - ongoing Member Society of Petroleum Engineers SPE Australia
  • Position: Professor
  • Phone: 83133082
  • Email: pavel.bedrikovetski@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83134345
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Santos Petroleum Engineering, floor 3
  • Org Unit: Mining and Petroleum Engineering

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