Faculty
S.M. Farouq Ali
Distinguished Professor
Phone 713-743-7294
Email sfarouqa [at] central.uh.edu
Farouq Ali comes to UH from the University of Calgary where he served as the Encana/Petroleum Society Chair and Professor of chemical and petroleum engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in industry and academia, having served as a professor at Pennsylvania State University, the University of Alberta and the University of Regina.
Considered one of the world’s leading experts in reservoir engineering, oil recovery and simulation, Farouq Ali advises oil companies and various governments on oil policy and production strategies. He has authored more than 500 papers, conducted more than 200 petroleum reservoir studies and designed over 30 major oil fields projects.
Farouq Ali earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University. As a graduate student he conducted pioneering research on micellar-polymer flooding, a process in which a micelle solution is pumped into a reservoir to recover oil. The technique has since become the industry standard for enhanced oil recovery.
He is also credited with some of the earliest experimental work on steam flooding, a method of injecting steam to extract heavy crude oil from an oil reservoir. Today steam injection is one of the primary enhanced oil recovery techniques in use.
Farouq Ali has been honored with awards from the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Education
Ph.D., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
M.S., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
B.Sc. (Hons.), Petroleum Production Engineering, Birmingham University, England
B.Eng., Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Karachi University, Pakistan
Professional Experience
Has done more than 250 oil/gas reservoir studies.
Has served as consultant to many oil companies and research organizations and universities.
Has designed more than 30 major oilfield projects, dealing with increased oil recovery. Has been invited to government hearings on matters related to petroleum production. Has advised oil companies and governments on policy and production strategies.
Teaching
Introduction to Petroleum Engineering (PETR 6351)
Petroleum Engineering Project (PETR 6388)
Natural Gas Engineering (PETR 6350)
Selected Professional Activities/Honors
Was awarded the Wilson Outstanding Teaching Award of the Pennsylvania State University in 1970.
Was the Distinguished Lecturer for the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy for 1982-83.
Awarded Society of Petroleum Engineers' Distinguished Achievement Award for 1991.
Was one of the Distinguished Lecturers of the Society of Petroleum Engineers for 1991-92.
Was awarded the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Lester C. Uren Award for 1996, one of the highest honours given by the Society, for his work on steam injection, micellar flooding, integrated reservoir simulation and scaled models.
Chosen as the Centennial Fellow in Petroleum Engineering by The Pennsylvania State University for their 100th Anniversary celebrations in 1996.
Was awarded Thermal Recovery Pioneer award by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and California oil producers in 1997
Was awarded the Kapitsa Gold Medal by the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1998, and admitted as a Foreign Member of the Academy, one the very few non-Russians to receive these honours. The award was made in the category of Petroleum Science, for “work of Nobel Prize-winning quality to scientists in fields where no Nobel Prize exists”.
Was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Pennsylvania State University in 1999.
Was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by National Petroleum Institute (VNIGRI) of Russia, the oldest petroleum engineering school in the world, in 1999.
Was awarded the Frank Spragins Summit Award of the Alberta Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists, in 2001 – the highest award for technical accomplishment.
The Canadian Petroleum Society re-named their Best Paper Award as “S.M. Farouq Ali Best Paper Award”, June 2001.
Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Improved Oil Recovery Pioneer Award, April 2002.
Distinguished Lecturer for the Petroleum Society of Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy for 2003
Distinguished Lecturer of the Society of Petroleum Engineers for 2003-2004
Was awarded the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal for technical excellence, the highest award of the Society of Petroleum Engineers 2007
Was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Pennsylvania State University, the University’s highest honour, June 2008.
Was elected a member of US National Academy of Engineering, the highest recognition in the engineering profession, Oct 2009.
Will be awarded the Honorary Member award of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Oct. 2014, the highest honour given by the Society.
Research Interests
Improving oil recovery from reservoirs; heavy oil recovery, steam injection, in situ combustion, chemical flooding; micellar flooding; numerical reservoir simulation; research and education.
Selected Publications
- Zeinab Zargar and S.M. Farouq Ali, 2018, Analytical Modelling of Steam Chamber Rise Stage of Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) Process, Fuel Journal, Vol 233 (2-18) p732–742.
- Jiang, Liangliang, Zhangxin Chen, and S.M., Farouq Ali. "General hydro-geological impact of cleats on underground coal gasification." Fuel 224 (2018): 128-137.
- Bayestehparvin, B., Farouq Ali, S.M. and Abedi, J.: “Solvent-Based and Solvent-Assisted Recovery Processes - State-of-the-Art”, SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering-Reservoir Engineering (2018).
- Zargar, Zeinab, and Farouq Ali, S.M.:A New Mathematical Model of Solvent-SAGD Process - Importance of Heat and Mass Transfer, SPE-184978, presented at the SPE Canada Technical Heavy Oil Conference, Calgary, 15-16 Feb, 2017.
- Bayestehparvin, Bita, Abedi, Jalal, and Farouq Ali, S.M.: Non-Equilibrium Reservoir Simulation of Solvent-Steam Processes, Based on Mass and Heat Transfer Inside a Pore, SPE 180471, presented at the Reservoir Simulation Conference, Montgomery, TX, Feb 2017.
- Bayestehparvin, Bita, Abedi, Jalal, and Farouq Ali, S.M.: Development of a Non-Equilibrium Pore Scale Reservoir Simulator, SPE 185010, presented at the SPE Canada Technical Heavy Oil Conference, Calgary, 15-16 Feb, 2017.
- Bayestehparvin, Bita, Farouq Ali, S.M., and Abedi, Jalal: Case Histories of Solvent Use in Thermal Recovery, SPE-185734, presented at Western Regional Meeting held in Bakersfield, California, USA, 23-27 April 2017.
- Zargar, Zeinab, and Farouq Ali, S.M.: Analytical Treatment of SAGD – Old and New, SPE-180748, presented at the SPE Canada Technical Heavy Oil Conference, Calgary, 2016. Accepted for publication.
- Farouq Ali, S.M.: Effect of Steam Injection Interruption on SAGD Performance, SPE-179853, presented at SPE EOR Conference at Oil and Gas West Asia held in Muscat, Oman, 21–23 March 2016.
- Bayestehparvin, Bita, Farouq Ali, S.M., and Abedi, Jalal: Use of Solvents with Steam - State-of-the-Art and Limitations, SPE-179829, presented at SPE EOR Conference at Oil and Gas West Asia held in Muscat, Oman, 21–23 March 2016. Accepted for publication.
- Farouq Ali, S.M.: Life After SAGD – 20 Years Later, SPE-180394, presented at SPE Western Regional Meeting, Anchorage, 23-26 May 2016.
- Bayestehparvin, Bita, Abedi, Jalal, and Farouq Ali, S.M.: Heavy Oil Mobilization by Cold Solvent, Hot Solvent, and Heat - A Comparative Pore Level Evaluation, SPE-180471, presented at SPE Western Regional Meeting held in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, 23–26 May 2016.
- Bayestehparvin, Bita, Abedi, Jalal, and Farouq Ali, S.M.: Dissolution and Mobilization of Bitumen at Pore Scale, SPE 174482, presented at SPE Canada Technical Heavy Oil Conference, Calgary, 2015.
- Fuenmayor, M., Gil, E., Pantin, R., Rojas, L. A., Quintero, N., and Farouq Ali, S.M.: Monitoring and Optimization of the Highly Successful Quifa In-Situ Combustion Project, WHOC15-282, presented at World Heavy Oil Congress, Edmonton, 2015.
- Heidari, M., Hejazi, S.H., Farouq Ali, S.M.: SAGD Performance with Temperature Dependent Properties – An Analytical Approach, Paper 175036, Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference, Houston, 2015. Published in SPEJ.
- Song, Qiuyue, Chen, Zhangxin, Farouq Ali, S.M.: Steam Injection Schemes for Bitumen Recovery from the Grosmont Carbonate Deposits, SPE174463, Presented at the SPE Heavy Oil Conference, Calgary, June 2015.
- Gil, E., Quintero, N.M., Rojas, L.A., Fuenmayor, M., Farouq Ali, S.M.: Monitoring and Optimization of an In-Situ Combustion Pilot Applying STAR™ Technology, Paper 174435, Presented at the SPE Heavy Oil Conference, Calgary, June 2015.
Current Students
Seyed Mahdi Razavi
Previous Students