Dr. Al Shalabi is Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from The Petroleum Institute (A part of Khalifa University now) in UAE and a Ph.D. degree from The University of Texas at Austin in USA, all in petroleum engineering. His research interests are focused on enhanced/improved-oil recovery techniques (EOR/IOR), geological gas storage, reservoir modeling, and AI/ML. Dr. Al Shalabi has authored and co-authored more than 180 scientific journal papers and conference proceedings. He also delivered several presentations at regional and international conferences. Moreover, he is an executive editor for the SPE Journal and an associate editor for Journal of Geoenergy Science and Engineering. He serves as a reviewer for several reputable international journals. In addition, he has served the SPE society through organizing different events and participating in different roles including steering committee member, technical committee member, moderator, session chair/co-chair, and judge. He achieved a number of educational and research awards including 2023 SPE Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, 2023 SPE A Peer Apart Award, 2022 SPE International Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award, 2021 Faculty Service Excellence Award at Khalifa University, 2021 and 2022 SPE Outstanding Technical Reviewer Award, 2022 SPE Associate Editor Outstanding Service Award, 2021 SPE Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, 2020 SPE Regional Public Service Award, 2020 SPE Regional Service Award, and 2020 SPE Regional Young Member Outstanding Service Award for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. Dr. Al Shalabi is a registered professional engineer in Texas, USA. He is an ABET program evaluator, an SPE Certified Petroleum Engineer (SPEC), a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP®), and a professional SPE member since 2006.
The project title "Chemical EOR Application in Abu Dhabi Carbonate Reservoirs" is funded by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for the period from April 2019 to December 2026. I was a Co-Investigator for this project and was assigned as a Principal Investigator in June 2022. The project includes screening and evaluation different potential chemicals (polymers and surfactants) for application in carbonate reservoirs under harsh conditions of high temperature and high salinity, similar to these prevailing in UAE. The project approach is mainly focused on experimental work.
The project title "Chemical EOR for High Temperature High Salinity Carbonate Reservoirs" is funded by Khalifa University-King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KU-KFUPM) for the period from July 2021 to July 2024. I am the Principal Investigator for this project. The project investigates the suitability and application of surfactant flooding in carbonate reservoirs under harsh conditions of high temperature and high salinity, similar to these prevailing in UAE and KSA. Both numerical and experimental approaches are followed in this project.
The project title "Polymer Enhanced Foam Injection for Underground Gas Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery in Challenging Middle Easter Carbonates: Towards Net Zero" is funded by Khalifa University for the period from September 2023 to March 2026. I am the Principal Investigator for this project. The project investigates newly developed and modified polymers in foam formulation to achieve higher foam stability at harsh reservoir conditions, which effectively improves gas storage and oil recovery. The performance of this polymer-enhanced CO2 foam technique will be studied in bulk and porous media and further optimized using new machine learning models. The optimum polymer-enhanced CO2 foam formulation and injection strategy will lead to high incremental oil recovery with minimum carbon footprints. Both experimental and numerical approaches are followed in this project.
Research Associate (MSc Candidate) in Petroleum Engineering with AI and ML Experience
Research Associate (MSc Candidate) in Petroleum Engineering with Centrifuge and Coreflood Experience
Research Associate (MSc Candidate) in Petroleum Engineering with Reactive Transport Modeling Experience
