Editorial pubs.acs.org/EF
15th International Conference on Petroleum Phase Behavior and Fouling This special section of Energy & Fuels contains contributed papers from the 15th International Conference on Petroleum Phase Behavior and Fouling (Petrophase 2014). Petrophase 2014 was organized by Rice University and Baker Hughes, in Galveston, TX, June 8−12, 2014. Since the first conference in 1999, the Petrophase Conference series has grown into a premier international conference, bringing together scientists and engineers to discuss the chemistry and properties of petroleum fluids and their effect on producing, processing, and refining in the upstream, midstream, and downstream industries. This conference is of great importance to the petroleum industry for improving processes that bring energy to the world. The 2014 Petrophase Conference continued to attract wide international participation, with approximately 300 attendees from 22 countries. These leading experts from academia, national laboratories, and industry shared the latest science and engineering related to petroleum characterization, production, processing, and refining. Over 113 companies, institutions, and universities participated. We thank the participants for making the conference such a success. As Technical Program Chairs, Corina Sandu of Baker Hughes and George Hirasaki of Rice University brought together exceptional speakers. Six keynote lectures and 35 oral presentations discussed the topics of flow assurance, petroleum chemistry, upgrading & fouling, emulsions, and petroleum properties that have been included in past conferences as well as a new session on shale oil and gas. The conference also exhibited 115 posters in two poster sessions covering a range of topics related to petroleum phase behavior and fouling. Full details of the program can be found on the website at http:// petrophase2014.com. The following keynote lectures were given during the conference: Flow assurance: George Broze, Shell International E&P, “Toward a Flow Assurance Strategy for Long Gas Tiebacks” Emulsions: Mark Williams, Baker Hughes, “The Pioneers of Demulsification” Petroleum chemistry: Howard Freund, retired from ExxonMobil, “Composition and Properties of Heavy Bitumen” Upgrading and fouling: Bryce McGarvey, Imperial Oil, “Refinery Fouling: The Intriguing Role of Phosphate Esters” Petroleum properties: Abbas Firoozabadi, RERI/Yale University, “Molecular Assembly and Structures in Hydrates and Asphaltenes in Relation to Flow Assurance” Shale: Alejandro Peña, Schlumberger, “Modern Solutions for Hydrocarbon Characterization, Modeling and Recovery via Hydraulic Fracturing of Shale Reservoirs” The strong technical program coupled with an environment promoting interaction among conference attendees make Petrophase a unique and special conference. To promote © 2015 American Chemical Society
networking, the conference showcased beautiful Galveston Island during an evening on the strand (including a tour of Galveston Bay and the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum) and the conference dinner/fais do-do featuring the zydeco music of Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie. The organizing committee thanks the sponsors. The support provided by the sponsor organizations, this year and in past years, has been instrumental in the growth and technical quality of Petrophase. Sponsors of Petrophase 2014 included platinum sponsors, Baker Hughes and Rice University; gold sponsors, Nalco Champion and Shell; silver sponsors, Chevron; bronze sponsors, ExxonMobil, Prima Quimica, and Schlumberger; and coffee break sponsors, Athlon Solutions and the Upstream Engineering and Flow Assurance Forum of the AIChE. Petrophase 2014 would not be possible without contributions from many people and organizations. We thank the other members of the organizing committee: Francisco Vargas and his entire research group from Rice University, Leslie Breen of the University of Houston - Downtown, and the team from Baker Hughes, including Geoffrey Leonard, Rama Ponnapati, and Sai Pinappu. In particular, special recognition is given to the team from Rice University of Kathryn O’Brien, Ania Howard, and Karen Shelton, who were simply invaluable. We also thank the technical committee led by Corinna Sandu of Baker Hughes and George Hirasaki of Rice University. The technical committee also included Jan Anderson, Howard Freund, Ryan Rodgers, Doris Gonzalez, Isabella Merdrignac, John Shaw, Francisco Vargas, Patrick Breen, Peter Kilpatrick, Clarence Miller, George Broze, Ann Davis, Gaspar González, Rama Venkatesan, Murray Gray, Frans G. A. van den Berg, and Irv Wiehe. Finally, we thank the participants, both presenters and regular attendees, who make Petrophase such a success. On behalf of the organizing and technical committees, it was a pleasure and honor to host the 15th Annual Petrophase Conference.
David W. Jennings, Conference Co-chair
Baker Hughes Incorporated, 12645 West Airport Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas 77478, United States
Walter G. Chapman, Conference Co-chair
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Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS. The authors declare no competing financial interest. Special Issue: 15th International Conference on Petroleum Phase Behavior and Fouling Received: March 25, 2015 Published: April 4, 2015 2753
DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5b00629 Energy Fuels 2015, 29, 2753−2753
