Samuel Erzuah defended his PhD thesis 24 September. Now he is moving back to Ghana as Dr. Erzuah.
Samuel Erzuah's PhD study is on wettability estimation by oil adsorption using both experimental and simulation approach.
Prediction of oil adsorption
«One of the most remarkable outcome from my PhD research is the prediction of the oil adsorption tendencies of the minerals/rocks during Crude Oil/Brine/Rock (COBR) interactions via Surface Complexation Modelling (SCM). Not only does the SCM characterize the wetting preference of the minerals/rock but also the mechanism that led to the oil adsorption such as cation bridging and direct adhesion of carboxylate,» Erzuah explains.
This outcome was based on extensive laboratory work and comparing the findings with literature data.
No. 8 of the Centre PhDs
«This research is essential in evaluating injection water compositions that has the tendency to optimize oil recovery. For instance, since the SCM technique can predict the oil adsorption mechanisms such as bridging by divalent cation (Ca2+ and Mg2+); if a Low Salinity Water (LSW) injection water is used, some of the bridges formed by these divalent cation could be broken and thereby compelling the adsorbed oil to be liberated and produced with the injected brine,» he says.
Samuel Erzuah is the eight PhD candidate to graduate from The National IOR Centre of Norway. He has been based at IRIS/NORCE, and Ingebret Fjelde and Aruoture Omekeh were his supervisors.
In the committee: Dr. Patrick V. Brady, Sandia National Laboratories, USA, Dr. Medad Twimukye Tweheyo, Equinor, Trondheim and Associate Professor Tina Puntervold, Universitetet i Stavanger.
Erzuah is now moving back to Ghana where a new job and family life is waiting.
Text and photo: Kjersti Riiber