Research Thrusts

AEC’s highly adaptive research encompasses smart nano-additives for flow assurance, flow mapping, and microsensors for IoT solutions in harsh subsurface environments.

In particular, our existing research cohorts are focused on the following applications and business cases:

1. Hydraulic Fracturing Per-stage Informed Pressure Analysis
2. Casing annulus cement monitoring with smart collar (currently at TRL4)
3. Real-time fracture SRV mapping, and fluid flow dynamic studies at the AEC’s Devine HF’d field lab (currently at TRL5)
4. Payload delivery for asphaltene inhibition (currently at TRL 3)

Our current member directed research covers the following:

1. Revolutionizing subsurface monitoring by developing miniaturized sensors for production optimization, CO2 sequestration & pipeline monitoring, and for cement integrity & abandoned well monitoring;
2. Illuminating subsurface flow, including designing smart nano-additives to map flow and stimulated volume in conventional, unconventional, and geothermal reservoirs
3. AI data-driven decisions–applying analytics to sensor data for optimized decision-making and resource extraction
4. Production optimization, including designing delay-released asphaltene and scale inhibitors.

https://e3.eurekalert.org/multimedia/968475