The PI Annual Report 2009 - The Petroleum Institute

The Petroleum Institute
Annual Report - 2009
Online version
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Petroleum Institute
Annual Report 2009

Overview
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Office of the President
Office of the President
Dr. Michael M. Ohadi, Provost & (Acting) President
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Office of the President
MEssage of the President
In this report each department in the university reports
on its development over the last calendar year
individually. Each of these reports needs to be read in
the broader context of university wide reform that has
been coordinated by the President’s office. Radical reform
of educational objectives at undergraduate level,
from the base upward has seen the formation of the new
AUP program and the new College of Arts and Sciences.
These radical reforms in the educational foundations
of the PI underpin the progress made in undergraduate
education. As of fall 2009 we have close to 1,100
undergraduates students enrolled at the Institute. Our
undergraduate student retention rates have been progressively
improving, with a 76% rate of retention as
of fall 2009, compared with 45% in the 2005-2006 academic
year. We have also recruited a Coordinator for
the Center for Teaching Excellence, who joined the PI
in December 2009 and we look forward to the growth of
that center with many innovative activities in 2010.
2009 also saw the rapid growth of a graduate school and
an unprecedented drive towards enhancing the PI’s research
capacity. As of fall 2009 we had close to 80 graduate
students enrolled at the PI, a combination of part
time and full time students. We also had more than 50
sponsored research projects that were taking place at
the PI and/or with our partner institutions.
The last year saw intensive activity connected to the
creation of the ground-breaking PI Research Centre
(PIRC), which has attracted important ‘Goodwill Agreements’,
industry sponsorship, cooperation with international
universities and an increase in PI internal
sponsored projects. Increased research activity at the
PI has been identified as an important means of supporting
ADNOC and the energy industry of Abu Dhabi.
The Petroleum Institute is very privileged to enjoy the
support of ADNOC as its core sponsor and has every
intention of making extensive support a two-way pro-
cess. Shah Field development and the continuation of
the GASCO Joint venture will ensure a research activity
of 100 million USD at the PI over a 10 and 20 year
period respectively and will include the provision of 5
new chair professor positions at the PI. This year has
seen substantial growth in research active employees as
well as the number of published papers. In 2009 a total
of 392 papers were published by faculty and academic
staff. When compared to the same period in 2006 this
represents a growth of nearly two and half fold.
Another major and parallel development during the last
year was the replacement of the Foundation Program
by the Advanced University Placement (AUP) Department.
The new AUP program provides students with
the opportunity to gain university credit for courses in
Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics, responding to
concerns that the existing program was too remedial in
scope and often took up to two years for students to complete.
By modifying and intensifying curricular delivery,
and providing more research orientation, the new
program moves students through their requirements
more effectively and efficiently at the same time as considering
long term needs of undergraduates as potential
researchers. Advanced Placement courses (a mainstay
across American high schools) offer freshman-level
content, and provided the requisite grade is achieved,
constitute university credit. The AUP program is under
the leadership of Dr., Nisreen Hamad who has years of
experience in high school, as well as college level education
and research.
In line with this development, the former ‘Arts and Sciences
(A & S) Program’ has now acquired full college
status as the ‘College of Arts and Sciences’. In June,
2009, the Board of Governors decided that this transformation
reflected the best current US and international
practice and was in line with other developments
within the PI as a rapidly developing university. The
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Office of the President
A&S faculty has made excellent progress in developing
its research capacity in addition to and in support of its
teaching and counselling missions. We appreciate the
efforts of Dr. Dennis Siginer and his team for the great
achievements in Arts & Sciences.
The last year has also seen intensive activity in the HSE
Department. A completely new HSE team has continued
the complete restructuring that began in August,
2008 with the arrival of Dr. Clarence Rodrigues to manage
the department. HSE is actively involved with Science
and Engineering Departments to ensure the safety
of activity in cutting-edge research laboratories which
in some cases requires radioactive and other potentially
hazardous materials.
Another major administrative achievement has been
the switch over to the Comprehensive Academic Management
System (CAMS) from the more limited ARMS
system. The new portals allow students to have access
to registration, class schedules, transcripts, class information,
and many other features and give instructors
and teaching assistants access to comprehensive records
data and a complete course management system.
Online registration was conducted for the first time in
the summer semester. In August 2009 Ms. Anita Gray
joined the PI as the manager of CAMS and we very
much welcome her critical contributions in full implementation
of the CAMS and its features.
Constantly striving to improve the support it provides
our academic programs, the Library was recognized by
the Visiting Committee of the Commission for Academic
Accreditation of the Ministry of Higher Education and
Scientific Research of the UAE who highlighted “significant
improvements to the library since the initial accreditation
of its programs.”
We hope you enjoy this review of 2009. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank the editorial team who prepared
this report - Roger Nunn, William Rindfleisch, John Langille,
Richard Tapper, Connie Eide, Eurof Thomas, Caroline
Brandt, Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam and Bart Daems.
We welcome your feedback and comments which can be
sent to dmendez@pi.ac.ae or rnunn@pi.ac.ae.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Office of the President
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
Chemical Engineering Department
Dr. Cornelis Peters, Department Chair
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Chemical Engineering Department
Program Director’s
Summary
The Chemical Engineering Department (CHEG) developed
rapidly during 2009 in staffing, research achievements,
new infrastructure and organizing special
events.
219 fulltime students were enrolled in the department
at the beginning Spring 2009 semester: 87 Foundation,
34 Freshman, 37 Sophomore, 29 Junior and 31 Senior.
CHEG was active in 15 different research projects directly
related to the oil, gas and polymer industry such
as improved catalytic processes, leading to a significant
number of articles in refereed journals. Sponsorship
from GASCO, ADGAS and Takreer is gratefully
acknowledged, as are our collaborations with the University
of Maryland (USA), the University of Minnesota
(USA), the University of Leoben (Austria) and the University
of Linz (Austria). Details of the various projects
are highlighted in the various project descriptions. In
support of the research effort, two new laboratories became
operational or were on their way to be installed:
the laboratory of Catalysis, Reaction Engineering and
Process Intensification, and also the laboratory for Polymer
Chemistry, Polymer Characterization and Testing,
and Processing.
Our achievements include international recognition of
five CHEG students, the formation of the CHEG chapter
of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE), as well as the publication a significant number
of articles in refereed journals.
New Faculty & Staff
During the calendar year 2009, five academic faculty,
four research staff, and one laboratory engineer joined
CHEG as detailed below.
Dr. Binay Dutta joined the department
as a visiting professor
and has a distinguished academic
and research career over thirtyfive
years. He worked in a number
of international universities
and research laboratories before
joining the PI, including National Institute of Technology
in Durgapur India, National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) in Boulder Colorado, Stevens
Institute of Technology in New Jersey, University of
Alberta in Canada, and Universiti Teknologi PETRO-
NAS in Malaysia. Dr. Dutta’s research interests include
membrane separation, multiphase reaction engineering,
environmental engineering and pollution control, and
mathematical modeling. He is an author of 2 books, 2
US patents and 85 journal papers. He supervised more
than 12 Ph.D. students and many masters. Dr. Dutta
served as the president of Indian Institute of Chemical
Engineers and as a reviewer of many international journals
such as AIChE Journal, Journal of Applied Polymer
Science, and Journal of Hazard Materials. He also
served as a consultant for a number of industrial consortiums.
During his academic career, Dr. Dutta received
a number of awards: NRC Senior Associateship Award,
Institution of Engineers Gold Medal for Best Research
Paper, and CHEMCON Best Paper Award.
Dr. Ioannis G. Economou joined
the PI in September 2009 as the
Associate Provost for Graduate
Studies and Professor of Chemical
Engineering. He is on leave
from the National Center for Scientific
Research “Demokritos” in
Aghia Paraskevi, Greece where he holds the position
of Research Director of the Molecular Thermodynamics
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
and Modeling of Materials Laboratory. He held postdoctoral
positions at Delft University of Technology in
The Netherlands (1993 – 94) and at Exxon Research &
Engineering Company, in USA (1994 – 95). He has been
a Research Fellow at University College, London, UK
(1994 – 96) and at Princeton University, USA (2004), a
Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Denmark
(2001, 2006 – 08), at the American College of
Greece, Graduate School (2006 – 09), and an Adjunct
Professor at the Open University of Greece (2002 – 09).
He has consulted extensively for major oil and chemical
companies. He has supervised 10 Ph.D. theses, 5 postdocs
and numerous M.Sc. students. He has published
more than 95 research articles in leading journals in
Chemical Engineering, Physical Chemistry and Polymer
Science. He has given more than 50 invited lectures
in academic and industrial institutions and more than
120 conference presentations in Europe, North America
and Asia. He is the Chairman of the Working Party on
Thermodynamics and Transport Properties of the European
Federation of Chemical Engineering.
Dr. Chandrasekar Srinivasakannan
joined the department as
Associate Professor and has over
fifteen years of work experience
after his PhD from the Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras,
India. Prior joining academia, he
worked in different industries for eight years including
the petrochemical industry, the Council for Scientific
Industrial Research (CSIR), India and the General
Electric (USA) research center in India. He then held
teaching appointments at University Science Malaysia,
Curtin University and Monash University (Australia),
prior to joining the PI. Dr. Kannan’s research interests
include porous carbon development/adsorption, fluidization,
biomass gasification/pyrolyisis, environmental
engineering and process simulation/modeling. He was
funded for 6 different research projects over the past 8
years and has published more than 55 papers in inter-
national journals. He serves as honorary professor of
Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming,
China. He is a reviewer for number of top ranked
scientific journals and serves on the editorial board of
the Journal of Sustainable Development. He is an Associate
Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
(UK).
Dr. Francisco M. Vargas joined
the department in January of
2010. From his last appointment
as Assistant Professor of Chemical
Engineering and Chemistry at
Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey
Tech) in Monterrey, Mexico
he was also an active member of the Research Chair in
Solar Energy and Thermal-Fluid Sciences at the same
institution. Dr. Vargas holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering,
from Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA,
with M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Environmental Sciences
and Chemical Engineering, respectively, graduated
with the highest honors from Tecnológico de Monterrey,
in Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Vargas has also worked
for the Flow Assurance Core Team of Chevron Energy
Technology Company in Houston, Texas, USA. His areas
of expertise include general thermodynamic modeling,
analysis of phase behavior of petroleum systems
and deposition of asphaltenes. He is also interested in
engineering education and the development and implementation
of novel learning strategies.
Dr. Oki Muraza joined the PI
as a Visiting Research Associate
in March 2009. His Ph.D. (Technische
Universitei, Netherlands)
was centered on micro-structured
reactors and heterogeneous catalysis.
Dr. Muraza obtained his
Master of Chemical Engineering in 2004 from the Technische
Universiteit Delft (TUD) in the Netherlands and
his Bachelor degree in 2001 from Bandung Institute of
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Chemical Engineering Department
Technology (ITB) in Indonesia. While studying for his
Ph.D. from 2004-2009, Dr. Muraza worked as a Junior
Researcher at the Laboratory of Chemical Reactor Engineering.
In 2007, he carried out summer research at
the Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry and Reaction
Engineering of Åbo Akademi University in Finland. He
also worked at as an intern during his masters studies
at the Shell Research and Technology Center Amsterdam
(SRTCA). As well as working as an undergraduate
intern at the Styrene-Butadiene Latex Plant at Dow
Chemicals, Indonesia.
The following employees
joined the Catalysis Research
Group during 2009:
Dr. Ionut Banu – Research Associate
Dr. Gisha Elizabeth – Research Associate
Mr. Jamie Whelan – Laboratory Engineer
Dr. Dyana Merline Ambrose
joined the department as a Research
Associate in August 2009.
She has a background in both
general chemistry and polymer
chemistry. Prior to joining PI, she
worked as a research assistant in
Indian Space Research Center, in the area of polymers.
Her PhD work is on Shape Memory Polymers which includes
the synthesis and characterization of polymers
such as polyurethanes, nanocomposites and epoxy composites.
She joined Dr. Ahmed Abdala’s Research Team
that is developing graphene-polymer composites.
Ms. Sibi Varghese has 6 years secretarial experience
in various organizations in the UAE and India including
Abu Dhabi Municipality and
ESNAAD before joining CHEG in
June 2009 as an Administrative
Assistant. In her new role she will
be provide secretarial and administrative
assistance to Chemical
Engineering Chair, Faculty and
Staff.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
Chemical Engineering Laboratories
Laboratories of Catalysis, Reaction Engineering and
Process Intensification
These new laboratories offer PI students the basics of petroleum processing,
chemical commodities production and catalysis. More than
90% of current oil processing and chemical commodities production
use catalysts, especially heterogeneous catalysts. Undergraduate use
of these labs is related to a lecture course on “Industrial Catalysis”
as well as being strongly oriented towards both fundamental and applied
research, undertaken by future Ph.D. students. The laboratories
cover catalytic process development e.g. catalyst preparation, catalyst
screening and characterization, studies of solubilities in supercritical
fluids, new reactor developments, reaction kinetics and modeling as well as process operating parameter optimization.
These laboratories have or will have in the near future, all essential equipment for catalyst characterization
such as a confocal Raman microscope, X-Ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and X-Ray diffraction
spectrometer.
Polymer Laboratories
Three new laboratories are currently being established at the Petroleum
Institute (PI): polymer chemistry; polymer characterization and
testing as well as one for polymer processing. These labs will function
as both student and research laboratories and already contain state
of the art equipment making them arguably the best equipped academic polymer laboratories in the Gulf. The
equipment list includes:
Polymer Chemistry Polymer Characterization & Testing Polymer Processing & Rheology
• Gas Polymerization Reactor
(Bench Scale/Teaching)
• FTIR with ATR
• DSC
• TGA-MS
• Automated Solution Viscometer
• Optical Microscope (Hot-Stage
and Camera)
• DMA
• Hardness
• Heat Deflection Temperature
• Charpy-Impact (Temp.)
• Electrical Conductivity
• Tensile Testing Machine (Temp.)
• Mini-compounder and Micro
Injection Molding Machine
• Shear Rheometer
• Capillary Rheometer
• Single-Screw Extruder (Benchtop/Lab
Scale) with Strands,
Blown Film, Take-off Equipment
• Twin-Screw Extruder/Compounder
(Bench-top/Lab Scale)
with Take-off Equipment
• Injection Moulding Machine
(incl. ISO moulds)
• MFI
• Thermoforming Machine
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Chemical Engineering Department
The majority of this equipment has already been installed
and commissioned, while the remaining equipment plus
vendor training is continuing. Faculty, research staff and
students from both Chemical and Mechanical Engineering
Departments have already been carrying out on-going
research projects in these labs in collaboration with
the universities of Linz and Minnesota. Undergraduate
laboratory courses will use these labs in the Spring Semester,
2010.
received awards for their efforts assisting different activities
at the conference.
The department started its own American Institute of
Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter with its
first official AICHE event on March 19th 2009. This
highlighted talents of chemical engineering students
with a three category competition:
1. Design of a logo for the AIChE PI Chapter.
Center for Applied and Environmental
Chemistry (CAEC)
CAEC will focus on organometallic chemical synthesis,
construction material testing and environmental aspects
related to applications in these fields. The Center
will have all equipment required to conduct high level
research and is seen as an opportunity to seek external
funding. Dr. Ghada Bassioni, Assistant Professor
in the Chemical Engineering Department, will lead the
Center. Dr. Bassioni holds a Ph.D. in organometallic
chemistry from The Technical University of Munich and
has gained extensive knowledge in materials chemistry
during her postdoctoral time at the same university.
2.
3.
Design of a poster that promotes women engineers’
issues for female students and another which promotes
the role of chemical engineers in the industry
for male students.
Highlighting students’ skills in painting and draw-
Special Events
Organized by the
Department
The Fourth International Conference
on Thermal Engineering Theory
and Applications
Five CHEG students (Abdulla Malek, Mustafa Al Tandi,
Abdulla Al Ameri, Khaled Al Neaimi and Issam Ismail)
were recognized at the closing ceremony of the
Fourth International Conference on Thermal Engineering
Theory and Applications (4th ICTEA) that was held
at Hilton Abu-Dhabi in January 2009. These students
ing: the winning painting and the runner-up shared
the unifying theme of “nature”.
Winning students received cash prizes. AIChE also held
other social activities for students on both the men’s and
woman’s campuses.
PI Open Day
Junior and senior chemical engineering students participated
in PI Open Days held twice during the year, to
attract prospective students to the PI. Students helped
organize a number of activities during these days, ranging
from answering questions about the CHEG program,
to giving tours of the department’s facilities.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
Chemical Engineering Soccer Day
The department held its annual Soccer Day on November
12 th 2008. This day involved activities which were
intended to increase interaction between the students
and faculty. For the male campus, the day started
with a series of soccer matches, with the winning team
awarded the competition cup at an evening dinner ceremony.
At the dinner, outstanding students from each
year were honored by the department chair for their
academic achievement. A similar ceremony was held
on the women’s campus to honor outstanding women
chemical engineering students after a luncheon which
was organized to introduce department faculty to women
in the sophomore program. After lunch, there was
an open question and answer session where students’
inquiries were answered by faculty.
Students’ Activities and
Achievements
Undergraduate Projects
One junior chemical engineering student, Mohamed
Adnan, conducted research under the supervision of
Dr. Ahmed Abdala, investigating graphene based nanocomposites.
Mohamed learned how to produce graphene
nanosheets and use them to fabricate polycarbonategraphene
nanocomposites via solution mixing. Solution
mixing of graphene nanosheets and polycarbonates
has shown significant improvement in the dispersion of
the graphene sheets and composite properties such as
electrical conductivity, composed with other published
techniques such as melt processing. Samples he has
produced require only a few more characterization tests
to produce publishable results.
Degrees Award
22 Chemical Engineering students completed all the requirements
as per the Academic Catalogue, to graduate
during the 2008-2009 Academic Year. All 22 students attended
the Graduation Ceremony in January 2010.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Chemical Engineering Department
Research Achievements
A summary of the projects conducted at the Chemical Engineering Program are listed below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Project Title
Solid Sorbents for the Selective Removal of
Dilute H 2
S in the Claus Process Tail Gas
Intensification of Hydrotreating Process for
Crude Oil or Fractions
Molecular Sieve Membranes and Solid
Adsorbents for the Selective Removal of Dilute
H 2
S in the Claus Process Tail Gas
Optimization of Petrochemical Systems: Integrating
Engineering and Business Decisions
Project Members
Mr. Mena W.H. Gawargy
Mrs. Carmen Gutierrez
Dr. Marie-Beatrice Gidas
Dr. Bruce R. Palmer
Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi
Dr. Radu Vladea
Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi
Dr. Michael Tsapatsis
Dr. Ali Almansoori (PI)
Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi (PI)
Dr. Shapour Azarm (UMD)
Dr. P.K. Kannan (UMD)
Dr. Ali Almansoori (PI)
Dr. Gregory Jackson (PI)
Dr. Bryan Eichhorn
Dr. Ali Almansoori (PI)
Dr. Prodromos Daoutidis
Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi
Evaluating Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems for
Operation on Petroleum Off-Gases with Contaminants
6. Simulation, Optimization and Control of Solid
Oxide Fuel Cell Systems
7. Sulfur Recovery from Gas Stream Using
Flameless and Flame Combustion Reactor
8. Catalytic Removal of Sulfur from Process Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi
Gas Streams without Hydrogen Addition: Dr. Aditya Bhan
Effect of Zeolites Topology, Composition, and Dr. Michael Tsapatsis
Mesoporosity
9. Catalytic Alkane Metathesis
Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi
Dr. Aditya Bhan
Dr. Matteo Cococcioni
10. Coatings for Catalytic and Photo-catalytic
Processes
11. Synthesis and Processing of Functionalized
Polyolefins
12. Polymeric Membranes for Advanced Process
Engineering
Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi
Dr. Radu Vladea
Dr. Lorraine Francis
Dr. Michael Tsapatsis
Dr. Marc Hillmyer
Dr. Chris Macosko
Dr. Ahmed Abdala
Dr. Frank Bates
Dr. Edward Cussler
Dr. Marc Hillmyer
Dr. Timothy Lodge
Dr. Ahmed Abdala
Dr. Sulafudin Vukusic
13. Graphene/Polymer Composites
Dr. Ahmed Abdala
Dr. Frank Bates
Dr. Chris Macosko
14. Graphene-Based Masterbatches for Polyolefin Dr. Ahmed Abdala
Dr. Sulafudin Vukusic
Dr. Christian Paulack
Dr. Gernot Wallner
15. In-situ Polymerization for the Production of
Graphite-Based Melamine Nanocomposites
Dr. Ahmed Abdala
Dr. Sulafudin Vukusic
Dr. C. Schwarzinger
Sponsorship/Collaboration
PI-GASCO
PI-Takreer
PI-ADGAS
PI-University of Maryland
PI-University of Maryland
PI-University of Minnesota
PI-University of Maryland
PI-University of Minnesota
PI-University of Minnesota
PI-University of Minnesota
PI-University of Minnesota
PI-University of Minnesota
PI-Leoben University
PI-Linz University
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
Sponsored Projects
Solid Sorbents for the Selective Removal of Dilute H 2
S in the Claus Process Tail Gas
The main objective of this project is to find an optimum sulfur sorbent in terms of high chemical reactivity and physical
integrity and use this sorbant in a pilot scale, fixed bed reactor, to purify tail gas. Absorption under laboratory experimental
conditions has been investigated using a sophisticated thermogravimetric analyzer [TGA]. The extent of
reaction will be followed by measuring the increase in sorbent mass in a given time and at a fixed TGA temperature.
The project will also study conditions that maximize sulfur (H 2
S) extraction from typical oil field tail gas, leading to
the development of an original sorbent process and demonstrating its efficiency at a laboratory scale operation. The
team carrying out this project participated in the 5 th International Sour Oil & Gas Advanced Technology (SOGAT)
Conference held recently in Abu Dhabi, UAE where they presented a conference paper on this project.
Intensification of Hydrotreating Process for Crude Oil or Fractions
This project is sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (TAKREER) in collaboration with Dr. Saleh Al
Hashimi and Dr. Radu Vladea at The PI. The project started on April 2009 and will continue until 2021. The objective
is to develop a new catalytic system based on nano-sized catalyst particles supported on carbon or silicon carbide
foams using nanotubes or nanofibers and rotating foam reactors. This technology is being used to: (1) eliminate
intra-particle diffusion limitations, (2) improve the intrinsic catalytic activity and (3) enhance mass and heat transfer
coefficients. A dramatic decrease in the size of refinery reactors is anticipated leading to a substantial decrease
in both capital and operating costs.
Molecular Sieve Membranes and Solid Adsorbents for the Selective Removal of Dilute H2S in the Claus
Process Tail Gas
The objective of this project is to develop selective membranes for removing H 2
S from Claus tail gas. Cu-zeolite-Y and
zeolite-Y inorganic membranes are being used to study the process; Zeolites-Y/polymer nanocomposite membranes
will also be considered. Some preliminary results have been already published.
International Research Collaboration
Optimization of Petrochemical Systems: Integrating Engineering and Business Decisions
This project is part of the Educational and Energy-Related Research Collaboration (ERRC) between The PI and the
University of Maryland (UMD). The PI team includes Dr. Ali Almansoori, Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi and Ms. Neveen
Al-Qasas, while the UMD team includes Dr. Shapour Azarm, Dr. P.K. Kannan and Mr. WeiWei Hu. The project has
been running for the past three years in an effort to develop a Robust Decision Support System (RDSS) that can be
used for multi-objective and multi-disciplinary optimization and sensitivity analysis, under uncertainty, of petro-
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Chemical Engineering Department
chemical systems. A specific objective of the project is to understand how selection of specific performance indicators
impacts decision quality in the context of integrated engineering and business settings. Understanding this
interaction is anticipated to lead to incorporation of reliable, valid and robust measures for optimum management
of engineering and business performance, in integrated multiple-unit settings.
This project will include: (i) how to develop business models and management decision making in a multi-unit organization,
that takes into account engineering realities (ii) how to determine the relative importance and effect
of uncertain system and/or subsystem input parameters on subsystem and/or system outputs (e.g. system performance)
and (iii) how to extend current single-level robust optimization methods to multi-subsystem problems while
maintaining reasonable computational complexity. Finally, it is expected that the RDSS paradigm will establish
groundwork for future extensions and applications in research for “smart fields”. Two journal papers and two conference
proceedings have already been published on this topic, with two more journal papers being written.
Evaluating Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Systems for Operation on Petroleum Off-Gases with
Contaminants
This project is one of the EERC projects between The PI and UMD. Team members on the project include Dr. Ali
Almansoori from The PI and Drs. Gregory Jackson and Bryan Eichhorn from the UMD. This project objective is
to explore the impact of petroleum off-gas composition, including effects of contaminants (H 2
S and HCl) on SOFC
performance/design. Single-cell SOFC experiments will be used to enhance and validate existing SOFC models
to incorporate the effects of hydrocarbon composition and H 2
S on SOFC performance. These models will be translated
to full stack evaluations modeled in higher dimensions which will then be incorporated into process-level
plant models. These evaluations will in turn demonstrate the effectiveness of SOFC’s for capturing energy from
petroleum gases and also as a possible means to capture CO 2
within an operational plant. The PI and UMD are
currently seeking a relationship with industrial partners to explore design and implementation challenges, for
a future SOFC full stack demonstration using petroleum gas streams. One conference paper has been published
from this work, in the Proceedings of FuelCell2009 held in California. The team is currently working on publishing
this as a journal paper.
Simulation, Optimization and Control of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems
This is a three-year project between the PI and University of Minnesota (UMN), USA. The project started in January
2009 involving Dr. Ali Almansoori from The PI and Dr. Prodromos Daoutidis from the UMN. In addition, 2
UMN graduate students are currently working on the project as a part of their Ph.D. degree studies at the UMN.
The objective of the project is to develop and evaluate optimal operating and control strategies for integrated fuel
processor-SOFC systems. The need for this information comes from small and medium scale electricity generators
which are often subjected to frequent changes in demand and hence, frequent ‘transitions’ between operating
states. Enforcing such transitions efficiently, requires accounting for the inherently nonlinear nature of these
tightly interconnected systems. The proposed research, therefore, aims at control-relevant nonlinear models and
nonlinear control strategies for such systems, along with a comprehensive evaluation and optimization of different
process integration alternatives in terms of steady state optimality, energy efficiency and operability.
Team members have recently submitted a conference paper that summarizes progress made in this project.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
Sulfur Recovery from Gas Stream using Flameless and Flame Combustion Reactor
The objective of this project is to study thermal processes involved in recovering sulfur from sour gas by conventional
flame combustion, as well as by flameless combustion, using numerical and experimental data. This is expected to
lead to optimal operating conditions for enhanced sulfur conversion. The proposed experiments will study flameless
combustion processes in the Claus furnace and the results compared with those from the normal flame process, to
determine if there has been any improved performance. Different operating conditions will be studied in this project,
using exhaust gas analyses of both flame and flameless modes of reactor operation to obtain enhanced sulfur
recovery.
Mixing characteristics of reactants in the Claus process were studied in cross-flow geometry last year under nonreactive
conditions, and the preliminary results further validated the reduced mechanism. The different cases examined
had a constant momentum flux ratio between the non-reactive and reactive cases. The flow pattern, as well
as mixing length, has been investigated for the various configurations examined.
Catalytic Removal of Sulfur from Process Gas Streams without Hydrogen Addition: Effect of Zeolites Topology,
Composition and Mesoporosity
This project was proposed by UMN and is expected to generate hydrogen in situ through dehydrogenation of short
chain alkanes e.g. propane, which has the potential to be used in the hydrodesulfurization of sulfur containing molecules
from oil fractions. Central to this project is the development of bi-modal zeolites with micro and meso-pores.
This is the third year the project has been underway and will lead to co-feeding experiments using thiophene and
propane co-reactants later this year.
Catalytic Alkane Metathesis
This project’s goal is to develop an efficient catalytic system able to activate inert C-H bonds to allow low temperature
non-oxidative conversion of saturated hydrocarbons to alkenes. Research will focus on developing synergistic
cooperation of experimental and computational techniques and will involve three phases: (1) developing basic experimental
and computational tools suitable for the proposed research (2) synthesis and characterization of different
catalytic systems to develop synergy between the two approaches and characterize the structural properties of
single-site metal centers supported on zeolite frameworks; (3) investigation into microscopic mechanisms of catalytic
reactions that will establish structure-function relationships that will lead to development of optimal catalytic systems.
Coatings for Catalytic and Photo-catalytic Processes
This research is expected to offer reliable techniques for coating carbon or silicon carbide foams with activated carbon,
alumina, or zeolites. The coatings must offer a high resistance to attrition and very high adhesion to the support
material, to avoid any “peeling-off” effects during on-stream utilization.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
18

Chemical Engineering Department
Synthesis and Processing of Functionalized Polyolefins
This project’s objective is to develop a new route for the synthesis of functionalized polyolefin’s using parent polyolefins
that are already commercially produced. These polyolefins are expected to have tunable stereochemistry,
density, molecular weight, and degree of branching to act as reagents for subsequent post-polymerization modification.
The direct post-polymerization functionalization of polyolefins has many desirable attributes: polyolefins are
inexpensive and are widely available starting materials, the level of functional group incorporation can be easily
tuned by stoichiometry, and random incorporation of functional groups along the polymer backbone is expected.
While modifications of polyolefins using reagents such as free radicals and carbenes is commercially practiced,
these processes are fraught with difficulties. Furthermore, the prototypical anhydride functional group has limited
utility, allowing enhanced interaction with some material surfaces but not providing a general solution to polyolefin
modification. The ability to append particular functional groups to polyolefins, that would allow for specific surface
interactions, remains a challenge that will not be attempted in this study. Instead, this study will focus on catalytic
modification of alkanes applied to polyolefins. Newly developed transition metal catalyzed functionalization of alkane
substrates will be utilized to prepare modified functionalized polyolefins.
Polymeric Membranes for Advanced Process Engineering
This project’s objective is to produce microphase separated multiblock polymers that can be applied to gas and
liquid separation processes. Multiblock polymers will be designed to form triply continuous and triply periodic substrates
known as network phases, with a minimum of three independent polymer domains. Polymer blocks will be
chosen to enhance selective gas permeability and separation or to permit chemical etching thereby rendering nanoscale
pathways that may be chemically modified or filled with a functional medium. Ionic liquids, an exciting new
class of material, will be combined with block copolymers to form highly selective and efficient hybrid membranes.
An important goal of this work is to generate nanoscale membrane structures in film form, devoid of pinholes and
with superior mechanical integrity, even in the voided state.
Graphene/Polymer Composites
The project objective is to enhance the modulus, thermal stability, electrical conductivity, diffusion barrier and
antiflammability properties of polyolefin polymers through incorporation of funcationalized graphene sheets (FGS).
Polyolefins are the largest volume polymers in the world with a huge range of properties. It has been shown that addition
of these functionalized graphene sheets leads to enhancing the properties of polymers such as PAN, PMMA,
PS, and PC. The potential to add value, is even higher than for PC and SAN. Modulus and thermal stability improvement,
electrical conductivity, diffusion barrier and reduced flammability are all areas where incorporating
low levels of functionalized graphene is expected to yield major improvements. However, dispersing FGS in polyolefins
is expected to be much more challenging due to their low polarity and will follow the strategy used to disperse
nano-clays: the addition of small amounts of modified polyolefins, particularly maleated PP.
19
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Chemical Engineering Department
Individual Research Projects
Graphene-Based Masterbatches for Polyolefin
There is a growing demand for low-cost, high-performance materials to produce light-weight high strength materials
for motor vehicles and other engineering applications. Polymer composites are the main route for production of
these materials. Currently, polymer nanocomposites are made via incorporation of graphite, clay, or carbon nanotubes
as filler materials into a polymer matrix. As production of atomically thick graphene sheets from graphite
becomes a reality through thermal or chemical exfoliation of graphite oxides, a new era of nanocomposites based on
these new graphene sheets has started. In a case study, the graphene nanosheets have been successfully used as
a more cost effective replacement for the very expensive carbon nanotubes currently used as fillers for polymethyl
methacrylate and polystyrene matrices.
In this project, graphene nanosheets are produced by thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide and are used to develop
and characterize graphene based masterbatches for different polymers such as polyolefin, polyamide, and polyester.
The final stage of this research will use these masterbatches for production of polymer nanocomposites. The properties
of masterbatches and final composites will be studied in detail.
In-situ Polymerization for the Production of Graphite-based Melamine Nanocomposites
Polymer nano-composites play an increasingly important role in materials engineering. Nano-particle filler materials
such as clays, carbon nano-tubes and more recently graphite are being incorporated into polymers to
enhance the properties of the matrix polymer such as mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. In-situ
polymerization can also be used to produce composites that have better homogeneity than those obtained by melt
blending. This project explores the use of in-situ polymerization to produce graphene (single sheet graphite) /
melamine nanocomposites. Nanocomposite samples with between 0.1 and 3% graphite loading have been prepared
and then molded in a hot press. Mechanical properties are determined by three point flexural strength
measurements and the maximum mechanical strength noted for composites with 1.0 -1.5% graphene loadings.
An increase in electrical conductivity was observed with graphene loadings greater than 2%, which increased at
higher loadings. Thermal stability tests showed addition of graphene did not decrease performance, while scanning
electron microscope (SEM) images showed the graphene filler prevented surface crack formation seen in
pure melamine resin. A poster presenting these initial findings, was awarded a Best Poster Prize Award at the
APST One Conference in Linz, Austria in July 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
20

Chemical Engineering Department
21
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
Electrical engineering Department
Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib, Department Chair
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
22

Electrical Engineering Department
Department Chair’s
Summary
The Electrical Engineering Department (EE) had another
productive year in 2009. Through the implementation
of its strategic plan for the period 2008-13 (derived
from the PI Vision and Mission), the department
is progressing towards being recognized as ‘a premier
EE program that provides world-class education and
research in electrical engineering through focused activities
and the excellence of its faculty, staff, graduates,
and facilities.”
As shown in Table 1 below, in the area of research and
scholarly activities, we have increased the number of
journal publications by 62% and have increased the
publications in conference proceedings by 71% compared
to 2008. The Department received its first externally
funded research project to work on a problem
of direct interest to the industry, in particular the National
Drilling Company (NDC), and each of its faculty
has at least one research project. Another project contract
with GASCO is ready for signature, and an invited
proposal based on preliminary work done for ADMA is
ready for submission. Several EE faculty members have
initiated collaborations with other international universities
through co-supervision of graduate students.
These include students from University of Manchester,
UK; Technical University of Berlin, Germany; University
of Bologna, Italy; and Universidad Federal do Rio
de Janeiro (UFR), Brazil, and Iran University of Science
and Technology.
The department remains student-centered and
has generated an active and comprehensive program
to complement classroom activities. In 2009 the department
organized several technical field trips and a trip to
the 5th IEEE GCC Conference held in Kuwait. It also
involved students in international, regional, and national
conferences and the PI’s EE students won several
national and international awards. They also won four
awards at the UAE IEEE Student Day competitions, in
which ten universities from the UAE participated. Our
PUBLICATION CATEGORY
(.)* Number of refereed articles per faculty member
NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS
2006 2007 2008 2009
THESES AND/OR DISSERTATIONS 2 1 4
JOURNAL ARTICLES 5 (0.714) 6 (0.6) 13 (1.2) 21(1.75)
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 15 (2.14) 24 (2.4) 24 (2.2) 41(3.45)
EDUCATIONAL MANUALS AND
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
OTHER PEER-REVIEWED PUBLI-
CATIONS
4 3 3
BOOKS 1
BOOK CHAPTERS 2
EDITED COLLECTIONS 1 1
students were also invited to compete in “Made-In-The-
Arab-World”, Cairo.
The department conducted three workshops during the
summer session: Matlab and LabView, - two software
packages - and one on developing printed circuit boards.
Conducted by EE Senior Lab Engineer Mr. Mohammed
Al Ani, and Lab Engineers, Mr. Syed Faisal and Mr. Mohamed
Serhan, the well-attended workshops were run
in the main campus and in Arzanah building.
EE students were also involved in community service
activities including a visit to the Future Center of Abu
Dhabi, a center for physically challenged children. The
department also invited external speakers to speak to
the students on topics that are relevant but not covered
in class such as Six Sigma, applications of statistics in
design, and other technical subjects.
1
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
The department’s EE Undergraduate Research Assistants
Program involves students in faculty members’
research projects. This program includes seven students
so far. Two students have won awards for their projects
in national competitions and two have joined the EE
Masters program. In addition, students with high GPAs
assist with class problem-solving sessions and all students
are invited to help develop the EE website.
An IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Chapter was
established at the PI. The chapter will allow students
to link with 375,000 IEEE members in more than 160
countries and to initiate their own activities at The PI.
In Fall 2009 the PI’s Electrical Engineering Department
was the host at a major event to celebrate the 125th Anniversary
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers /Power and Energy Society (IEEE/PES). The
event was organized jointly with the IEEE/PES and included
the Fall 2009 IEEE/PES Executive Committee
meeting (held for the first time outside North America).
Technical tutorials were given by the IEEE/PEs President,
the Past President and several Vice Presidents,
and seminars on women in engineering were given by
other high profile IEEE/PES lecturers.
The department started an annual event: Celebrating
Electrical Engineering to give students the opportunity
to interact with faculty and staff in a social setting and
to let them showcase their design projects. In addition,
the department initiated ‘Outstanding Senior’ and ‘Out-
standing Junior’ awards.
In the area of program/curriculum/lab development, the
EE undergraduate program received full accreditation
by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education. In addition,
the department achieved accreditation for its Master
of Science degree program, which will start in Spring
2010.
In preparation for ABET accreditation, the department
implemented its Program Outcome Assessment Process
and assessment results were utilized to improve the program.
We reviewed ADNOC’s Competency Assurance
Management System (CAMS) and made steps towards
identifying topics to be considered for inclusion in the
EE curriculum. We are working to finalize the implementation
plan of CAMS. The department established
the EE Advisory Board, which had its first meeting in
May 2009.
The department has added two major laboratories to its
instructional and research lab facilities. These are the
Power Electronics/ Quality and the High Voltage (HV)
Labs. The Power Electronics/Quality Lab is home to the
NDC-funded research project. The PI HV Lab is a building
block for a major HV Research and Testing facility.
It is the first of its kind in UAE educational institutions
and is expected to be of great service to industry. A
contract for a research project is ready for signing with
GASCO and is expected to be the first to be conducted
in this lab.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
24

Electrical Engineering Department
In the services area, the department’s outreach program
involves students, faculty, and staff who actively
participate in the PI recruitment of UAE Nationals and
in the open house activities.
At the professional level, EE faculty are active as associate
editors, as members of advisory boards of technical
journals and as executive members of professional societies
and science and technology panels. Our faculty
are often invited to be keynote speakers and organizers
of panel sessions at international conferences and
as chairs of technical sessions at conferences. Within
the EE Department, faculty coordinate the PI Graduate
Program and they are active in the PI e-Learning
system.
The department organized a seminar series open to PI
students and faculty as well as to ADNOC engineers
and researchers from other institutions and companies.
Three faculty members - Dr. Lana El Chaar, Dr. Lisa Lamont,
and Dr. Balanthi Beig - received PI-wide awards
(nominated by junior faculty) for Service, Advising, and
for Teaching, respectively. In addition, the EE Department
awarded Staff Outstanding Performance Awards.
Details of EE faculty accomplishments are included
in the following sections. More details can be found at
http://www.pi.ac.ae/PI_ACA/ee/index.php.
New Faculty and
Staff
Dr. Ehab El Saadany: Joined the department
in August 2009 as a Visiting
Associate Professor. With a Ph.D. from
University of Waterloo, Canada, 1998,
Dr. El-Saadany joined The University
of Waterloo as an Assistant Professor of Electrical and
Computer Engineering in 2000 and became an Associate
Professor in 2005. Dr. El-Saadany’s main research is
in the area of distribution system operation and control.
His research was supported by government agencies
including The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council (NSERC), the Canada Foundation of Innovation
(CFI), the Ontario Research Fund (ORF), the
Ontario Center of Excellence (OCE) and Hydro One.
Dr. Shib Sankar Saha: Joined the department
in August 2009 as a research
associate. Dr. Saha received his Ph.D.
(Engg.) from Jadavpur University, India,
M.E. in Electrical Engineering from
B. E. College (D.U.), India and B.E. from North Bengal
University, India. He has worked as a Faculty of Electrical
Engineering at Govt. College of Engg. and Textile
Tech, Berhampore, India for more than ten years. Besides
teaching he was also involved in several energy
conservation projects as consultant Energy Auditor.
25
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
Figure 1: The EE Department: Milestones
ACCREDITATION OF THE MENG EE PROGRAM 2007
THE 2ND CLASS OF 14 GRADUATED
THE 2007 ICMSAO
THE PI (EE/ME) - ADNOC RESEARCH FORUM
INITIAL ACCREDITATION OF THE UG PROGRAM
THE 1 ST CLASS OF 7 EES GRADUATED
THE FIRST EE COURSE TAUGHT
THE 3 RD CLASS OF 15 GRADUATED
SWOT ANALYSIS AND 2008 -13 STRATEGIC PLAN
1 ST EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECT
ESTABLISHED THE IEEE STUDENTS BRANCH
APPLICATION FOR & FULL ACCREDITATION OF THE BSC PROGRAM
APPLICATION FOR & ACCREDITATION OF THE MSC PROGRAM
FORMED THE EE ADVISORY BOARD
2001 - 02
2002 - 03
2003 - 04
2004 - 05
2005 - 06
2006 - 07
2007 - 08
2009
2012 P
NUMBER OF
STUDENTS
UG/G
(M/W)
62/ 12
107(83/24)/
15 (13/2)
183(120/63)/
20(18/2)
135 / 3
0
NUMBER OF
EE FACULTY
0
1
2
3
7
10
12
14
20
NUMBER OF
GRADUATES
-
-
-
-
7
14
15
40
55
Awards Received by Faculty and Staff
1. Three EE faculty members have recently
received major PI awards at the 2009 PI Annual
Commencement celebration:
• Dr. Balanthi Abdul Rahiman Beig received
the 2009 Teaching Award for Junior Faculty,
• Dr. Lana El Chaar received the 2009 Service
Award for an Outstanding Faculty Member,
• Dr. Lisa Lamont received the 2009 Award for
Excellence in Academic Advising.
2. Dr. Majid Poshtan, Assistant Professor and
Mr. Mohamed Ghazi, a PI-EE graduate, received
the 2009 ADCO Paper Award for “An Intelligent
Distributed Autonomous Electric Energy System for
the UAE”.
3. Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib, Chair of the Electrical
Engineering Department was awarded the
“Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award” by
the President of the IEEE/PES “For leadership
and excellence in power engineering research,
outstanding contributions to power and energy
education, and dedicated service to the Engineering
profession.”
4. Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib was also awarded a
Certificate of Appreciation from the President
of the IEEE/PES issued by the IEEE Power
and Energy Society, Energy Development and
Power Generation Committee in recognition
of his distinguished service to the Energy
Development and Power Generation Committee
and for co-organizing and chairing a panel session
on ‘International Practices in Demand-Side
Management: Practices and Barriers’ in July 2009.
5. Mr. Leslie Dias received an award for his
valuable contributions to the Department.
6. Eng. Mohammad Al Ani received an award for
his valuable contributions to lab development.
7. Eng. Mohammad Serhan received an award
for his contributions to the 4th IEEE student
competitions.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
26

Electrical Engineering Department
Research Projects
Legend: PI - Principal Investigator; Co-PI - Co- Principal Investigator; I - Investigator
Project Title
Investigators
Mitigation of Power Quality Problems of the Variable Speed
Drives for National Drilling Company System (NDC)
Dr. Abdul Rahiman Beig (PI); Dr. Majid Poshtan (Co-PI); Dr.
Youssef Abdel–Magid (I); Dr. Lana Chaar (I)
Improving the Performance of High Power Drives to Increase
the Plant Capacity In ADNOC Group of Companies
Dr. Abdul Rahiman Beig
Study of Power Quality Problems and Design of Active Filters
to Improve the Power Quality of Variable Speed Drives
Dr. Abdul Rahiman Beig (PI); Dr. Majid Poshtan (Co-PI)
Real Time Simulation of Dynamics and Stability of Power Systems
Equipped with SVC
Dr. Majid Poshtan
Dynamics and Control of Drill Strings
Underwater Image Enhancement
The Petroleum Institute: Dr. Hamad Karki, ME; Dr. Youssef
Abdel–Magid, EE; University of Maryland: Dr. B. Balachandran
University of Manchester: Dr. John Oakley; Ms. Halleh Mortazavi;
The Petroleum Institute: Dr. Braham Barkat
Condition Monitoring and Insulation Aging of Power
Cables
Dr. Qi Su (PI), Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib (Co-PI)
Investigation of PD Propagation along Low and Medium Voltage
Motors
Reliability Evaluation Methodologies for Deregulated Power
Systems and Involving Renewable Energy Sources
Controlling the Elasto-hydrodynamic Vibrations in Oil Platforms
using Magnetorheological Dampers
Neural Network Modeling of Solar Energy Technologies for
Enhanced Oil Recovery
University of Bologna: Dr. Andrea Cavallini University of
Bologna; The Petroleum Institute: Dr. Qi Su
Dr. Jaeseok Choi, Gyeongsang National University , S. Korea
Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib
Lisa Lamont (PI); Lana El Chaar (Co-PI); Mansour Karkoub (Co-
PI)
Lana El Chaar (PI); Lisa Lamont (Co-PI); Mansour Karkoub (Co-
PI)
Automated Design for Boosting Offshore Photovoltaic (PV)
Performance for ADMA
Lisa Lamont (PI); Lana El Chaar (Co-PI)
Variable Electronic Load for Testing PV Performance
Climate Conditions on a 1KW Grid Connected System
Application Study of 500W PV in UAE
A Non-radioactive Instrument for Real-Time Metering and
Monitoring of Multiphase Flows
Lana El Chaar (PI); Lisa Lamont (Co-PI)
Lana El Chaar (PI); Lisa Lamont (Co-PI
Lisa Lamont (PI); Lana El Chaar (Co-PI)
Dr. M. Meribout (PI), Dr. K. AlHammadi (Co-PI), Dr. K. Al Wahedi
(Co-PI), Dr. A. Seibi (Co-PI), Dr. L. Khezzar (Co-PI).
An Adaptive Low Cost in Situ Processing of Hydrocarbonbearing
Formations with a Reconfigurable Frequency Heating
Dr. M. Meribout (PI), Dr. K. AlHammadi (Co-PI), Dr. K. Al Wahedi
(Co-PI), Dr. A. Seibi (Co-PI).
Pipeline Inner Surface Inspection and Failure Prevention
Dr. Khalid Al-Hammadi, EE; Dr. Abdellatif Bouchalkha, Physics
27
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
Student-Related
Academic Activities
1.
Three EE students, Saif Al Dhaheri, Wail Habri and Mohammad Tamer Chaklab, supervised by Dr. Youssef
Abdel Magid, Dr. Lisa Lamont and Eng. Sayed Faisal, participated in the 2009 ‘Made in the Arab World’ in
Cairo.
2. Osama Al Ameri, a Junior EE student, participated in the 2009 Made in the Arab World in Cairo with his project
“Photovoltaic Curve Tracer.” He was supervised by Dr. Lana El Chaar, Dr. Lisa Lamont and Eng. Mohammed
Serhan.
3. EE students and their course instructor went on a field trip to the Umm Al-Nar power station. The total production
of the station is about 2000MW, coming from 8 generators. They visited the transformer substation and
the control room and observed the SCADA system operating in real time. In addition, they visited one of the
protection centers with 15kV SF6 circuit breakers and its associated relaying circuits.
4. EE female students visited the 2009 Abu Dhabi Power and Energy Exhibition (accompanied by EE faculty)
where they saw generators, motors, and cables together with different options for system monitoring devices.
Photos from the trip are attached.
5. Accompanied by Dr. Lana El Chaar, EE female students attended the 5th IEEE GCC Conference in Kuwait.
The trip was organized in recognition of the students’ achievements at the IEEE student competition.
6. Students went on a field trip to Abu Dhabi Cable Factory with Dr. Lana El Chaar. This trip was part of the
power systems course taught during the semester.
7. Accompanied by Dr. Su, students went on a field trip to ADYARD, an electric motor and generator maintenance
and repair company.
8. Mr. Mahmoud Zaher, a Senior Engineer at ADCO gave several seminars to the EE Class on Electric Machines
on industrial practices in maintenance and repair of motors and transformers.
9. Dr. Heithem Hasan Beck, Chief Engineer at TAKREER spoke to the EE Design Class on Six Sigma, a business
strategy that involves process, organizational, and technical change designed to increase customer satisfaction,
operational efficiencies and revenue.
10. PI International Earth Day and Foundation 3 Renewable Energy Presentations: Dr. Lisa Lamont and Dr. Lana
Chaar organized students’ presentations of the potential for photo-voltaic exploitation in the PI and in the UAE
generally.
Student Non-Academic Activities
•z
•z
•z
EE students Ahmad Al Azizi, Mohamad Tamer Chaklab, Mohammad Azzam, Saif Al Dhaheri and Wail Al
Habri participated in a community outreach project, titled “Energy Saving Campaign.” Their work targeted 3rd
and 4th grade school students and focused on building awareness of personal steps towards energy savings.
Accompanied by Dr. Lana El Chaar, Dr. Lisa Lamont and Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib, EE women students visited
the Abu Dhabi “Future Center” (a center for physically challenged children) and presented a check for funds
raised through a campaign conducted at the PI and outside
Following the “2009 Celebrating EE Day,” students, faculty and staff joined in a game of bowling followed by
dinner and distribution of awards.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
28

Electrical Engineering Department
Student Achievements and Awards
The PI’s Electrical Engineering students participated in the “Made-In-the-Arab-World” competition in Cairo. Out
of over 530 competing teams from 12 countries, only 35 were selected for the competition and two of these were
from our department. One of the PI EE’s projects was entered in the “professional” category which included
engineers and startup companies from all over the Arab World.
This competition gave the students an opportunity to meet, discuss, and share ideas with practicing engineers and
students from different Arab countries.
Several students from the department were successful at the 4th IEEE students’ competition in the ‘Made-In-the-
Arab-World’ (which included competitors from 9 other UAE universities):
1. Osama Al Ameri, a Junior EE student, won the 2nd place award for his project “Photovoltaic Curve Tracer.”
2. Nabil H. K. Hirzallah, Baraa Mohamed Chams Al Din Mohandes, Eisa Al Qubaisi, Fares Imad Eddin Subh,
and Oubay Imad Esbel won the 2nd place award in the Common Design competition for their project “Optical
Transceiver.”
3. Saif Al Dhaheri, Osama Al Ameri, Malek Al Ameri, Mohamad Tamer Chaklab, and Ahmad Al Azizi won the
2nd place award in the Community Service competition for their project “Electrical Engineers Help Save
Lives”.
4. Saif Al Dhaheri, Wail Habri, Mohamad Tamer Chaklab, and Mohammad Azzam won the 3rd place award in
the Senior Design competition for their project “Design of PID for Power System Stabilization Using Particle
Swarm Optimization.”
5. Nabil H. K. Hirzallah, Baraa Mohamed Chams Al Din Mohandes, Eisa Al Qubaisi, Fares Imad Eddin Subh,
and Oubay Imad Esbel won the 2nd place award in the Common Design competition for their project “Optical
Transceiver”.
Bodies Established by the Department
The EE Department has established
•z
•z
•z
an IEEE Women In Engineering Affinity Chapter at the PI
an EE Advisory Board, which had its first meeting in May 2009
several EE Focus Groups, each of which is composed of faculty members responsible for quality control of the
courses in their respective areas. Each Focus Group reviews the course portfolio for each of the courses within
its domain and prepares assessment reports on the courses at the end of the semester they were taught in.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
Events Organized By
The Department
• z The Fall 2009 IEEE/PES Executive Committee meeting –on its 125th anniversary - was held at the PI.
This was the first time the institute’s meeting was held outside North America (see details, page 3)
| | Technical Tutorials: Five IEEE/PES Distinguished Lecturer tutorials were delivered by recognized researchers
in the field:
‘Practical Lessons from Wind Farm Collector Systems and Interconnections’
Mrs. Wanda Reder - President IEEE/PES, Vice President Power Systems Services, S&C Electric Com-
pany, Chicago, IL, USA
What is the Smart Grid and What is Needed to Make it a Reality?’
Dr. Saifur Rahman - Vice President IEEE/PES, Joseph R. Loring Professor & Director, Virginia Tech
Advanced Research Institute, USA
‘Recent Trends in Substation Automation and Enterprise Data Management to Support Smart Grid
Applications’
Mr. John D Macdonald - P.E., IEEE Division VII Director, Past President IEEE/PES, General Manager,
Marketing, General Electric (GE) Energy T&D, USA
‘HV Shunt Reactor Intelligence Protection Scheme - How It Makes the Grid Smarter’
Mrs. Meliha B. Selak - P.E., Vice President IEEE/PES Chapters, BC Hydro, Transmission Engineering,
Protection& Control Planning Applications, Vancouver, BC, Canada
‘Intelligent System Strategies for Reconfiguration of Power Systems including Distributed Generation
and Intentional Islanding’
Dr. Noel Schulz - Treasurer, President-Elect Candidate for 2010-11, IEEE/PES, Paslay Professor of
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Kansas State University, USA.
| | Three of the above speakers also led our Women in Engineering Seminars:
‘Professional Society Involvement and the Benefits to a Career through Involvement – PES as an Example’
Mrs. Wanda Reder
‘Networking for Support and Advancement of Your Careers As Women’
Dr. Noel Schulz
‘My Experience as an Electrical Engineer and how Electrical Engineering is Suited to Women’
Mrs. Meliha B. Selak
A fourth seminar, entitled ‘My Experience as a Female in the Power Industry’ was led by
Mrs. Cheri Warren, Vice President Designate, Asset Strategy and Investment Planning & Chief of
Staff to the CEO, National Grid, London, UK.
•z Other Guest Seminars in 2009
|| ‘Fuel Cell and Energy Storage Systems for Clean Electricity Generation’
|| Dr. Danny Sutanto, Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, Univer-
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
30

Electrical Engineering Department
sity of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
|| ‘Insulation Condition Monitoring of Gas Insulated Switchgear’
|| Dr. Jose Lopez, Principal Consultant in Gas Insulated Switchgear, Powerlink, Queensland, Australia.
|| ‘A New Way of Looking at Magnetic Interactions in Asymmetric Systems’
|| Mr. Sean McCarthy, CEO, Steorn.
|| Mr. Nasser al Tamimi and Mr. Ali Attas from ADMA gave a presentation about the challenges facing ADMA
in solar energy technology.
|| Marco Tozzi, a Visiting Research Assistant and PhD Candidate, University of Bologna gave a seminar ‘Diagnostic
and Asset Management Technology’, which was attended by engineers from several OPCOs and
other industries, 12 April 2009.
• z “Celebrating Electrical Engineering,” was organized by the department and included poster papers, hardware
presentations and an exhibition of student projects. The President of ABET and engineers from other
companies were among the visitors.
Participation in Professional Societies, Conferences,
Workshops and Other Media
Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
Acting Chair, The IEEE/PES Middle East Working Group on Electricity Infrastructure, Interconnections &
Electricity Exchanges, November 2008-present.
Organizer and Chair: “Demand-Side Management: International Practices and Barriers,” a panel involving
researchers from the US, Canada, India, S. Korea, Denmark, New Zealand, and S. Africa, the IEEE/PES
General Meeting, Calgary, July 2009.
Presenter of “Demand Side Management and Energy Efficiency: A Case Study,” at the Workshop on Demand
Side Management and Energy Efficiency in February 2009. The workshop was sponsored by the Arab
League - Arab Electricity Ministers Council, the Arab Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors
of Electricity, the General Electric Power Company of Libya, and the Euro –Mediterranean Energy Market
Integration Project (MED-EMIP).
Member, the Panel for Science and Technology, the Islamic Development Bank.
Member, the International Board of Advisory Editors, the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineering/Power
Systems Engineering.
Member, the Editorial Board, the WSEAS Transactions on Power Systems.
Member, the Advisory Board, the International Journal of Innovations in Energy Systems and Power
(IJESP).
Member, the International Advisory Board for the 3rd International Conference on Modeling, Simulation
and Applied Optimization, January 2009, Sharjah.
Member, the Program Committee, 3rd International Conference on Signals, Circuits and Systems, November
2009, Djerba, Tunisia.
31
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
Dr. Mahmoud Meribout
•z
•z
•z
•z
Member, Technical Program Committee, Journal of Networks, special issue on Wireless Sensor Network:
Theory and Practice (ISNN: 1796-2056, Volume: 4, Issue: 6, August 2009), Academy Publisher.
Member, Technical Program Committee, the IEEE Second International Conference on New Technologies,
Mobility, and Security (NTMS’2008), Morocco, 2009.
Member, Technical Program Committee, National Digital Imaging Student Competition, organized by
Khalifa University of Science, Technology, and Research, Abu Dhabi, 2009.
Member, Technical Program Committee, IEEE International Conference on Communications, Computer,
and Power (ICCCP’09), Muscat, Oman, February 2009.
Dr. Lana El Chaar
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
Associate Editor, IEEE transactions on Engineering Education for Power Systems and Apparatus, September
2009.
Chair, “Energy and Vehicular Technologies” at the 5th IEEE GCC Conference and Exhibition, March 2009,
Kuwait.
Interviewed by a German TV station (Astra) on solar energy developments in the UAE during Abu Dhabi
Green Building Conference.
Member, Scientific Committee and reviewer for IEEE Energycon 2010 ‘Toward Sustainable Energy’
Member, Scientific Committee and reviewer for the International Conference on Renewable Energy: Generation
and Applications - ICREGA’10
Member, Scientific Committee Member and Reviewer, International Conference on Electric Power and Energy
Conversion Systems, November 2009, Sharjah
Member, Advisory Panel: MENA Renewable Energy 2009, ‘Harnessing the Power of Clean Energy’, Nov.
2009, UAE.
Reviewer, International Renewable Energy Conference (IREC09), Tunisia
Reviewer, 5th IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC’09), September 2009.
Dr. Lisa Lamont
•z
•z
•z
•z
Presenter at the World Sustainable Energy Days: “Renewable Engineering for Multidisciplinary Female
Engineers in the UAE” Wels, Austria, February 2009.
Interviewed for Radio Osterreich 1 on women in renewable energy developments during World Sustainable
Energy Days, Wels Austria, February 2009.
Writer: ‘Automated Solar Cleaning Device’ for ADMA Magazine, October 2009.
Participant in the Electric Energy Education Workshop, Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), December,
2009, Doha
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
32

Electrical Engineering Department
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
•z
Member, IMechE MIC (Mechatronics, Informatics and Control).
Representative on the National Young Members Panel, IMechE MIC
Member, Committee of PCE UAE Chartership
Member, Organising Committee for the Engineering Students Renewable Energy competition 2010, UAE
University, Al Ain.
Reviewer, ASEE Annual Conference, Engineering Ethics Division, Austin, Texas, 2009.
Reviewer, 48th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Shanghai, China, 2009.
Reviewer, IREC 09, International Renewable Energy Congress, Sousse, Tunisia, 2009.
Reviewer, EPECS 09, International Conference on Electric Power and Energy Conversion Systems, Sharjah,
2009.
Reviewer, International Journal of Power and Energy Conversion (IJPEC).
Reviewer, International Journal Engineering Education (IJEE).
Reviewer, European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE).
Member, International Program Committee for 12th Mechatronic Forum International Conference – Zurich,
Switzerland, 2010.
Dr. Abdel-rahiman Beig, Dr. Lana El Chaar, and Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib
•z
Members, Scientific Committee, International Conference on Electric Power and Energy Conversion Systems,
Sharjah, Novembe 2009.
Dr. Uwe Kruger
•z
Member, Program Committee, IET Irish Systems and Signals Conference, Dublin, June 2009.
Dr. Ehab El-Saadany
•z
•z
•z
•z
Seminar: “Distributed Generation; Between Benefits and Challenges”, IEEE Power & Energy Society
Dubai Chapter, American University Sharjah, October 2009.
Member, Technical Program committee; International Conference on Signals, Circuits and Systems, November
2009, Djerba, Tunisia.
Member, Technical Program committee; International Conference on Electric Power and Energy Conversion
Systems, November 2009, Sharjah.
Keynote Speaker at the International Conference on Communication, Computer & Power, Muscat,
Oman.
Dr. Shib Sankar Saha
•z
Member, Technical Program Committee of The International Power Electronics Conference, to be held in
June 2010, Sapporo, Japan
In addition, other Electrical Engineering Faculty members reviewed papers for international
refereed journals and conferences.
33
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Electrical Engineering Department
International Collaboration
Visiting Research Assistants
The Department hosted the following three Visiting Research Assistants for 4-6 months.
• z Marco Tozzi, PhD Candidate, University of Bologna
• z Thiago Feital, PhD Candidate, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
• z Udo Schubert, PhD Candidate, Technical University of Berlin
Advising/co-advising of graduate students and joint research projects
• z Dr. Charles Su and Dr. Andrea Cavallini University of Bologna supervised Mr. Marco Tozzi, an EE PhD
Candidate.
• z Dr. Braham Barkat and Dr. John Oakley, University of Manchester supervised Ms. Haleh Zadeh, an EE
PhD Candidate.
• z Dr. Uwe Kruger and Dr. José Carlos Pinto, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro supervised Mr.
Thiago Feital, PhD Candidate
• z Dr. Uwe Kruger and Dr. Guenter Wozny, Technical University of Berlin, supervised Udo Schubert, PhD
Candidate.
• z Dr. Uwe Kruger and Dr. Tim Littler, Queen’s University Belfast supervised Xueqin Liu, PhD Candidate.
• z Dr. Majid Poshtan and Dr. Javad Poshtan from Iran University of Science and Technology supervised Mr.
Jafar Zareie, PhD Candidate.
• z Dr. Majid Poshtan and Dr. Javad Poshtan from Iran University of Science and Technology, supervised
Mrs. Farzaneh Karami , MSc (who graduated in July 2009 with grade A).
• z Dr. Majid Poshtan and Dr. Javad Poshtan from Iran University of Science and Technology supervised Mr.
Millad Ghazal; MSc Candidate.
Curriculum-Related Activities
The Department offered 4 new graduate courses in 2009: ELEG 534 Power Quality, ELEG597 Probability and
Statistics for Engineers, ELEG 535 Electric Drives and ELEG 514 Adaptive Control.
The department undertakes that its 20 graduate students complete their studies on schedule.
Accreditation
The department received full accreditation for its undergraduate program from the Ministry of Higher Education
and Scientific Research.
The department received initial accreditation for its Master of Science degree program from the Ministry of
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
34

Electrical Engineering Department
Higher Education and Scientific Research.
In preparation for ABET accreditation, the department implemented its Program Assessment Process and compiled
two years of data. We prepared our first assessment report.
The department reviewed the Competency Assurance Management System (CAMS). The system is considered
one source for constituency inputs to be considered in the EE assessment process.
The Department developed a program to use statistics in its curriculum through the Design course and its labs.
Support of the PI Mission/Vision
In addition to the above mentioned activities, the EE Department made major contributions in areas that serve
and support the PI mission/vision including:
•z Promoting high quality engineering education for UAE Nationals.
•z Participating in recruiting high quality UAE National students and retaining them.
•z Receiving initial accreditation for its graduate and undergraduate programs.
•z Creating student activities to develop the “the full person”. Details are given on page 2.
•z Interacting with engineers from ADNOC and the OPCOs and giving seminars including ADCO and
GASCO.
•z Participating in the planning of the PI Research Center and serving on PI Committees.
•z Interacting with the OPCOs and providing technical and research support on projects.
In addition
• z Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib has coordinated the PI graduate program, June 2007 – September 2009 and
chaired the Graduate Council. Dr. Abdurrahim El-Keib and Mr. Ahmed Shehada, an EE graduate fellow,
were involved in the expansion of the PI web-based e-Learning. Dr. Youssef Abdel-Magid initiated
the PI Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE).
35
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Mechanical Engineering Department
Mechanical engineering Department
Dr. John Chai, Department Chair
37
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Mechanical Engineering Department
Department Chair’s
Summary
Over the calendar year 2009, mechanical engineering
(ME), with 270 students and 13 faculty members, was
the largest engineering department, both in terms of
student numbers and faculty strength at the Petroleum
Institute (PI). In the January 2009 graduation ceremony,
34 students were awarded the Bachelor’s Degree
and in July 2009 25 additional students completed their
requirements for graduation in January 2010. We continued
to meet our commitment to provide quality manpower
training for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
Many of the students have done ME proud locally, with
our sponsors, and internationally. As a case in point,
a senior ME student Mr. Hussain Al-Hashimi received
the Outstanding Student Paper (BS/MS category)
award during the ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping
conference held in Prague, Czech Republic July 26 – 30.
This award was part of the 17th Student Paper Competition.
This competition is an annual event where 5
finalists in the BS/MS category from around the world
are selected to present their research work. Dr. A. Seibi
and Mr. A. Molki were the supervisors of this awardwinning
work.
In April 2009, the ME Advisory Board, consisting of personnel
from private companies, our alumni and selected
ME faculty members met for the first time. The advisory
board recommends future directions to the department
which may result in broad-base curriculum revision to
meet the needs of the industry.
ME is leading the PI’s effort to start a Materials Science
and Engineering degree starting from Fall 2010. The
application for initial accreditation for the Bachelor of
Science in Materials Science and Engineering was submitted
to The Commission for Academic Accreditation
in the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in
May 2009. The task force was lead by Dr. N. Tarfa from
ME and the documentation was developed in collaboration
with the Chemical Engineering Department.
Our Master of Engineering (M. Eng; Master by course
work), program has been growing steadily since its introduction
in Fall 2007. In Fall 2009, there were eight
students registered. Six more students were exspected
to start their studies soon. We expect to graduate our
first M. Eng. student in May 2010 with two more in Dec.
2010. We will launch the Master of Science degree in
January 2010. By the end of 2009, the department had
admitted 11 students under the graduate fellowships
program of which five are pursuing a Master degree and
seven are registered for a PhD degree.
Our faculty continued to increase their research activities.
ME faculty members published 66 scholarly articles
(2/3 of these were archival journal articles). This
represents a 120% increase from 2008. As we proceed
with our research activities, we expect this figure to continue
to increase in the future.
ME is growing as we move into 2010. With four new
faculty members joining the department, our faculty
strength will increase to 17 representing a 25% increase
over last year.
With the new M.S. program and the recently signed
MOU with the Chinese University of Petroleum, Beijing,
we are anticipating significant growth in our research
activities in the coming year.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
38

The Mechanical Engineering Department
New Staff and Faculty
During this period, the department saw 5 new additions
to faculty and staff.
Dr. Ebrahim Al-Hajri joined the department
in August 2009 as an Assistant
Professor. He earned his Ph.D. in
Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Maryland. His thesis title was
“Prediction of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Condensing
Refrigerant Flow in a High Aspect Ratio Micro-
Channels”. His research interests are in Advance Energy
Systems and Micro Heat/Mass Exchangers.
Dr. Ainane joined the department as a
visiting Associate Professor. He attended
the Joseph Fourrier University in
Grenoble France where he completed a
B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering
in 1980. He then returned to Morocco and worked for an
engineering company for a year and a half. In 1982 he
enrolled in the ME graduate program at the University
of Maryland and completed a Ph.D. degree in 1989.
His research focused on the development of a closure
for the Mean Vorticity and Covariance (MVC) equations
for turbulent flow. He also spent three years designing,
building and testing multi-sensor hot wire probes capable
of measuring velocity and vorticity components in
a turbulent flow.
During the early part of the 1990, he worked for an engineering
consulting company and taught undergraduate
and graduate courses in Mechanical and Chemical
Engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore
County Campus. In 1997 he joined the ME Department
at UMD as director of undergraduate studies. His duties
included advising 600+ students, scheduling all ME
courses, hiring instructors, coordinating ABET efforts,
chairing the Undergraduate Committee, coordinating
outreach and recruitment activities, teaching, starting
a Collaborative Engineering Program, supervising staff
and serving on several department, college, and University
Committees.
He also founded a review program for the FE and PE
exams. During the past twenty years, the program has
helped hundreds of engineers from Maryland and neighboring
states become professional engineers.
Last year he received a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma
from Villanova University and he plans to teach Six Sigma
as a senior elective in the future. He is also an ABET
Program Evaluator.
Dr. Mohan Rao comes to the PI as a
Visiting Professor from Michigan Tech,
USA where he is currently a Professor
of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering
Mechanics Department. He
joined Michigan Tech in 1988 soon after receiving his
PhD from Auburn University, AL. He is a Fellow of
two major professional societies in the field—the American
Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), and
the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE). He has
conducted both basic and applied research in different
areas of acoustics and vibration ranging from analytical
modeling of damping of materials, joints, and composite
structures to experimental work involving small power
tools to large scale machines (e.g. excavators, diesel engines)
and structures. His research has been sponsored
by State and Federal agencies and industries that include
NASA, NSF, ARL, State of Florida, Ford, GM,
Daimler-Chrysler, Caterpillar, TRW, Johnson Controls,
John Deere, NIOSH, Arctic Cat, Polaris, Xerox, and
Volvo-Korea. He has over 100 publications in technical
journals and conference proceedings and he has advised
7 Ph.D.s and 35 M.S. students. Dr. Rao has received the
US Fulbright Award, National Science Foundation Research
Initiation Award and was honored by the NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center for his work on the damping
of the Hubble Space Telescope truss system. In ad-
39
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Mechanical Engineering Department
dition, he was recognized as a United Nations Development
Program expert in Noise & Vibration Control. He
also serves as an Associate Editor for the International
Journal of Vehicle Noise and Vibration.
Dr. Zhang received his B.S and M.S degrees
in 1984 and 1987 from Tongji University,
Shanghai, China and his Ph.D.
degree in 1992 from Florida Atlantic
University. He is a registered Professional
Engineer in California. Before joining Colorado
School of Mines, Dr. Zhang had worked in Princeton
University for three and a half years as a Post-Doctoral
Research Associate, and in the University of Southern
California for two years as a Research Assistant Professor.
Dr. Zhang’s research interest resides in continuum
mechanics, vibration theory, wave propagation, stochastic
processes and fields, advanced data processing and
analysis for sensory systems, disaster assessment and
mitigation, structural/geotechnical nondestructive evaluation
and health monitoring. He is the author of one
edited book, one book chapter, one edited journal, thirty
nine journal papers and numerous papers in conference
proceedings and edited books. Dr Zhang is the recipient
of the 1997 IASSAR Junior Research Prize in Stochastic
Dynamics for his contribution to the solutions of seismic
wave propagation through stochastic media, bestowed
by the International Association for Structural Safety
and Reliability (IASSAR)
John C. Chai is Professor and Chairman
of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering at the Petroleum Institute.
He received his BS (with first-class honors)
in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Windsor, Canada and his MS in Mechani-
cal Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
USA. In 1994 he graduated from the University
of Minnesota, USA with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
He spent 12 years in academia at the Tennessee
Technological University, USA and Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore. His research interests
include development of numerical methods and models
for fluid flow and heat transfer related transport phenomena.
He has supervised three completed MS theses,
seven completed PhD dissertations and two post-docs.
He has published over 60 journal articles and contributed
a chapter to the second edition of the Handbook of
Numerical Heat Transfer. Dr. Chai is an editorial board
member of Computational Thermal Sciences and an
Elected Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers.
Arnel Flores joined the ME Department
in July as Machine Shop Laboratory
Technician. He graduated from Bataan
State University in the Philippines with
a Diploma in Mechanical Technology.
Mr. Flores worked in manufacturing Industry for over 8
years where he was involved in manufacturing systems
like TQM (Total Quality Management) and TPM (Total
Productive Maintenance). In addition, he is familiar
with several CNC and conventional machines used in a
machine shop. His research interests are in Manufacturing
Technology, Computer Aided Design and Computer
Aided Manufacturing.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
40

The Mechanical Engineering Department
Departmental Events
Materials Science and
Engineering
In May 2009 an application for initial accreditation for
a Bachelor of Science course in Materials Science and
Engineering was submitted to The Commission for Academic
Accreditation at the Ministry of Higher Education
and Research. The documentation was prepared
by several members of Faculty from the Mechanical and
Chemical Engineering Departments under the coordination
of Dr N. Tarfa.
It is expected that an undergraduate degree focused on
the fundamentals and the applications of Materials Science
and Engineering will provide ADNOC and its OP-
COs with qualified engineers capable of addressing the
challenges related to materials processing, applications,
behavior and performances. Such core competencies
and skills, inherent to the operations and businesses
of ADNOC and its OPCOs, will strengthen and complement
the range of expertise already in place at these
companies.
The Materials Science and Engineering degree will follow
a four-year cycle. During the first two years the
freshman and sophomore students will follow the Arts
& Sciences curriculum, where fundamental sciences will
be covered including math, physics and chemistry. The
students will then choose between two tracks or specializations
offered in Materials Science and Engineering:
●●
●●
Metallurgical Science and Engineering (Metallurgical
Specialization)
Polymer Science and Engineering (Polymer Specialization)
The program is expected to take its first batch for the
Freshman year in Fall 2010 with an initial intake of 20
students and a full capacity when on stream of around
190 students. The PI is at the moment conducting a
search for a Chair of the future department.
GE Oil and Gas University
GE Oil and Gas University, in coordination with PI’s Mechanical
Engineering Department held a 6-week course
Program from January 14 – February 25, 2009 which
included Leadership, Energy & Processes and Rotating
Machinery. The program, strongly supported by H.E.
Yousef Omeir Bin Yousef was attended by selected AD-
NOC employees. Participants received certificates on
their graduation which was held at the Emirates Palace
Hotel on February 25, 2009.
Seminars
The department hosted a visit by Dr. D. Lakehal, an
international expert in multiphase computational fluid
dynamics. Dr Lakehal is CEO of ASCOMP GmbH,
Zurich, Switzerland and is adjunct professor at ETH-
Zurich. During his visit Dr Lakehal delivered a lecture
on Large Eddy Simulation and the use of the software
TranAT in multiphase flow simulations, and conducted
seminars on “The Simulation of Water-in-Oil Emulsions
and Separation”, “Issues in Modelling Black
Powder Deposition and Transport in High Pressure
Pipelines” and “Progress in Computational Microfluidics
based on Interface Tracking”. The purpose of the
seminars was to provide an introduction to the simulation
of multiphase flows and the use of the Large Eddy
Simulation turbulence model. Both areas are of current
interest to researchers at the PI using Multiphase
CFD.
Dr. G. Theodiridis, Technical Director at PhilonNet
Engineering Solutions in Greece and an expert in CFD
using CFX, gave a short introductory lecture on CFX,
a CFD solver with focus on CFS-POST (post processor)
on 26 January 2009. CFX-POST is used by POLY-
FLOW, a major non-Newtonian flow solver recently
acquired by the PI.
41
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Mechanical Engineering Department
American Society of
Mechanical Engineers PI
Students’ Section
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) PI student chapter was active this year in organizing
three major events. These were (1) a robotics
competition, (2) a poster competition and (3) an ASME-
ME social.
A robotic competition was held to familiarize Foundation
students with dynamics and control which are
integral parts of the ME curriculum. Students designed
and built a LEGO robot to navigate through an
obstacle course specified by ASME. The robots were
built using the LEGO mindstorm sets.
A competition was held for the students to design a
poster that fully described one mechanical component
of their choice.
Our female students during their visit to ADMA
Headquarters with Dr. Eveloy.
The ME social event was well attended by students,
faculty and staff. The Provost and Acting President,
Dr. M. Ohadi was guest of honor. Acting Chair, Dr. I.
Kubo participated in table tennis matches with students
during the event and students also competed in
a soccer tournament.
Female Students’ visit to ADMA
Headquarters
Dr. Eveloy organized a trip for our female students
to ADMA Headquarters. This was an opportunity for
students to become familiar with the company’s processes/operations
and their potential future working
environment. The students also heard about the career
experience of the women engineers they met on
site, including recent graduates of local universities.
Recognition and awards
The department’s students
and faculty were recipients
of several recognition
awards:
Mr. Hussain Al-Hashimi, a senior Mechanical Engineering
student received an international award
from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) as part of the 17th Student Paper Competition
conducted by the ASME Pressure Vessels and
Piping Division (ASME PVP), at the ASME PVP conference
held in Prague, Czech Republic, July 26 – 30.
This competition is an annual event where BS/MS and
PhD students from around the world submit papers
on their research work and only nine finalists are selected
(five from the BS/MS and four from the PhD categories).
His paper, entitled “Experimental Study and
Numerical Simulation of Domes Under Wind Load,”
was extracted from his research work performed for
the senior design course under the supervision of Dr.
A. Seibi and Mr. A. Molki.
Dr. P. Rodgers was Recipient of the IEEE EuroSimE
Conference Award for Excellent Leadership in Simulation
and Modeling of Micro/Nanoelectronics and Systems
in Delft, The Netherlands, April 27, 2009.
Dr. L. Khezzar was elected to the grade of Fellow in
IMechE.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
42

The Mechanical Engineering Department
Research Achievements
The Mechanical Engineering Department continues to be dedicated to world- class research. At this stage funding is
principally from the PI and has been obtained under two main schemes: through collaboration with the University
of Maryland (UMD), one of our foreign partner universities, and the internal research initiation program.
The list of the projects approved within the UMD second phase of the
EERC project is given in the table below.
Current EERC Projects UM Faculty PI Faculty
Separate Sensible and Latent Cooling with Solar Energy
Waste Heat Utilization in the Petroleum Industry
Multidisciplinary Design and Characterization of Polymer
Composite Seawater Heat Exchanger Module
Study on Microchannel-Based Absorber/Stripper and Electrostatic
Precipitators for CO 2
Separation from Flue Gas
Microreactors for Oil and Gas Processes Using Microchannel
Technologies
R. Radermacher
Y. Hwang
R. Radermacher
Y. Hwang
A. Bar-Cohen
S.K. Gupta
D. Bigio
S. Dessiatoun
A. Shooshtari
S. Dessiatoun
A. Shooshtari
I. Kubo
S. Al Hashimi
P. Rogers
P. Rogers
A. Goharzadeh
M. Ohadi
E. Al Hajri
A. Goharzadeh
M. Ohadi
Dynamics and Control of Drill Strings
B. Balachandran Y. Abdelmagid
H. Karki
Studies on Mobile Sensor Platforms
Development of a Probabilistic Model for Degradation Effects
of Corrosion-FATIgue Cracking in Oil and Gas Pipelines
B. Balachandran
N. Chopra
M. Modarres
H. Karki
A. Seibi
M. Chookah
Ongoing research initiation projects from the PI are listed below:
“Multiphase Flow Measurement and Characterization for Petroleum Engineering Applications,” Mechanical
Engineering Department, Internal Research Initiation Program - (US $80K, 2007-2009). P. Rodgers
(PI) and A. Goharzadeh (PI).
“Liquid-liquid Separation in Cyclone Flows for De-oiling”. Mechanical Engineering Department, Internal
Research Initiation Program - L. Khezzar (PI).
“Numerical Study of Internal Flow inside Inclined Two-dimensional Cavities with Newtonian and
Non-Newtonian Fluids” D. Siginer (PI), L. Khezzar (PI), I. Vogdanof (Co PI).
“Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFs) for power generation in the oil and gas industries” V. Eveloy (PI).
P. Voulgaris, in the United States and at his previous university, was granted (as principal investigator) a NSF
CAN on safety critical modular systems (US$300K) and a National Center of Supercomputing Applications fellowship
(US$25K) to work on the development of computational infrastructure for distributed control problems
at the peta scale.
43
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Mechanical Engineering Department
Advising international
students
The department continued on occasions to host external
undergraduate visiting students from European universities
to conduct their project under the supervision of
our faculty. Below is a list of such projects:
Mr. Louis Perez, “Flow Characterization of Dean
Vortices in a Rectangular Curved Duct,” Fourth Year
Internship Report submitted to the Ecole Supérieur
Des Techniques Aéronautiques Et De Construction
Automobiles (ESTACA-Paris), France, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the Degree of Master
of Science (Diplôme d’Ingénieur). This internship
was undertaken at The Petroleum Institute from
April to September. Advisors: Drs. A. Goharzadeh
and P. Rodgers.
Mr. Younis Ghazi, “Analyses of Selected Multiphase
Flow and Heat Exchanger Problems in the Oil and
Gas Industry,” M.Sc. Thesis submitted to the Universite
Technologique De Compiegne (UTC- COMP-
IEGNE), France, in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the Degree of Master of Science (Diplôme
d’Ingénieur). The thesis research was undertaken at
The Petroleum Institute from February to August.
Advisors: Drs. A. Goharzadeh and P. Rodgers.
Mr. Mehdi Hadjadji, “Mixing and Separation in Microfluidic
Devices,” M.Sc. Thesis submitted to Compiegne
University of Technology (UTC), Compiegne,
France, in partial fullfilment of the requirements for
the Degree of Master of Science (Diplôme d’Ingénieur).
The Thesis research was fully undertaken at The Petroleum
Institute from February to August. Advisor:
Dr. V. Eveloy
Mr. Benjamin Buteau, “Computational Fluid Dynamics
Analysis of an Internal Methane Reforming
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Operated in Isothermal and
Adiabatic Environments,” M.Sc. Thesis submitted
to the National Superior School of Physics, Electronics
and Materials (Phelma), Grenoble Institute of
Technology (INP), France, in partial fullfilment of
the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science
(Diplôme d’Ingénieur). The Thesis research was fully
undertaken at The Petroleum Institute from March
to September. Advisor: Dr. V. Eveloy
Participation in Conferences
The ME faculty continued to attend and present papers
in local and international conferences regularly. A total
of 30 presentations were made. Additional participation
in the form of invited talks at international events are
listed below.
Dr P. Voulgaris was invited to participate in the
European Commission workshop on Robust Systems
Engineering (April 29, 2009, Brussels) to shape future
European calls for proposals. These can involve
the PI in partnerships with European universities
and thus lead to additional funding opportunities.
Dr. P. Rodgers was invited to speak on “Ten Years
of Thermal Analysis at EuroSimE - What’s Next?” at
the Tenth International Conference on Thermal, Mechanical
and Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments
in Micro-Electronics and MicroSystems, Delft,
The Netherlands, April 29, 2009.
Dr V. Eveloy was an invited panellist in a session
titled “Solving the Global Energy Crisis,” at the 2009
Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy
and Technology, Dubai, UAE, May 24, 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
44

Pictures from the Social event
The Mechanical Engineering Department
ME Chair, Dr. I. Kubo
playing table tennis
with a student.
Soccer game about
to begin.
More foosball
Soccer tournament underway.
Provost and Acting
President, Dr. Ohadi
encouraging our
students.
Provost and Acting
President, Dr. Ohadi
with ME faculty and
students.
ME Chair, Dr. Kubo
addressing our students.
Address from the ASME Student section.
Here comes the music.
45
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

The Mechanical Engineering Department
Another snap
shot from the
event.
Snap shot from the event.
One more.
Token of appreciation.
We are the champions.
ASME student membership presentation.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
46

Pictures from the robotic competition
The Mechanical Engineering Department
Our female students building their robot.
Robots are ready
for actions.
All set to start.
Examining the
competition
track.
Still in-bound, but
getting close.
Hurry…
A little help is needed.
47
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Engineering Department
Petroleum engineering Department
Dr. Hemanta Sarma, Department Chair
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
48

Petroleum Engineering Department
Department Chair’s Summary
The Petroleum Engineering Department (PED) has had
another very active and productive year. Our courses
continue to offer a well-balanced total system approach
that integrates engineering theory and practice with
geosciences and management principles, including an
understanding of risks and uncertainties. The Dept continues
to enjoy a close working relationship with management
and technical personnel at ADNOC and its
operating companies as well as from our international
shareholder supporters in our teaching programs, especially
through our highly effective internship program.
A PED Advisory Board comprising leading industry and
academic representatives, alumni & current faculty
members has met throughout 2009.
The Dept now has a strong Graduate Studies Program
which started during the year with five new Masters
courses and currently has 12 high caliber full-time
graduate students and 15 part-time part-time MEng
students. Our current research involvement includes:
reservoir engineering and simulation studies, EOR and
IOR, production chemistry, drilling and completion,
production systems, well stimulation, risks and uncertainties,
geomechanics and wellbore stability, phase behavior
studies and application of electrokinetics studies
to improve oil productivity.
State-of-the-art laboratories are available to facilitate
both graduate research as well as undergraduate studies.
PED was the first PI Department to start engineering-level
laboratory classes for women students in dedi-
cated start-of-the-art facilities in the Arzanah building.
Our computer and simulation laboratories are equipped
with the same state-of-the-art / industry standard software
that our graduates will use in their future workplaces.
We are amongst only a few petroleum engineering
departments worldwide to offer an International
Well Control Forum (IWCF)-approved and accredited
training and certification program in drilling engineering.
PED continues to host visits from AUP (formerly Foundation)
English Department students to PED classes,
to give them an understanding of the petroleum engineering
teaching program. These visits have been coordinated
during 2009 by Dr. Ferda Akgun, Dr. Pawel
Nawrocki, Dr. Gabor Takacs and Dr. John Williams.
In addition to teaching their own students, the PED also
has a major responsibility to educate all PI students
about the Petroleum Industry, through the compulsory
Freshman “Overview of the Petroleum Industry”. During
the 2009 Fall semester 146 students took this course
compared with 200 during the 2008-9 academic year.
This course, involves theory classes as well as visits to
local industries.
PED faculty have continued to show exceptional international
leadership and recognition in their specialist
fields.
49
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Engineering Department
New activities and accomplishments
Our graduate program started during 2009 with five
new Masters courses: PEEG 544, Advanced Artificial
Lifting (Dr. Takacs), PEEG 521, Wellbore Stability
Analysis (Dr. Nawrocki), PEEG 530, Advanced Reservoir
Engineering and PEEG 532, Enhanced Oil Recovery
(Dr. Ghedan), and PEEG521, Underbalanced
Technology: Drilling and Completions by Dr. Akgun.
Dr. Sarma continues to serve as an Associate Editor of
the SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal.
He also led an SPE-wide academic task force looking
at improving the quality of the Journal. In addition,
he is serving on the organizing committee of SPE’s International
Oil & Gas Conference to be held in Beijing
in July 2010, chaired the 2008-2009 SPE Distinguished
Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty
Award Committee, and served on the organizing
committee of the SPE Advanced Technology Workshop
on EOR in Bali in August 2009.
Dr. Nawrocki served on the International Advisory
Board for the International Conference on Rock Joints
and Jointed Rock Masses held in Tucson, Arizona in
January 2009. He also served on the International Advisory
Committee for the 3rd International Conference
on New Developments in Rock Mechanics and Engineering
that took place in Sanya, China in May 2009, and
on the International Advisory Board for the 6th Asian
Rock Mechanics Symposium that will take place in New
Delhi, India in October 2010. In 2009 Dr. Nawrocki
was invited to join the Commission on Education of the
International Society for Rock Mechanics where he became
involved in rock mechanics teaching curriculum
development for mining, civil, and petroleum engineering
programs.
Dr. Ghedan chaired the SPE International Cedric
Fergusson Medal Award Committee and served on the
Steering Committee for the Applied Technology Workshop
of the Upscaling of Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs
that took place in Hammamat, Tunis in June 2009. He
was also a Steering Committee Member of the Reservoir
Characterization and Reservoir Simulation Conference
that was held in Abu Dhabi in October 2009.
Dr. Williams advised the AUP team lead by Salma
Mohamed Al Mazrouei in their project “Creating an Oil
Company” and Dr. Zhu was instrumental in helping
the PI develop a relationship with the China University
of Petroleum – Beijing (CUPB) and recruited 6 graduate
students from CUPB for the fall semester. The relationship
is expected to encourage more CUPB students joining
the petroleum engineering graduate program in the
near future.
Special Student Events
We have instituted an award program to recognize our
top performing students. In a ceremony held in December
2008 we awarded seven of our students “Best Performance
Award” at Sophomore, Junior and Senior level.
Most of them secured the maximum GPA of 4.00 in the
previous semester. In addition, two awards were also
given for Most-Improved Performance at Junior and Senior
Levels. This unique award program is the subject
of an SPE paper that was presented by Dr John Williams,
at the 2009 SPE Annual Technical Conference
and Exhibition in New Orleans in October 2009.
Awards, Professional
Recognitions and Activities
Petroleum Engineering faculty & staff received several
awards in 2009:
Dr. Hemanta Sarma received SPE Distinguished
Membership. This honor is conferred on less than 1%
of its more than 90,000 global membership across 118
countries.
Dr. Ghedan received SPE Reservoir Description & Dynamics
Regional Award from the Oil Minister, Bahrain,
and an award from the SPE Abu Dhabi Section for his
services to the Section.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
50

Petroleum Engineering Department
Dr. Williams completed a period of three years serving
as Society of Petroleum Engineers Abu Dhabi Section
Internet Chair and received a letter of appreciation
from the SPE Board of Directors.
Dr. Nawrocki completed a period of three years serving
as a faculty sponsor of the PI SPE Student Chapter
and received a letter of appreciation for service to
SPE from the SPE President. He also received a letter
of appreciation from the International Association for
Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics
(IACMAG) for his service on the International Advisory
Committee and his contributions in organizing the 12th
International IACMAG conference that took place in
Goa, India.
Mr. Iddris received the PI Laboratory Academic Staff
Service Award for his outstanding work in developing
the PI’s drilling laboratories, presenting classes to students
and industry professionals, and for numerous other
contributions to the PI, Petroleum Engineering, and
student activities.
After winning the Gulf Sub-Regional SPE Student Paper
Contest in Doha, Qatar in November 2008, Ahmed
Salah Ibrahim and Nader Sameer Abdelfattah
advanced to the next level. They also presented results
of their research on “Investigation of the Mobilization
of Residual Oil Using Micromodels” supervised by Dr.
Chatzis in the SPE regional student paper contest at
the Middle East Oil and Gas Show held in Manama,
Bahrain in March 2009. Ther 3rd place certificate in
Bahrain was presented to them by Mr. Leo Roodhart,
the SPE President, together with an invitation to compete
at the 2009 SPE Undergraduate Paper Contest
that was held in conjunction with the 2009 SPE Annual
Technical Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans.
Dr. Sarma Receiving SPE Distinguished Membership from the
President, 2009
Dr. Ghedan Receiving SPE Reservoir Description & Dynamics
Regional Award from the Oil Minister, Bahrain 2009.
Dr. Ghedan Receiving Award from Mr. Al Jarwan, Abu Dhabi
2009.
51
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Engineering Department
Ahmed Salah Ibrahim, First Prize Winner at the
SPE Gulf Sub-regional Student Paper Competition,
Doha 2008.
Visitors
We were pleased to host several eminent visitors and
dignitaries that included: Kristen Steltzer, Head of the
cultural section of the Embassy of the Federal Republic
of Germany, who accompanied a delegation from the
Federal State of Thuringia headed by the Minister of
Economy, Technology & Labour, Mr. Juergen Reinholz;
a delegation from the Finland Ministry of Education;
UAE Education Council along with
an IKED delegation; delegations from
France, China University of Petroleum
Engineering, Beijing and Rice
University USA. We were also honoured
by the visit of the HE Japanese
Ambassador in June 2009.
Dr Michael Ohadi. Dr. Roodhart also delivered a talk,
entitled “Prepare for the Future” attended by a large
section of faculty, staff, and students from both male
and female campuses and across disciplines.
Dr. Leo Roodhart, SPE President who
visited our department shortly after
MEOS in Bahrain, met with officers of
our SPE Student Chapter, PE faculty,
and Our Acting President and Provost
Dr Leo Roodhart, SPE President at the PI
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
52

Petroleum Engineering Department
New administrative staff and
academic faculty
Professor Hemanta Sarma joined
as Department Chairman in May 2009
from the Australian School of Petroleum
(ASP), University of Adelaide. His
background includes: founding Director
of the Centre for Improved Petroleum Recovery at
the ASP; Research Project Leader for CO2 sequestration;
consultant to a number of Australian petroleum
companies in reservoir engineering and EOR. Previously
he was a Senior Staff Reservoir Engineer with
the Alberta Research Council, Canada, and an Invited
Research Advisor at the Technology Research Center of
the Japan National Oil Corporation. He has published
extensively and offered several specialized courses on
EOR and reservoir engineering.
Dr Sama was honored by the SPE during this year with
the award of Distinguished Member, for his leadership
in chairing or serving on several technical program
committees, including:
the SPE Continuing Education Program; Associate Editor
of SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal;
Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Canadian
Petroleum Technology.
Prof. Sarma is a 2008-recipent of The Australian Learning
and Teaching Council Citation for Outstanding Contribution
to Student Learning and a 2006 faculty award
for “Excellence in Teaching” Prize at the University of
Adelaide.
Dr. Mohammed Haroun joined our
Department as an Assistant Professor
in 2009. His research interests are in
EEOR/EOR/IOR, petroleum economics,
heavy oil recovery, environmental restoration
of coastal marine sediments. He is also active
in electrokinetics (EK) applications in Petroleum Engineering,
electrically enhanced oil recovery (EEOR),
Electrokinetics applications in environmental Engineering
–electroremediation, and in heat management
in heavy oil recovery. Recently he completed two Ph.D
dissertations: in Petroleum Engineering on “EEOR in
Carbonate Rock Formations” and in Environmental
Engineering on “Feasibility of EK In-situ Decontamination
of Abu Dhabi Offshore Sediments from Heavy
Metals”. He is currently a principal Investigator in
the Production Chemistry Research Project responsible
for reducing pipeline scale formation at ADCO
oil fields. He is a member of Production Chemistry
Research Project Committee and a member of the PI
HSE Council.
Shiv Shankar Kundu joined as a Senior
Research Laboratory Engineer in
July 2009. Kundu holds an M.Sc. degree
in Physical Chemistry from University
of Kalyani and has submitted
his Ph.D thesis in Applied Chemistry at the Indian
School of Mines University, India. His research interests
include scale inhibition/dissolution in aqueous
systems, reservoir scale management, produced water
injection studies, brine and chemical compatibility
studies. He has worked in the development of green
inhibitors for flow assurance and interpretation of FT-
IR, XRD, TGA, DSC & SEM results.
Ms. Manissha Rao joined in December
2009 as an administrative assistant.
Manhissa holds a BA degree
from Bombay University and brings
with her more than 10 years of secretarial
& administrative experience with multinational
companies and in multicultural environments.
53
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Engineering Department
Special events organized by the Department
The traditional PED Sports Day was organized by our SPE Student Chapter in December 2009 Another highlight
for the Chapter was the campus visit in March 2009, by SPE President Dr. Roodhart. He met informally with
students and fielded questions on various topics related to the petroleum industry and education.
The Dept also had a casual dinner to congratulate our 2009 petroleum engineering graduates in May 2009.
Research Activities
Dr Nawrocki continued his research interests related to borehole stability analysis.
Dr Lu conducted research in two areas: pressure transient analysis for low permeability reservoirs with threshold
pressure gradient as well as pressure transient analysis for dual-porosity, dual-permeability naturally fractured
reservoirs.
Project Title Sponsor Team Members PI Involvement Duration
Amount
Awarded
Production Chemistry
Project. (Inorganic Scale
and Asphaltene Deposition
and Mitigation
Strategies)
ADNOC
Dr. Ghosh, Dr. Belhaj,
Dr. Balasubramaniam,
Mr. Kundu and
Dr. Williams
100%
Jan 2008
ongoing
$ 1.9 million
Wettability by Rise In
Core Method
ADMA,
ADCO,
ZADCO
Dr. Ghedan and
Celal Canbaz
100%
9 mths $ 15.000,-
Optimum Placement of
Horizontal Wells
ADMA,
ADCO,
ZADCO
Dr. Ghedan, Younes
Boloushi and
Moutaz Saleh
100%
9 mths $ 15.000,-
Borehole Collapse and
Hollow Cylinder Tests on
Rock Samples
PI
Dr. Nawrocki, Dong
Wong and Zili Qi
100%
2009 - current
Dhs.
250.600,-
Participation at conferences
Faculty continue to publish in international journals and present at international conferences (25 in total). Several
members of our faculty were invited as special guest speakers at important international events.
Dr. Takacs chaired the session “Description and Optimization of Well Performance” in SYMP-13 “Petroleum
Technology” of OMAE 2009, the 28th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering of
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
54

Petroleum Engineering Department
ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
held in Honolulu, USA in May 2009. He also chaired
the session “Alternative Energy and Sustainability” at
the SAOGE 2009 Saudi Arabia International Oil & Gas
Exhibition and Conference in Dammam, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia in November 2009.
Dr. Nawrocki was a keynote speaker at the 3rd International
Conference on New Developments in Rock Mechanics
and Engineering in Sanya, China in May 2009
where he discussed wellbore stability issues and use
of elastic properties of rocks in petroleum engineering
studies. He also chaired the technical session on “General
Problems and Fundamental Research” in Sanya.
Dr. Ghedan was an invited speaker at the SPE CO2-
EOR Abu Dhabi Workshop in April 2009 and delivered
two presentations: “Challenges of CO2-EOR Compositional
Modeling” and “Optimization for Full Field Development
with CO2-EOR”.
Dr Sarma delivered a keynote technical talk at the
SPE Advanced Technology Workshop on EOR in Bali
in August 2009.
Dr. Williams made two conference presentations in
2009: one in EAGE/SPE Joint Workshop - Well Testing
and Seismics Proceedings in Germany and at the
2009 SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition,
in New Orleans, USA.
Dr. Lu gave two presentations at the SPE Middle East
Oil & Gas Show and Conference, Bahrain, in March
2009: “Steady-state productivity equations for a multiple-wells
system in sector fault reservoirs and channel
reservoirs” as well as “pressure behavior of horizontal
wells in dual-porosity, dual-permeability naturally
fractured reservoirs”.
Students’ activities and
achievements
Petroleum engineering graduate seminars were initiated
in 2009 and our students were exposed to several
professional and networking opportunities through
the Society of Professional Engineers (SPE) and other
organizations. Our SPE Student Chapter, with Dr.
Nawrocki, remained active. The Student Chapter organized
a charity campaign in the last year and hosted
three technical presentations by industry professionals
and our faculty as well as a meeting with SPE President,
Dr. Leo Roodhart. Our students also regularly attended
technical meetings organized by the Abu Dhabi Section
of SPE. Four of our PED female students attended
the SPE Abu Dhabi Section Annual General Meeting
on 16th June 2009. In 2009 Dr Nawrocki completed a
three year term as the PI SPE Student Chapter Faculty
Sponsor and Dr. Ghedan became the next sponsor.
Our students at the SPE Abu Dhabi Section Annual General Meeting, June 2009
55
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Geosciences Department
Petroleum Geosciences Department
Dr. Thomas Steuber, Department Chair
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
56

Petroleum Geosciences Department
Department Chair’s
Summary
The Petroleum Geosciences Department is pleased to
report its achievements in 2009. Ten students graduated
at the end of the academic year, representing so far
the largest group of graduates. Two new faculty members
joined the department: Dr. Ihsan Al-Aasm, a sedimentologist
specialized in diagenesis and isotope geochemistry,
and Dr. Youcef Bouzidi, a geophysicist with
expertise in seismic processing.
A large number of external grants and an increasing
number of publications attest to the research activities
of faculty. The faculty hopes to foster a more productive
research environment with the support of Dr. Sumana
Basu, Research Associate, and El Amin Mokhtar, Research
Lab Engineer. Accreditation of the MSc program
in Petroleum Geosciences has been obtained and the
graduate program will start in Spring 2010. Two faculty
members have been selected as Distinguished Lecturers
by their professional society and will lecture in this role
during the next academic year.
Petroleum Geosciences students have again been successful
in the regional challenge bowl of the Society of
Exploration Geophysicists, winning the first price. This
qualified them to participate in the global competition
held in Houston, where they achieved the 11th place.
While being a good indicator of the quality of education
of the undergraduate program, these achievements also
demonstrate the activities and ambitions of our students.
They are engaged in student chapters of several
professional societies. In addition, most seniors along
with many juniors are actively involved in faculty research,
and several have received professional recognitions
for their presentations at regional conferences.
The academic environment has been further enriched
by presentations by a number of distinguished guest lecturers,
among them the president of the American Association
of Petroleum Geologists. Likewise, Petroleum
Geosciences faculty have contributed to the local and international
academic and professional community with
lectures and presentations as well as the organization of
field trips and sessions at conferences.
New Staff and Faculty
El Amin Mokhtar, Research Lab Engineer
El Amin Mokhtar joined the PI
in April 2009 from Core Laboratories
International, Abu Dhabi.
He earned a B.Sc. degree in Geology
from UAE University in 2000
and has seven years of experience
in exploration and development
in petroleum geology and engineering, with special emphasis
on carbonate and clastic rock properties. At the
PI, he works on an ADNOC funded research project on
petrophysics. El Amin Mokhtar is a member of SPWLA,
SCA, and SPE.
Ihsan Shakir Al Aasm, Professor
Dr. Al Aasm joined the PI as Professor
in the Petroleum Geosciences
Department from the University
of Windsor, Canada, where
he has been Head of the Earth
and Environmental Sciences Department
since 2003. He earned
a MSc at the University of Baghdad and PhD in 1985
at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is an expert
in chemical, mineralogical and isotopic studies of carbonate
and clastic sediments, reservoir characterization
and porosity evolution and environmental isotope studies
of lake systems. Dr. Al Aasm has completed a large
number of consulting projects with oil companies. His
exceptional publication record comprises more than 70
peer-reviewed journal papers and more than 90 conference
presentations.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Geosciences Department
Dr. Youcef Boucidi, Assistant Professor
Dr. Boucidi earned his MSc from Columbia University, New York, USA and his PhD from the
University of Alberta, Canada in 2003. He is a geophysicist specializing in seismic data processing.
Before joining the PI, he was a Research Geophysicist with GeoX Systems, Calgary,
Canada. Dr. Boucidi has extensive experience with industry-related seismic processing and is
an expert in acoustics, rock physics and AVO analysis. He has twelve years of teaching experience
and published seven papers in highly-ranked journals. In 2001 he won the best paper
award of the American Geophysical Union with a contribution on porous material characterization
using large ultrasonic beams.
Dr. Sumana Basu, Research Associate
Before joining PI, Dr. Basu was a project trainee in seismic processing at the Centre for Development
of Advanced Computing, Govt. of India. She was involved in the development of a
3D migration module for a new seismic processing software built inhouse by CDAC. Her Ph.D.
thesis was on “Seismic Response of a Viscoelastic Layer”, which dealt with the generation of
synthetic seismograms simulating AVO situation in a viscoelastic porous layer, including the
characterization of different fluids. Her current research project is focused on passive microseismic
monitoring of reservoirs for enhanced hydrocarbon production.
Changes, Accomplishments, New Activities, Development
Awards or recognition received by faculty
Dr. Berteussen has been nominated Distinguished Lecturer for the European Association of Geoscientists and
Engineers (EAGE). The same society later in the year invited Dr. Berteussen and Dr. Ali to become Distinguished
Lecturers based on their work on passive seismic. Dr. Steuber was invited to lecture on “From eons to hours - Potential
and limits of palaeo-environmental reconstruction on various time scales” at the Department of Biogeosciences
at the Université de Bourgogne, Dijon , France, in January 2009. Dr. Lokier was invited to deliver a lecture
on “New sedimentological research activity along the Abu Dhabi coastline” to the Emirates Society of Geosciences
in March 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
58

Petroleum Geosciences Department
Awards or recognition received by
students
The Petroleum Geosciences students Mohamed Eid Al
Suwaidi and Ammar El Husseiny won the regional Society
of Exploration Geophysicist (SEG) international
challenge bowl competition held at the PI and represented
the PI and the Middle East at the SEG Annual
Meeting in Houston, Texas, where they achieved the
11th place.
Undergraduate students are actively involved in research
projects of faculty and their work has received
the following recognitions. “A Study of Permeability
and Velocity Anisotropy in Carbonates” by Moutaz
Saleh (PI-student), Manika Prasad (Colorado School of
Mines), Sandra Vega (PI-Faculty), and Ravi Sharma
(CSM) was selected for the ADCO Paper/Poster Evaluation
Committee (APEC) award in May 2009.Two students’
poster presentations were selected by the Society
of Exploration Geosphysicists (SEG) for presentation at
the SEG Special session “The Best of the D and P forum:
Reservoir Characterization and Monitoring in Carbonates”
in Bahrain: “A Study of Permeability and Velocity
Anisotropy in Carbonates” by Moutaz Saleh (PI-student),
and “Study of Seismic Velocities and Differential
Pressure Dependence in a Middle East Carbonate” by
Ahmed Hasan (PI-student).
Publications/presentations
with student participation
The following posters have been presented with the
participation of students. “A Study of Seismic Velocities
and Differential Pressure Dependence in a Middle
East Carbonate Reservoir” by Ahmed Abed Hasan (PIstudent)
and Sandra Vega (PI-Faculty), EAGE 2009
was presented in Amsterdam, June 2009. Three posters
were presented at the SEG D&P Forum in Bahrain,
April 2009; “A Study of Permeability and Velocity
Anisotropy in Carbonates” Moutaz Saleh (PI-students),
Sandra Vega (PI-Faculty), Manika Prasad (CSM), and
Ravi Sharma (CSM); “Study of Seismic Velocities and
Differential Pressure Dependence in a Middle East Carbonate”
Ahmed Hasan (PI-student) and Sandra Vega
(PI-Faculty); and “Physical and Chemical Diagenesis
on Acoustic Properties of Forming Carbonate Minerals:
Calcite and Dolomite” Abdul Aziz Al Mazrooei (PI-student)
and Sandra Vega (PI-Faculty).
59
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Geosciences Department
Research achievements
Sponsored projects
The sponsored projects summarized below reflect the ever increasing Petroleum Geosciences Faculty involvement
in research activities:
Project Title: Advanced Geophysical Technologies in Carbonates:
Rock Physics Model for Fluid Substitution in Carbonates - project
Name of sponsor:
Team members:
ADNOC
Project manager – Dr. Karl Berteussen
Principal Investigator – Dr. Sandra Vega
Research Lab Engineer – El Amin Moktar
Research Collaborator – Dr. Jyotshana Prajapat
PI involvement: 100%
Duration:
3 years
Amount awarded: $170,000 (for 2009)
Summary of the project: The primary objective of this project is to develop an improved quantitative model
that relates seismic response to changes in fluids and pressure in carbonate reservoirs. The principal outcome of
this project will be a quantitative rock physics model that better predicts 4D seismic response of carbonate reservoirs
with production. Rock physics modeling is a key component in 4D seismic, which has been identified by the
Upstream (Oil) subcommittee as a major research concern for the ADNOC E&P Group. 4D has the potential to
greatly increase recovery in all of Abu Dhabi’s fields.
Project Title: Passive Microseismic and Advanced Gravimetric Monitoring of Reservoirs
for Enhanced Hydrocarbon production
Name of sponsor:
Team members:
Upstream Research Oil Subcommittee
Dr. Mohammed Ali (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Karl Berteussen
James Small
Dr. Braham Barkat
Duration:
3 years
Amount awarded: $335,000 (for 2009)
Summary of the project: We propose to conduct and pilot passive microseismic and microgravity monitoring
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
60

Petroleum Geosciences Department
investigations of a number of oilfields in Abu Dhabi, in order to test the applicability of microseismic and microgravity
methods to carbonate reservoirs in Abu Dhabi and to estimate fracture-induced seismic anisotropy using
observations of shear-wave splitting. The results will help us understand the stress distribution of the field, which
is important in the development of fluid-flow and geomechanical reservoir models. In addition it will help:
1. Locate seismic events using accurate anisotropic velocity models derived from seismic reflection data and observations
of shear-wave splitting. The outcome will better delineate small sub-seismic active faults and fracture
networks.
2. Compare and correlate microseismic data to estimated displacements of propagating fluid density interfaces, as
determined from state-of-the-art time-lapsed gravitational field measurements and reservoir models. The results
have the potential to identify bypassed oil and hydraulic barriers as well as reservoir fluid fronts and saturation
conditions of the reservoir.
3. Investigate the suitability and future potential of absolute interferometric gravimetry, cryogenic gravity gradiometers,
ultra-sensitive differential spectroscopic passive acoustic techniques, and other emerging techniques for
reservoir monitoring.
Sponsored projects with international
research collaboration
Dr. Ali
Project Title: Seismic Modeling of Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs
Name of sponsor:
Team members:
Upstream Research Oil Subcommittee
Dr. Mohammed Ali (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Michael Worthington (Oxford University)
Duration:
2 years
Amount awarded: $97,000 (2007-2009)
Summary of the project: The main objective of the project is to establish whether seismic anisotropy within the
vicinity of a well (or wells) determined from surface reflection seismic or passive seismic data is consistent with
data obtained from core and/or well logs. Anticipated direct cost benefits of the work to the OpCos include obtaining
improved understanding of both the limits and potential of deducing dynamic fluid-flow properties of carbonate
reservoirs from seismic data.
Project Title: Tectonic Evolution of Oman/UAE Mountains and Foreland Basins
of the UAE
Name of sponsor:
Team members:
Partly funded by the PI
Dr. Mohammed Ali (Principal Investigator)
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Petroleum Geosciences Department
Dr. Tony Watts (Oxford University)
Dr. Mike Seale (Oxford University)
Duration:
ongoing
Amount awarded: -
Summary of the project: The aim of the project is to understand the complete geological history of the UAE/Oman
mountains and foreland basins of the UAE from ophiolite obduction stage through early continent - continent collision
stage to more complete continent – continent collision in the Zagros Mountains of SW Iran.
Dr. Morad
Project Title: The Impact of Diagenesis on the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Reservoir
Quality in Arab C and D Formation (Jurassic), the Umm Shaif Field, UAE
Name of sponsor:
Team members:
ADMA
Dr. Sadoon Morad (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Fadi Nader, (IFP, French Petroleum Institute, Paris)
Dr. Andrea Cerriani, University of Pavia, Italy
Simone Fontana, University of Pavia, Italy
Duration: May 2009 to June 2010
Amount awarded: $408,000
Summary of the project: The objective of this proposal is to elucidate and predict the impact of diagenetic alterations
on the spatial and temporal distribution of reservoir quality and heterogeneity in the Arab C and D Formation
in the Umm Shaif Field, the UAE. This goal can be better achieved and the predictive conceptual models can be
developed when the impact of these diagenetic alterations on porosity-permeability is linked to: (i) structural setting,
e.g. in the crest versus flanks of the anticline and role of fractures as conduits for fluid flow, (ii) depositional
facies, and (iii) sequence stratigraphic framework (systems tracts and key sequence stratigraphic surfaces) of the
carbonate successions. The study will be conducted employing an integrated analytical approach, which involves
micro- and macro-structural analysis of deformed carbonate rocks, petrophysical data, as well as petrographic,
micro-thermometric (fluid inclusions) and geochemical (major, trace, REE as well as stable and radiogenic isotopes)
analyses of the diagenetic minerals and of host carbonate rocks.
The findings of this research work can have important and critical implications for:
(1) Understanding the scales, extent, and parameters controlling reservoir quality and heterogeneity in the formation,
which would, in turn, help improve hydrocarbon production and the design of suitable recovery processes.
(2) Elucidation of the timing and conditions of diagenetic events that have had important impact on reservoir porosity
and permeability. This will provide important insight into the local and field-wide distribution of reservoir
quality.
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Petroleum Geosciences Department
(3) A better understanding of the distribution of diagenetic alterations as an important aid to the interpretation of
petrophysical and geophysical properties of the carbonate rocks.
Project Title: Diagenesis of Permian-Triassic Carbonate Successions from Ras Al
Khaima, UAE: Evidence from Field Studies, Petrography and Geochemistry
Name of sponsor:
Team members:
PI
Dr. Sadoon Morad (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Fadi Nader, (IFP, French Petroleum Institute, Paris)
Dr. Andrea Cerriani, University of Pavia, Italy
Simone Fontana, University of Pavia, Italy
Duration: May 2009 to June 2010
Amount awarded: $27,100
Summary of the project: Reservoir rocks in the UAE are nearly exclusively carbonates that display various
extents of dolomitization. The objective of this proposal is to elucidate the conditions, controlling parameters, and
spatial and temporal distribution of diagenetic alterations in Permian-Triassic carbonate successions that crop
out in Ras Al Khaima. These outcropped carbonate rocks can serve as analogs for the reservoir rocks in the subsurface.
The goals of the study can be better achieved and predictive conceptual models can be developed when
the diagenetic alterations are linked to depositional facies and to the sequential stratigraphic framework (systems
tracts and key sequence stratigraphic surfaces) of the carbonate successions. Special emphasis will be put on the
dolomitization of limestone and its role in fracturing (i.e. increase in secondary porosity). The study will, thus, be
conducted employing an integrated approach, which involves the study of field geometries, fracture system characterization,
petrography, micro-thermometry (fluid inclusions), and geochemical (major and minor elements as well
as stable and radiogenic isotopes) analyses of the diagenetic minerals and of host carbonate rocks.
Drs. Steuber and Lokier
Project Title: Integrated Carbonate Reservoir Characterization
Name of sponsor:
Collaborator:
Duration:
PI
Dr. Frederick Sarg (CSM)
3 years
Amount awarded: $54,000 (for 2009)
Summary of the project: The remaining hydrocarbons in mature hydrocarbon fields are generally contained
within low porosity and low permeability reservoirs. To maximize recovery requires new knowledge of carbonate
pore systems, including fracture systems, and high-resolution predictive models of reservoir architecture. The
project addresses the development of an integrated geoscience and engineering work flow that will utilize a new
generation of numerical simulation tools, and an array of geoscience, engineering and completion technologies.
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Petroleum Geosciences Department
Dr. Steuber
Project Title: Outcrop Analogue Study and Chronostratigraphy of the
Mishrif Formation
Name of sponsor:
Collaborators:
PI
Dr. Mariano Parente, University of Naples
Dr. Tvrtko Korbar, Croatian Geological Survey
Duration: May 2008 – May 2010
Amount awarded: $29,600 (for 2009)
Summary of the project: Carbon isotope chemostratigraphy was applied to outcrop analogues of the Mishrif Formation
(Cretaceous, Cenomanian-Turonian) in Greece and Croatia during phase I of this project. These results will
enable the tying of characteristic changes in depositional environments and dominating communities of carbonate
producers to Cretaceous chronostratigraphy. In a second phase, core material of the Mishrif Formation will be studied
with the same methods to improve stratigraphical correlation and sequential stratigraphic models. Correlation
with other carbonate platforms that were studied during phase I will allow identifying global versus regional controls
on carbonate platform and reservoir facies evolution.
Dr. Vega:
Project Title: Fluid Sensitivity of Seismic Properties in Carbonate Reservoirs
Name of sponsor:
Collaborators:
PI
Michael Batzle (Professor - CSM)
Manika Prasad (Associate Professor - CSM)
Ravi Sharma (student - CSM)
Duration:
Amount awarded:
3 years
$184,494 (for 2009, CSM expenses only)
Summary of the project: Characterize seismic velocities, impedances, and attenuations to predict porosity, permeability,
and saturation at in situ conditions in two carbonate formations from Abu Dhabi oil fields; evaluate and
model fluid substitution in carbonate formations.
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Petroleum Geosciences Department
Dr. Berteussen:
Project Title: Multimode Seismic Data for Reservoir Description
Name of sponsor:
Collaborator:
Duration:
Upstream Research Oil-Subcommittee
Dr. Yufeng Sun, Texas A&M University
3 years
Amount awarded: $ 139,000 (for 2009)
Summary of the project: This research project will assist the ongoing 4D Seismic Project of the Petroleum Institute
to evaluate the scientific basis and technological merits of using 4-component (4C) seabottom seismic data for
time-lapse reservoir monitoring of the offshore UAE carbonate reservoirs. The major objectives of this study are:
1. To evaluate the quality of the 4C seabottom seismic data acquired by ADNOC and provided for this study, including
the quality of particle motion, signal to noise ratio on the different components, other coupling issues, spectral
content and others.
2. To simulate the elastic response of the 4C systems (hydrophones and geophones) in the shallow water environments
that are unique to the Arabian Gulf.
3. To simulate the 4C energy partition at the water/sediment/rock interface to study the penetration and conversion
efficiency of shear wave energy from the P-wave source.
4. To evaluate the imaging quality of converted waves compared to pressure waves; signal to noise ratio, multiple
effects, etc.
A continuation of this study will facilitate the achievements of the following objectives:
5. To estimate 4C converted waves from the data acquired by ADNOC and provided for this study.
6. To model the 4C converted waves estimated from the data acquired by ADNOC and provided for this study.
7. To estimate shear velocity-depth profile from the converted waves.
8. To compare the shear wave velocity derived from converted waves with shear wave log data.
9. To assess the feasibility of obtaining shear wave velocities of the reservoir units from the 4C seismic data.
10. To model the time-lapse effects of reservoir production on 4C seabottom seismic data.
11. To make recommendations on the feasibility of 4C-4D seismic technology for reservoir monitoring of offshore
carbonate fields of the UAE.
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Petroleum Geosciences Department
Other important individual research projects
Dr. Lokier:
•
“Assessment of the Abu Dhabi sabkha and shallow marine environment as a modern analogue to the petro-
leum systems of the Middle East.”
• “A quantitative study of the reaction of Cenozoic biota to siliciclastic influx to marine carbonate depositional
systems.”
Publications
In 2009, Petroleum Geosciences faculty published 24 journal papers and 19 conference abstracts
and/or proceedings. This is an average of 2.7 journal articles per faculty. Twenty journal publications
appeared in periodicals covered by the ISI Web of Science.
Degrees Awarded
In summer 2009, ten students were awarded the Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Geosciences:
• Abdul Aziz Saeed Saif Al Mazrooei
• Saif Muaaded Saif Al Mashghouni
• Ahmed Mubarak Ahmed Mubarak Hussain Al Khamiri
• Ahmed Mohamed Abdulla Bin Salem Al Tinaji
• Waleed Hassan Rashid Mohamed Al Zaabi
• Mohamed Ahmed Mahmood Ahmed Al Hosani
• Ahmed Waheeb Maez Ahmed Al Attar
• Ali Mohamed Rashed Mahanna Ekaabi
• Mohammed Ali Abdul Razaq Al Tameemi
• Mohamed Eid Khalfan Eid Al Suwaidi
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Petroleum Geosciences Department
Photo Gallery
PGS Figure 1: Petroleum Geosciences students during field
work (PGEG391 Field Petroleum Geology) in Italy, Maiella Mts.,
June 2009.
PGS Fig. 5: PI students during field work in Ras Al Khaimah
(PGEG311 Sedimentary Petrology), November 2008.
PGS Fig. 4: PI students during field work in Ras Al Khaimah
(PGEG311 Sedimentary Petrology), November 2008.
PGS Fig 9: Petroleum Geosciences students working in a lab session
of PGEG341 Paleontology
PGS Fig. 6: Petroleum Geosciences faculty and students with
Dr. Scott Tinker, president of the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists (AAPG), April 2009.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Women in Science and Engineering Program
Women in Science and
Engineering Program (WISE)
Dr. Nadia M. Alhasani, Director
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Women in Science and Engineering Program
Program Director’s Summary
The Petroleum Institute’s Women in Science and Engineering
(WISE) Program seeks to promote women’s education
attainment, professional aspirations, social responsibility
and personal growth. The Program aspires
to develop successful female engineers and scientists
who make meaningful contributions to the profession
and society at large.
Arzanah, a dedicated state-of-the-art facility, is home
to the WISE Program and offers degrees in Chemical
Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Petroleum Engineering and Petroleum Geosciences.
The WISE Program, currently in its fourth year, is progressing
towards a steady state and anticipates the
graduation of its first cohort of female engineers and
scientists in Spring 2011.
The Program’s goals are to:
• Inspire lifelong learning,
• Foster leadership skills,
• Encourage civic involvement, and
• Promote engagement in applied sciences and engi-
neering.
To meet these goals, a correlated set of objectives has
been put in place to ensure proper planning and effective
implementation. These include:
• Providing opportunities that aim at academic involvement,
research activities and continuous
learning.
• Encouraging participation in extra-curricular activities
that emphasize a balanced learning experience,
leadership and collaborative work.
• Exposing students to role models and inspiring individuals
who promote women’s active involvement
in the workforce and society at large.
• Advocating involvement in community-related activities
and outreach programs.
• Promoting sustainable practices and ethical con-
duct in all actions.
• Engaging in professional activities that highlight
women’s contributions in the fields of applied sciences
and engineering.
With the support of the Institution, and as part of its
5-year strategic plan, multi-level initiatives were implemented
to meet the Program objectives:
• Curricula Level
o Leadership: Teamwork and Collaborative Proj-
ects, ‘Arzanah Ambassador’ Program, ‘Being an
Emirati’ Program, and multitasking opportunitieso
Mentoring: Tutoring, Student Clubs, Communi-
ty-Related Activities, High School-Related Activities
and Internships and field experience.
o Communication: Public Debate and Discussions,
Technical Report Writing, and Public Presentations.
• Professional Level
o Professional Student Organizations.
o Professional Events: Professional Conferences,
Technical Workshops, and Academic Competitions.
• Industry Level
o ADNOC and Operating Companies: Visits, Lec-
tures and Luncheons.
o Service Companies: Site Visits.
This concentrated effort has resulted in a 25% increase
in the number of activities targeting WISE Program
students as well as a 50% increase in student engagement
in extra-curricular activities (i.e. voluntary participation
and paid positions) compared to 2008. Moreover,
the Program’s Strategic Plan calls for increasing
and diversifying the activities available to the students.
Since its inception, the WISE Program has developed
student-centered annual events with the aim of recognizing
excellence in academic performance (Honor Day
was established in 2008-2009) and engagement in Ar-
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Women in Science and Engineering Program
zanah’s community (Arzanah Day was established in
2007-2008). As students progress through the curriculum,
additional annual events will be considered that
meet their academic needs and foster their personal
growth.
The WISE Program has achieved new milestones for
the calendar year 2009 which included:
• Surpassing the 300-student mark in enrollment
numbers (Fall 2009).
• Implementing the first on-campus pilot project for
simultaneous instruction between two course sections
across campus (Thermodynamics/Mechanical
Engineering, Spring 2009).
• Sponsoring the first female student group to attend
a regional conference (IEEE-Women Affinity
Group/Kuwait, Spring 2009).
• Establishing AAPG and AICHE professional stu-
dent chapters (Spring 2009).
• Recognizing the first cohort of Honor Students
(Spring 2009).
• Conducting the first course-related field work requiring
overnight stay (PGEG391/Petroleum Geosciences/Ras
Al Khaimah, Fall 2009).
• Conducing the first site visit to an operational oil
rig (Petroleum Engineering) and refinery (Chemical
Engineering), (Fall 2009).
In spite of its short history, the WISE Program has
made strides towards recruiting and retaining female
students for technical careers in the petroleum and energy
industries. The Program has successfully engaged
its students in activities that promote leadership and
team work, connect with the local and professional community,
and instill in students a passion for the sciences
and commitment to their chosen profession.
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Women in Science and Engineering Program
Changes, Accomplishments,
New Activities, Development of
On-Going Activities
The WISE Program strives towards development and
change in line with its established goals. The Program
is currently:
• Initiating tutoring programs, research assistantships
and part-time work opportunities.
• Encouraging the establishment of new professional
student chapters and clubs.
• Establishing student-centered programs such as
‘Arzanah Ambassadors’ and ‘Being an Emirati.’
• Supporting workshops, lectures and luncheon opportunities
with professional female engineers and
international guest speakers.
• Funding and co-sponsoring participation in professional
conferences, technical workshops, meetings
and events.
• Planning workshops in Health, Safety and Environment
(HSE) related issues.
• Launching the first ‘Earth Day’ Celebration and
‘HSE Week’ activities, co-sponsored by the Petroleum
Institute’s HSE Department.
To facilitate achieving its objectives, the WISE Program
has continued to support a number of work-study programs
for 2009 including the following on-campus work
experience opportunities:
• Tutoring Programs – TOEFL Preparation, Mathematics
Learning Center and various science courses.
• Research Assistantships – Chemical Engineering,
Communication, Electrical Engineering, History
and Islamic Studies.
• Teaching Assistantships – Chemistry, Mathematics
and Engineering Success Seminar.
• Part Time Work – Events Reporters, Photographers,
Library and Administrative Assistants.
The Program also conducted the following on-campus
curriculum-related activities:
• Workshops – SPE, Earth Words, Instructional Technology.
• Lectures – various academic, professional and environmental
agencies (including presentations by the
SPE and SPE-Abu Dhabi Presidents, ASHRAE and
On-Campus Activities
Off-Campus Activities
Type of Activity
Curriculum-
Related
Extra-Curricula
Curriculum-
Related
Extra-Curricula
Total
Lectures and Seminars 8 12 - 2 22
Workshops and Meetings 1 11 - 1 13
Exhibitions 3 5 - 2 10
Field Trips and Visits - - 12 13 25
Competitions 3 7 1 - 11
Events 1 17 - - 18
Hosted Visits 1 3 - - 4
Special Camps - 2 - - 2
Total Activities 17 57 13 18 105
Table I: Type and Number of Arzanah-Related Activities in 2009.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Women in Science and Engineering Program
ASME members).
• Exhibitions – AUP Department.
• Events – Academic Departments Awards Luncheons,
AAPG President Luncheon, Math and Science
League Tournaments and Arzanah’s Honor
Day.
Furthermore, the WISE Program planned a number of
off-campus curriculum-related activities in support of
the academic departments’ missions. These include:
• Professional Conferences – SPE, IEEE (at national,
regional and international levels), GASTECH,
GPA-GCC.
• Exhibitions – Power Generation and Water Middle
East and GASTECH
• Events – Najah and Abu Dhabi International Book
Fair.
• Professional Field Trips – ADMA, ADCO-NEB
Field, Umm Al Nar Refinery, Schlumberger Training
Center, PVT Facility, Jabal Hafeet, Jabal Faiyah
and Hatta.
Table I summarizes the 2009 numbers of on-campus
and off-campus activities, both curriculum-related and
extra-curricular, which include lectures and seminars,
exhibitions and conferences, field trips and visits, competitions
and events as well as hosted visits and summer
camps in Arzanah. It is of interest to note that the
total number of activities has risen by 25% with a significant
rise in off-campus curriculum-related activities.
The main reason for this increase is due to the introduction
of major-specific courses at the junior level in
which field work and site visits are an integral part of
course work. Special credit is due to the dedicated faculty,
academic and administrative staff who have organized
activities or participated in them. Their commitment
to and support of the WISE Program has been
instrumental in attaining a high level of engagement
and variety of offerings. These numbers clearly reflect
the importance of students’ involvement and participation
in activities outside the traditional classroom
environment. They further highlight the Petroleum Institute’s
efforts to ensure a balanced and stimulating
on-campus environment.
Of particular significance is the increasing prominence
of the WISE Program in terms of both enrollment
and retention numbers. This is especially significant
when compared to local, regional and North American
programs in engineering. There are currently 5
institutions of higher learning in Abu Dhabi admitting
women to their engineering programs. However,
the Petroleum Institute is the only institution among
these that admits women to degree courses in mechanical
engineering and petroleum engineering. It is also
one of only two institutes in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
to offer single-gender engineering degrees.
It is also highly significant that, with the admission
of its first cohort of female students in 2006, women
constituted 10.8% of the Petroleum Institute’s total undergraduate
student population. This compared very
favorably with the US, where 17.1% of all those in undergraduate
engineering education in the same period
were female. It is important to note that the proportion
of female Petroleum Institute students is steadily increasing.
It currently stands at 28% of the Institute’s
total student population (as of Spring 2009) compared
to 20% of all those in undergraduate engineering education
across the US in the same period. The Petroleum
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Women in Science and Engineering Program
Academic Level Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009
Foundation 104 169 153 108
Freshman - 37 67 110
Sophomore - 4 62 77
Junior - - 1 42
Total Students Enrolled 104 210 283 337
Table II: Student Enrollment Numbers by Academic Level
Academic Program Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009
Chemical Engineering 33 76 125 140
Electrical Engineering 28 37 46 63
Mechanical Engineering 9 21 23 29
Petroleum Engineering 25 49 58 72
Petroleum Geosciences 9 27 31 32
the petroleum and energy industries. Table III
shows enrollment figures by major since the Program’s
inception in Fall 2006. Of particular interest
is the notable increase in students electing
to major in Petroleum Engineering in Fall 2009.
More importantly, the WISE Program has been
successful in improving its retention rate as it
strives to maintain it at the 85% mark (well
above the Institute’s average). Early intervention
and follow-up have been essential in identifying
problem and weak areas. Rapid and personalized
solutions have been put in place to
assist students to adapt to the reality of their
workload and the specific nature of their study.
Some effective strategies have included one-toone
tutoring, working with instructors, and in
some cases, involving guardians.
Undeclared - - - 1
Total Students Enrolled 104 210 283 337
Table III: Student Enrollment Numbers by Major
Institute’s WISE Program is clearly on target to becoming
one of the largest programs of its kind.
Over the last four years, the Program has witnessed
increased interest in its majors as evident from its student
enrollment numbers. Table II shows enrollment
figures since the Program’s inception in Fall 2006.
The steady increase in enrollment figures clearly reflects
a general change of attitude in the local community
towards specializing in technical careers related to
New Administrative and
Academic Staff and Faculty
All Faculty and Academic Staff assigned to teaching
responsibilities in Arzanah are affiliated to one of the
Petroleum Institute’s academic departments. Similarly,
all administrative staff assigned responsibilities in
Arzanah are affiliated to centralized departments and
units. Faculty and staff are listed under their specific
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Women in Science and Engineering Program
academic or administrative department in other sections
of this report.
Special Events Organized by
the Program
The WISE Program is keen to support, promote and reward
students who excel academically or who contribute
to promoting the Petroleum Institute in general and the
Program in particular. To this end, the WISE Program
has established a number of annual events that are particular
to Arzanah, namely, Honor Day, Arzanah Day
and Club Fair. The program has also collaborated with
departments across campus to conduct such events as
Sports Day (with the Student Affairs Recreation Unit)
and High School Day (with the Admissions Office)
• The student has a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher;
and
• The student has no grades of incomplete for that
semester.
Arzanah’s 2nd Honor Day further provided an opportunity
to honor individuals for their commitment to
promoting female professionals and supporting a productive
environment. Mr. Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy,
General Manager of Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore
Oil Operations (ADCO) was honored in Fall 2009 for his
support of the WISE Program.
Table IV shows the number of Honor students by major
over the past two years (students first qualified in academic
year 2007-2008).
The WISE Program also encourages students to commit
One of the major academic accomplishments,
in addition to graduating with honors, is
qualifying for the Provost’s List. Arzanah’s
Honor Day (first held in March 2009 for the
academic year 2007-2008) is a celebration of
students’ academic excellence.
A student is placed on the semester Honor
List if she satisfies the following requirements
in a semester:
Academic Program
Chemical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Petroleum Engineering
Total Students Honored
2007-2008
9
3
6
18
2008-2009
25
6
6
37
Table IV: Students Honored for Academic Achievements
• The student has entered a degree pro-
•
gram;
The student has earned at least 15 credit hours in
their time and energy to activities outside the classroom.
This is an important aspect of the learning process as
that semester;
it supports the development of time management, team
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Women in Science and Engineering Program
Category of Activity 2007-2008 2008-2009
Service 24 46
Sports 16 17
Volunteering 22 31
Total Students Recognized 62 94
Table V: Students Recognized for Extra-Curricular Activities
the profession in Arzanah and the wider
community.
Furthermore, a concentrated effort has been
made by the Petroleum Engineering Department
to ensure that the majority of students,
regardless of their discipline, are student
members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
(SPE). Faculty have been active in accompanying
student members to various local
SPE lectures, workshops and meetings.
work and multitasking skills. Categories of recognition
include service, sports and volunteering. Table V shows
by category of activity the number of students recognized.
Many of the students recognized received more than one
certificate.
As students enroll in courses in their chosen discipline,
it is necessary to foster contact with their future profession
through affiliations with local and international
professional chapters. Accordingly, particular support is
provided for establishing a number of professional student
chapters in Arzanah. To promote students’ membership
and involvement, a one-day Club Fair (first held
in February 2009) is held to encourage the various student
organizations to advertise their particular group
and recruit new members.
As of 2009, the professional student chapters represented
in Arzanah include:
• American Association of Petroleum Geosciences –
AAPG
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers –
AICHE
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers –
IEEE
• Society of Petroleum Engineers - SPE
All student professional chapters have faculty advisors.
Advisors volunteer their time and work closely with
chapter student officers, to plan and organize professional
and social events that are aimed at promoting
Of significance is WISE Program students’ attendance
at the business meeting for the Abu Dhabi SPE Chapter
in May 2009, in which the first female SPE president
was elected to office.
Focus groups have been organized to create specialized
student clubs that promote students’ interests and allow
a venue for expressing their talent and skills as well
as nurturing leadership potential. Active student organizations
include the Arzanah Women’s Association, the
Creativity Club, the Environmental Club and the Social
and Cultural Club.
As part of the WISE Program’s strategy to enhance its
profile, Arzanah hosted the IEEE/Power and Energy
Society and Women in Engineering Seminar sponsored
by the Petroleum Institute’s Electrical Engineering Department
on October 29, 2009. The event, held in Arzanah’s
main auditorium, was hailed as one of the largest
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Women in Science and Engineering Program
gatherings of female engineers and engineering students
by Cheryl A. Warren, IEEE-PES Secretary from 2008-
2009. The seminar featured leading female engineers
including Maryam Ali Al Thani, Ducab; Wanda Reder,
President of IEEE-PES from 2008-2009; Noel Schulz,
IEEE-PES Treasurer from 2008-2009 and PES President
Elect for 2010-2011; Cheri Warren, IEEE-PES Secretary
from 2008-2009 and Meliha Selak, IEEE-PES Vice President
– Chapters.
Finally, and as part of its mission to promote women’s
professional aspirations, social responsibility and personal
growth, the WISE Program has been active in promoting
Emirati women by initiating the program ‘Being
an Emirati’ in Fall 2009. An invitation was accepted by
30 members of the German Ladies of Abu Dhabi (GLA-
Dies) to join our students for a series of presentations
and demonstrations on various aspects of the United
Arab Emirates. Students from each of the five academic
departments focused on one facet of daily life (religion,
traditional dress, daily life, education and women in society).
The event culminated in a home-made luncheon
buffet prepared by the students’ families, followed by an
Abaya fashion show. The program helped to improve understandings
of the culture of the United Arab Emirates
and of Emirati women in particular. Most importantly,
it provided students with an opportunity to express and
reaffirm their identity as Emirati women and as future
professionals.
Research Achievements
All faculty and staff assigned to teaching responsibilities
in Arzanah are affiliated to an academic department.
Their research achievements are listed under
their specific academic departments in other sections of
this report.
Significant Publications
A complete listing of significant faculty and academic
staff publications for 2009 is available under the specific
academic department in other sections of this report.
Participation in Conferences
The WISE Program is a major voice for young female
engineers and scientists who will be working in the
petroleum and energy industries of the future. Academic
and professional conferences provide an excellent
opportunity to enhance the profile of the WISE Program
and of the Petroleum Institute. Conference participation
during 2009 has focused on two major themes:
• Higher education in women’s colleges with an emphasis
on programs in engineering and the sciences.
• Professional women in non-traditional technical positions
with an emphasis on the petroleum and energy
industries.
To this end, Program Director Dr. Nadia M. Alhasani
has been active in accepting invitations to speak and
represent the WISE Program at the following professional
meetings:
• ‘Awareness and Expectations – Gender in the Workplace,’
(in collaboration with Laura Lau and Richard
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76

Women in Science and Engineering Program
Lau), SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference,
Bahrain (March 2009).
• ‘E&P Management: A Certain Business in Uncertain
Times,’ SPE Talent and Retention Workshop
Series, Dubai, UAE (April 2009).
• ‘Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy
and Technology,’ Dubai, UAE (May 2009).
Non-Academic News,
Events/Activities
In addition to the curriculum-related activities mentioned
earlier, the WISE Program is supportive of an
environment that provides a balance in its students’
academic life, endorsing opportunities for health and
safety awareness and committing to serve the community
at large. To this end, several extra-curricular activities
that are non-academic in nature are organized
to encourage students’ participation through a number
of venues (also refer to Table I). These include:
• Hosting Guests – ‘Being an Emirati’ Program, High
School Days
• Club Fair – Arzanah Women’s Association, Book
Club, Creativity Club, Environmental Club, Social
and Cultural Club, Video Club, in addition to the
Petroleum Institute’s Student Council.
• Topic-Specific Projects – Math and Science League,
LEGO Mindstorms Robot Competition
• Volunteering – Arzanah Ambassador Program,
Tam Volunteer Group.
• HSE Activities – Breast Cancer and Diabetes
Awareness Weeks, Lectures on Safe Driving and
Health & Nutrition, No-Smoking Campaign, Vision
and BMI tests, CPR & First Aid Workshop
and fire drills.
Last but not least, Arzanah has been host to a number
of ADNOC-funded summer camps for female
students at the primary and high school levels. While
the immediate rewards of conducting these camps are
academic in nature, the intent is to encourage students
at an early stage of their academic careers to
consider science and engineering as a profession and
to view the Petroleum Institute as the venue of choice
for obtaining their qualifications.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

College of Arts & Sciences
college of arts & sciences
Dr. Dennis Siginer, Chair
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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College of Arts & Sciences
Chair’s Summary
We are delighted to be able to report another very active
and productive year. 2009 got off to a very good start
with the prestigious “4th International Conference on
Thermal Engineering: Theory and Applications.” In
June, 2009, the former ‘Arts and Sciences Program’
acquired full college status as the ‘College of Arts and
Sciences’. The Board of Governors decided that this
transformation not only corresponded to the best current
US and international practice, but was also in the
best interests of the PI, as a rapidly
developing university.
Arts and Sciences also inaugurated its own awards this
year which were presented at the A&S End of Academic
Year gathering. We congratulate the first winners of
these awards, Dr. Roger Nunn (Research Award), Dr.
Caroline Brandt (Teaching Award) and Mr. Amr Elhameed
(the College of Arts & Sciences Staff Service
Award). This award recognizes his contributions to the
A&S Chemistry Laboratory Program.
While we have hosted very distinguished
researchers from outside,
we have also produced internationally
recognized research led by our
own faculty, reflecting the very broad
range of expertise that is available
within our own walls. Our faculty
have continued to publish in international
journals and to present at
international conferences. Several of
our faculty have again been special
guest speakers at important international
events and our own events
committee continues to expand its activity.
The A&S faculty continue to promote excellent teaching
and counseling for students and several faculty, staff
and students have won awards. Dr. Abdullah Al-Shami
received the PI Senior Faculty Teaching Award for
2009. We also congratulate Dr. Paul Rostron who received
the Faculty of the Year Award for 2009 from the
PI Health, Safety & Environment Office in recognition
of his services to the university in the HS&E area. We
also congratulate Dr. Curtis Bradley, who was promoted
to the rank of associate professor, and Dr. Roger
Nunn who became a full professor.
The Events Committee has organized events throughout
the year. Conferences, Mathematics competitions,
Steps Partnership Events, German ‘Literatur Abende’
and a regular flow of distinguished speakers from outside
and inside the PI are evidence of a vibrant and varied
academic community. In 2009, A&S has shown it is
ready to take full advantage of an expanding researchoriented
institution and to take on any other challenges
that may lie ahead.
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The Role of the College of
Arts and Sciences
Students enter the College of A&S after completing
AUP (Advanced University Placement) and before starting
their engineering department courses. A&S courses
that all PI students must take include Chemistry, Communication,
Humanities and Social Sciences, Islamic
Studies, Mathematics, and Physics. Courses in Humanities
and Social Sciences include required courses in
Economics as well as elective courses that students may
take to broaden their studies beyond science and technology.
Such courses include History, Leadership, Political
Science, and foreign languages such as German.
The College of A&S also requires all students to take our
Freshman Success seminar, where students learn time
management and study skills, and learn more about the
specifics of the Engineering courses. Finally, A&S has
two courses called STEPS (Strategies for Team-based
Engineering Problem Solving). The courses expose students
to real-life engineering problem solving; they are
required to design and build a machine or device in response
to a client request, applying knowledge gained
from science and math courses. Emphasis is also placed
on the development of project management and communication
skills.
Changes, Accomplishments,
New activities, Development
In April 2009 Dr. Jeff Seela was appointed as the new
Chemistry Coordinator. Dr. Seela has been a member
of the Chemistry Group since 2002 and has been very
involved with the development of the Freshman Chemistry
Courses.
Dr. Paul Rasmussen left the Chemistry Department
at the end of the Fall 2009 semester. Rasmussen had
been at the PI since 2006 and made many major contributions
to the Freshman Chemistry program in partic-
ular. The College of Arts & Sciences wishes him success
in his future activities.
Physics
Dr. Michael Stokes became the Deputy Director of the
Arts and Sciences Program in January 2009. During
the previous 6 months, he served as acting Department
Chair for the department.
Dr. Kofi Agyeman served for 6 months as the Headmaster
and Boys’ Campus Principal of the Glenelg
School of Abu Dhabi, helping to hire staff for the school
and managing its critical inaugural semester of classes.
He returned to his previously held position as Physics
Department Coordinator at the PI in January 2009.
Dr. Abdellatif Bouchalkha supervised together with
Dr. Khalid Al Hammadi (EE) a Common Design Competition
student project on “Laser Free Space Communication”.
This was presented at the 4th IEEE –UAE Student
Day Competition, held at the American University
in Dubai (AUD), 2 May 2009. Their project won second
place in this UAE-wide competition.
Journal Editing
Dr. Abdullah Al-Shami was appointed Chief Academic
Editor of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies
(AJIS) published by the Islamic Centre for Research
and Development Australia (ICRDA). As Chief Editor
of the Asian EFL Journal, Dr. Roger Nunn edited four
quarterly issues and eight teaching article issues over
the year. Dr. Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam is an
Associate Editor of the same journal supervising one
review team of five editors. Dr. Avin Pillay has been
appointed to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Environmental
Research & Development.
New Programs
Chemistry is proceeding with the development of a new
M.Sc. degree program, specifically tailored for the oil &
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gas industry. The program is designed to fulfill some
of the key research and technical requirements of the
petroleum industry, and will be open to all eligible AD-
NOC employees and other suitable candidates. It will
offer the opportunity to combine courses in chemistry,
engineering and science to develop skills to meet the
unique needs of the petroleum industry.
Benchmarking Visit
The Communication Department hosted a benchmarking
visit from Dr. Dan Budny and Beth Newborg from
the University of Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh colleagues
presented a detailed and very positive evaluation report
of the Communication Department activities. Dr. Budny
is Director of Freshman Engineering at Pitt’s Swanson
School of Engineering and Beth Newborg, is the Director
of Freshman Engineering Writing Program. They
have worked for ten years to develop a highly successful
program in which language and communication skills
(particularly writing) are integrated across the engineering
curriculum. The culmination of the program is a
student conference in which they present full academic
papers having gone through submission of abstracts,
peer review and the rest of the standard international
conference procedure. It is the only program of its kind
in the USA.
The visit lasted a week during which time the Pittsburgh
colleagues met with faculty, attended classes, audited
materials and assessment procedures and discussed a
range of mutual issues including possible joint-research
initiatives. They also presented a very instructive and
interesting workshop on the approach used in their institute
which stresses the relevance of reading and writing
across the curriculum as a tool to develop cognition.
They remarked that it was both very surprising, and
also reassuring that two institutes 8,000 miles apart,
working in very different cultural environments had
arrived at similar conclusions about providing effective
and rounded education to engineering students and had
come up with programs which have many similarities.
Enrollment in A&S courses 2009
A&S enrolment is summarized below for each program.
It was influenced by a number of factors, some of which
are program specific. Overall A&S female enrolment
has increased substantially at the Arzanah Building
and decreased on the Main Campus as the entry requirements
into Freshman courses have progressively
become stricter.
In Chemistry, there has been a significant increase (24
%) in the numbers of students taking the two Freshman
General Chemistry courses. In 2009, 374 students
completed these courses, compared with 302 in the
previous 12-month period. This increase continues a
trend already noted in the previous Annual Report. The
Sophomore and Junior-level Chemistry courses (CHEM
201, CHEM 241 and CHEM 301) also saw an important
(41 %) increase in student numbers from 105 in 2008
to 148 in 2009. However, while the increase in student
numbers in Freshman classes occurred on both campuses,
the increase in students taking the more advanced
chemistry courses is a result of A&S Chemistry starting
to offer the courses in the Arzanah Building starting in
Fall 2008.
In Physics too, student numbers for 2009 (422) increased
substantially over the figures for the previous
year (369). The third physics course, PHYS341 (Modern
Physics with Applications), was taught for the second
year running.
In spring 2009, H&SS offered a total of 10 courses
taught in 16 sections to a total of 264 students. The summer
saw a large demand for courses, with 156 students
taught in four courses. To meet the heavy demand, the
maximum enrollment in sections was increased to 45. In
fall, H&SS offered 9 courses and 19 sections, catering to
a total of 257 students.
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In the Arts & Sciences Mathematics courses, there was
an increase of more than 20% from the (calendar) year
2008 to the year 2009, from 986 to 1219. While the number
of male students only slightly increased, the number
of female students almost doubled, from 214 to 411. Part
of the total increase in student numbers is due to the almost
doubling of the number of students taking a summer
course (183) in the year 2009 (from 94 in 2008).
Total enrollment in STEPS increased in 2009. Spring
and Fall 2008 saw a total of 310 students registered
across the two courses, while the corresponding period
in 2009 saw a total of 367 registered students. The
increase was due to the delay in offering STEPS II to
chemical engineers. Communication registration in
2009 increased by 15%. The number of students opting
for summer courses has remained the same with one
(full) section offered on each campus. Communication
faculty also expanded their support activity during the
academic year. All faculty regularly supported students
and faculty in a range of other PI courses in the
design, delivery and grading of academic writing assignments.
Several faculty members have team taught
STEPS courses and, in addition to her communication
courses, Dr. Hwe Ling Lim has continued her work
as an adjunct communication instructor in the Chemical
Engineering Department.
New Staff & Faculty
Mr. Mohammed Zubair Khan joined the Chemistry Department as a Laboratory Technician
in July 2009. Mr. Khan, who had been working as one of the Laboratory Team in the Foundation
Science (now AUP Science) group since 2005, holds a B.Sc. Degree from Agra University
in India.
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Special Events
The Events Committee chaired by Dr. Mirella Elkadi has organized an eclectic program of events during 2009.
Events organized by the A&S Events Committee:
GUEST SPEAKER Date Title
Mr. Thomas Böhm
Director of DAAD (German Academic
Exchange Service)
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Study and Research Opportunities
in Germany
Ms. Katharina Bachman* Thursday, 19th March 2009 German Literature Evening
Mr. Rolf Herrmann
Principal Engineer
Schlumberger Water Services (Abu
Dhabi, UAE)
Dr. Abdullah Al-Shami
Professor of Comparative Islamic Jurisprudence
and Islamic Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
Petroleum Institute
Mr. Mathias Von Polenz
Counselor for Renewable Energies,
Culture and Press*
Mr. Steve Worrell
Director, Mixed Use Development, Yas
Island Project
ALDAR Properties
Dr. Zara Khatib
Technology Marketing Manager,
Middle-East & South Asia Region
Shell Exploration & Production International
Dubai (UAE)
Thursday, 14th May 2009
Wednesday, 7th October 2009
Sunday, 18th October 2009 Bu Hasa
Wednesday, 21st October 2009 Arzanah
Tuesday, 10th Nov 2009
Wednesday, 11th November 2009
Using Oilfield Technology in the
Water Industry to Improve Integrated
Aquifer Characterization
The Rise of Colleges in the Golden
Age of Islam
Fall of Berlin Wall
Yas Island & Formula 1
Cleaner Fossil Fuels:
Challenges and Opportunities in a
Carbon Constrained World
Dr. Mashhad Al Allaf
Associate Professor of Islamic Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
Petroleum Institute
Tuesday, 8th December 2009
Introduction to Engineering
Ethics
* In collaboration with the German Club at the PI
4 th International Conference on Thermal Engineering
A&S also organized a major international conference in January, 2009. The conference was chaired by Dr. Dennis
Siginer, PI Assistant Provost and Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Ziad Zaghir, Professor of
Mechanical Engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Under their direction, a Technical Committee
was organized to select the conference papers in a peer-review process. Organizational details were handled by
the local Organizing Committee. Ms. Afshha Ahmed, A&S Senior Administrative Assistant was instrumental in
leading many facets of the organizational effort to successful fruition. The members of the Organizing Committee
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enormously contributed to the on-site conference planning and provided logistical support; in particular the efforts
of Dr. Abdellatif Bouchalka (Physics), Dr. Andry Didenko (Mathematics), Dr. Curtis Bradley (Physics), Dr.
Ghada Bassioni (Chemistry/Chemical Engineering), and Dr. Ryan Fernandez (Mathematics) are recognized
with gratitude. A group of PI students helped out by working at the registration desk throughout the conference. Of
course, the conference could not have taken place without the support from upper PI management and the cooperation
of PI academic and support staff.
The conference’s main objective was to bring together researchers engaged in experimental, analytical, and/or theoretical
studies on topics in thermal and energy engineering. The conference started out with a plenary talk by
Dr. Abbas Firoozabadi, professor of Chemical Engineering at Yale University, who spoke about his research on
multiphase fluid flows in multi-layer porous media, with applications in oil and gas transport/production and CO 2
injection. Other highlights of the conference included keynote talks by Dr. Frank Kulacki, professor of Mechanical
Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Ramesh Agarwal, professor of Engineering at the University of
Washington at St. Louis, and Dr. Peter Minev, professor of Mathematics at the University of Alberta. Dr. Kulacki
reported on his recent work involving two-component, two-phase flow and heat transfer in flat microchannels, Dr.
Agarwal gave a talk about some limits and regimes of computational fluid dynamics calculations, and Dr. Minev
reported on his large-scale numerical simulations of incompressible fluid flows involving complex and multi-scale
fluid boundary interactions.
Conference Proceedings were developed as a CD (ISBN number 978-9948-03-941-9). The Proceedings CD includes
the contributed conference papers and the conference program. It also includes a preface by the co-chairs, other
information about the conference such as the composition of the Organizing and Technical Committees, and a promotional
video about The Petroleum Institute. These CDs were distributed to participants with additional copies
for the PI management and the PI library.
Chemistry
NACE Short Courses in Corrosion at the PI
NACE (the National Association of Corrosion Engineers) has run two new programs of Corrosion courses at the
PI during the 2009 year. The courses were given at the PI in collaboration with Dr. Paul Rostron from the A&S
Chemistry Department and covered the areas of cathodic protection of metal structures and inspection of coatings.
Meeting of the RSC at the PI in June 2009
The A&S Chemistry Department hosted a meeting of the UAE Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) at
the Petroleum Institute in June 2009. The theme for the evening was Analytical/ Environmental Chemistry and
talks were given by Dr. Avin Pillay and Dr. Mirella Elkadi from the PI Department of Chemistry.
Mathematics
During the Spring and Fall semesters of 2009 the Mathematics Department hosted a colloquium series on “Mathematics
and its Applications”.
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The presentations and topics included:
Dr. Jiri Neustupa
Dr. Xinfeng Liu
The Navier-Stokes equations - from their history
to some recent results
Computational studies for turbulent mixing and
cell signaling
January 21, 2009
January 26, 2009
Dr. Jiri Neustupa On Mathematical Models in Fluid Mechanics January 28, 2009
Dr. Krishnaswamy Nandakumar
Erik Lindgren
Dr. Jaap Geluk
Dr. Lyes Khezzar
Martin Stromqvist
Dr. Sandra Vega
Multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics A tool
to aid in scale up of chemical processes
On the two-phase obstacle problem with coefficients
below the Lipschitz threshold
Asymptotic behavior of the Laplace transform
and the complementary function
Fluid Mechanics and Graph Theory in the Solution
of Fluid Network Problems
Homogenization and averaging methods for elliptic
PDE with applications in material science
Uncertainty study of time-lapse seismic data in a
carbonate field
February 18, 2009
February 25, 2009
March 18,2009
March 25,2009
April 8, 2009
April 29, 2009
Dr. John Anderson Blow-up and regularity May 6, 2009
Dr. Behrouz Emamizadeh
Dr. Jyothshana Prajapat
Dr. Marcello Lucia
Dr. Behrouz Emamizadeh
Rearrangement Maximization Problems and Applications
Characterization of stationary isothermic surfaces
and its applications
Uniqueness of steady-states for a chemotaxis
model
An optimization problem for the first weighted
eigenvalue problem plus a potential
May 13, 2009
May 27, 2009
June 11, 2009
October 7, 2009
Dr. Petros G. Voulgaris Distributed Control of Multi-agent Systems October 21, 2009
Dr. H.A.Belhaj Reservoir dynamic modeling November 4, 2009
Dr. Sergei Anatolievich Fomin
Derivation of fractional differential equations
for modeling diffusion in porous media of fractal
geometry
November 11, 2009
Prof. G. Mahadevan
T-matrix computations in three dimensional electromagnetic
scattering
December 31, 2009
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Lecture Series
During the Spring semester, 2009, in addition to the colloquium series, the Mathematics Department organized a
series of lectures under the heading “Free Boundary Problems of Obstacle Type Applications, Modeling, and Theory”.
These lectures were given by the Distinguished Professor Dr. Henrik Shahgholian, who was visiting the PI from
the Department of Mathematics at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
The Mathematics & Science League Tournaments
On March 31st, 2009 the first PI Foundations Mathematics & Science League MSLPI) Tournament took
place. Eleven Foundation-level male students contested for prizes at the PI’s male campus, whilst simultaneously,
sixteen female Foundation-level contestants took part in the Arzanah Building.
May 6th, 2009 Chemistry and physics tournament at PI for Glenelg students
Sixteen male students from the Glenelg School in Abu Dhabi took part in a science contest hosted at the Petroleum
Institute on May 6th, 2009. This was in connection with the P.I. Math and Science League (MSLPI) which came into
existence in the Fall semester 2008. The initial contest in the MSLPI series took place in December 2008, when the
focus was solely on mathematics. This latest competition involved the students being challenged by questions on
Chemistry and Physics. Prizes were presented by Dr. Michael Ohadi and Dr. Dennis Siginer to:
Male campus:
Written competition:
Mohamed Al Hashimi,
Mubarak Al Hameli,
Eissa Al Tamimi.
Salem Al-Qaydi,
Mohamed Mohsen,
Rashed Al-Mazrooei,
Saif Mohamed,
Salem Ali,
Salah Ismaeil.
Group competition: (winning team members)
Mubarak Al Hameli,
Yanal Sadek,
Matt Chater,
Amir Hossain Poshtan.
Faculty at the tournament:
Dr. Issam,
Dr. Reza,
Dr. Jakob Levinus Geluk,
Dr. Xun Wang,
Dr. Trung Tran.
Volunteers:
Anas Najy,
Shady Magdy,
Prizes:
Individual winners: MP3 player
Group winners: memory stick
Rashed Al-Qaydi,
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Drs. Curtis Bradley and Reza Najafzadeh from the Physics Department authored test questions and supervised
student activities during two of these Math & Science League competitions (MSLPI on March 31st and
May 6th, 2009).
H & SS
The German club continues to grow in popularity and currently has over 30 members who attend regular meetings
and cultural exchanges. Other German-related activities included hosting a delegation of students from Germany
organized by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, and a lecture by Thomas Böhm (Director of the Office of the DAAD,
Gulf region) on February 24, 2009 on study and research opportunities in Germany.
In June 2009, two German II students passed the official German exam “START DEUTSCH I” with grade “A” at the
German Goethe-Institute and were awarded a German language scholarship to Germany for one month. Students
of German also gave a presentation to the German
Business Council and the German Goethe Institute
of Abu Dhabi regarding their recent stay in
Germany and participated in the opening ceremony
of the German Language Exhibition “Herzliche
Grüße”, sponsored and organized by the Goethe
Institute of Abu Dhabi.
In October, on the anniversary of the fall of the
Berlin Wall, there was a photo exhibition, film
and lecture organized jointly with the Goethe Institute,
in the presence of the German Ambassador.
In December the first German-Arabic literature
evening was organized by the German Club. Special guests included the well-known Lebanese author Dr.
Fuad Rifka, and the Iraqi journalist Najm Wali.
Islamic studies professor, Dr. Abdullah Al-Shami, has also given a number of seminars and personal tours of the
Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque to students and distinguished visitors including Mr. Norman Augustine.
Steps
International Student/Faculty Engineering Design Forum
Students and faculty from the Colorado School of Mines EPICS Program came to the PI to participate in the first
International Student/Faculty Engineering Design Forum. The Forum was part of a research initiative between
CSM’s EPICS Program and the PI’s STEPS Program, entitled “Preparing Global Engineers: Developing Engineering
Design Education Across Cultures.”
CSM’s EPICS Program, like The PI’s STEPS Program, introduces team-based engineering design problem solving
to students in their first and second years. While the objectives and practices of the two programs are similar, the
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respective cultures are vastly different. The aim of the collaboration is to develop curriculum and pedagogy for engineering
design education across contrasting cultures and to develop opportunities for faculty/student international
competitions and forums.
In 2009, faculty topics included team building (Robert Knect, CSM), preparing students for global engineering practice
(Suzanne Scott, CSM), Emirati women in design courses (David Moore, PI), and integrating problem solving
skills throughout curriculum (Dr. Jamal Ahmad, David Dalton, Mary Hatakka. PI). Students from CSM’s Leadership
EPICS class prepared an interactive workshop with PI students that included discussions of team problems,
learning styles, and communication styles. PI students made detailed design presentations to their CSM counterparts
on Spring semester project, “Design of Carrier of PEG-40 Seismic Energy Source.” Students and faculty alike
shared their perceptions of cultural differences and stereotypes that may affect success on international teams dealing
with global projects.
Collaboration activities have also included two International Engineering Design Competitions, which have pitted
CSM and PI-student teams in two global humanitarian projects: “Solar Seawater Desalination Devices” for the village
of Bane, Senegal, sponsored by the Peace Corps; and “Solar Furnaces for Toxic Waste Destruction,” sponsored
by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The next International Student/Faculty Forum was planned for January,
2010, at CSM.
Research achievements
Sponsored Projects
Arts and Science faculty have been involved in a broad range of sponsored research projects.
Chemistry
Materials Degradation Studies, PI Research Initiation Grant, A. Pillay (Chemistry) & S.C. Fok (ME), duration:
Jan 08-Dec09, AED 206,000.
This project explores the use of laser ablation technology coupled with ICP-MS (Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass
Spectrometry) to monitor the level of wear in protective coatings after subjection to severe environmental conditions
such as sand blizzards, intense solar irradiation, excessive humidity and rain.
Polymer Studies using Ablative Laser Technology, PI Research Initiation Grant, A. Pillay (Chemistry) & S.
Vukusic (Chemistry/CHE), duration: Jan 08-Dec 09,
AED 332,000.
This project explores the capability of using a high resolution ICP-MS laser ablation technique to evaluate material
homogeneity and characterize polymers.
ICP-MS Investigation of Reservoir Cores, ADNOC, A. Pillay (Chemistry) and B. Ghosh (PE), duration: Jan
08-Dec10, AED 5.2 million.
This work explores the unique capability of laser depth-profiling to investigate reservoir cores and reveal anomalies
and irregularities associated with sulphate scale deposition. The intrinsic behavior of scale deposition within the
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pore space of near wellbore formation rock is relatively unexplored, and this research concerns the application of
an ICP-MS ablative laser technique to study the uniformity of strontium and barium distributions in suitable oilproducing
reservoir core sections.
Refinery Reboiler/Heater Corrosion by Sulfur-bearing Condensates, PI Research Initiation Grant, P. Rostron
(Chemistry) & B. Palmer (CHE), duration: May 07-May10, AED 510,000.
Sour gas condensates result in highly corrosive liquids. While the causes of their highly corrosive nature are not
fully understood, preliminary data has suggested a possible mechanism for the process. This project is following two
avenues of research: an investigation of remedial measures to eliminate the corrosive nature of sour gas condensates
at source, and simulation of the operating conditions to find more corrosion-resistant materials.
PHYSICS
Investigators/
Affiliation
Project Title
Source
Funding/Support
(AED)
Dates
Status
Curtis Bradley (PI),
Mohammed Ali (PI),
Ibrahim Shawky (SWS),
Arnaud Levannier
(SWS)
Mohammed Ali (PI),
Karl Berteussen (PI),
Manhal Sirat (PI), Curtis
Bradley (PI), Peter
Stiles (Keele Univ)
Abdellatif Bouchalkha
(PI) and Khalid Al
Hammadi (PI)
Research Collaboration
Between
Schlumberger Water
Services and The Petroleum
Institute
Passive Microseismic
and Advanced
Gravimetric Monitoring
of Reservoirs
for Enhanced
Hydrocarbon Production
Pipeline inner surface
inspection and
failure prevention
PI/SWS Research
Collaboration
PI/ADNOC
Pilot Project
Field Support
& Access,
Housing,
Software,
and Data
Started
2007 - Ongoing.
Funded
2,693,400 2007-2009 Funded
PI 106,000 2009 Funded
Dr. Abdellatif Bouchalkha is developing image-processing software to detect cracks and their characteristics
from CCD camera images of different surfaces. This is part of a larger project that will eventually use this software
on a specially designed robot which will go inside the pipeline for inspection of its inner surface. Dr. Curtis Bradley
is developing techniques for making reliable and sensitive surface time-lapsed gravity measurements. These are
eventually to be applied over hydrocarbon reservoir zones in production and undergoing water and gas flooding. He
is also exploring alternative gravity measurement techniques for geophysical applications.
Math
Dr. Behrouz Emamizadeh is the principal investigator of a PI-funded research project entitled “Estimates and
optimization of the principal eigenvalue for the p-Laplacian operator”. This three-year project was initiated on June
15, 2007. An outcome of this project, in collaboration with Professor G. Porru and Dr. F. Cuccu, both at the University
of Cagliary (Italy), has been the recent completion of a paper entitled “Design of a composite membrane with
patches”, which has already been submitted for publication.
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During June –July 2009, Dr. Jyotshana Prajapat visited the Colorado School of Mines to initiate the shell-theory
project. The visit was funded by the Petroleum Institute.
Communication
Dr. Roger Nunn’s ongoing long-term PI-funded project, “Defining the Competence Needs of PI Students in English
Communication” is now in its fourth phase. Small teams of PI students and teachers have been involved in
this project since 2006 and currently a new team of teachers and students is engaged in the fourth phase of the
project collecting and analyzing competent texts across PI disciplines. Students involved in the fourth phase include
Nafisa Yousif El Samani Mohamed Ali, Yasmine Hedi Guefrachi and Yousra Bint Al Hadai Guefrachi. The
ultimate aim of the analysis is to determine in a holistic manner what constitutes a ‘competent’ performance in
written deliverables, both within particular genres and more ambitiously across genres. The research should support
the long-term English Across the Curriculum project that has so far only been taken up sporadically in the
engineering departments but has become more urgent given ABET requirements for Academic Writing beyond the
Freshman year. The project is now at a stage where wider participation from interested colleagues across the PI
will be solicited for the next phase.
International research and external collaboration
Arts and Science Faculty have also been actively and extensively involved in collaborative research projects both
internationally and locally throughout the academic year.
Math
With Erik Lindgren (KTH, Sweden), Dr. Jyotshana Prajapat is studying the parabolic version of the 2-phase free
boundary problem where they intend to prove the interior regularity of the solutions and its free boundary.
The collaboration of Dr. Prajapat with Dr. Manika Prasad (CSM, U.S.A.) is related to the study of compaction
trends in carbonates which involves shell theory. The collaborators intend to study this theory with a view to determine
whether it can be applied to carbonate shells which may be non elastic and not necessarily thin.
Dr. Marcello Lucia, (Department of Mathematics, CUNY) visited the Department of Mathematics, at the Petroleum
Institute during the period June 9 – 19, 2009. A collaboration related to proving the asymptotic behavior of
solutions of systems of Chern-Simons equations was initiated with Dr. Prajapat.
Dr. Emamizadeh’s research is also concerned with free boundary problems. He and his collaborators Professor H.
Shahgholian (the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden) and Dr. J. Prajapat (the Petroleum Institute) have recently
prepared a preprint entitled “Existence and Symmetry of a Two Phase Free Boundary Problem”. Currently,
Dr. Emamizadeh is also involved in research concerning “Toland’s self dual Hamiltonians”. His collaborator is Dr.
Abbas Momeni in the Department of Mathematics, the Queen’s University, Canada.
From June 1, 2009 to June 7, 2009, Dr. Emamizadeh visited the Mathematics Department of the Royal Institute
of Technology, Sweden. During his visit he acted as the external referee for the Ph.D.thesis entitled “Regularity
properties of two phase free boundary problems”, prepared and defended by Erik Lindgren.
The Department hosted a number of visiting mathematicians during the Spring semester of 2009. Dr. Henrik
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College of Arts & Sciences
Shahgholian (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden) was present doing collaborative work over the period
January – June, 2009. There were several short-term visitors , staying for at most 2 weeks in the department:
• Dr. Jiri Neustupa, Dept. of Mathematics, Czech Technical University, and Mathematical Institute of the
Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague (January)
• Erik Lindgren, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (February)
• Martin Stromqvist, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (April)
• Dr. John Anderson (May)
• Dr. Marcello Lucia, Dept. of Mathematics, City University of New York (June).
Dr. Ryan I. Fernandes has been collaborating with Prof. G. Fairweather (Executive Editor for Math Reviews,
USA) and Prof. B. Bialecki (Colorado School of Mines, USA). Their current research focuses on the development of
new numerical methods for the solution of general classes of partial differential equation (PDE) problems and partial
integro-differential equation (PIDE) problems called initial-boundary value problems (IBVP). Phenomena modeled
by such PDE/PIDE arise in viscoelasticity, heat conduction in materials with memory, propagation of sound in
viscous media and also in reservoir simulation in the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Ryan I. Fernandes was invited to the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden on August 20th, 2009.
During his visit, he served on the Ph. D. defense committee of Farid Borzognia. The title of the doctoral thesis was
“Numerical Algorithms for Free Boundary Problems of Obstacle Types”.
Prof. G. Mahadevan from the Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the Colorado School of
Mines visited the Department of Mathematics at the Petroleum Institute at the end of December 2009. The purpose
of his short visit was to investigate possible research projects with Petroleum engineers and to collaborate on research
with faculty at the PI. He also gave a colloquium talk entitled “T-matrix computations in three dimensional
electromagnetic scattering”.
Chemistry
Drs. Mirella Elkadi, Avin Pillay and Colin Francis have been collaborating with Mr. Mahmut Sengul from
Schlumberger in Abu Dhabi (now with Schlumberger in Houston, USA) on a research survey to look at the potential
for using Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the Middle East. Their
work has just been published in the International Journal of Environmental Studies, and the next phase of the
study will be to launch a project in collaboration with other interested groups within the PI.
Dr. Paul Rostron’s research is focused in the area of Corrosion. He has been collaborating with Mr. A. Martinez
from ADMA to study the potential for galvanic corrosion in a tube and shell heat exchanger used in the recovery of
glycol from a gas-drying unit in ADMA. A second collaborative project has been established with Rostron as the
local supervisor, to investigate the corrosion of pipe welds. This project is part of research work being carried out in
Abu Dhabi by a Ph.D. student from the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies in Gurgadon, India.
Dr. Sulafudin Vukušić, who holds a joint appointment in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, is collaborating
with Dr. Ahmed Abdala (CHE) and Dr.C. Schwarzinger, from JKU, Linz, Austria, to study in-situ polymerization
in the production of graphene/melamine nanocomposites. A poster presenting their initial work earned a best-
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College of Arts & Sciences
poster award at the APST One Conference in Linz, Austria in July 2009.
Dr. Avin Pillay has ongoing research collaborations with Durban University of Technology in South Africa and
with Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. These projects are in the areas of environmental and analytical chemistry.
In his collaboration with Durban University of Technology, he is the external supervisor of an MSc student in
Analytical Chemistry.
Other significant local and individual research projects
Chemistry
In a project funded by the Center for Teaching Excellence Dr. Issam Kobrsi is studying the use of instructional
videos to better prepare students for their Freshman Chemistry laboratory sessions. Five instructional videos have
been prepared and initial feedback from students is generally positive about the usefulness of this approach.
Physics
Curtis Bradley has initiated a project to develop a new gravimetry measurement technique. It involves sensitive
timing measurements on small magnetic test masses during free-fall acceleration.
Abdellatif Bouchalkha is working in collaboration with senior EE students and EE colleagues on a project dealing
with the impact of dust on power generated from solar panels here in Abu Dhabi. The project involves the development
of theoretical models, testing, and on-site measurements.
Math
Dr. Jyotshana Prajapat’s recent work proves the existence of solutions to two-phase free boundary problems. The
one-phase problem has been well studied and is related to the quadrature domains.
Dr. Prajapat is collaborating with Dr. Sandra Vega of the Geosciences Department on a study of Gassmann equations.
These equations are used in predicting the quantity of oil present in rocks. Their goal is to include the effect
of change in porosity in the Gassman equation and develop a new model for carbonates.
Dr. Behrouz Emamizadeh and Dr. Ryan Fernandes are also collaborating at the local level on Optimization
problems. They have recently published a couple of papers in the journal “Advanced Modelling and Optimization”.
Read, Research
and Write
Academic Skills for ESL Students
in Higher Education
Caroline Brandt
SAGE Study Skills
Book Publications
Dr. Caroline Brandt’s latest book, Read, Research and Write: Academic Skills for ESL
Students in Higher Education, is now available in bookshops and online through Amazon,
for example. Her book is published in London by leading educational publishers
SAGE as part of their established Study Skills Series. It has been written for students
who have learnt English as an additional language and are studying at an institution
where English is the medium of instruction, such as the Petroleum Institute.
The research for, and development of, this book was undertaken with the support of
a grant awarded by the Research and Graduate Studies Committee. Members of the
Petroleum Institute’s faculty and students who contributed towards its development in-
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College of Arts & Sciences
clude faculty members Mr. Robert Craig, Dr. Roger
Nunn and Dr. Matthew J. Webb, and students: Ibrahim
Ali Al Kodssi; Karam Abdollmnem Khatib; Marwan
Mohsin Al Haj Atalla Hasan Abu Aasi; Mohamed Saeed
Mohamed S.M Al Khanbooli Al Shehhi; Moutaz Bassam
Falih Saleh; Saif Ali Mohamed Saeed Al Mesaabi; Saoud
Ali Abdulla Fadhel Al Maamari; Tariq Ibrahim Abdul
Rahim Al Jallad; Fatima Al Zaabi; Sara Ali Al Abadi;
Khawla Abdulla Al Manthari; Yasmine Guefrachi; Tuka
Al Hanai; Reem Mohammed Nasser; Basma Ali Abdulkareem
Ahmed; Meera Al Marzouqi; Mariam Tareq
Ahmed Khalil, and Emina Tahir Helja.
Participation in Conferences
Overall Arts and Science Faculty presented more than
40 conference papers. A significant number of Arts and
Sciences faculty presenters were also keynote or plenary
speakers during 2009.
Invited speakers
Chemistry
Dr. Avin Pillay was a guest speaker at the Waste Management
Conference in Dubai in January 2009. His talk
was entitled CO 2
Capture and Sequestration for GHG
Reduction and EOR Applications and focused on growing
concern over industrial emissions of CO 2
to the atmosphere
and its consequent impact on climate.
Physics
A total of 3 presentations were made. Dr. Abdellatif
Bouchalkha was an invited guest speaker to the conference:
Intelligent Field Development 2009, held in March
2009 in Dubai. His presentation was entitled “Wireless
Sensors Technology in the Oil Industry”. He also presented
a paper with the title ‘Modeling of Dust Effect on Solar
Panels in Abu Dhabi’ at the Second International Energy
2030 Conference, 4th-5th November, 2009 in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Bouchalkha also served as a Steering Committee
member for the 4th IEEE – UAE Student Day , American
University in Dubai (AUD), May 2nd, 2009.
Drs. Curtis Bradley and Abdellatif Bouchalkha
were active members of the Local Organizing Committee
for the 4th International Conference on Thermal Engineering:
Theory and Applications (ICTEA 2009) meeting,
organized by Drs. D. Siginer and M. Z. Saghir,
January 12-14, 2009 at the Petroleum Institute, Arzanah
Building.
H&SS
Dr. Dalton Garis was a featured speaker at the Project
Management Institute in Bahrain in January. He
gave an assessment of the local impact upon the GCC
region of the global economic and financial situation,
and drew attention to the serious trouble facing the
construction sector.
Dr. Garis has also been a regular guest commentator
for the BBC World TV Middle East Business Report on
oil markets and their effects on world oil prices. He appeared
12 times during the last year.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Shami had a particularly successful
and prolific year as an invited conference speaker as
the following list testifies:
At the Islamic International Finance Conference on
“Islamic Finance in a European Financial Services
Framework” from October 12th – 16th ‘09 in Malta,
Dr. Al Shami delivered a keynote address and took
part in 4 plenary panel discussions:
• Islamic Finance – did it resist the Global crisis?
(keynote)
• Did Islamic finance weather the crisis? (plenary
panel discussion)
• Takaful VS Conventional Insurance (plenary panel
discussion)
• Islamic Funds and Sukuk (plenary panel discussion)
• Islamic Banking VS Conventional Banking analysis
of BASE 11 and other implications country issues
(plenary panel discussion)
• Islamic Capital Market (plenary panel discussion)
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College of Arts & Sciences
He was a guest speaker at the Institute for International
Research, on “Islamic Finance Forum (IIFF)”,
April 26-27th, 2009 in Dubai, where he gave two presentations:
• Do Sukuk Comply with the Shariah Rules
• The Rules of Sharia’ah Boards and Scholars
He was also a guest speaker at three other conferences:
• Shari’ah and Fiqh: Which is most accommodating,
enabling people to adhere in the modern world?,
presented at the BRISMES Annual Conference on
“Frontiers: Space, Separation and Contact in the
Middle East” University of Manchester July 4th-
6th, 2009, UK. (guest speaker)
• Islamic Contributions to Economics and Finance:
given the present global economics situation, presented
at the Annual General Conference on a
Post Recession Scenario for Malta, May 22nd-23-
rd, 2009, Malta. (keynote)
• “Orientalists and their perception of the image of
Arab and Muslim culture: a case study of Joseph
Schacht” at the International conference on “The
Image of Arabs and Muslims in the World Literature”,
Damascus University, Syria, April 05th-07-
th, 2009. (keynote)
Communication
As author of two recent academic, research-based
books, one of which received an outstanding review by
Raphael Salkie (Professor of Language Studies, University
of Brighton, UK) in the Times Higher Education
of May 28th, 2009, Dr. Caroline Brandt was invited
as a plenary speaker at the International Journal
of Arts and Sciences Conference, Bad Hofgastein, Austria
in June, 2009. Her topic was: “Writing Successful
Academic Books: from Proposal to Publication.”
Dr. Brandt focused on the academic writing process
but also presented on all aspects of the book-publishing
process, including finding and approaching a publisher,
preparing a proposal and negotiating a contract.
Finally she addressed editorial, production and promotion
matters. Various starting points were suggested
for anyone considering writing an academic book, and
several essential ingredients for success were provided.
The plenary, one of three held on the first day of
the conference, was extremely well attended, and led
to much discussion and subsequently consultation.
Dr. Roger Nunn was the guest speaker for Iranian
teachers of English in the UAE at their annual Teacher
Training Seminar in February 2009, in Dubai. He
delivered a presentation and workshop on classroom
methodology: “Is the method Concept Obsolete? Redefining
Method as a Teacher-Centred Concept.” In
April , Dr. Nunn was invited as a plenary speaker
at the Asian EFL conference in Pusan, South Korea.
The conference focus was on the “Multiple Roles of the
Language Teacher.” Dr. Nunn presented his latest
research and ideas on “method-in-use” in the area of
competent classroom methodology, and also presented
on alternative approaches to competent academic
writing for academic journals in a concurrent session.
He also gave a plenary keynote address on a related
topic: “Comparing Teachers’ Method-in-use across Cultures”
– at the English as an International Language
Conference hosted by the English as an International
Language Journal and Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir,
Turkey: (October 2009). He gave the final plenary address
presenting findings from his PI-funded research
on “Key Aspects of a Modal for Analyzing Competent
Academic Texts across Scientific Genres” at the Asian
ESP Conference at Chongqing University, China at the
end of October.
Math
At the ICTEA conference at the PI in January 2009,
in a special session on Applied Mathematics Dr. Jaap
Geluk gave a presentation on second order results in
subexponentiality.
Dr. Fahir T. Akyildiz attended the 5th International
Conference of Dynamical Systems and Applications,
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College of Arts & Sciences
June 15th-18th, 2009, held in Constanta, Romania. He presented a paper co-authored by himself and Professor
Dennis Siginer. The title of the paper was “Natural Convection and Heat Transfer of Newtonian Fluids in Vertical
Porous Channels and Second Order Nonlinear Systems (Viscoelastic case)”.
Dr. Andriy Didenko presented a paper co-authored with Dr. Gary Miller and David Allison entitled “Exploring
Taylor Polynomials Using Spreadsheets” at the International Computer Aided Learning Conference held in Villach,
Austria over the period September 23rd-25th, 2009.
Non-academic Activities
Dr. Jens Eriksen has continued his environmental activities both at the PI and in the wider community. In
April 2009 he gave an invited lecture on Nature Photography in Doha, Qatar followed by two half-day workshops
for members of the Qatar Bird Club and the Qatar Photographic Society. Closer to home, Dr. Eriksen’s
activities have included lectures on Nature and Wildlife Photography to the Dubai Natural History Group, the
Emirates Natural History Group in Abu Dhabi, and to the students and faculty at the Arzanah Building.
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Advanced University Placement Department
Advanced University
Placement Department
Dr. Nisreen hamad, Department Chair
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Advanced University Placement Department
Department Chair’s
Summary
The Advanced University Placement Department, successor
to the Foundation Program, is pleased to share
the accomplishments of a highly productive year. The
following pages are testimony to the dynamic academic
community that resides within the AUP camp. Significant
faculty accomplishments attest to their dedication
in supporting our pedagogical approach. In-house activities
combined with academic articles in local and
international publications and acclaimed conference
presentations justifiably confirm that AUP faculty are
actively in touch with today’s best practices in the world
of education.
The replacement of the Foundation Program by the Advanced
University Placement (AUP) Department has involved
the unrelenting drive and dedicated efforts of the
entire AUP faculty together with colleagues from many
other PI departments. Embarking on this new pathway
to learning has been both challenging and rewarding.
Building on successes previously achieved, this journey
initiates a bold but achievable endeavor to enable the
newly-established AUP Department to grow with the
needs of the student body and to accelerate learning in
a manner consistent with the vision of the Petroleum
Institute leadership.
In 2009, the erstwhile Foundation Program took significant
steps toward implementing the Advanced
Placement approach. We have begun our focus on research-based
pedagogy and a curriculum for prospective
engineers based on learning outcomes that prepare
students for their university education. The ultimate
goal is to provide a unique educational model that fully
meets the wide-ranging requirements of the Petroleum
Institute’s continually-evolving student population.
The new AUP Department has a rigorous program designed
to enable students to develop the study skills,
work habits and attitudes needed to function success-
fully at a world-class engineering university. Students
now have the opportunity to gain university credit for
courses in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. Supportive
English language programs and computing
courses are being developed to help students acquire the
essential skills to meet PI entrance requirements, and
assist them in their future studies.
Foundation Program Restructuring
Committee Report
In mid-spring 2009, the first meeting of the Foundation
Steering Committee was convened, later to be named
the Foundation Restructuring Committee. Committee
members represented key departments of the PI including
members from the former Foundation and the College
of Arts and Sciences. The committee’s mandate was
to design a new structure for the Foundation Program
(now AUP) which would satisfy concerns that the existing
program was too remedial in scope and often took up
to two years for students to complete. The new program
was to fit into a one calendar-year frame allowing for
brief periods of review and retesting throughout, including
the maximum use of the summer session. By tightening
and intensifying curricular delivery, it was felt
that the new program should move students through
their requirements more effectively and efficiently.
Key to the development of the new program was the proposed
introduction of Advanced Placement (AP) courses
designed to offer our students more rigorous and comprehensive
Science and Math preparation. Advanced
Placement courses (a mainstay across American high
schools) offer freshman-level content, and provided the
requisite grade is achieved, constitute university credit.
Along with this element, other courses or streams within
the new structure would follow a modular frame, the
concision of which would speak to the need for expeditious
curriculum delivery.
As the committee progressed in its negotiations, empha-
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Advanced University Placement Department
sis on an AP focus for the program took hold, with the
restructuring effort culminating in the new Advanced
University Placement Program (later reworked as the
Advanced University Placement Department). In the
new system, students take 2-3 AP courses following
a standardized curriculum along with computing and
English, both of which were retooled to follow a modular
structure.
The new AUP Department commenced in Fall 2009
with a new chair, Dr. Nisreen Hamad.
The English Program was accredited by the Commission
on English Language Program Accreditation, CEA in
2006 for a period of 5 years ending in 2011. The English
Program has started work on attaining re-accreditation
for a period of 10 years. The CEA Committee is presently
working on the Self Study Report to be submitted
by November 2010. The site visit for the CEA reviewers
will take place by March 2011.
Awards
Recognition received by AUP faculty
Hedi Guefrachi received the 2009 TESOL Arabia
Professional Service Award for work offered over many
years to promote the goals of TESOL Arabia as a leading
professional development organization in the area.
Gary Miller was chosen to receive the 2009 Teaching
Award for AUP Faculty in recognition of his outstanding
service to both his students and the institution.
Awards, prizes and recognition
received by students
The Advanced Placement Calculus
Initiative
In Spring semester 2009, a small number of our mathematically
gifted students were given the opportunity to
take extra study at Glenelg High School. Students who
completed the course were able to sit for the Advanced
Placement Examinations in Calculus. Students who
achieved noteworthy results were Batool Abu Arshid,
Dana Abu Khaled and Noha El-Sherbini from Arzanah
Building; and Adnan Nagah and Khalifa Al Mehairi
from the Zarkuh Campus.
It was the excellent showing of these students that contributed
to the ambitious PI decision to move from the
former Foundation Mathematics Pre-calculus courses to
the AUP calculus courses designed to complement the
internationally accredited AP Mathematics courses.
Arzanah award videos
Laura Lau produced a number of movies featuring Arzanah
students and their accomplishments.
One movie entitled Arzanah Awards, which recorded
the events of an annual honors program recognizing
students for their high academic achievement, has been
stored on the V-drive archive. Technology helps record
important moments for young women in engineering
disciplines as they strive for academic preeminence.
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Advanced University Placement Department
Events and Activities
OPEN HOUSE
In January, 2009 the Across Foundation Professional Development
Committee sponsored an event called ‘Foundation
Department Open House’. The purpose of the event was to
demonstrate to colleagues in other PI departments the range
and scope of activities in which Foundation (now AUP) teachers
and students were involved. The various Foundation
units – Math, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Computing and
English – arranged posters and presentations demonstrating
what had been done in their respective classes. Videos
were created and shown to attendees, who came from every
department of the PI.
MACHINE SHOW
then described how the simple machines included in it
are used. Participants created posters which illustrated
how the compound machine operated, and then used
their understanding of mechanics to explain some of the
basic principles of physics behind the operation.
New Programs
English Language Tutoring Sessions
To assist students who were struggling with their studies,
Foundation English established a tutoring service
on both campuses in Spring 2009 with specific locations
designated and manned by English faculty for all class
periods during the academic day. This gave students
an opportunity to have a tutor available whenever they
had a gap in their study schedule.
Fall 2009 saw the implementation of a specialized tutoring
session taught by Jean Floyd for 6 graduate students
who needed assistance in their English language
pronunciation and speaking skills. Additionally, Colin
Toms was invited by the Center for Teaching Excellence
to provide a session on ‘Classroom Discipline’ for
new employees in the Engineering Departments.
During the Spring and Fall Semesters 2009, students
in Foundation/AUP English courses participated in 3
Machine Shows. The show was established for a variety
of purposes, including having students work in groups
and getting students to conduct research to learn how
simple machines (e.g. levers, pulleys, wheel and axles,
inclined planes, wedges and screws) are used in everyday
compound machines. Students chose a specific compound
machine, for example, a push lawn mower, and
Enrichment workshops
In Spring 2009, the Foundation English Program offered
students a range of Enrichment workshops designed
to provide the academic skills required to succeed
at the PI and to broaden their understanding of
the world around them.
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Advanced University Placement Department
The following workshops were offered in Arzanah:
Workshop
Instructor
The Art and Science of Beauty
Introduction to Aspects of
Research Report Writing
The Language of the Oil Industry
Science and Engineering in Our Lives
David Thomson
William Rindfleisch
Asli Hassan, Constance Eide
& Laura Lau
Deborah Faul
Finance and Business for Engineers
Filming, Editing, Production –
Video in the 21 st Century
Eurof Thomas
Laura Lau & Jamie Baird
The following workshops were offered in Zarkuh:
Workshop
Instructor
Voice Power!
Erwin Bowery
Introduction to Aspects of Research Report Writing
William Rindfleisch
The Language of the Oil Industry
Asli Hassan, Constance Eide & Laura Lau
Choral Reading
Erwin Bowery
Science and Engineering in Our Lives
Deborah Faul
Finance and Business for Engineers
Eurof Thomas
Filming, Editing, Production – Video in the 21 st Century
Laura Lau & Jamie Baird
Distinguished Professor Seminar
Dr. JoAnn Crandall, Professor of Education, and Director, PhD program in Language, Literacy & Culture at the
University of Maryland, USA was invited in late 2009 by the AUP Department for several days of presentations
and interaction with faculty. Her sessions included suggested programs and practices that foster transition to
postsecondary education, techniques for helping students understand academic language and texts, strategies for
teaching and learning vocabulary, and unique approaches to teaching academic writing.
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Advanced University Placement Department
Arabic Language Courses
In Spring 2009 four levels of Arabic courses were organized on behalf of the Office of the Provost by Janet Olearski
and the ILC team. The weekly courses were taught by Mrs Jeanine Elkoury of the Sorbonne University (levels two
to four) and Mr Ehab Refaat Abdul (beginners) and were made available to all faculty and staff. The courses - at
two hours per week (4-6 pm) - ran for twelve weeks, beginning on 15th February.
Levels 1 & 2 – Introduction to Arabic Script – taught by Zohra Zerrouk, Administrative Assistant (ILC)
Levels 3 & 4 – Arabic Conversation - taught by Wael El Sokkary, English Lecturer.
The PI TOEFL initiative
Summer 2009 showcased the first phase of the ‘PI TOEFL Initiative’. This program pioneered four six-week TOE-
FL classes in the main campus and Arzanah building. Three certified TOEFL exams were managed by PI professionals
under the auspices of AMIDEAST – the official ETS service provider in the Middle East – for male and
female candidates. Approximately 100 students were enrolled in the TOEFL courses and 350 candidates sat for the
TOEFL Exam.
AUP English faculty, concerned by the absence of sufficient numbers of qualified entrants to the highly-disciplined
engineering and research-oriented degree programs of the Petroleum Institute and fueled by the desire to continue
their development of student capabilities, first proposed this initiative in spring 2009. In May 2009, Constance
Eide was tasked with putting this plan into action for summer 2009. The Petroleum Institute website, radio advertisements,
and word-of-mouth turned an idea into reality within one month.
This program was followed up by a Ramadan 2009 TOEFL Initiative, which met the needs of many students who
had missed the summer session.
The Petroleum Institute
Independent Learning Centers
In 2009 the ILC expanded its collections of cross-curricular resource and self-access materials. The need for student
project work facilities was addressed and, on the main campus, students were able to have access (on a booking rota)
to two private Project Rooms and to the ILC Training Room. These have provided the male students with team-working
space, project presentation facilities and office-style resources.
In the second half of 2009, two new ILC-based drop-in centers were established: The Mathematics Learning Support
Center (MLSC), offering one-to-one help from experienced math teachers, and the AUP Science Tutoring Center, enabling
students to work with peer Science tutors.
Over the reporting period, students on the main campus booked the Bu Hasa Project Rooms and Training Room for
a total of 2,809 hours. Over the same period in Arzanah building, the seven available ILC/Library Study Rooms were
booked by students for a total of 3,764 hours.
The Bu Hasa ILC attracted an average of 178 users per month. The highest daily average was recorded in February
(291 users). The shared ILC and library facility in the Arzanah building recorded a monthly average of 465 visitors per
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Advanced University Placement Department
Student Clubs and Activities
Arzanah Clubs
A number of clubs were organized this past year for the
women students to develop interest in the world around
them; to develop mind, body and soul in something they
truly enjoy doing. Mara Barrow is the faculty representative
for the Creativity Club, where the students
were encouraged to do something that they don’t have
time or the inclination to do on their own. This past semester
saw them organizing a student art exhibition for
the campus. Laura Lau’s Video Club encouraged the
women to use that creativity to make their own movies
from raw videos and incorporating sound and action
within their creations. Developing an awareness of the
serious world situation regarding global warming and
learning about other man-made problems that can happen
when the earth is not cared for was the purpose of
the Environment Club, run by Eurof Thomas.
day. The busiest month was October, when an average
of 701 daily visits by users were recorded.
The number of books and other materials checked out
of the ILC Bu Hasa in 2009 amounted to 747 items as
compared to 779 items borrowed from ILC Arzanah. The
most frequently borrowed items include bilingual (Arabic-English)
dictionaries, English language graded readers,
TOEFL and IELTS examination preparation books,
and English language feature films (DVDs).
As a service unit the ILC seeks to support the AUP Department
– and also the Program disciplines - in their
various initiatives. Activities to which the Learning Enhancement
Coordinator and the ILC staff members made
a significant contribution in 2009 have been described
elsewhere in this report.
The Las Señoras Book Club was organized by Janet
Olearski (ILC) and Vanessa Middleton (Library) who
worked with a team of Arzanah students to organize
the group. They met weekly on Thursday afternoons in
the Spring Semester to discuss books and reading. During
the spring, the women visited the Abu Dhabi International
Book Exhibition, where they attended a talk
by Zayed University Lecturer Peter Hassall introducing
the Facets of Emirati Women exhibition and its accompanying
book. To keep in touch, The Las Señoras blog,
Las Señoras Write On was set up and can be accessed
on http://lassenoras.wordpress.com
Lesson Study Project
Faculty across the Foundation disciplines (English,
Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics) participated in
a research study to improve professional development
through the use of a lesson study approach. The project,
Lesson Study: a Professional Development Approach
for University English Language, Science, and Mathematics
Teachers was part of Asli Hassan’s disserta-
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Advanced University Placement Department
tion research. The study provided an opportunity for
teachers from different disciplines to set common goals,
plan a research lesson, teach, observe each other, debrief,
revise, re-teach, and reflect. The focus of the study
was on the development of critical reflection on teaching
and learning during a collaborative investigation of
their practice.
Professional Development
Sessions
During 2009, the Petroleum Institute Across Foundation
Professional Development Committee led eleven
different professional development sessions. Five were
co-sponsored by the Petroleum Institute Centre for
Teaching Excellence. Professors from various PI departments,
faculty and staff from Glenelg School, and
faculty and staff from the Foundation Department (now
AUP) attended and participated in the various sessions.
Topics such as conceptual metaphors, how thinking in
Arabic can affect learning in English, assessment and
testing, gender in the Arab classroom, what students
do in chemistry labs, classroom management and discipline
- among others - were covered.
Across Foundation Professional Development
Committee Sessions
Session
Conceptual Metaphors
Using Lexical Tutor
Classroom Expectations
Glenelg School
Presenter
William Rindfleisch
Phil Cozens
Laura Lau & Richard Lau
Rashida Nachef
Assessment & Testing
Classroom Management
& Discipline
Special Events
Earth Day at the Petroleum
Institute
John Langille
Colin Toms
As the Gulf region’s foremost engineering university,
the Petroleum Institute took advantage of a timely global
event on 22 April 2009 by hosting a celebration of
International Earth Day. Being also a leading regional
energy forum, and sponsored by some of the world’s major
petroleum companies, the PI made an ideal venue
for discussing environmental issues and their impact on
future oil and gas projects.
An impressive consortium of speakers were invited and
Earth Day was officially opened by the UAE’s Minister
for Energy, His Excellency Mohamed bin Dhaen Al
Hamli. Exhibits were provided by select ADNOC operating
companies, national environmental groups and
by ADNOC’s partners – the PI’s corporate sponsors BP,
Shell, JODCO, and Total.
Among the speakers, several referred to the region’s
vulnerable environment. Dr. Hazem Abu Ahmad, leader
of ADNOC’s Environmental Protection Team, talked
about the company’s environmental progress; Habiba Al
Marashi, Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental
Group, discussed recycling and sustainability; ADCO’s
Senior Environmental Protection Advisor, Dr. Stephen
James, spoke on the importance of biodiversity and Sultan
Al Haji, Deputy General Manager of Total ABK, discussed
his company’s success in dugong conservation in
the waters of the Gulf.
Chemistry Lab Introduction
Thinking in Arabic, Learning
in English
Mary Ferguson,
Richard Tapper,
Mary McDermott
Wael El Sokkary
Masdar, the regional and global leader in the research
into a low-carbon and hydrogen-powered future, provided
two speakers. Dr. Isram Janajreh, visiting professor
from MIT and an expert on energy efficiency, explained
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Advanced University Placement Department
how gas produced from coal, biomass and industrial
waste can be used in combined-cycle power plants.
Bader Al Lamki, a project manager at Masdar, spoke
about the research into hydrogen technology being carried
out by the organization’s joint venture with BP and
Rio Tinto.
Samar Al Hameedi, an environmental engineer at Zadco,
discussed the importance of balancing business objectives
with corporate environmental commitment; Dr.
Zara Khatib, Shell’s Manager of Technology Marketing
& Deployment for the exploration and production business
(Middle East and South Asia region), spoke about
clean fossil fuels and her company’s CO2 strategy. Gayatri
Raghwa of the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi,
a seasoned campaigner on several environmental fronts,
focused attention on the twin priorities of civil planning
in the Gulf region: energy conservation and water conservation.
The success of Earth Day at the PI surely reflects a
growing regional awareness of how economic growth impinges
on our environment. Instrumental in organizing
the event were Eurof Thomas and Jamie Baird.
Earth Week (offered by the
Independent Learning Center)
Facets of Emirati Women Exhibition. Courtesy of
Zayed University, the ILC and the library hosted a
unique display of stories and photographs by Emirati
students in the foyer of the Arzanah Building. The
exhibition ran from Sunday 12 April to Tuesday 14
April, 2009.
Earth Words Competition 2009 To celebrate Earth
Week, Janet Olearski of the Independent Learning
Centre and the Library, in conjunction with Arzanah’s
Las Señoras Book Club, organized an Earth Words Competition
for the best Flash Fiction stories and poems.
Earth Words Workshops To help students gather
ideas for their Earth Words Competition Entry, Janet
Olearski (ILC) conducted three one-hour Earth Words
Writing Workshops on 13, 14 and 15 April, 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
ADNOC OASIS achievers’ summer
camp 2009
The ADNOC-sponsored OASIS Achievers’ Program was
conceived to offer ADNOC and its operating company employees,
employee dependants, and young members of
the general public the opportunity to spend their summer
months in the productive pursuit of enrichment in Science,
Mathematics, Computing, and Islamic Studies and gain
proficiency in the English language. This summer camp
setting was designed to be less formal than the school-year
classroom experience, embracing extra-curricular activities
including field trips, recreational activities, and independent
study.
Foundation English faculty and other qualified faculty and
staff, led by Constance Eide and including full ILC support,
undertook responsibility for the English language and
recreational components of the ADNOC OASIS Achievers’
Summer Camp, offered for six weeks – July 5-August
13 – for learners aged fourteen to eighteen. Fittingly, the
PI-managed English language summer program combined
science and computer laboratory experience with language
instruction in ESP (English for Specific Purposes). It helped
fulfill the PI’s commitment to ADNOC to foster scientific
research through the provision of a qualified national cadre
for the betterment of ADNOC’s mission to citizens of the
United Arab Emirates.
The summer camp also provided a well-planned recreational
program by collaborating with outside agencies to
offer innovative activities to entertain and stimulate creative
thinking. Activities included a program presented by
STEAM to engage participants in exercises across science,
technology, engineering, aerospace and math. Building and
programming a robot along with a Mars Imaging NASA
simulation project required a full day’s program for these
future engineers.
Another program, offered by TRUE, a Dubai-based leadership
training organization, involved tapping into the
right and left hemispheres of the brain to communicate,
to create and to solve problems. In a constantly changing
world, this experiential learning activity helped participants
develop an agile and open mind while creating a
team-inspired painting.
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Advanced University Placement Department
Glenelg SAT Instruction
A trip to Abu Dhabi Pottery
introduced students to the
techniques and the enjoyment
of working with clay. In
this city-centre studio, OASIS
Achievers produced ceramic
art which they were able to
take home after the firing process.
During the Spring 2009 Semester, English faculty offered
SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and PreSAT preparation
instruction to grade 10 and 11 students at the
Glenelg High School. SAT is a standardized college
admissions test used principally in the United States;
some secondary institutions outside the US see value in
having their students sit the test in order to help raise
their graduation credentials.
The SAT training involved working with content and test
strategies for the English portion of the test. The areas
of study included vocabulary building through sentence
completion and reading comprehension strategies. For
the grade 10 students, who would not be writing the SAT
proper for another year or so, instruction was limited to
preparation for the PreSAT, which is a condensed ver-
sion of the full test. The grade 11 students, on the other
hand, concentrated on preparation for the SAT proper.
Classes utilized both published SAT prep materials and
our own in-house activities and exercises.
Contributing to the Glenelg extracurricular courses has
allowed further professional development as well as
opening the door to further avenues of productive cooperation
between the PI and Glenelg.
Marketing Videos
A movie, The Foundation Program, was made to highlight
the courses available and to inform the public
about the unique curriculum offered at the PI. Another
movie, Electrical Engineering, was prepared to inform
students about what an electrical engineer does at AD-
NOC. The Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department
approved each step in the process of making this
movie as did Dr. Nadia Al Hasani who closely supervised
the production of Graduating with a Title, which
was made to inform students about what women were
doing in the engineering departments at the PI.
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Research Achievements
Individual research projects
Name Research Period Description of Research Project
Asli Hassan Fall 2008 – Spring 2009 Lesson Study: A Professional Development Approach for University
English Language, Mathematics, and Science Teachers.
The purpose of this study was to establish and analyze the impact of a
collaborative professional development program, the lesson study approach,
at the PI. The study examined the impact of cross-disciplinary
collaboration on teachers’ and students’ attitudes in the first-year,
Foundation Program (now AUP). The lesson study approach has been
identified as a means of bridging the professional expertise of teachers
across disciplines.
Constance Eide Fall 2008 – Spring 2009 Learner-Centered Vocabulary Development: Accelerating the Progress
of Second Language Learners
Striving to exemplify a variety of methodologies, this research highlights
the pursuit of specific procedures for vocabulary expansion designed
to maximize learner involvement and accelerate progress in language
acquisition tasks.
The address issue confronts the generically-structured activity-based
approaches of the past that distract learners from acquiring language
proficiency at their natural pace. Within the imposed outcomes-based
curriculum, this high-beginner level foundation course included a 24-
hour-per-week schedule for eighteen weeks. The focus of the study
was a 3-hour-per-week intensive lexico-grammatical learning strand
that incorporated a task-based integrated skills program.
Janet Olearski Spring 2009 The Reading of Contemporary Fiction as a Language Development Tool
A short-term study gathering statistical evidence of comparative male
and female fiction-reading interests (discourse types) and the stance
(efferent/aesthetic) adopted within an autonomous learning context.
The decision to establish an English language Contemporary Fiction
collection within the ILC will be guided by the results of this base-line
study.
Laura Lau & Constance
Eide
(in collaboration with
R. Lau and N. Al Hasani)
Spring 2009
Oilfield English Spoken Here ….a Tug-of-War in the Oil Patch
This research investigates the characterization of the highly educated
UAE work force as migrant workers by the UN because they came
to the UAE solely for employment purposes. For the most part, all will
return to their home countries when their tours of duty are concluded.
Calling these people Migrant workers, however, is jarring to many
people who label migrants as poor or un-educated workers brought
here to do all the unskilled labor in their host countries.
Because of the poor reception that most migrant workers receive,
we created and conducted a survey using Survey Monkey asking
students at the PI – Emiratis or children of the migrant workers – who
are migrants themselves how they felt about training together and
becoming future leaders of ADNOC.
A survey was completed by over 100 students and an abstract sent to
TESOL Quarterly was accepted. The research paper with the above
title was written and submitted to TESOL Quarterly in July 2009 upon
their request.
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Advanced University Placement Department
International Research Collaboration
TESOL ‘2009’ Denver “Using technology in the classroom”
Because of her extensive work with video in the classroom, Laura Lau was asked to participate in a workshop at
TESOL Denver, Colorado, March 26-28 in a new focus group for educators using video in the classroom. A group
of six teachers from Japan, the USA, China, Italy, Korea, and Abu Dhabi collaborated in a presentation at TESOL
2009 about ways to use video. This was an opportunity for these teachers to work together and share their combined
expertise. This group is still working together and plans to make another presentation at TESOL Boston in 2010.
Pending TESOL approval of this presentation, L. Lau will be delivering a workshop on how to download and edit
video clips.
This group was requested to submit chapters for a TESOL book edition. L. Lau submitted: A Case Study: Improving
Components of Oral Assessment through Video.
Presentations
AUP faculty were involved in 16 presentations during the academic year as follows:
TESOL Arabia, March 12 – 14, 2009, Dubai, U.A.E.
• P. Cozens, “Students as experts: online investigation tasks” IT Workshop.
• P. Cozens & H. Baba, “Museological musings”.
• H. Guefrachi, “Getting a presentation proposal accepted at conferences”.
• A. Hassan, “Learning styles of female Emirati engineering students”.
• L. Lau & R. Lau, “Gender issues in the Arab classroom”.
• L. Lau & R. Lau, “ESP in the content classroom”.
• W. Rindfleisch, A. Hassan, L. Robinson, & E. Bowery, “Critical thinking and succinct response in
EST”.
The 43rd Annual Convention (TESOL), March 26 – 28, 2009, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
• C. Eide, “Developing awareness through transcribing: the ‘noticing’ road less travelled”.
• A. Hassan, “Educating & understanding the refugee student from the Middle East”.
• A. Hassan, “Building a city guide for ESL students and refugee families”.
• L. Lau, “Using technology in assessment”
TESOL Arabia - Western Region Mini-Conference, February 14, 2009, Madinat Zayed, U.A.E.
• J. Knowling, “Extensive listening through Moodle”.
TESOL Arabia ESP Conference, February 21, 2009, Sharjah, U.A.E.
• P. Cozens (Featured Speaker), “How do we know what to teach?”
16th Middle East Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, March 15-18, 2009, Manama, Bahrain.
• L. Lau, “Student Engineers at Work”.
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TESOL Arabia – LI-SIG Mini-Conference, May 2, 2009, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
• C. Eide, “Developing awareness through transcribing: the ‘noticing’ road less travelled”.
• A. Hassan, “Lesson Study: a professional development approach for university English language, mathematics,
and science teachers.
• J. Knowling, “Two Excel Functions for tracking student work”.
Asia TEFL Conference, “August 2009, Bangkok, Thailand
• P. Cozens & J. Knowling, “Planting the Seeds of Learner Awareness”.
TESOL Arabia Sharjah Chapter Mini-Conference, November, 2009, Sharjah, U.A.E.
• P. Cozens, “Experiments as input for writing”.
• J. Knowling, “Radio Resources from the Internet for Listening and Speaking”.
• L. Robinson, “Using Dictogloss in the classroom”.
13th Annual CTELT Conference, November 20, 2009, Dubai, U.A.E.
• E. Friesen & J. Langille, “The Anatomy of Assessment”
Invited Presentations
Philip Cozens was a featured speaker at the TESOL Arabia ESP “English for the Workplace” Conference, February
21, 2009 at the University of Sharjah, where he addressed the question: “How Do We Know What to Teach?”
This presentation focused on the fact that sometimes what teachers feel that they need to be teaching is not always
what students feel they need.
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The Graduate School
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
DR. IOANNIS G. ECONOMOU, ASSOCIATE PROVOST
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The Graduate School
Program Director’s Summary
2009 has been an important year for graduate studies
at the PI. The first cohort of graduate students graduated
at the end of the fall semester. A total of 5 chemical
engineers successfully concluded their Master of
Engineering studies and returned to their OPCOs to
apply what they learned in class. At the same time,
five new Master of Science programs were initiated
during the fall semester. Finally in October, Dr. Ioannis
Economou joined the PI as the Associate Provost
for Graduate Studies and Professor of Chemical Engineering.
Graduate studies at the PI were initiated in the fall
semester 2007 with four programs offering a Master of
Engineering degree in the following disciplines:
• Chemical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering
Furthermore, in the fall semester 2009 five Master of
Science degrees were initiated in:
• Chemical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering
• Petroleum Geosciences
All graduate programs have received initial accreditation
by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research. The number of graduate students has increased
steadily from 39 in fall 2007 to 68 in fall 2009
with a projection to reach 100 students in the academic
year 2010 – 11. A significant number of these students
(16 in spring 2009) are working toward their Ph.D. degree
under the joint supervision of a PI faculty and a
faculty in one of the partner universities. As the PI does
not offer a Ph.D. degree yet, the degree will be awarded
by the partner university involved in each project.
Full-time graduate students are engaged in exciting
on-going research projects at the PI that combine fundamental
importance in engineering science with unprecedented
significance to ADNOC and OPCOs needs
toward solving major technological problems and ensuring
their future development.
The graduate student body is quite diverse: 1/3 of the
students are UAE nationals while 2/3 of them originate
from 23 different countries from Asia, Africa, Europe
and South America.
Changes, Accomplishments,
New Activities
In the fall semester 2009, the five new Master of Science
programs were launched (see above). As a result, graduate
students can now choose between an applicationsoriented
Master of Engineering degree or a more fundamentals-oriented
Master of Science degree. In addition,
Ph.D. students can work on their research project at the
PI under the joint supervision of a PI and a partner University
faculty. At the end of 2009, the distribution of
graduate students per department and degree was as
follows:
• Chemical Engineering: 10 Master and 3 Ph.D. students,
• Electrical Engineering: 14 Master and 2 Ph.D. students,
• Mechanical Engineering: 11 Master and 7 Ph.D.
students,
• Petroleum Engineering: 17 Master and 3 Ph.D. students,
• Petroleum Geosciences: 1 Ph.D. student.
The total enrollment in the PI graduate programs per
semester since inception in 2007 is shown in Figure 1. In
fall 2009, approximately 50 % of the graduate students
were part-time students. The majority of them attended
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The Graduate School
Figure 1. Graduate student enrollment
classes remotely using the e-learning infrastructure of
the PI.
The PI is in the process of developing new graduate
programs in Applied Sciences and Engineering disciplines,
in response to the needs of ADNOC and OPCOs
for highly qualified professionals. It is expected that in
the academic year 2010 – 11, two new M.Sc. programs
will be launched. Preparation of the Ph.D. program is
underway, with the aim to launch it officially in the academic
year 2011 – 12.
RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS
Graduate students are engaged in research projects under
the supervision of PI faculty. Several of the projects
are related to the international collaborations of the PI
with partner universities. More specifically, on-going
international collaborations where graduate students
are involved include:
• PI – Colorado School of Mines collaboration in the
areas of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences.
• Energy, Education and Research Collaboration
(EERC): It involves collaboration between the University
of Maryland at College Park and the PI, primarily
in Mechanical Engineering.
• Abu Dhabi – Minnesota Institute for Research Excellence
(ADMIRE): It involves mainly collaboration
between the Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science of the University of Minnesota
and the Department of Chemical Engineering
at the PI. In the immediate future, the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering soon to be established
at the PI will also be involved.
In all cases, graduate student involvement includes
short-term (summer) or longer-term visits to the partner
university.
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Office of Research
Office of Research
Dr. Karl Berteussen, Acting Director
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
112

Office of Research
Director’s Summary
The Research Department has been in start-up mode
during 2009 with only one employee, Dr. Karl Berteussen,
who started as Acting Director of Research in mid-
October 2008.
This year has been a year with significant growth in activity
connected to research; such as activity connected
to the coming PI Research Center, activity connected
to Goodwill Agreements, industry-sponsored projects,
projects with international universities and finally PI
internally-sponsored projects. Many of the ongoing activities
are connected to startup where we expect to see
final agreements during the coming year.
Presently the UAE is seeing a large growth in number
of universities, some of them set up by well-known foreign
universities. We believe that a PI Research Center
(PIRC) with a significant research activity of importance
for ADNOC and the energy industry of Abu Dhabi
will separate the PI from the main group of competitors.
Towards that end a large effort has been devoted to the
establishment of the PIRC. Together with the architect
firm (Page Southerland Page, (PSP)) intensive work sessions
have been run at the PI in addition to the continuous
ongoing activity. Participants from the ADNOC
group of companies including ADNOC Civil Projects as
well as PI faculty have been involved. The process is
progressing well and is at the moment in the detail design
phase.
The petroleum Institute is very privileged in that it has
ADNOC as its backing partner. In connection with Shah
Field development and the continuation of the GASCO
Joint venture we expect to see two goodwill contracts
signed early spring 2010. They are different in structure,
but each will ensure a research activity of 100 million
USD at the PI over a 10- and 20-year period respectively.
These will add 5 chair professor positions at the
PI. Clearly these will also help ensure a fast and professional
startup of the activity in the Research Center.
Based on research needs expressed by ADCO/ADNOC,
we also signed contracts in late 2009 with the University
of Texas and RICE University for studies of CO2
sequestration and storage. These are in addition to the
contracts we already have in place with a number of
other well-reputed universities. In addition to these
important new initiatives, we see a continuous growth
and improvement in the ongoing activity towards our
industry sponsors, our international cooperation partners
and internal projects. This is for example reflected
in a strong growth in research-active employees as well
as the number of published papers.
Description
The Research Department is responsible for the coordination
of external sponsored research, research with
cooperating institutions, award of startup funds for
internally-sponsored research as well as the ongoing
activities connected to the coming PI Research Center
(PIRC).
The Research Focus Areas at the Petroleum Institute are:
•z EOR and IOR
|| Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and improved oil
recovery (IOR) techniques with particular interest
in Carbonate reservoirs
|| Reservoir simulation techniques
| | CO and other gas injection methods for EOR
2
•z Petroleum Geology and Geophysics
|| Petroleum Geology and Geophysical methods
(including rock physics) for detection, description
and monitoring of Carbonate fields
•z Drilling Engineering
|| Drilling Engineering and Sciences
•z Material Science and Engineering
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Office of Research
•z
•z
•z
•z
|| Material Science and Engineering with particular
focus on corrosion and fatigue failure.
|| Catalyst Chemistry
|| Materials for high-stress environment
Separation Science and Engineering
|| Separation science and engineering with applications
to CO 2
and H 2
S separation from natural
gas
Energy sustainability, power quality, and smart
fields
|| Automation and controls with application to
smart field technologies
|| Energy audit, energy efficiency, and waste-heat
recovery techniques
|| Fuel cells with application in power production
|| Refining and catalysis
Applied Mathematics and Computer Science
|| Computational and analytical mathematics with
applications in reservoir modeling and other energy-related
areas
Teaching Excellence Techniques
activities and Development
The PI Research Center (PIRC)
The establishment of this Research Center has been the
main activity. The original project direction originated
from several meetings and workshops held in 2006 and
2007. In a series of meetings and discussions, leadership
from the PI and ADNOC in concert with ExxonMobil
(lead strategic advisor) we arrived at:
|| the vision statement
|| the mission statement
|| the primary customer list
|| a large list of projects needed and
|| a condensed list of business research needs
During the summer of 2008 the activity connected to
the Research Center was re-initiated. The established
vision is to become “a world-recognized Research Center
focused on the energy industry of Abu Dhabi”.
The Mission is two-fold:
|| Conduct leading-edge research and develop technologies
to improve ultimate economic exploitation of
hydrocarbons from the reservoirs of Abu Dhabi
||
Develop world-class faculty, staff, and students to
benefit the ADNOC group and the Abu Dhabi energy
industry
Based on a series of meetings with our sponsors (AD-
NOC) we ended up with a list of around 80 projects.
This was then compressed into the following list of Business,
Science and Technology Needs:
1. Find new hydrocarbon resources for ADNOC through
new exploration plays and innovative technologies
2. Improve subsurface imaging and characterization
through reflection seismology and innovative geophysical
methods
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Office of Research
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Increase ultimate recovery by improving reservoir
characterization, monitoring, and production technologies
Improve well-life cycle performance through advanced
drilling and well-integrity technologies
Maximize well-life time deliverability through advanced
completions and stimulation
Develop new technologies for improved gas and
chemical processing
Develop innovative alternative energy solutions for
the petroleum industry
Develop innovative techniques for the design, analysis,
optimization, and testing of power and energy
systems and components for the petroleum industry
Develop and implement novel methods to improve
control systems, signal processing, instrumentation,
and automation for the petroleum industry
10. Identify and solve environmental issues within the
petroleum industry
11. Exploit materials science and engineering solutions
to problems in the petroleum industry
12. Devise advanced computational methods and models
for petroleum industry applications
When the activity around the PIRC was re-started in
the summer of 2008 an additional recommendation from
ADNOC was that initially the main focus should be on
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).
The main events of the last year have been:
|| February 2009: A group from ADNOC head office,
ADNOC civil projects and PI went to the US. In addition
to discussions with PSP the group visited the
labs of ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and the University
of Texas at Dallas.
|| May 2009: Second Phase of planning took place during
a two-week design workshop at the PI by a visiting
team from PSP.
|| August 2009: One -week workshop at the PI with a
visiting team from PSP. These meetings where focused
on basic technical alternatives for the building
and mainly concerned ADNOC civil projects.
|| December 2009: Acceptance of schematic design.
Detailed design for tendering late 2009.
During lab planning, participants were introduced to
recent innovations in research laboratory buildings in
terms of flexibility, modularity, efficiency, and collaboration.
These principles are being employed in the laboratory
planning of the PIRC which will be designed to
accommodate PIRC current and planned research while
maintaining flexibility for reconfiguration for future,
unforeseen research initiatives: the key words being
“Flexibility” and “Phased Construction”.
Through the whole process there have been continuous
discussions with the architects. Presently the detailed
design is out for tender.
The PIRC facility will be located on the existing Petroleum
Institute campus.
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Office of Research
Goodwill agreements
GASCO Joint Venture
Connected to the GASCO Joint venture (Shell, Total, Partex),
there is a goodwill agreement that ensures 5 million
USD per year over 20 years for research at the PI. This
will be organized under an entity Gas Research Center
(GRC) that is planned to be housed in the PI Research
Center. This R&D Program is expected to cover themes
of strategic importance to GASCO for the processing and
production of natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well
as to ADNOC. The mission is to:
|| develop people and new technologies through applied
research and development
|| provide training in technical disciplines relevant to
the processing of natural gases and natural gas liquids
|| make the GRC a fully operational centre of excellence
within the PI, operating in close cooperation
with other UAE universities, and contributing
through concrete solutions to the safe and efficient
operation of GASCO and possibly other ADNOC operating
companies.
This agreement will support 4 chair professors at the PI.
SHAH Field
In connection with the Shah Field agreement Conoco-
Phillips (COP) is committed to using 10 million USD per
year over 10 years for research in Abu Dhabi. The mission
is to:
|| develop people and technology through research
|| provide development and training in technical disciplines
relevant to sour gas fields in Abu Dhabi
|| develop and validate new technologies and best practices
specifically relevant to enhancing the safety and
efficiency of Opco (the Shah Field JV)
||
create new technology that may significantly im-
prove the development of sour gas fields and enhanced
oil recovery
|| establish and develop a technology center within
the PI as a fully-operational world-class center of
excellence
|| cooperate with ADNOC, PI and Opco in the development
of Emirati students and staff.
This agreement will support one chair professor for the
PI.
Both of these goodwill contracts have taken a large
number of meetings and discussion and are expected to
be finalized early spring 2010.
We expect these goodwill agreements to be of immense
importance in ensuring a rapid buildup of a world-class
Research Center. For both of the agreements we hope
to be able to have early startups, i.e. before the PIRC
building is finished.
Ongoing research
activity at the PI:
Industrial sponsor activity
The largest part of the research activity towards our Industrial
sponsors within ADNOC is coordinated under
two groups: the Research & Development Oil-Subcommittee
and the Research & Development Gas-Subcommittee
respectively:
Projects under the Research
& Development Oil-Subcommittee:
Project: Production Chemistry
Selected sub-projects
1.
Scale mitigation through application of physical
fields
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Office of Research
2.
3.
Developing high potential and green scale inhibitors
for carbonate and sulfate scaling
Scale inhibitor injection through chemical injection
valve via lift gas system – Start-up
Activity comments
Two abstracts sent to International conferences on
the work done so far on scale inhibition
Six PI Students are involved in scale research
Analysis of produced water and scale samples from
ZADCO and ADCO in progress
Working on a high potential scale inhibitor for
sulphate scale
Project: Reservoir Characterization
and Modeling
Selected sub-projects
1.
2.
Outcrops analogy Project (PI and Vrije University /
The Netherlands) - Completed
Gravity modeling project (PI and Keele University /
UK) - Completed
5 students participated in the project activities
Project: Advanced Geophysical Technologies
in Carbonates
Selected sub-projects
1. Rock Physics Model for Fluid Substitution in Carbonates
2.
3.
Multimode seismic data for reservoir description
Passive Microseismic and Advanced Gravimetric
Monitoring of Reservoirs for Enhanced Hydrocarbon
Production Physics Model for Fluid Substitution in
Carbonates
Activity comments
Several presentations at international meetings
1 Provisional patent application filed
Several students involved in work and external
presentations
Projects under the Research &
Development Gas-Subcommittee:
3.
4.
5.
Seal faults, fractures & fault mineralization in carbonate
rocks (PI and Uppsala University)
Phase 1: Jabal Hafit - Completed
Phase 2: Cretaceous carbonate reservoir vs.
Jabal Hafit
Seismic modeling of fractured carbonate reservoirs
(PI and Oxford University / UK) – Ongoing
The impact of diagenesis on the spatial and temporal
distribution of reservoir quality in Arab C and
D Formation (Jurassic), the Umm Shaif Field, UAE
– Started
Project: Removal of Sulfur Compounds
from Process Gas Streams
Discovered sorbents that work about four times better
than conventional sorbents
One research associate and one PI student recruited to
increase research output.
One paper abstract submitted
Project: Improved Performance of Gas
Sweetening Processes
One Research Associate and two PI students recruited
to increase research output
Activity comments
6 published papers in international journals and
conferences such as GeoArabia, Geophysics, AAPG,
GEO, EGU
Project: Solar Energy Application to
ADNOC Industrial Facilities
Three members have been recruited for the Project.
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Office of Research
Partner Institution Projects
The PI has entered into cooperation with several wellknown
universities:
Partner Institution Projects:
University of Maryland
Presently 12 projects ongoing.
Research areas:
PROCESS CONTROL, OPTIMIZATION, and RE-
LIABILITY
Robust Optimization of Petrochemical Systems
Dynamics and Control of Drill Strings on Fixed and
Floating Platforms
Development of a Probabilistic Model for Degradation
Effects of Corrosion Fatigue-Cracking in Oil
and Gas Pipelines
ENERGY RECOVERY and UTILIZATION
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for CO Capture and Enhanced
Oil
2
Recovery
Sulfur Recovery from Gas Stream using Flameless
and Flame Combustion Reactor
Waste Heat Utilization in the Petroleum Industry
HEAT EXCHANGERS AND ADVANCED ENERGY
SYSTEMS
Thermally-Enhanced Polymer Heat Exchanger for
Seawater Applications
An EHD-Enhanced Gas/Liquid Separator
Force-Fed Cooling of Photovoltaic Arrays for High
Efficiency Solar Energy Conversion Systems
Study of Condensing Flows in a Micro-scale Channel
with a Micro-element Array and Visual Techniques
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Development and Delivery of Course Material for
Engineering Project Management Courses
Fundamentals of Engineering Education
International Student Exchange Initiative
Research Projects EERC
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Development of a Wall Thickness Inspection Robot
for Oil Tanks
Development of a Database of Mechanistic Models
of Failure for Application to Pipeline and Equipment
Risk, Reliability and Health Management
Microreactors for Oil and Gas Processes using Microchannel
Technologies
Microchannel Technologies and an EHD Separation
Technique for Natural Gas Sweetening and Filtration
of Contaminants
Waste Heat Utilization in the Oil & Gas Industry
Integrated Product/Process Design of Polymer Seawater
Heat Exchangers
Development and Demonstration of Solid Oxide
Fuel Cell Systems for Operation on Petroleum Offgases
with Contaminants
High-Efficiency Solar Cooling
Enhanced Sulfur Recovery from Acid Gas Using
High Temperature Air Combustion Technology
10. Dynamics and Control of Drill Strings on Fixed and
Floating Platforms
11. Robust Optimization of Petrochemical Systems: Integrating
Engineering and Business Decisions
12. Design of Corporate Dashboards for Multi-Organizational
Enterprises
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
118

Office of Research
Partner Institution Projects:
Colorado School of Mines
Presently 9 projects ongoing
Research areas:
CARBONATE RESERVOIRS (PGE and PE)
8.
9.
cible displacement to improve production from fractured
reservoirs
Use of horizontal wells to improve pattern water
floods in fractured carbonate reservoirs
Integrated Carbonate Reservoir Characterization
Characterization and simulation
Sensitivity of seismic properties
Analysis of seismic data
Partner Institution Projects:
PI – LEOBEN / LINZ RESEARCH
Presently 3 projects ongoing
Optimization of displacement to improve production
Use of horizontal wells to improve water floods patterns
ELIMINATION OF THE EFFECT OF AGGRES-
SIVE MEDIA (ChE)
Minimizing corrosion of petrochemical production
equipment in aggressive media (H 2
S, CO 2
)
Gas – solid reaction studies
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE (A&S / ME)
Engineering design education across cultures
Center of Teaching Excellence at the PI
Project list:
1. Characterization and simulation of Abu Dhabi fractured
carbonate reservoirs
2. Fluid sensitivity of seismic properties in carbonate
reservoirs
3. Analyzing multi-component seismic data from carbonate
reservoirs
4. Preparing global engineers: Engineering design education
across cultures
5. Gas-Solid Reaction Studies
6. CSM Center for Wave Phenomena (CWP) Consortium
7. Selection and optimalization of miscible and immis-
Research areas:
NANOCOMPOSITES
Melamine – Graphite nanocomposites (U. Linz)
Polyolefin – Graphite (U. Leoben / Borealis)
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FIBER REIN-
FORCED PLASTICS
BEHAVIOUR OF PLASTICS UNDER GULF
WORKING ENVIRONMENTS
Partner Institution Projects:
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT MÜNCHEN
(TUM)
Research areas:
CATALYSIS
INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY
Partner Institution Projects:
PI / University of Minnesota
Research areas:
Catalytic Removal of Sulfur from Process Gas
Catalytic Alkane Metathesis
Coatings for Catalytic and Photo-catalytic Processes
Simulation, Optimization and Control of Solid Oxide
Fuel Cell System
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Office of Research
Polymeric Membranes for Advanced Process Engineering
University of Miami Cooperative Rock Properties
Project Start-ups
Graphene/Polymer Composites
Applications of Shell Theory to Interpret Compac-
Synthesis and Processing of Functionalized Polyolefin
tions Trends, Experimental Data and Well log
signals in Carbonate Sediments
StreamsIRG4.1 Processing Improved Microstruc-
Materials degradation studies
tures for the Energy Industry
Polymer investigations
PI Internally Sponsored Projects
Defining the Competence Needs of PI students in
English Communication (Phase 3)
These are typically start-up projects for new faculty.
Presently the following projects are ongoing:
Study of power quality problems and design of
active filters to improve power quality of variable
speed
Improving the performance of high power drives
to increase the plant capacity in ADNOC group of
companies
Condition monitoring and asset management of
distribution cables
Neural network modeling of Solar Energy Technologies
for EOR
Pipeline inner surface inspection and Failure Prevention
Borehole collapse and Hollow Cylinder Tests on
Rock Samples
Non-political Reform: Islam and Modernity
An Adaptive Low Cost in Situ Processing of Hydrocarbon-bearing
Formations with Reconfigurable
Frequency Heating
Econometric Analysis of the readiness of GCC
Countries for a Currency Union
PI Research Project for ADNOC
ADNOC via ADCO in cooperation with MASDAR are
intending to try to use CO 2
for EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery).
This will require a large amount of research on
several topics. The PI is the research arm and we have
recently (Late December) signed large contracts with
both the University of Texas and the RICE university.
We expect these projects also to include contracts with
other universities.
Diagenesis of Triassic carbonate successions from
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE: evidence from field studies
Outcrop analogue study and chronostratigraphy of
the Mishrif Formation, phase I
Integrated Carbonate reservoir characterization
(CSM)
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
120

Health, Safety and Environment Department
Health, Safety and
Environment Department
Dr. Clarence Rodrigues, HSE Manager
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Health, Safety and Environment Department
PI HSE REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2009
HSE at the Petroleum Institute has made significant
progress during 2009 with the unflagging involvement
and support of the PI community. In light of this, the
PIHSE Council has done an outstanding job recommending,
reviewing and evaluating HSE initiatives and supporting
the HSE department in all its flagship endeavors.
The lively interest of many individuals from the PI
family in HSE’s initiatives laid the groundwork for HSE
to monitor various hazardous conditions, distribute
HSE brochures/articles of interest to the PI community,
offer safety advisories on a number of crucial issues focused
on campus safety, elicit PI wide participation in
HSE training sessions, groom volunteers for the role of
fire marshals. All of these attest to the increased awareness
among the PI community for HSE’s role and its
well informed approach to issues of health, safety and
environment. We at HSE hope that with the unwavering
involvement from one and all in the PI community,
we can move from strength to strength and from success
to success in the years to come.
HSE TEAM/COUNCIL
We are pleased to welcome Mila Prce who has recently
joined the HSE team. The PI HSE Council has witnessed
a steady expansion of membership in 2009. Dr.
Cornelis Peters, Chairman & Distinguished Professor of
Chemical Engineering replaced Dr. Bruce Palmer from
Chemical Engineering, who left the PI in June 2009 to
pursue other interests. Further to this, the HSE council
is pleased to welcome its new members: Mr. Mohammed
Ismail, Director of Student Affairs, and El Wathig
Omer, Medical Services Assistant. Members continuing
their term on the council include Dr. Nadia al-Hasani,
Mr. Aws Khanfar, Dr. Clarence Rodrigues, Dr. Paul
Rostron, and Dr. John Williams. (**Please refer to the
HSE website for additional information on the Council
members.)
HSE HIGHLIGHTS
The HSE accomplished many achievements during
2009. Some of the highlights were:
•z Playing host to H.E. Mohamed bin Dha’en Al Hamili,
the Minister of Energy (who cut the ribbon to open
events on Earth Day).
•z Completing the HVAC redesign project at Arzahah
so as to enable the fume hoods to work properly.
•z Winning ADNOC’s Annual HSE runner-up award
and having HSE’s team picture appear in the Gulf
News.
•z Obtaining site registration from the Radiation Protection
and Control Department (RPCD) of UAE
that will enable PI to order and use low-level radioactive
materials.
•z Restricting the occurrence of H1N1 to just one incidence.
•z Shipping the first ever batch of hazardous waste
from PI for disposal.
•z Hosting Basil Shaaban the formula 3 driver (and
UN youth ambassador for road safety) sponsored by
Shell who discussed safe driving techniques and the
importance of seat belt use with our students.
•z Securing a grant from the Emirates foundation
titled “A comprehensive education and awareness
program for carbon foot print reduction”
•z Cost savings of 837,833 AED in utility bills by reducing
HVAC energy consumption through building
temperature adjustments.
HEALTH INITIATIVES
HSE showcased two major undertakings directed at
swine flu prevention and obesity management. Using a
proactive preventative approach coupled with sufficient
good fortune, the HSE was able to restrict the occurrence
of swine flu to only one incidence. (**Please visit
\\pi-fp1\Shared\HSE_Resources\Archive\Health\
H1N1 for further information.)
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Health, Safety and Environment Department
Given the far-reaching health risks that obesity poses, HSE used its well-informed expertise to signpost the hazards
of obesity and facilitate its eradication in the PI through poster and interactive campaigns.
A flow chart of PI’s approach to obesity management as spearheaded by the HSE is shown below.
Blood pressure Diabetes Obesity Management
Diabetes
Dental Check-up
Semester I:
Jan – June 2009
Semester II:
July – Dec 2009
Vision check-up
Blood donation
Nutrition lectures
Breast Cancer Check-up
Obesity Management
The following information deemed vital by HSE was made available for free
circulation among the PI community.
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse
effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Body mass index
(BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their
BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2. Obesity leads to several
other complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, which is a cause for concern in UAE, according
to Ministry of Health statistics. More than half of children in the UAE are obese and in danger of developing Type
2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease unless urgent action is taken (http://www.arabianbusiness.com/570572-
obesity-sets-the-uae-on-the-path-to-future-chronic-disease-epidemic-)
Initiating other Health Related Activities
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Blood pressure and diabetes check-ups were organized for the students and employees on 19th and 20th of
April and 17th to 25th of Nov 2009.
BMI testing and evaluation was conducted on 19th and 20th of April, 2009.
Dental check-ups were organized on Oct 28th, 2009.
An opportunity to test vision was well utilized by the PI community from 19th to 23rd April, 2009.
Breast cancer check-ups were conducted at Arzanah on Oct 28th 2009, thanks to Dr. Nadia and her team.
Blood donation campaign was organized at PI from 21st to 23rd April 2009. The motto was “Give Blood, Give
Life”. The giving was generous but we can do better the next time.
A lecture on nutrition was delivered at Arzanah, on 7th April, 2009.
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Health, Safety and Environment Department
SAFETY INITIATIVES
Arzanah HVAC modification/redesign
A major redesign of Arzanah’s HVAC system was undertaken
(by ADNOC CPD) to provide adequate makeup
air for the laboratory fume hoods. This was a major
HSE improvement as it would enable hazardous experiments
to be conducted safely. This modification lasted
almost 7 months. Daily HSE and GSD inspections and
periodic project reviews were conducted to ensure that
the modifications were done correctly and safely.
Panic Bars
A project is underway to fit all external building exit
doors with panic bars. Doors fitted with panic bars can
be operated so as to prevent unauthorised entry into a
building while permitting escape to the outside at anytime
from inside the building. Doors in Bu Haasa and
Ruwais buildings have been completed to-date.
Gas Cylinder Storage
The external gas cylinder storage room in Bu Haasa
was modified with GSD’s assistance to permit securing
of cylinders. In addition, ventilation was enhanced and
segregation according to compatibility was implemented.
In addition, sensors for critical and toxic gases (ex.
H2S) were installed together with appropriate warning
signs.
Fire Safety
•
Emergency evacuation route drawings were developed
and posted for each room in all the 6 academic
buildings.
• Fire marshals were delegated and allocated for each
floor in each of the 6 academic buildings and the student
hostels.
• Inventory of fire elements (smoke detectors, fire extinguishers,
alarm activation points etc.) have been
established and plotted on drawings. This will permit
better tracking for maintenance and replacement
and to determine adequacy. The 5 academic
buildings on the main campus have been completed
to-date.
• Updated assembly point locations for hostels were
established. Sign boards are under preparation for
installation.
• Fire drills were run for every building during the
Fall and Spring semesters. Results of evacuation
times on the fire drills conducted during the Fall semester
were:
• Zarkuh: 7 minutes
• Umm Shaif: 6 minutes
• Bu Hasa: 9 minutes
• Habshan: 5 minutes
• Ruwais: 10 minutes
• Arzanah: 10 minutes
Lab Inspection
The HSE has inspected 48 labs so far. At this stage,
these inspections are intended to be advisory in nature
and to develop an understanding of major issues that require
special attention. The HSE team will be working
with the respective departments to help address identified
deficiencies.
Campus Traffic Safety
Improper parking and speeding on campus has been
a major concern. Inappropriate parking can prevent
emergency vehicles from reaching required destinations
and speeding can be very dangerous. In view of this,
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Health, Safety and Environment Department
a parking permit system has been implemented since
October 4th 2009 as a first step towards implementing
campus traffic best practices. Identification of vehicles
through the permit system would enable enforcement of
parking rules. Although a lot needs to be done in this
area, HSE fervently hopes that with cooperation from
the PI community the traffic issues (especially parking)
should ease over time.
Parking lot enhancements (paving) outside Arzanah
have also been planned. This should relieve traffic congestion
considerably and improve overall safety at the
building entrance.
MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES
•z PI’s HSE mission, vision, overall policy, and the PI
HSE Council’s charter was approved and signed off
by the PI governing board in January, 2009.
•z Policies that were developed and awaiting final signature
are: hazardous materials purchase, use, storage
and disposal; fire emergency evacuation; new
and expecting mothers working in laboratories; campus
traffic safety; PI bus transportation; and wild
animal/pets policy.
•z An incident and accident reporting (HSE helpdesk)
and an HSE investigation system were established.
•z A budget was established for HSE to include capital
improvements, operating expenses and staff development.
•z The HSE Website was made fully functional
•z Co-taught an undergraduate HSE academic course
in Fall 2009 (PEEG 359).
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Hazardous Waste (HW) Disposal
PI has been accumulating HW since it was established
in 2001. A hazardous chemical waste (solids and liquids)
inventory was developed which totalled 0.126 tonnes.
Disposal clearances and procedures for shipment of this
waste to the new BeAAT facility are being finalized.
Ordering and Use of Radioactive Material
(RAM)
With the assistance of ADNOC-HSE, PI is now able to
order and use low-level radioactive materials (Am-241)
used in laboratory detection and measuring instruments.
PI obtained registration with the radiation protection
and control department (RPCD) of UAE and outlined
below are the steps involved in the procurement
process. As the process is quite involved and requires
a long lead time, the PI HSE department will oversee
the various procedures and related forms before ordering
any RAM with a view to facilitating better planning
and coordination.
Protecting the Ozone Layer
On October 28th, Gayatri Raghwa, Environmental Specialist
from the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, delivered
a presentation on the need to protect the Ozone
Layer. This was organized by PI’s Environmental Club
under the auspices of the HSE.
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Health, Safety and Environment Department
SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE
CONSERVATION
Sustainable development and protecting the environment
has featured prominently in ADNOC’s commitment
and policy statement on Health, Safety and Environment.
To demonstrate its seriousness and commitment
to these statements, ADNOC now (as of 2008) requires
the group companies to report on climate change data
to include energy use and carbon footprint, for inclusion
in the Company’s annual HSE news letter. The PI initiated
its energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction
program in 2008, which HSE hopes to optimize in
the years to come.
ADNOC HSE Runner-up award
PI received ADNOC’s 2008 Annual HSE runner-up
award (received in 2009) for initiating an energy conservation
and carbon footprint reduction program in
which it outlined a method for calculating PI’s carbon
footprint, identified major areas for cost reduction and
recommended strategies for reducing PI’s carbon footprint.
The second part of the program called for executing
strategies indentified in the first part of the program
and listed below are some highlights of PI’s Energy Conservation
and Carbon Footprint Reduction Program undertaken
during 2009.
Temperature Adjustments for HVAC
Energy Consumption Reduction
Building temperatures were adjusted for peak and offpeak
hours to minimize HVAC energy consumption
while not compromising on comfort. In this case study,
it was decided to maintain building temperatures for
the 6 main buildings on campus at 23o C during business
hours. In addition, temperatures were raised to
28o C after business (off-peak) hours. All temperature
sensitive areas (ex. library, some labs) were excluded
from this initiative. In the hostel rooms, temperatures
we maintained at 28o C when there was no occupancy.
This project reduced energy consumption by 23.7 % and
generated cost savings of 837,833 AED.
Lighting and Luminary Analysis -
Energy savings through effective
lighting
This activity was an analysis of the lighting systems,
to determine wasteful/inefficient lighting and calculate
potential savings. Highlights of the study that will be
implemented in 2010 included:
•z replacing high watt halogen bulbs with energy saver
bulbs
•z reducing the number of bulbs within a luminary
without compromising lighting quality
•z installing timers and motion sensors where appropriate
•z removing existing motion sensors that have the net
effect of keeping lights on in areas well it by natural
light.
Water Conservation
Filter bush replacement for a water conservation project
was completed in December, 2009. This was intended
to reduce the flow of water through fixtures, while
maintaining the same pressure. A significant reduction
in water consumption is expected.
Education and Awareness
The Petroleum Institute celebrated its first HSE & Energy
Sustainability Week, on April 19-23, 2009 in order
to raise awareness to the nation’s future generations.
The event was a great success, attracting distinguished
guests led by H.E. Mohamed Bin Dha’en Al Hamili, the
Minister of Energy (who cut the ribbon to open events
on Earth Day) and H.E. Yousef Omeir Bin Yousef, AD-
NOC’s CEO and Chairman of the Board of PI. Other
guests and visitors included representatives from the
various concerned ministries and ADNOC’s operating
companies, and students from other institutions such as
ATI and Glenelg High School of Abu Dhabi, who partici-
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126

Health, Safety and Environment Department
pated in many of the events that were conducted across
campus. Most of these activities were undertaken by the
PI students in the Bu Hasa, Zarkuh and Arzanah buildings.
Throughout the campus, students, staff, faculty
and guest contributors/exhibitors worked hard to bring
about a vibrant intellectual and caring atmosphere deserving
of a leading higher education institution.
Energy Conservation and Carbon
Footprint Reduction Committee (PI-
ECCFRC)
In May 2009, an Energy Conservation and Carbon Footprint
Reduction Committee (PI-ECCFRC) was established
to target PI’s carbon footprint on several fronts.
Sample activities included recycling initiatives, shutting
down computers after hours, reducing paper usage,
planning and conducting awareness workshops, and
research on harnessing solar energy. Current members
are Dr. Caroline Anne Brandt, Vicky Nelson, Dr. Robert
Craig, Mahmood Shehada, Susanne Herrmann, Dr.
Lana El Chaar, Amer Abdulhadi Salmeh (Student President-PI
Environmental Club) and Abdul Lateef Khan.
TRAINING INITIATIVES
Basic Laboratory Safety
One hour session of basic laboratory safety was organized
for the laboratory engineers.
HSE safety training
This was a three hour session where the participants
had a practical demo on respiratory protection and respirator
fit testing. This session was open to all lab engineers/technicians,
research associates/assistants, and
especially those dealing with (or are likely to deal with)
H2S research.
Emergency Medical Response for
Adults in the Workplace
ADNOC Health and Safety Solution Training Centre
conducted two sessions of three day training on “Emergency
Medical Response for Adults in the Workplace”.
Fire Safety and Emergency Evacuation
- Level II
Two sessions of the training were organized on October
28th which demonstrated “hands-on” use of fire extinguishers.
Each session accommodated 10 participants.
First preference was given to those who have completed
the Fire Safety and Emergency Evacuation - Level I
training.
Fire Marshall Training
Theory and hands-on demos was given to approximately
50% of the fire marshals.
Road Safety and the Seat Belt Convincer.
PI hosted Basil Shaaban, the Formula 3 driver (and UN
youth ambassador for road safety), sponsored by Shell
who discussed safe driving techniques and the importance
of seat belt use with our students.
OVERSIGHT OF CONTRACTORS
The following measures were undertaken to ensure that
contractors conducted safe operations on PI premises:
•z Several fire alarms were activated falsely due to action
from some of our contractors. As a result contractor
employees were required to attend PIs fire
safety training.
•z Food Safety and HACCP training was conducted for
a contractor after a major food contamination incident.
•z Contractors observed working at heights without
adequate fall protection were stopped and allowed
to resume work only after adequate fall protection
procedures were in place. In another case (external
windows cleaning project) PI HSE and GSD representatives
reviewed the contractor’s work procedures
(including fall protection) before the work was
allowed to commence.
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Health, Safety and Environment Department
ACADEMIC INITIATIVES
Masters Programme in HSE Engineering
HSE is in the process of developing a Masters programme
in HSE Engineering. This process started in
February 2009 with a needs survey that was administered
to the OPCOS and an analysis of HSE job offerings
in the news papers. The program and courses
were then developed and processed through the graduate
curriculum committee, the academic management
committee and the Provost’s office as part of the internal
approval procedure. Final board approval was then
secured in January, 2010. As a final step, a proposal is
being prepared for submission to the UAE’s ministry of
education. Dr. Mohammed Haroun from Petroleum Engineering
contributed significantly with course and program
development efforts. Other individuals who have
contributed to this effort are Dr. Mohan Rao, Dr Seibi,
Dr. Haytham Mahmoud and Dr. John Chai. Several other
individuals have expressed interest in contributing to
this inter-disciplinary program of considerable interest
to the OPCOs.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
1. Several categories of recognition awards were initiated
for involvement and contribution to HSE at PI.
PI 2009 HSE person of the year award for outstanding
contribution to HSE was awarded to Dr. Paul
Rostron at the graduation ceremony.
2. Spring 09. Afshha Ahmed won the HSE staff of the
year award and Muhammed Abdul Rahman and
Sheikh Mohammad Ali received runners-up recognition.
Shari Corbin was awarded an HSE support
category award for her continuous and consistent
support of HSE initiatives.
3. Fall 09. Aws Khanfar received the semester recognition
award for implementation of the panic bars
project mentioned earlier. Ibrahim Abu Wishah
received a special recognition for his efforts getting
students involved with HSE. Sabna Khadar
received recognition for most number of useful and
valid submissions.
Emirates Foundation Grant Award
The PI applied for and secured a grant titled “A comprehensive
education and awareness program for carbon
foot print reduction”. The grant is to develop a web based
interactive program for students and staff working and
studying at the Petroleum Institute to measure the carbon
emission arising from their day to day activities.
We are hoping to get many volunteers to participate in
this fun initiative. In addition, the Emirates Foundation
supported 6 Emirati students and 1 supervisor from PI
to attend the 2010 Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. The
support covered conference fees registration payment.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
128

Library
Library
mr. john Rogan, head librarian
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Library
Head Librarian’s
Summary
The Library was pleased to be recognized for its development
by the Visiting Committee of the Commission for
Academic Accreditation of the Ministry of Higher Education
and Scientific Research of the UAE in its review
of the undergraduate programs. Among other points
the Committee stated “The PI should be commended for
significant improvements to the library since the initial
accreditation of its programs.” This is a reflection of the
hard work put in by all the Library staff to make the PI
Library one of the premier petroleum-related libraries
in the region.
Our present preferred book vendor contract expired in
October 2009. This method of acquiring books has proved
to be extremely successful as the dramatic growth in the
collection shows. Following an exhaustive examination
of proposals from new possible vendors, in cooperation
with ADNOC Procurement Services it is hoped that a
new contract will be awarded in the new year.
Brief Department
Description, Organization
and Roles
One of the objectives of the Library is to offer a standard
of collections and services comparable to any equivalent
library in North America or other advanced countries.
To that end the Library follows internationally accepted
cataloguing and classification standards.
The Library is set up on traditional academic library
lines. A Head Librarian is responsible for the overall
management of the Library with two main departments,
a Resources Management Department (back of
house) responsible for the acquiring and organizing of
the Library’s resources, both print and electronic, and
an Information Services department (front of house)
responsible for all aspects of access and utilization of
those resources.
New Staff
Inger Krueger, Information
Services Librarian, joined in August
2009. She earned her Bachelor’s
degree from Boston University
and a Masters in library
and information science from
Dominican University. She joins
the PI after working as the Public Services Librarian
at Paul Smith College in northern New York. While at
Paul Smith’s College Library she worked extensively in
the information literacy program. Inger also did graduate
work at UOP, a petrochemical subsidiary of Honeywell.
Inger strengthens our public library services,
particularly for Arzanah, and our increased outreach to
support research at the PI.
New Accomplishments and
Development
The Libraries have been actively engaged in strategic
planning during this academic year. The intended outcome
is to establish Petroleum Institute Libraries as a
national asset, by harnessing the power of knowledge
to contribute to the development of United Arab Emirates
society. Our mission is to be an integral partner in
innovative research, knowledge discovery and scholarly
activities.
Strategic Initiative I: Enhance collections
and information resources to
support and advance quality education
and research programs.
Information Services
Our circulation remains steady while students’ usage
of the print collection is significantly higher than faculty.
Our Interlibrary Loan service has significantly
increased as well. We are now working with the British
Library to provide books that are unavailable within
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
130

Library
our regional network of lending institutions. The library
is developing a special map collection that will
be useful for geosciences and geological research.
Resources Management
Acquisitions
The 3rd year of the preferred vendor agreement with
YBP for books and other non-periodicals finished
on 10th Oct 2009. However for the year 2009 orders
were placed for 8,003 items at an estimated cost of
$1,001,919.13 (AED 3,677,043.20). For the same period
we received 8,696 items for a total cost of $935,151.02
(AED 3,432,004.24 cost, freight and processing inclusive).
We also acquired 697 titles (1,059 volumes) from
the Sharjah Book Fair in November 2009 where we
spent AED 39,874 (many of the titles were for the Islamic
studies courses).
As in previous years, all the selection work closely follows
the Collection Development policy approved by the
Library Committee and is based on title recommendations
by Faculty members/staff approved by their respective
library representatives/department chairs.
In an effort to promote reading among our students,
we submitted orders for over 300 new leisure reading
titles. By the end of 2009 we received roughly 200 titles
which were very popular among our students as well
as faculty.
Serials
The 2009 serial subscriptions renewal invoices were
paid May 2009. There were significant new databases
that were commenced during the year 2009 namely; Science
Direct, JSTOR, Lyell, the Arabic Union Catalogue
and World Bank Development Indicators. Following a
successful journals review, adjustments resulted in title
cancellations and savings of AED 707,268 for 83 overseas
titles and 10 local titles. We have continued to use
the serials subscriptions agent EBSCO whose “consoli-
dation service” has worked well in reducing the delay
and inconvenience of missing/late issues.
Cataloguing
Most of the cataloguing activity for 2009 has resulted
from the shipments sent to us by YBP under the terms
of the preferred vendor agreement. These materials
come “ready-processed” but still require checking/editing
before the books, DVDs etc. can go to the shelves
and the records made available in the Horizon catalog.
Materials from other sources have been catalogued
throughout the year, including maps of the Arabian
Gulf and neighboring regions for our Special Collection
which is fully catalogued and available for use. We also
began cataloguing newly-received leisure reading material
for both Habshan and Arzanah libraries.
In the summer of 2009 we began a project to study the
accuracy, consistency and general quality of existing
catalog records in the Horizon database for both the
libraries and ILC and, wherever necessary, upgrade
records in order to improve access to resources. This
work continued into the Fall semester and we regularly
monitor all incoming records for new materials.
Strategic Initiative II: Engage innovative
technologies to improve access
to information for our students, faculty,
staff and affiliated users.
We have evaluated multimedia tutorial development
software to produce online tutorials. We have secured
software, Camtasia studio, to ensure that we can create
multimedia tutorials to help faculty and students learn
how to use online library resources. We are developing
a multimedia studio within the library that will be used
to design and produce multimedia learning objects that
faculty can incorporate into their online courses and
course content.
Librarians have explored and evaluated Adobe Connect
131
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Library
and Blackboard as a new service delivery vehicle. The
library staff has explored the options of offering library
resource training workshops through these tools. In addition,
library staff has learned how to effectively use
Blackboard to develop learning modules that faculty
will be able to integrate into their course content.
The library staff has spent a great deal of time working
to make the library management system, Horizon, work
successfully which is used to manage our circulation operations
and online catalogue search engine.
We have acquired several new databases: Lyell Database
(geosciences database), JSTOR (arts & sciences
database) and World Development Indicators (economics
database). These resources complement the suite of
online research resources we make available to faculty
and research staff.
The library continues to maintain its library blog with
database information updates and other interesting information.
Recently the library blog has been updated
and enhanced with the new blog software supported by
the PI IT department.
Strategic Initiative III: Empowering
the PI community to navigate the information
landscape by delivering
high quality information services.
Information Literacy sessions were taught by Michael
Shires during the past academic year – last year over
100 sessions alone. Vanessa Middleton has also been
able to assist with the delivery of the information literacy
sessions. Information literacy training enables students
to navigate the information landscape and become
familiar with the enormous array of library resources.
We offered workshops targeted towards the graduate
students. The Petroleum Engineering Research Resources
workshop attracted graduate students, faculty,
and research staff. Inger delivered an overview of the library
resources during the Graduate Students Orientation.
In addition, Michael, Inger and Vanessa met with
new faculty to introduce them to the library resources
and services.
We had the opportunity to teach more discipline specific
information literacy sessions. Michael, Vanessa
and Inger designed and delivered customized sessions
for Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering,
Chemical Engineering, STEPS (Strategies for Teambased
Engineering Problem Solving), STEPS 2 and Islamic
Studies.
The library published a newsletter for the first time
which provided current news about research resources
and highlighted library activities. We hosted four faculty
training workshops delivered by external trainers
on how to select online research tools - the Institute of
Scientific Information Web of Knowledge, Endnote, a
bibliographic management tool, and American Chemical
Society’s SciFinder Scholar.
Strategic Initiative IV: Retain and
recruit highly motivated library staff
who demonstrate professional excellence
and continuing development.
Apart from the new staff appointments during this period,
we actively searched for a Systems and Web Librarian.
We screened over 100 applicants and continue
to conduct numerous phone interviews. This position is
critical to enhance seamless access to digital library resources
and services. The Petroleum Institute Library
sponsored a booth within the recruitment placement
centre at The American Library Association’s Conference
during July 2009, held in Chicago, Illinois, USA,
in an effort to recruit and review candidates for the Systems
and Web Librarian position.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
132

Library
BOOKS & JOURNALS ACQUISITIONS TREND
14000
13366
12000
10000
11007
9300
8000
8175 8362
8010
6000
journal titles
4000
books ordered
books recvd
2000
0
1255
155 599
2004
2016
1742
174
2005
1742 1831
286
509
2006
2007
Years
574
2008
499
2009
Strategic Initiative V: Enhance library
environment and infrastructure
to support dynamic research,
teaching and learning initiatives.
Library staff in conjunction with PIFC and GSD coordinated
the renovation of the Map Room to ensure that
the maps are housed in the optimal equipment facilitating
the ease of use of the materials. These renovations
will improve access and enhance the use of map
collections for students engaged in coursework and faculty
engaged in research using geological map resources.
Library staff are sourcing special map cabinets that
will ensure the optimal preservation and storage of the
map collection.
Strategic Initiative VI: Continuous
improvement of library organization,
communication and processes.
An external borrowers’ policy was developed to assist
with the management and organization of affiliated library
users. Over 50 external borrowers from MASDAR,
GSAD, ADNOC, OPCOs and other institutions have recognized
the strength of the PI Library collection print
and electronic resources. Apart from the new staff appointments
during this period, we actively searched for
a Systems and Web Librarian. This position is critical
to enhance seamless access to digital library resources
and services.
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Library
Training and
Professional Development
Library staff continue to participate in professional development
opportunities within the region and abroad.
Our library staff visited the American University of
Sharjah, the American University of Dubai, Zayed
University, the University of Sharjah
and HCT Women’s College.
Contributions to PI
Wide Events
The library has coordinated with IT to offer
training on maximizing the potential
of office software such as Microsoft Outlook
and other tools. The librarians have
also made outreach visits to the Cultural
Foundation and The Al Qassimi Research
Centre in Sharjah. During our visits we
networked with regional library professionals
and reviewed their collections.
Huda Al Alalawi has transitioned into her
new role as Librarian Developee. Huda
attended SLA AGC to learn more about
professional librarianship. She continues to work with
Michael Shires and Vanessa Middleton to develop her
professional public services skills and knowledge.
Inger and Michael attended a Information Literacy
Network Workshop entitled, Information Seeking in a
Second Language in University City, Dubai (October
2009). Vanessa Middleton facilitated a UNESCO Information
Literacy Train the Trainer workshop held at
Bibliothecia Alexandria in Egypt. Steve Harwood and
other technical services staff attended a training session
at the UAE University to learn more about cataloguing
and new developments with metadata. Assma
Amin attended an Acquisitions workshop coordinated
by Harvard University libraries and hosted at UAEU.
Henry Owino, Vanessa Middleton and Huda Al Alawi
attended the Special Libraries Association Arabian
Gulf Chapter Conference in Kuwait City, Kuwait
(April 2009).
The library participated in The Student Open Day. Library
staff coordinated two displays in both Bu Hasa
and Arzanah. This year we decided to design a display
to further promote our resources and services to potential
students as well as other faculty participating in
the events of the day.
This year was the first attempt to develop a student
book club at Arzanah campus. The book club is entitled
Les Senores Book Club. The library also organized an
outreach trip for Arzanah students. Over 40 students
attended The Abu Dhabi Book Fair.
Arzanah students participated in their first online conference
during Earth Day. 10 students used library
computers to participate in an online conference hosted
by PI Lecturer in Computing, Vance Stevens. They
shared their ideas about Earth Day and discussed the
PI’s activities to celebrate Earth Day. More importantly
the students learned about online communication
and using new social networking sites as tools to
facilitate learning.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
134

Information Technology Department
Information Technology
Department
Dr. Gemal Seede, IT Manager
135
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Information Technology Department
Director’s Summary
Two thousand and nine was a very active year for the
Information Technology department at the Petroleum
Institute. The year was marked by growth in the number
of faculty, staff and students and by changes in
software systems, IT personnel, and physical plant.
The department was led by a succession of three acting
managers, a permanent manager and finally by a permanent
Director. The IT department managed these
changes successfully, not least because of its dedicated,
professional attitude and the positive, energetic
participation of its personnel.
Brief Department Description,
Organization and Roles
The Information Technology department’s mission is to
align itself with the business vision and strategic plan of
the PI in implementing information technology and communications
systems. To that end, the IT department
is organized into 3 functional units: the Applications,
Systems and Network and Support teams. For most of
the year, the Network and Systems teams operated as
separate units, but were combined late in the year in
order to balance workload and improve efficiency. The
portfolio of each team is being reshuffled to correspond
more closely to traditional functions.
The Applications team handles user requirements gathering,
web site development, off-the-shelf software integration,
software asset management, and software
support. The Network team is responsible for Internet
and data communications equipment including core
routers, switches, cabling, the provisioning of video conferencing,
wireless access, and network monitoring and
repair. The Systems team supports email, server hardware,
server operating systems, data storage equipment
and oversees data center operations such as air conditioning
power requirements. The Support team oversees
purchase and maintenance of desktop / laptop and
printer equipment, runs the IT support Help Desk and
the trouble ticket system, monitors the IT open labs,
and supports distance learning and video conferencing.
APplications
development
New Staff
The Information Technology department welcomed
three new employees to its ranks during 2009. In keeping
with our policy of promoting employees from within
the PI whenever possible, two of the three additions -
Nada Gaweish and Mohamed Al Shrief, both of whom
showed exemplary performance in their contract roles
- were promoted from contract positions as Lab Attendants
into direct hire positions as Support Technicians.
The leadership role of IT Manager evolved through several
phases of transition due to personnel turnover in
the department and the subsequent temporary assignment
of an acting IT Manager. In July 2009, Dr. Gemal
Seede was hired to lead the department. Dr. Seede has
23 years of experience in IT at high profile US corporations,
including senior leadership roles at Warner Bros.,
Disney, Quaker Oats, and Zenith Insurance.
Applications Team
IT Director
Support
administrative
assistant
Systems and
network
Through 2009, the Applications development team
was busy evaluating new systems and software packages.
It undertook several new systems integration and
implementation efforts, performed application systems
upgrades, and followed through on software purchases
and key maintenance agreements. Additionally, it organized
user training sessions and was involved in Help
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
136

Information Technology Department
Desk support related to applications that have been ‘escalated’.
The Applications team has been actively involved in the following implementations:
HR Access is a Human Resources system adopted and
hosted by ADNOC and designed for medium to large
companies. It can handle all aspects of Human Resources
Management.
Maximo is an IBM procurement system adopted by
is supported by the Applications team at the PI. In August
2009 it successfully implemented Blackboard Community
and Content systems.
The Applications Team also upgraded the following
systems:
ADNOC. In July 2009, the PI made a strategic decision
to host its own copy of Maximo at its data center
and the Applications team led a project to implement
the change. As part of that project, a separate instance
of Maximo has been created
and is being run at ADNOC,
•z
•z
•z
Horizon library management system
Track-IT PI helpdesk system to version 8.5
Blackboard Course Management System to learn 9
while equipment is being acquired
Dates displayed in
Completed WO per Month ITD
Arabian Standard Time
From 8/1/2008
for the eventual host-
To 9/17/2009
ing of Maximo at the PI.
10/18/2009 9:00:36 AM
CAMS is an academic student
700
management system from
Three Rivers Systems, Inc. In
order to accommodate changing
needs in student records,
a migration away from the existing
student record system,
ARMS, was launched. The im-
Completed Work Orders
600
500
400
300
200
100
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
plementation of the project in-
0
volved data migration between
the legacy system and the new
one, and the interfaces between
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
Month
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
CAMS and other systems.
Adobe Connect is a web-based
eLearning system that allows students in the PI’s master’s
degree program to listen, watch, and participate
remotely. The Applications team evaluated and implemented
the system.
Blackboard is a well known Course Management System
that is popular at many academic institutions, and
The Applications team led the drive to incorporate other,
smaller applications in 2009 and it currently manages
software licenses, including the negotiation and implementation
of an enterprise agreement with Microsoft
that provides software licenses to the PI community,
including home use.
137
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Information Technology Department
Support Team
The Support team is perhaps the best known face of IT
for people in the PI community. When someone opens
a trouble ticket, calls or emails the Help Desk, or meets
the person helping to resolve a computer issue, they are
normally communicating with the Support team. The
total number of computers supported for faculty, staff,
students, classrooms and labs is 1509 PCs, which includes
1121 at the main campus, and 388 in Arzanah
building. Supported hardware includes all desktop computers,
laptops, personal printers, heavy duty printers,
scanners, and projectors connections. The team also
supports IT academic software such as Matlab, Solidworks,
Minitab, Inspiration, PolyMath, and others.
During 2009, the support team took several steps to improve
its service.
Extended Support: Previously, Help Desk support was
available from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. However students
and faculty often have classes until 5:00 pm, and several
staff members work well past normal work hours. In
August 2009, the Support team extended working hours
until 5:00 pm each work day. Additionally, Support continued
to back up the evening Adobe Connect classes for
master students from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm. This work
was carried out by our IT lab Attendants under the supervision
of the Support team.
Easier Access: In August 2009, the Support team extended
the Help Desk communication channel to include
telephone service. In addition to the traditional Track-
IT icon found on each employee’s computer, Support can
now also be reached by dialing extension 75999 or by
emailing helpdesk@pi.ac.ae.
Desktop Upgrades: During 2009, Support upgraded
Microsoft office from version 2003 to version 2007 on
all desktops and laptops in the PI and upgraded
RAM memory for several desktops
and laptops.
Computer Lab Upgrades: The PI has
two types of computer labs that are supported
by our IT Support team: the academic
departmental labs and the IT open
labs. Each academic department controls
its own lab in which workstations run
software that is specific to that particular
department. For example, the Chemical
Engineering department has a computer
lab in 2-022 with 27 computers. While it
is operated by the Chemical Engineering
department, IT maintains the hardware
and software in those departmental labs.
Additionally, IT maintains Open Labs that are available
for students to do homework or for other purposes. During
2009, IT Support worked to enhance both IT Open
Labs and the other departmental labs by replacing antiquated
equipment with newer machines.
Automation: The Support Team implemented an auto-
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
138

Information Technology Department
mated method of updating Microsoft Windows Operating
Systems and other software deployment through Microsoft
System Center Configuration Manager. Using this
tool, Support can upgrade certain software remotely and
automatically, without having to go to each PC.
Reorganization: IT Support reorganized itself in a centralized
structure, and created a new task of Help Desk
Coordinator to handle first level calls. The team adopted
a standard operating procedure for support issues. If
the Help Desk Coordinator can resolve an issue, they do
so immediately. If the problem requires more advanced
knowledge about a particular technology, the trouble
ticket is forwarded to a second line of support.
Network, Systems &
Security Team
buildings such as lobbies as well as student residences.
The removal of the servers and network equipment
from the old data center located in Building 1 to
the new Habshan data center was carried out as part of
the relocation of the entire administration.
The Systems and Network team also implemented POE
(power over the Ethernet) switches at student hostels.
This technology powers the switch network devices using
the existing data cabling. The advantages of doing
so are that it simplifies design, reduces maintenance
problems and allows switches to be incorporated in places
that previously had no power.
The group implemented and configured a Juniper
data center firewall between all Local Area Networks
The Network and Systems teams merged
into one team in August 2009. During the
year, the two teams were involved in several
projects.
Internet Bandwidth was increased from
16 Mbps to 50 Mbps, dramatically improving
connectivity at the PI. The new bandwidth
is now shaped to deliver more speed
where and when people need it most. Since
students are the primary users of wireless
access, bandwidth for WIFI is set to
16 Mbps during the daytime, but increases
to 34 Mbps in the evening when traffic is
heaviest. Similarly, wired traffic is allocated
34 Mbps during the daytime, but drops to 16 Mbps
in the evening.
The renovation of Bu Hasa building’s IT structure from
copper to fiber optic cabling. This change effectively
reduces error transmissions and increases the capacity
of our network to handle high volumes of data. The team
also implemented a new link between ADNOC and the
PI, providing bandwidth of up to 34 MBps.
Expanded wireless coverage to include students’ hostels.
The Wi-Fi network now covers common areas of
and the datacenter to monitor all data communications.
Eventually, this data will be used to tune and shape the
Internet and internal bandwidth needs for the PI.
Automation. The Systems and Network team was responsible
for installing and configuring Microsoft System
Center Configuration Manager, which is now used
by the Support team to publish updates to Operating
Systems and Software.
Security improvements. The team implemented Trend
Micro antivirus server software to prevent desktops and
139
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Information Technology Department
laptops from acquiring viruses, spyware, or other malicious
content while users are surfing the web or checking
emails. The team also enhanced security configuration to
all active components such as switches and routers.
The team configured and implemented a Network Management
solution using HP OPENVIEW, allowing them
to proactively monitor server and network resources for
all active components. They also implemented a new Web
Filtering & bandwidth management solution using Deep
Nines bandwidth controller. This tool allows IT to monitor
how the Internet is being used and to deploy more
resources to the types of traffic that need it most.
Expanded video conferencing facilities were added
to 7 additional classrooms, including 3 more in Arzanah
building and 4 in the main campus. The classrooms now
include facilities for faculty to teach courses in two classrooms
simultaneously.
The Systems and Network team developed a backup policy
using VERITAS netBackup. It upgraded the system
tools used in performing backup on server data.
There were several projects in which the IT department
collaborated in with other departments at the PI. These
include:
Training and Professional
Development
The Information Technology department is an organization
of knowledge workers. Constant improvement and
learning is an inherent part of any IT professional’s job.
As a result, IT is committed to developing its personnel
by providing training in several areas that span the
technical, organizational, and managerial fields.
IT provided training and professional development in
several technical areas including HP Open View, Wide
and Local Area Network Security, Support Center Manager,
Wireless Security, Network Node Management,
Office 2007 Advanced, SQL Server 2005, and System
Center Configuration Manager 2007.
IT also provided managerial and organizational training
in topics such as Technical Report Writing, Negotiation
Skills, Project Management, Project Management Professional
(PMP), Problem Solving and Decision Making,
and Team Effectiveness.
•z
•z
IT consultancy for the Glenelg School, regarding
computer applications, systems, and network infrastructure.
Participation in PI Open Days and events, as well
as active participation in the Fall 2009 semester admissions/intake
process.
• z Participation in faculty/students orientation by
providing tours of appropriate IT facilities and also
training for students.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
140

Office of the Registrar
OFFICE of the REGISTRAR
Mr. Roy Simmons, Registrar
141
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Office of the Registrar
Registrar’s Summary
The Registrar’s Office is proud to report continued progress
in many areas over the past year. In particular, the
Registrar’s Office completed its office reorganization.
Additionally, the Registrar’s Complex and Training
Center was completed and the staff was relocated into
the updated facility. Professional development opportunities
and staff training sessions were provided in order
to deliver improved services. Technology enhancements
and utilization were also expanded.
The Registrar’s Office evolving role in enrollment management
continued. A new focus on ensuring data quality
and integrity for reporting and research has been
applied and has transformed the Registrar’s Office into
the data warehouse of the Institute. Various academic
and enrollment reports were presented to the Management,
Board, Ministry, and Sponsors to ensure enroll-
Enrollment
Student Enrollment History
Under
graduate
Male
Number of Students Enrolled
Female
Male
Graduate
Female
ment stability and academic integrity. The Registrar’s
Office has also updated the Comprehensive Academic
Management System (CAMS) and established data
standardization procedures and user guides for departments.
Additionally, the appointment of the CAMS
Manager has allowed for ad hoc reports and the provision
of information to administration.
Although there have been very many achievements, the
most notable came in the areas of enhanced technology.
The switch over to CAMS from the former ARMS
system was completed. Multiple training sessions were
conducted for students and faculty on the new system.
The Faculty and Student Portals were developed and
implemented. Future enhancements and portals will be
further developed and expanded. The Registrar’s Office
conducted the first registration and drop/add periods
completely online. Students were given
live, up-to-date access to their changing
registration and class information. The
Registrar’s Office continues to evolve and
will always strive to provide superior services
to students, staff, faculty, and others
through the expanded use of technology.
Total
2001 - 2002
141
141
2002 - 2003
244
244
2003 - 2004
434
434
2004 - 2005
637
637
2005 - 2006
880
880
2006 - 2007
843
103
946
2007 - 2008
843
219
35
2
1099
2008 - 2009
817
283
38
5
1143
2009 - 2010
680
331
56
7
1074
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
142

Office of the Registrar
New Staff
During 2009, The Registrar’s Office
welcomed an additional staff member,
Mrs. Anita Gray.
Mrs. Gray joined the department in
August 2009 as the CAMS Manager.
Mrs. Gray holds a M.A. in Political Science (1997)
and a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science (1996)
from West Texas A&M University, USA.
Mrs. Gray has 14 years of experience in higher education
administration. For 10 years she was employed in
state-run higher education institutions in Oklahoma
and Texas, and for 4 years she worked in a private
higher education institution in Alaska. She worked as
Assistant to the Registrar for the first 1½ years, spent
1 year as Associate Registrar, and the remaining 11½
years as Registrar. Each university experience involved
converting to a different database, leading to
her current position as CAMS Manager at the Petroleum
Institute.
The Registrar’s
Office Organization
and Role
The Registrar’s Office is an academic unit reporting
directly to the Office of the Provost. Acting as the chief
custodian of academic records and gatekeeper for academic
policies, the Registrar’s Office plays a pivotal
role in maintaining academic standards and integrity.
The office also oversees all aspects of the registration
process. Providing faculty and student access to information
via the utilization of technology is also a primary
function of the department. The Registrar’s Office
is ultimately a service department balancing the
needs of students, faculty, staff and administration by
acting as an institutional nexus for information and
services.
In order to accomplish the mission of serving the academic
programs at the Petroleum Institute, the Registrar’s
Office assists with course scheduling by building
the schedule of classes in CAMS. Scheduling classrooms
and labs and making adjustments as requested and appropriate
is also a daily service provided. By implementing
and maintaining the CAMS Faculty Portal, the Registrar’s
Office provides faculty with instant, real-time
access to class schedules, class rosters, student and advisee
information and course information. Course management
functionality being developed within CAMS
enhances the ability of faculty to interact with their students.
Communication via email, discussion forums and
the posting of documents and information are some of
the ways in which faculty will interact with their classes
via CAMS. Other features provided by the Registrar’s
Office via the Faculty Portal are the ability to maintain
an online grade book, online testing, and the submitting
of student attendance and grades. Some additional areas
of responsibility of the Registrar’s Office include developing
the academic calendar, maintaining the academic
catalog, and tracking student academic standing.
Providing services for the Petroleum Institute student
body is equally important. The Registrar’s Office assists
students with many academic services such as new student
orientation, registration, schedule adjustments, the
scheduling and posting of final exams and commencement.
The Student Portal in CAMS, maintained by the
Registrar’s Office, gives students the ability to print
schedules, unofficial transcripts, degree audits, major
requirements and to see academic program course offerings.
Students can maintain a personal calendar, communicate
with faculty, see midterm and final grades,
view course documents and information uploaded by
the faculty and view their academic standing. The Registrar’s
Office also coordinates the commencement committee,
awarding of degrees, articulating transfer credit
and generating honor lists.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Office of the Registrar
Other constituents of the Registrar’s Office include the
Management, Board, Ministry, Student Affairs, Sponsors
and external agencies. Reports and information
are gathered and sent to sponsors to enable students
to maintain scholarships and funding. Information is
provided to the Ministry and other external agencies to
assist with accreditation efforts. The Board and Management
rely on the Registrar’s Office for information to
make decisions regarding strategic planning and enrollment
forecasting.
The Registrar’s Office is charged with serving many
constituents by overseeing academic policies, maintaining
academic records, coordinating the CAMS system,
providing accurate and timely information and reports
and acting as a liaison for students and external agencies.
A focus on enrollment management and partnering
with various Petroleum Institute departments such
as Admissions, Advanced University Placement, Student
Affairs, Institutional Research and others will be
expanded and implemented. Efforts to track student
recruitment more efficiently and to work to retain currents
students are planned. The Registrar’s Office will
be researching enrollment trends and working with
various departments to make appropriate recommendations
to Management.
Changes and
Accomplishments
During 2009, there were two major initiatives on
which the Registrar’s Office focused attention. The first
initiative was a complete reorganization and update
of the Registrar’s Office facilities. The Registrar’s
Office conducted a search of best practices from other
universities and carried out internal strategic planning to
determine the best utilization of personnel to accomplish
our mission. Outcomes were benchmarked and the
immediate need identified for the Registrar’s Office
was in the area of providing enhanced services utilizing
technology. In order to meet the challenge of enhancing
and expanding technology resources, the Registrar’s
Office implemented the revised organizational structure
to develop fully the roles of the Assistant Registrars.
Having the roles for the organizational structure fully
developed and implemented during this past year was
a major accomplishment and an important step in
moving the Registrar’s Office forward in meeting our
mission and strategic plan and creating an enhanced
departmental synergy.
The second major initiative of 2009 was in the area of the
Petroleum Institute’s student information system. The
CAMS project was completed and handed over to the
CAMS Manager and the online registration system was
fully implemented for the Fall 2009 semester. Students
were able to use the functionality of the portal during this
period. For the first time in Petroleum Institute history,
students had instant access to registration information,
grades, unofficial transcripts and other miscellaneous
academic information. Student could now see the status
of their registration live. There were issues identified
and corrections implemented during this first period.
The Faculty Portal was also completed during this period.
Faculty were given real-time access to information such
as class rosters, student grades and transcripts and
communication tools for students. Training sessions
were held to assist faculty in the maximum utilization
of CAMS. Overall, reviews of the system have been
very positive. Additional course management features
in CAMS were implemented in the Fall 2009 semester.
The Faculty Portal is still being fully explored and
improvements will be made and additional training
sessions held.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
144

Office of the Registrar
The Registrar is very proud of the accomplishments this year. The renovations completed and professional
development opportunities will empower staff and enhance services. The continued enhancements and expansion of
CAMS provides better information and service to the faculty, staff and administration of the Petroleum Institute.
Training and Development
The personnel of the Registrar’s Office have been charged with continual improvement in services and professionalism.
The Registrar’s Office is committed to providing ample training and development opportunities to its staff. To this
end, all staff members have attended multiple trainings over the past year. Below is a complete listing of the
training and conference opportunities provided to Registrar’s Office personnel.
Employee Title Training/Conference Location
Roy W Simmons
Registrar
• CAMS User Conference
• CAMS User Training
• USA
• UAE
Reem Ismail
Assistant Registrar
• Arab Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers Annual Conference
• CAMS User Training
• American Association of Collegiate Registrars
and Admissions Officers – Managing the
Registrar’s Office Course
• Adobe Photoshop CS4 Training
• Lebanon
• UAE
• USA (online)
• UAE
Mohamed
Kassim
Assistant Registrar
• CAMS User Conference
• Supervisory Skills
• CAMS User Training
• American Association of Collegiate Registrars
and Admissions Officers – Strategic Enrollment
Management Course
• USA
• UAE
• UAE
• USA (online)
Fatima Al
Rashedi
Coordinator
• Interpersonal Communication Skills
• CAMS User Training
• UAE
• UAE
Racha Al
Barazanji
Coordinator
• Business Ethics & Customer Focus
• CAMS User Training
• UAE
• UAE
Most of the training and professional development efforts were focused on further understanding, implementing
and utilizing the CAMS system. All employees received extensive training on CAMS. There were two two-week
training sessions held on CAMS. Furthermore, both Roy Simmons and Mohamed Kassim attended the CAMS
User Conference. The Registrar’s Office will continue to offer additional training and development opportunities to
enable staff to take advantage of the full potential of the CAMS system.
145
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Office of the Registrar
Organization of Institute-wide Events
The Registrar’s Office plays a key role in the organization of the Petroleum Institute Commencement Ceremony. The
Registrar serves as a key member on the Commencement Committee to assist with the planning of the event. This
committee is responsible for the selection of the venue, sending invitations, arranging decorations, accommodating
the speaker and invited guests, ordering all necessary gifts and regalia, developing and printing of programs and
overall event coordination. In order to have a successful Commencement Ceremony, there are many tasks and details
for which the Registrar’s Office is responsible.
Graduates 2006 - 2009
Chemical
Electrical
Mechanical
Petroleum
Petroleum
Geosciences
Total
Jun-06
11
5
12
7
3
38
Aug-06
3
2
-
-
-
5
Dec-06
5
-
3
6
-
14
May-07
7
8
8
7
-
30
Aug-07
2
2
9
2
-
15
Dec-07
-
3
15
5
-
23
May-08
5
7
7
6
3
28
Aug-08
1
1
5
-
1
8
Dec-08
8
6
22
22
-
58
May-09
11
12
25
19
6
73
Aug-09
5
3
1
6
4
19
Dec-09
14
7
24
14
-
59
Total
72
56
131
94
17
370
Before the ceremony, there are many particulars and a great deal of necessary information to be provided by the
Registrar’s Office. All of the potential graduates must have individual evaluations to determine eligibility to graduate.
Once the initial certifications of the graduates are completed, calculations for honor graduates can commence. All of
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Office of the Registrar
these functions must be coordinated with the appropriate programs and the administration in a timely manner.
The accuracy of all of the information is essential. The Registrar’s Office must also work with a vendor to order
diplomas and diploma covers. Additionally, the academic transcripts must be updated to provide the appropriate
degree designations. The Ministry and sponsors must also be notified of the graduates.
Graduates for 2009
Chemical
Electrical
Mechanical
Petroleum
Petroleum
Geosciences
Total
May - 09
11
12
25
19
6
73
Jul - 09
5
3
1
6
4
19
Dec - 09
14
7
24
14
-
59
Total
30
22
50
39
10
151
The Registrar’s Office was instrumental in the success of the Commencement Ceremony held at the Emirates Palace
Hotel in January 2009. During 2009, the Petroleum Institute had 151 students graduate. The Registrar’s Office
worked very diligently behind the scenes to make this a success and to process all students. Impressively, this was
accomplished during the data verification phase of the CAMS project. Despite this fact, the Petroleum Institute
graduates were processed and received their diplomas in record time.
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Human Resources Department
Human Resources Department
Mr. Abdulla M. Al Darmaki, Department Director
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148

Human Resources Department
Director’s Summary
The Human Resources & Administration
Directorate (HR&A), headed by
Mr. Abdulla M. Al Darmaki, consists
of the following divisions: human
resources, manpower control, training
and development, policy and compensation, recruitment,
employee relations, administration and general
services. The Director of the Human Resources & Administration
reports directly to the president.
During 2009 the HR&A Directorate assisted in developing
strategies and direction so as to manage the Institute’s
assets and resources in order to optimize the
organization’s value to the ADNOC Group, industry
shareholders and the market. In line with the planned
growth of the Petroleum Institute (PI), over 40 new
personnel were mobilized through the various HR&A
service departments who processed visas, assisted with
accommodation, provided office space and resources,
health insurance and met other requirements to ensure
the employees’ comfort and well-being in their
new environment. It is a matter of pride that the PI is
a multicultural environment with over 50 nationalities
currently represented among its personnel.
Manpower Control &
Compensation
The Manpower Control & Compensation
department, headed by Mr. Abdul
Rahman M. Gaweish, has carried out
numerous analysis reports related to
the PI Manpower and a variety of activities
have taken place over the course of 2009. The
actual total Direct Hire manpower reached 305 against
414 for the approved budget and the Contractors outside
the established personnel, who are considered part
of the PI workforce, was 57 employees.
The Commercial Department, a new established operation
reporting to the Director of HR&A, was formally
commissioned in July 2009. The Commercial Department
is responsible for all the procurement activities
related to materials and services required by the PI
end user. The Commercial Department has successfully
obtained approval for the establishment of PI Tender
Board with its objective to maintain, monitor and
control the Petroleum Institute (PI) overall procurement
process, and to assist and advise PI Management
on decisions and recommendations as well as approve
procurement transactions in accordance with the approved
FDOA and PI Policies and Procedures which
cover the operations of The Petroleum Institute Directorates.
The Administration
Department
The Administration department, headed
by Mr. Michael Giblin, Administration
Manager (Designate), faced
several challenges due to the rapid
expansion of the PI, changing regulations
in government departments and a rapidly changing
market. However the team in the Documentation
and Medical Services sections rose to the challenge
with enthusiasm and worked tirelessly to finalize arrangements
for both faculty and staff that were to be
mobilized. The efforts of Mrs. Abdullah El Tayeb,
Atif Abu Baker and Elwathig Omer were central
to this effort and they worked seamlessly with HR to
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Human Resources Department
have the required documentation processed in order to
mobilize new personnel on time.
The biggest challenge faced was that of housing as the
rental market in Abu Dhabi was at its highest point
in the history of the emirate. As very few employees
left the PI during this period, there was a shortage of
available housing within the established housing allowances
but the PI secured suitable housing for those
on the waiting list and ensured that those waiting for
housing were accommodated in the interim period. Mr.
Doujana El Sheikh worked long hours to sort out issues
on housing such as pre- and post-maintenance
inspection for newly allocated housing units, 24 hour
emergency maintenance services, market research for
suitable accommodation units and various other housing
requests that needed attention.
The Administration Department recently set up a
travel office of our own to help with the increasing
demand by faculty travelling overseas to enhance the
reputation of the PI through conference presentations,
consultancy work and collaborative research.
This office also deals with arriving
visiting faculty from other universities
and with the mobilization of new
personnel. This office is ably manned
by Aldrin D ‘Mello.
Finally, public relations efforts were handled in part
by our Administration Department through the generation
of a number of articles and advertorials in partnership
with the Department of Institutional Research
& Analysis. Liaison with press and ADNOC PRD ensured
coverage of such important events as the Commencement
Ceremony of the Class of 2009 and various
other events such as the professional conferences that
were held at the PI during the year.
All of these initiatives took a collective effort to bring to
fruition. The Administration team is composed of dedicated
individuals who between them have a wealth of
experience.
General Services
Department
This department is led by Mr. Mahmood
Shehada and has been innovative
in finding solutions to improve
both the workflow/processing of work
orders and projects to be initiated and
completed. Mahmood has a great team
of people who are committed to the institute
and who work tirelessly to complete
their assigned tasks on time. Majid
Al Omrani, Administrator, is a key
figure in handling the logistical aspects
of running the campus. Aws Khanfar,
Electro-mechanical Engineer and
Eliot Mengote, Interior Designer, are
also central to the campus development effort.
In terms of responsibilities, the GSD works as a coordinator
between the PI and ADNOC Civil Projects Division,
Consultants, Contractors and suppliers. This involves
participation in the recurrent daily and weekly
site meetings until final handing over of the buildings.
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Human Resources Department
At present GSD utilizes a team of 75 people to handle an area of 264,045 sq. km and around 100,000
sq. km of constructions. Current projects close to completion are: on-campus faculty accommodation,
Graduate Research Teaching Assistant (GRTA) office space and GRTA accommodation. One of our
challenges is that of available office space for arriving faculty. It is envisaged that new buildings that
are planned in the ongoing development of the PI campus will have sufficient space to provide offices
for all personnel once we have reached a “steady state”. Upcoming projects are the new PI Research
Centre and further existing facilities modification and expansion.
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Human Resources Department
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
152

Admissions Office
H.E. the CEO of ADNOC and PI Provost at the PI Open Day
Admissions Office
Mr. Mohammed Ismail, Head Admissions Office
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Admissions Office
Head’s Summary
The Admissions Office had a productive year in which
we moved forward with both the recruitment and admissions
functions.
We redoubled our recruitment efforts. A major effort
was undertaken to market the Petroleum Institute to
students of the five campuses of the Institute of Applied
Technology. Each of the five campuses of the IAT was
visited twice by Admissions Office personnel and approximately
130 IAT students visited the PI. Some of
these participated in another new initiative, the Shadow
Program, in which students shadowed a PI student
for a day and thus got a view of the Institute from a
student’s perspective. The Admission’s Office made presentations
to several hundred Grade 12 male students
in the Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia Educational
Zones, met prospective students at educational exhibitions
in Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Bahrain,
received more than 350 student visitors to the PI,
in addition to sponsoring two Open Days on both the
male and female campus which attracted another 350
interested students. One new staff member, Mr. Niyaz
Anjum, joined the Office.
His expertise in marketing
should further strengthen recruitment
efforts.
Additionally, the Admissions
Office processed approximately
1200 applications for
Places
Offered
the Fall 2009 intake (see table
right) and followed up with the admitted students.
We organized Orientation Days in August, 2009 at both
the male and female campus, as well as Parents Meetings
later in the semester. Details of all these activities
are mentioned below.
The Admissions Office
Organization and Roles
The Admissions Office acts as the face of the Petroleum
Institute to prospective students and their parents and
teachers. In addition to answering many hundreds of
phone calls and emails requesting information about
the PI and the admissions procedures, it is proactive in
disseminating information about the PI as part of its
recruitment efforts.
Recruitment is indeed a major function of the Admissions
Office. Recruitment efforts include marketing (advertisements
and publications), exhibits at exhibitions,
presentations at conferences and seminars, school visits,
and open days at the PI itself. These activities during
the past year are detailed below.
2009 Admission Figures
Male Emirati Female Emirati Male Expat Female Expat TOTAL
Applicants 326 86 170 107 689
322 86 69 41 518
Processing of applications (both online and hard copy)
is another important function. The Office is responsible
for ensuring the completeness of each application and
then forwarding these to ADNOC. The Office then follows
up on the admission decisions by communicating
with applicants and by inputting data into CAMS. The
Office is also responsible for the planning and implementation
of the Orientation Week activities for new
students and for the printing and issuing of ID cards for
all new undergraduate and graduate students.
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154

Admissions Office
New Staff
Mr. Niyaz Anjum joined the Admissions Office in June 2009. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree
in Marketing from National American University. Having previously worked in Borouge (Abu
Dhabi Polymers Company) under Marketing Communications, as well as in several organizations
under the Marketing & Sales umbrella, his experience and knowledge base can benefit the Admissions
Office marketing strategies. While he spends his time doing research and write-ups on the
culture of Hip-Hop, he is also a musician by night.
Accomplishments
and Activities
Recruitment
The Admissions Office carried out a wide range of recruitment
activities during the year.
School visits
In a major new initiative, the Admissions Office was
invited by the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) to
present information about the PI to its students and
respond to their queries. The IAT, which is sponsored
by the Ministry of Education, has English-medium
programs for Years 10—12 at five campuses, enrolling
ited the IAT campuses in
Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai,
Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah
during their Open
Week. Ahmed Sulaiman
repeated these visits during
Open Week at all five
School Visit
locations in May .
With the permission of the Ministry of Education, Admissions
Office personnel made presentations at four
major secondary schools in Abu Dhabi, as well as in
Ruwais and Madinat Zayed in Al Gharbia. In Al Ain,
a presentation was arranged at a central location, with
students from a number of different schools attending.
Presence at recruitment
exhibitions
The Sharjah Education Show 2009 was held at Expo
Sharjah where Mohammed Ismail and Niyaz Anjum
fielded a large number of enquiries in the PI booth. They
registered around 60 males and 30 females for the PI.
2,710 students during the 2008-2009 Academic Year. In
January, Mohammed Ismail and Ahmed Al Marzoqi vis-
The PI Exhibit at GETEX (Gulf Education & Training
Exhibition), Dubai, 15-19 April, 2009, was staffed by
Mohammed Ismail, Ahmed Al Marzoqi, Ahmed Suliman
and four PI student volunteers. This educational event
is the biggest in the Gulf, and on this occasion 147 males
and 8 female students registered with the PI.
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Admissions Office
At GITIEX 2009 in Dubai
At the Sharjah Education Show
The Admissions Office exhibited at the Najah Careers
Exhibition 2009 at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi from 19-21 October.
This recruitment drive resulted in the registration
of 74 male and 89 female candidates.
A number of student volunteers assisted with greeting
guests and accompanying campus tours. The Admissions
Office made presentations and presented gifts.
The Open Day was marketed through newspaper and
radio ads. Approximately 260 students, plus parents
The PI participated in Al Gharbia’s Career Fair which
was held in the HCT campus in the Western Region of
and siblings, attended the Open Day events.
Abu Dhabi. Ahmed Al Marzoqi and Niyaz Anjum took
The tables below illustrate the number of students who
part in the exhibitions which were held in Madinat
visited the PI Open Day by school grade and the PI engineering
programs they were interested in.
Zayed from 1-2 November and in Ruwais from 4–5 November,
2009. Having more than 250 visitors in both
locations proves that the Western Region’s potential for
prospective PI students is improving.
School Grade 10 11 12 Total
Ahmed Al Marzoqi and Ahmed Suliman visited
No. of Students 3 29 231 263
several boys’ schools from 14-23 December, 2009.
They covered six government-based
schools Program
Chemical Electrical Mechanical Petroleum Petroleum Material
Engineering Engineering Engineering Engineering Geosciences Sciences
Total
and achieved registrations
Interest 60 52 106 125 22 6 371
from 283 stu-
dents.
PI Open Days
The Admissions Office organized Open Days at both the
male and female campuses for prospective students and
their parents on Saturday, 14 February 2009. The PI
Engineering departments, the College of Arts & Sciences
and the AUP Department sponsored information
booths, displays, laboratory demonstrations and tours.
Student visits to the PI
As part of the Admissions Office recruitment efforts,
there were a number of visits to the PI campus while
classes were in session by Grade 12 students from two
IAT campuses. The first of these was on Monday, April
6, when 45 students from the Al Ain campus visited the
PI and the second was on April 27, when 85 students
from the Dubai campus visited. The students were es-
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156

Admissions Office
corted around the halls, peeked into several classes and
visited a lab while it was in session.
On December 16, 2009, with the support of Dr. Nadia Al
Hasani and her team, Admissions organized a visit to Arzanah
for 80 female students from government schools.
The students were given an overview of PI policies and
activities along with a tour of Arzanah’s facilities.
Visit to Glenelg School
Admissions paid a visit to Glenelg School for girls and
boys on December 20 and 22, 2009 respectively. Presentations
were given by Dr. Ohadi, Dr. Al Hasani, Dr.
Hamad and Dr. Ainane along with Admissions staff.
Shadowing program
For the first time, the Admissions Office made arrangements
for potential recruits to come to the PI on a shadowing
visit which was conducted in March. During this
visit, a high school student was paired with a PI student
and followed him during his day attending classes, taking
tests, eating lunch, etc. Five students were entertained
in this program and gave worthy feedback. This
was the first such experience for the PI (and perhaps for
the UAE). It is hoped that similar shadowing opportunities
will be offered to female high-school students to visit
Arzanah next year.
Other Admissions
Office accomplishments
and activities
The Admissions Office processed approximately 1400 applications
for admissions during the year 2009. Over
half of these were from UAE nationals.
Orientation Week
The Admissions Office restructured the traditional single
day orientation into a 3-day-session resulting in a re-
laxed and more enhanced overview of the PI. Included
were in-house activities and a trip into Abu Dhabi. The
Orientation Week was held from August 17-19, 2009
and was designed and implemented for both male and
female students simultaneously on both campuses.
New students were welcomed by the Provost, Dr. Michael
Ohadi. Also welcoming students were Department
Chairs, Counselors, Registrar representatives
and other non-academic personnel including representatives
from the Housing, IT, Recreation and HSE departments.
Students were given a complete campus
tour which included all the buildings, labs, ILC, Library
and Asab after which they attended a special luncheon
on the first day. The Orientation program was a success
with a turnout of 98%, around 350 students, both male
and female.
Parents’ meetings
The Admissions Office organized Parents’ Meetings
during the year in which parents had an opportunity
to exchange information with representatives from Administration,
Faculty and Student Affairs.
Training and
Development
The Admissions Office maintained its membership in
the Arab Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission
Officers and NASPA—National Association of
Student Personnel Administrators. Mohammed Ismail
and Ahmed Al Marzoqi attended the Arab Association of
Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Annual
Conference in Beirut, Lebanon from 28 March to 3 April
2009. Ahmed Al Marzoqi also attended the NASPA Gulf
Conference at Zayed University in Dubai, 28-29 April,
where he gave a presentation on student recruitment
to universities. Mohammed Ismail, Ahmed Al Marzoqi
and Ahmed Ali Sulaiman attended CAMS User Training
Sessions. Niyaz Anjum attended the conference,
“Strategy, Sales and Success” at the Emirates Palace
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Admissions Office
Hotel, Abu Dhabi on 22 June 2009.
Organization of
PI-wide Events
The Admissions Office played a key role in the organization
of the PI Commencement Ceremony held at the
Emirates Palace in January, 2009. Ahmed Al Marzoqi
served as Master of Ceremonies for the event.
The Admissions Office supported the Student Council in
its organization of the National Day Celebration held on
the PI campus in December 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
158

Finance Department
Finance Department
mr. Helal Al Busaeedi, Finance manager
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Finance Department
The Finance Department’s
major areas of responsibility
include budget management,
payroll, accounting, debt
management, and financial
reporting.
Vision & Mission
We aspire to be a preeminent financial services organization
and to set the standard by which other institutions
measure success. Our mission is to:
•zpromote sound financial management
•zdevelop and maintain effective and efficient financial
planning, reporting and central support systems
in order to support the operating departments
in achieving their program objectives
•zsupport the teaching, research, and public service
mission of the Petroleum Institute
•zprovide quality service to the staff members and
students.
Value Statements
Excellence/Quality: We value innovative, timely, efficient,
solution-oriented, and cost-effective services and
systems. We are committed to achieving the highest
levels of faculty staff, employee and student satisfaction.
We provide leadership in delivering proactive financial
solutions and services in support of the Petroleum
Institute’s strategic plan.
Employee Focus: We are committed to the success of
our employees as they are our most valuable resource.
Teamwork: We value the contribution our staff makes
in achieving our mission and we support and encourage
teamwork and personal development to ensure a
high level of competence, expertise, and satisfaction.
Integrity: We provide services in an honest, ethical,
open, courteous, caring and concerned manner, respecting
all people and the free exchange of ideas.
Stewardship: We practice sound financial management
and are committed to ensuring the efficient and
effective use of PI resources.
Communication: We communicate with ADNOC shareholders
and internally to manage expectations and assure
the highest levels of satisfaction.
Finance Department Sections:-
There are two sections in the PI Finance Department
•zManagement Account
•zFinancial Account
New Staff
Mr Jawad Khalid joined the PI Finance Department in
August 2009 under management accounts as Management
Accountant. He is a qualified accountant (ACCA,
UK) with seven years of exceptional experience of Finance
and Account Functions, Including roles in Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu, Pakistan, Rahman Sarfraz &
Co, Pakistan, Al Broj Machinery LLC, Sharjah, UAE.
As per our expectation he has shown remarkable performance
since he joined our Finance Department. He
has an excellent knowledge of the international standards
required in a finance and accounting department.
The Role of Management
Accountant
Assistance in planning
The management accountant assists planning by providing
information. This information may be about
pricing, capital expenditure projects, product costs
or competition. In the short-term planning process of
budgeting, the management accountant provides infor-
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160

Finance Department
Finance Manager
Helal Al Busaeedi
Sections in the PI Finance Department
Sr. Admin Asst
Poonam Madani
Head of Management
Accounts
Head of Financial
Accounts
Senior Accountant
Mahmoud Aburabia
Accountant
Jawad Khalid
Accountant
Asst .Accountant
Ahmed Almehri
Asst .Accountant
Fatima Almzrouei
Asst .Accountant
Yaqoob Alhammadi
Asst .Accountant
Sayed Habeeb
mation on past costs which may be used as guidance.
The management accountant is also involved in the
budgeting process itself.
Assistance in controlling
The management accountant supplies performance reports
which compare actual performance with planned
performance and which therefore highlight those activities
which are not conforming to plan.
Assistance in organizing
By ensuring that the accounting system is tailored
to the organizational structure, the management accountant
reinforces the objectives of the organizational
framework.
Assistance in motivating
Budgets prepared by the management accountant serve
to motivate managers and subordinates to attempt
to achieve the PI’s objectives. Formalized targets are
more likely to motivate than vague comments.
Performance reports produced by the management accountant
for the control process also motivate by communicating
performance information in relation to the
targets which have been set.
Assistance in decision making
The management accountant is a vital cog in the PI’s
decision making process. He or she collects and analyses
data, and presents information to managers to help
in the decision making.
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Finance Department
The Role of Financial
Accountant
Assistance in Payroll
The responsibility of the Financial Accountant for salaries,
wages and other approved personal and ad-hoc
payments is to ensure that all staff appointed by the PI
receive the appropriate payment, as laid down in their
contract of employment and that in making such payments
the University complies with all relevant statutory
legislation.
Assistance in Payable Payment:
All invoices must be addressed to the PI with a valid
finance account code which must be specified on all
payment requests and stamped and authorized by the
authorized signatory for the finance code and sent to
the Financial Accountant to process the payment.
Assistance in Account Codes:
The creation and administration of account codes and
other relevant documentation to enable Financial Accounts
will be in a format prescribed by the Finance
Manager. All financial activities recorded using the financial
system must be related to an activity code. The
Finance Department is responsible for setting out and
promulgating the procedures for creating and closing/
inactivating such codes.
Assistance in Internal and External
Audits:
The internal audit duties include working closely with
Finance Manager, functionally reporting to the PI
Governing Board, and administratively reporting to
the PI President till the finalization of Internal Audit
Services, the establishment of an Internal Audit Charter,
an Internal Audit Manual and the development of
a risk-based Internal Audit Plan function within the
Petroleum Institute. The activities of Internal Audit
include:
•zestablishment of an internal audit function
•zrisk assessment and risk based internal audit
Plan
•zinternal audit execution, reporting and follow-up;
to execute internal audits based on the risk based
internal audit plan
Communication with the external auditor who is working
for an audit firm, KPMG, that is a completely independent
function created to enhance and monitor
the effectiveness of the Petroleum Institute Internal
Controls, and give him the full authority to access the
financial system to report on the PI’s financial statements
and to carry out such examinations of the statements
and underlying records and control systems as
they consider necessary to reach their judgment on
the statements and to report on the appropriate use
of funds.
Changes and New Accomplishments
in Finance Department
•zInternal Auditor: - KPMG provides an audit to help
the Petroleum Institute negotiate risks and perform
in dynamic and challenging environments.
•zBudget: - the period of budget has been changed
from academic year to financial year, i.e. from January
to December of each year.
•zThe Finance Department holds meetings with The
Petroleum Institute Finance Committee (PIFC)
twice a year reporting the new budget and the actual
incurred Opex and Capex of the relevant Financial
Year.
•zMorning meetings are held twice a week to discussed
any pending, new or important issues that
should be addressed in order to avoid any inconvenience.
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162

Finance Department
Training and Professional Development in Finance Department
The Finance Department wishes to support staff development and continuing professional development for its
staff within our budgetary constraints. Clearly Finance Department employees have responsibilities to keep up
to date with developments by private reading and study of professional literature and computing and other available
documentation. Where formal training is appropriate, we will normally look to provide training courses from
our own resources.
We are able to provide, after seeking the appropriate approvals, managerial and organizational training for
courses like Supervisory Skills, Presentation Skills, Time & Stress Management, Creative Problem Solving &
Decision Making, Leadership & Team Building, Effective Project Management, Developing Emotional Intelligence
for the Workplace, Mastering Business & Financial Modeling.
163
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Student Affairs
Mountain discovery in Dibba
Student affairs
Mr. Mohammed Ismail, Director (Acting)
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
164

Student Affairs
Director’s Summary
The Student Affairs Division plays a vital role in the
life of the Petroleum Institute through the planning,
arranging, and conducting of a broad array of social,
cultural, and recreational activities. The Office of Student
Affairs provides a place where students and faculty
come together to plan events, evaluate programs, and
propose relevant activities. By conducting orientation
and special-interest sessions for students, faculty, and
staff, Student Affairs is dedicated to the fulfillment of
the department’s core objective to enrich student life
at the Petroleum Institute. The Student Affairs Division
believes that students at ease in their surroundings
have a stronger desire to achieve their goals, and
this core belief helps us to enable these young men and
women to find a more significant role in the PI community
and a more meaningful future beyond.
The 8-week Summer Internship Program - the hub of all
Engineering departments- is a vital link between the PI
and the training authorities at on-shore and off-shore
fields, factories and refineries. Student Affairs plays a
critical role in the smooth running of the program: 140
engineering students in their Junior year interned with
many of ADNOC’s international stakeholders at a variety
of locations combining theory and practice in a workplace
setting.
The counseling section fulfills a number of important
functions, each having major effects on a student’s future.
These responsibilities relate in a fundamental way
to overall academic planning and extend strategically
to student performance, interpersonal relations, social
adjustment, career guidance, and work adjustment. In
the performance of these duties, the counseling section’s
professional commitment to PI students is to support
the unlimited development of their potential.
eventful year of providing accommodation and sustenance
for 297 students in their five student-designated
hostels. Two buildings were allocated for staff shelter
in the spring semester and refurbishment is nearing
completion. Student-nominated fire marshals developed
fire and emergency safety procedures for residents. The
housing section operated 20 buses for the transportation
of students and faculty in the Abu Dhabi vicinity.
The recreation section introduced a number of new programs
during 2009. A pioneering 1-credit health and fitness
course was created by two members of the department,
Salwa Alweeshy and Usama Mabrouk. Designed
to focus on the theoretical aspects of maintaining a
healthy lifestyle followed by physical tests and physical
exercise sessions to guide students towards achieving
established goals, this course introduced contemporary
lifestyle innovations. Further, the recreation group organized
16 sporting competitions in which PI teams won
gold and silver medals in all the events. Eight adventure
trips and outdoor activities were offered, including
challenges in mountaineering and outdoor survival living,
each with appropriate professional guidance and
supervision.
Student Affairs has enjoyed a
prolific, energizing year and remains
committed to exceeding
student expectations in every activity
it undertakes.
Student Affairs’ housing section has concluded another
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Student Affairs
Student Affairs
Division Structure
PI students are offered an increasingly wide range of
extra-curricular opportunities designed to develop and
nurture their leadership skills in as many areas as possible.
In pursuing the delivery of this comprehensive
and wide-ranging service, the Student Affairs Division
is structured as follows:
Internship &
Counseling
Internship and
Counseling
Internship
SAD
Director’s Office
housing &
Transportation
Academic &
Recreation
The Petroleum Institute requires all undergraduate
students to participate in a practical training program
during their Junior year. The objective of this 8-week
Summer Internship Program is to provide students
with valuable work experience in their chosen engineering
disciplines. Over the summer, 140 PI students were
placed under the direct supervision of a mentor in the
ADNOC group of companies or with one of the international
stake-holders. Each intern was presented with
a significant engineering project in a discipline-specific
environment. The work assignment was tailored to each
student’s own personal development and involved authentic
engineering project work. Where possible, this
included the collection and synthesis of data, analysis
and report writing. Faculty advisors were required to
meet the mentor and the student periodically in order
to assess progress and respond to any concerns. A final
engineering report accompanied by a formal evaluation
by the faculty advisor took place at the conclusion of the
internship and was subsequently used as part of the
Academic Assessment Program.
Counseling
Student Counselors maintained an extensive counseling
service during the year. With over 1300 students in the
program, a large percentage made use of this service.
The student counseling office, working in close collaboration
with faculty, assisted lecturers in maintaining a
positive learning environment in the classroom by dealing
with disciplinary and academic dishonesty issues. An
important part of their schedule meant working with students
experiencing academic or personal problems and
this often required lengthy communication with parents
or guardians.
Counselors discussed personal career issues and job prospects
with students, and facilitated a broad spectrum of
local and international opportunities for them by representing
the PI in meetings with companies. Another key
task performed by counselors was to advise students on
transcripts and contentious scheduling.
Housing, catering, and
transportation
The department was headed by the Hostel Officer and
he was assisted by three Hostel Assistants, responsible
for the overall monitoring of the hostels. The Hostel
Assistants’ responsibilities included supervision of hostel
residents and management of the catering, maintenance,
and cleaning services carried out by contracted
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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Student Affairs
Two hostels, Jarnine and Delma, were earmarked in
2009 to provide additional faculty and staff accommodation.
The Housing Section, in coordination with PI
and ADNOC Administration and General Services Dicompanies.
Receptionists were on duty around the
clock to manage the immediate needs of hostel residents
and to maintain records of registration. Receptionists
also made sure that students kept to check-in
procedures and complied generally with PI policies.
Housing section
The PI provided student accommodation and services for
both the academic and summer courses, in support of key
social, cultural and educational goals. The Housing Section
is an essential unit and is governed by policies in
accordance with best institutional practice. The section is
Student room at the hostel
Approximately 30 faculty/staff members were accommodated
in the hostel consistent with conditions of their employment
during 2009. For the convenience of students,
faculty, and staff, one hostel houses the ADNOC Clinic.
Medical services were available on weekdays, in addition
to the provision of 24-hour emergency care throughout
the year.
The amenities in student rooms consisted of appropriate
furnishings and wireless Internet access. Services included
free laundry and other housekeeping services, and the
hostel maintenance procedures, cleaning, and pest control
measures were carried out on a regular basis. Strict
safety measures were adhered to at all times and the fire
alarm system and related equipment were routinely inspected
to ensure their proper functioning.
Student surveys were conducted regarding the quality
and appropriateness of the hostel facilities in terms of
catering, cleanliness, and maintenance. Residents were
given access to information about housing-related issues
through continuous interaction with the Housing Assistants.
Living room of
student apartment
responsible for the allocation of students to purpose-built
dormitory facilities, and in 2009 we allocated 297 rooms
and provided the appropriate services.
Accommodation was provided without cost to individuals
registered as full-time students in pursuit of a scientific
degree, specifically to males who do not reside within
commuting distance of the PI campus. Several students
living in Abu Dhabi were granted dormitory accommodation
under circumstances that were determined by the
Hostel Officer.
Study desk at the hostel
New housing developments
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Student Affairs
visions, completed the refurbishment of the apartments
of the Jarnine building in a manner that ensures their
suitability as family lodging and bachelor quarters.
Five building units were designated to accommodate
570 students. Student occupancy during the 2009 period
stood at 297 and as the result of a policy decision first
implemented in the 2008-2009 academic year, the units
accommodate students according to their academic level:
AUP, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior.
Catering section
Catering services were available for resident students
and staff throughout the week at a private dining hall
(Satah) adjacent to the hostels. Additionally, cafes serve
breakfast, lunch and snacks in four buildings – Zarkuh,
Bu Hasa, Habshan, and Arzanah – to all non-resident
students, faculty, and staff.
buses were in operation in 2009, of which four were for
faculty and staff, six for female students, and 10 for
male students.
Bus services between Abu Dhabi and other emirates
(including the Western Region and the Northern Emirates)
were provided every fortnight for students whose
principal family residence was in these areas.
New developments
Plans have been made to reduce the number of AVIScontracted
buses when the Abu Dhabi Department of
Transport introduces scheduled public bus services to
Sas Al Nakhl (which covers the PI vicinity) by early
2010. Students will be encouraged to rely on these services
as this will significantly reduce the transportation
costs of the department.
Transportation section
The Transportation Section collaborated with the transport
provider (AVIS Rent-a-Car UAE) who supplied
transportation for faculty, staff and students. Twenty
Satah Lunchtime Choices at Satah Functional and aesthetic surroundings at Satah
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
168

Student Affairs
Practice that dribble! Who is going to challenge me? The PI team in action in the ADNOC Sports Tournament
Recreation section
The PI campus has a high quality sports facility to meet
the recreational needs of students and staff. The Asab
Sports Complex includes two well-equipped gymnasiums,
four indoor halls (purpose-built for cricket, football,
volleyball, handball, basketball, and badminton),
two studios (aerobics and martial arts), two indoor tennis
courts, two squash courts, and an outdoor grass
football pitch. Two wings of the Asab Sports Complex
are dedicated to the exclusive use of male and female
sportspersons respectively.
The Recreation Section organized regular intramural
sports tournaments for male and female students
throughout 2009. PI facilities were used to host several
intercollegiate tournaments, supported by the UAE
Higher Education Sports Federation. In addition to activities
within the PI, students also had the opportunity
to take part in recreational trips to movies, amusement
parks, and other activities off-campus.
The section is responsible for delivering the Personal
Health and Fitness program to students. The course
was offered on two levels (half-credit each) by instructors
Usama Mabrouk and Salwa Alweeshy from the
department. The Personal Health and Fitness syllabus
involves learning every aspect of maintaining a healthy
lifestyle and undergoing physical tests and training sessions
towards achieving program objectives. Additional
sections of the course were designed to accommodate a
total of 300 students.
programs that enabled every student to successfully
complete the required pre-graduation fitness assessment.
Staff Training and
Professional Development
Salwa Alweeshy completed The Foundations of Coaching
– Level 1 course offered by the American Swimming
Coaches Association in Abu Dhabi (28 April – 3 May
2009).
Salwa Alweeshy completed the Advanced Coaching
Course in Basketball offered by the Leaders’ Qualification
Centre, Dubai (22-25 May 2009).
ElSayed Zedan attended a five-day Rock Climbing
Course organized by Dorell Climbing in Dubai (26-30
June, 2009). The course was held at The Wall (Dubai),
which is the highest outdoor climbing wall facility in the
region.
The Recreation Section conducted physical tests and
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Student Affairs
Special athletic/sports events and activities
IN 2009
(held at the PI unless indicated otherwise)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Participation of female students’ team in friendly
matches (football and basketball) with Abu Dhabi
University and Al Dhafra High School –25 February
2009.
Participation of the PI Cricket Team in the 15th Annual
ADNOC Group of Companies Cricket Tournament
organized by the Inter-Oil Cricket Committee
(IOCC) – January to March 2009. The PI was 4th
runner-up overall.
Lecture for female students at Arzanah: Nutrition
and Healthy Lifestyle by Dr. Ghina Hamoui (CosmeSurge
and Emirates Hospital) – 17 February
2009.
Participation in the Intercollegiate Swimming
Competition at American University of Sharjah
(organized by the UAE Higher Education Sports
Federation) – February 2009. Approximately 100
participants from colleges and universities throughout
the UAE took part. The PI team were gold and
silver medalists in both individual and team competitions.
7. Participation in the ADNOC Sports Tournament
(March-April 2009): This tournament was organized
by ADNOC for ADNOC Group Companies, PI, and
ATI. PI Recreation Section professionals assisted
ADNOC in the successful hosting of this tournament.
In this 400-participant competition, the PI
was placed 3rd overall.
8. Participation of the PI football and cricket teams
in the Arabian Corporate Games – 8-11 April 2009.
The event was held under the patronage of His Excellency
Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan,
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Numerous corporate organizations took part
and there were individual events organized between
competitors representing Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The
PI football team was the winner in their category.
9. Red Bull Air Race held in Asab Sports Complex – 7
Red Bull Air Race at the PI Asab Sports Complex
5.
6.
Outdoor Athletics Competition (female students) –
26 March 2009.
Participation in the Intercollegiate Martial Arts
Competition at
American University
of Sharjah (organized
by the UAE Higher
Education Sports
Federation) – March
2009. PI teams were
gold medalists in individual
and team
competitions.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
170

Student Affairs
April 2009: The Air Race was organized and sponsored
by Red Bull. The PI recreation Section provided
support and attracted 250 participants. The
tournament was won by a PI student who then competed
with champions from other colleges and universities
and who created a country-wide record for
paper flight.
10. Participation of the PI female teams in intercollegiate
volleyball and basketball competitions (organized
by the UAE Higher Education Sports Federation)
– 22 and 26 April 2009.
11. Participation in the intercollegiate swimming competition
at American University of Sharjah (organized
by the UAE Higher Education Sports Federation)
– 27 April 2009.
12. Participation in the intercollegiate 5-a-Side Soccer
Tournament – 28 April 2009. One hundred students
from the PI and various other UAE colleges and universities
took part and the PI was the overall winner.
13. Summer sports tournament – July 2009.
14. Chess tournament - July 2009
15. Ramadan Games – September 2009 (basketball,
handball, volleyball, football, swimming, bench
press and cricket). Around 500 individuals participated
in or witnessed this in-house tournament involving
students, faculty and staff.
16. The Arab Universities’ indoor soccer tournament
was held at the PI Sport Complex from 18th November
to 25th November 2009. Seven countries (UAE,
Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, Oman, Syria and Egypt)
participated and our PI students and football team
members were actively involved in the organizing
committee for the competition
Adventure Program and
activities (trips) section
This section organized regular camping and climbing
trips. Trips were arranged over weekends to allow
greater student participation and were accompanied
by our qualified instructor ElSayed Zedan. An active
Rover Crew took part in some Scout missions and students
were also given the opportunity to participate in
survival courses to develop their leadership skills and
to build confidence. The acquisition of these advanced
outdoor survival techniques enabled them to cope with
adverse conditions. Adventure trips and activities offered
much-needed breaks from a hectic study schedule
and contributed to building student camaraderie and a
well-balanced university lifestyle.
adventure trips and
activities in 2009
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Survival camp in the Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah
(22-24 January 2009)
2-day Heritage Camp in Al-Wathbah region (26-27
February 2009).
Mountain Discovery Trip in Dibba (5-7 March
2009).
Formation of the PI Rock Climbing Team Training
at the Dubai Climbing Wall (27 March 2009)
Falconry Day at PI Asab Sports Complex (30 March
2009): Falconers with expertise in the breeding,
training, and husbandry of falcons conducted demonstrations
of traditional falconry activities.
17. Recreational trips to the world-renowned Cirque Du
Soleil, Dubai Ladies Club, and various amusement
parks.
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The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Student Affairs
6.
7.
8.
Treasure Hunt Activity at PI Campus (27 October
2009): An exciting program that challenged our
students to solve mysteries and deal with tough obstacles
through organized thinking, time management,
and teamwork. 123 students participated in
this event.
Building of heritage villages on male and female
campus (14-24 November 2009). This activity saw
the participation of 15 students and 9 external workers
constructing a traditional heritage village.
UAE National Day celebrations on 25th November
9.
2009 at the Heritage Village. Faculty, students and
their families attended the day-long celebrations,
which included traditional games, poetry events
and a local style of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Paintball Tournament at the Sharjah Golf and
Shooting Club (11 December 2009)
10. Weekly recreational trips to movies, amusement
parks (Wild Wadi, Ski Dubai, Atlantis Water Park,
Dubai) and similar venues were conducted on a
monthly basis.
Treasure Hunt Activity at PI Campus
The winning team of the Paintball Tournament.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
172

Student Affairs
1.
2.
4.
6.
3.
5.
7.
8.
1,2. Pictures from the survival camp in the Ras Al Khaimah mountains
3. 2-day Heritage camp in Al-Wathba region (26-27 Feb 2009)
4. The way it used to be
5,6. Mountain discovery – Dibba
7. Climbing session in Dubai
8. Falconry Day
173
The Petroleum Institute Annual Report 2009

Scholarly Publications
Scholarly Publications
2009
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
174

Scholarly Publications
Books
Petroleum Engineering
Department
J. Lu & D. Tiab, Productivity Equations for Oil
Wells, Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag
Publishing Company, 2009.
G. Takacs, Electrical Submersible Pumps
Manual: Design, Operations, and Maintenance,
Burlington, MA, U.S.A.: Gulf Professional
Publishing, 2009.
Arts and Sciences
College: Communication
C. Brandt, Read, Research and Write:
Academic Skills for ESL Students in Higher
Education, London, U.K.: SAGE Publications
Ltd, 2009.
R. Nunn & J. Adamson, Accepting Alternative
Voices in EFL Journal Articles, Korea: Asian
EFL Journal Press, 2009.
AUP Department
J. Herlihy, Wisdom’s Journey: Living the Spirit
of Islam in the Modern World, Bloomington,
U.S.A.: World Wisdom Books, 2009.
J. Olearski, Mr Football, Innsbruck, Austria:
Helbling Languages, 2009.
Edited collections:
Books
Mechanical Engineering
Department
L. J. Ernst, G. Q. Zhang, W. D. van Driel,
P. Rodgers, C. Bailey & O. de Saint Leger
(Eds), Proceedings of EuroSimE 2009 –
10th International Conference on Thermal,
Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation
and Experiments in Micro-Electronics and
Micro-Systems, Delft, The Netherlands, 2009.
Arts and Sciences
College: Communication
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds), Asian EFL
Journal 2008 Professional Teaching Articles,
Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, 2009.
Edited collections:
Journals
Arts and Sciences
College: Communication
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Quarterly, Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL
Journal Press, vol. 11, no.1, March 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Quarterly, Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL
Journal Press, vol. 11, no.2, June 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Quarterly, Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL
Journal Press, vol. 11, no.3, September 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Quarterly, Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL
Journal Press, vol. 11, no.4, December 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles,
Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol.
33, January 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles,
Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol.
34, February 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles,
Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol.
35, April 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles, Pusan,
Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol. 36, May
2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles, Pusan,
Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol. 37, July
2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles,
Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol.
38, August 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles,
Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol.
39, October 2009.
P. Robertson & R. Nunn (Eds.), Asian EFL
Journal Professional Teaching Articles,
Pusan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press, vol.
40, November 2009.
Arts and Sciences
College: Humanities and
Social Sciences
A. Al-Shami (Ed.), Australian Journal of
Islamic Studies, Islamic Centre for Research
and Development, Australia (ICRDA), vol. 2,
no. 1, February 2009.
A. Al-Shami (Ed.), Australian Journal of
Islamic Studies, Islamic Centre for Research
and Development, Australia (ICRDA), vol. 2,
no. 2, July 2009.
AUP Department
G. Seferoglu & V. Stevens, (Eds.), Current
Issues and Future Trends in Computer-Assisted
Language Learning and Teaching. Special
issue of Egitim Arastirmalari – Eurasian
Journal of Educational Research, Ankara,
Turkey: Ani Yayincilik Egitim Arashrmalan,
Year 9, vol. 34, 2009.
Book Chapters
Chemical Engineering
Department
M. Anisimov & J. Thoen, “Heat capacities
in the critical region”, in “Heat Capacities:
Liquids, Solutions and Vapours,” E. Wilhelm
& T. M. Letcher (Eds.), London, U.K.: The
Royal Society of Chemistry, 2009.
E. Kühne, G. J. Witkamp & C. J. Peters, “Ionic
liquids and carbon dioxide as combined solvents
for reactions and separations: the miscibility
switch,” in Current trends of supercritical fluid
technology in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical
and food processing industries, A. R. C. Duarte
& C. M. M. Duarte (Eds.), Bussum, The
Netherlands: Bentham eBooks, 2009.
A. Shariati, S. Raeissi & C. J. Peters, “Clathrate
Hydrates,” in Handbook of Hydrogen Storage,
M. Hirscher (Ed.), Weinheim, Germany:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
Mechanical Engineering
Department
M. M. Ohadi & R. Couvillion, “Heat transfer,”
in ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, M. S.
Owen (Ed), Atlanta, GA: American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), 2009.
M. M. Ohadi & R. Couvillion, “Mass transfer,”
in ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, M. S.
Owen (Ed), Atlanta, GA: American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), 2009.
175
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
Arts and Sciences
College: Communication
C. Brandt, “PowerPoint or posters for EAP
students’ presentation skills development?”
in Insights on Teaching Speaking in TESOL,
T. Stewart (Ed), Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.:
TESOL International Publications, 2009, pp.
153-168.
C. Brandt, “Thinking globally, teaching
locally: Language teacher certification
reappraised.” in Adult Language Learners:
Context and Innovation, G. Strong & A. Smith
(Eds), Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.: TESOL
International Publications, 2009, pp 9-20.
H. L. Lim & F. Sudweeks, “Constructivism
and online collaborative group learning in
higher education: A case study,” in Information
Technology and Constructivism in Higher
Education: Progressive Learning Frameworks,
C. R. Payne (Ed). New York, U.S.: Informing
Science Reference, IGI Group, 2009, pp. 231-
246.
H. L. Lim, “Understanding group interaction
and knowledge building in virtual learning
environments,” in Handbook of Research
on E-learning Applications for Career and
Technical Education: Technologies for
Vocational Training, V. C. X. Wang, (Ed), New
York, U.S.: Informing Science Reference, IGI
Group, 2009, pp. 312-328.
R. Nunn, “Integrating extensive reading
into holistic task-based learning units,” in
Extensive Reading in English Language
Teaching, A. Cirocki (Ed), Munich, Germany:
Lincolm Europa, 2009, pp. 219-229.
R. Nunn, “Extensive reading of literary
texts for advanced students: A contrapuntal
approach to critical thinking,” in Extensive
Reading in English Language Teaching, A.
Cirocki (Ed), Munich, Germany: Lincolm
Europa, 2009, pp. 375-386.
R. Nunn, “Making reasonable claims,” in
Read, Research and Write: Academic Skills
for ESL Students in Higher Education, C.
Brandt, U.K.: Sage Publications Ltd, 2009, pp.
171-180.
R. Nunn, “Developing pragmatic competence
for critical academic reading,” in Explorations
in Second Language Reading, R. Cohen (Ed),
Alexandria, U.S.A.: TESOL International
Publications, 2009, pp. 117-131.
S. Sivasubramaniam, “Anchoring literature
in extensive reading programmes: Issues and
insights for promoting intersubjectivity in the
classroom,” in Extensive Reading in English
Language Teaching, A. Cirocki (Ed), Munich,
Germany: Lincolm Europa, 2009, pp. 409-428.
S. Sivasubramaniam, “Extensive reading
as semiotic mediation: A celebration of lived
through experiences,” in Extensive Reading in
English Language Teaching. A. Cirocki (Ed),
Munich, Germany: Lincolm Europa, 2009, pp.
503-516.
S. Sivasubramaniam, “Articulating an
alternate voice in language teaching research:
An exercise in practitioner empowerment,” in
Accepting Alternative Voices in EFL Journal
Articles, R. Nunn & J. Adamson (Eds), Korea:
Asian EFL Journal Press, 2009, pp. 52-70.
Arts and Sciences
College: Humanities and
Social Sciences
M. Al-Allaf, “Interculturalismo Islamico,” in La
Società Multiculturale: Differenze o Diversità?
N. Nuntium (Ed), Città del Vaticano, Italy:
Lateran University Press, 2009, pp. 63-69.
D. Garis, “The behavior of petroleum markets:
Fundamentals and psychological in price
discovery and formation,” in International
Handbook on the Economics of Energy, J.
Evans & L. Hunt, (Eds), Cheltenham, U.K.:
Edward Elgar, 2009, pp. 420-440.
Theses and
dissertations
Electrical Engineering
Department
K. M. Al-Wahedi, “Distributed constrained
control with partial knowledge of the initial
conditions,” Ph.D. dissertation, Department of
Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial
College London, London, U.K., February 2009.
Mechanical Engineering
Department
E. Al-Hajri, “Prediction of Heat Transfer and
Pressure Drop of Condensing Refrigerant
Flow in A High Aspect Ratio Micro-Channel,”
Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, University of Maryland,
Maryland, U.S.A., August 2009.
Journal articles
Chemical Engineering
Department
M. Li, S. Azarm, N. Williams, A. Almansoori,
S. Al Hashimi & N. Al Qasas, “Integrated
multi-objective robust optimization and
sensitivity analysis with irreducible and
reducible interval uncertainly,” Engineering
Optimization, vol. 14, no. 10, pp. 889-908,
2009.
A. Almansoori & N. Shah, “Design and
operation of a future hydrogen supply chain:
multiperiod model,” International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy, vol. 34, no. 19, pp. 7883-
7897, 2009.
C. Bertrand, K. Linegar, A. Kostko & M.
Anisimov, “Multiscale dynamics of pretransitional
fluctuations in the isotropic phase
of a lyotropic liquid crystal,” Phys. Rev. E, vol.
79, no. 4, pp. 041704, 2009.
A. Günyar, M. D. Zhou, P. N. W. Baxter,
M. Drees, G. Bassioni, E. Herdtweck
& F. E. Kühn, “Studies of bis(halogeno)
dioxomolybdenum(VI)-bipyridine complexes:
synthesis and catalytic activity,” Dalton
Transactions, vol. 40, pp. 8746 – 8754, 2009.
G. Bassioni, “Mechanistic aspects on the
influence of inorganic anion adsorption on
oilfield scale inhibition by citrate,” J. Petrol.
Sci. Eng., vol. 70, no. 3-4, pp. 298 – 301, 2009.
C. L. Wu & A. S. Berrouk, “Comments on:
Solid cross-flow into the spout and particle
trajectories in conical spouted beds by San
José María, J., et al., Chemical Engineering
Science 53 (1998) 3561–3570,” Chemical
Engineering Science, vol. 64, no. 21, pp. 4457-
4459, 2009.
C. L. Wu, A. S. Berrouk & K. Nandakumar,
“Three-dimensional discrete particle model
for gas-solid fluidized beds on unstructured
mesh,” Chemical Engineering Journal, vol.
152, no. 2-3, pp. 514-529, 2009.
C. L. Wu, J. M. Zhan, Y. S. Li, K. S. Lam & A. S.
Berrouk, “Accurate void fraction calculation
for three-dimensional discrete particle model
for gas-solid fluidized bed on unstructured
mesh,” Chemical Engineering Science, vol. 64,
no. 6, pp. 1260-1266, 2009.
B. K. Dutta, S. Khanra & D. Mallick, “Leaching
of elements from coal fly ash: Assessment of
its potential for use in filing abandoned coal
mines,” Fuel, vol. 88, no. 7, pp. 1314-1323,
2009.
Z. Man, J. L. Stanford & B. K. Dutta, “Reaction
kinetics of epoxy resin modified with reactive
and non-reactive thermoplastic copolymers,”
J. Applied Polym. Sci., vol. 112, no. 112, pp.
2391-2400, 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
176

Scholarly Publications
S. Chiron, S. Barbati, S. Khanra, B. K.
Dutta, M. Minella, C. Minero, V. Maurino, E.
Pelizzetti & D. Vione, “Bicarbonate-enhanced
transformation of phenol upon irradiation of
hematite, nitrate and nitrite,” Photochem.
Photobiol Sci., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 91-100, 2009.
A. M. Shariff, Nur A. Hussan & B. K. Dutta,
“A fault tree analysis tool developed in Microsoft
Excel,” Hydrocarbon Processing, pp. 8488,
2009.
D. Sarkar, S. Chakrabarti & B. K. Dutta,
“Diffusion of methylene blus in glass fibers
– application of the shrinking-core model,”
Applied Mathematical Modeling, vol. 33, no. 6,
pp. 2874-2881, 2009.
B. K. Dutta & S. Bhattacharyya, “An effective
voidage model for sedimentation of bidisperse
solid suspension,” Chem Eng. Processing, vol.
48 no. 8, pp. 1382-1389, 2009.
L. S. Yoong, F. K. Chong & B. K. Dutta,
“Development of copper-doped TiO2
photocatalyst for hydrogen production under
visible light,” Energy, vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 1652-
1661, 2009.
S. Chakrabarti, B. Chaudhuri, S. Bhattacharjee,
A. K. Ray & B. K. Dutta, “Photo-reduction of
hexavalent chromium in aqueous solution in
the presence of zinc oxide as semiconductor
catalyst,” Chem Eng J., vol. 153, no. 1-3, pp.
86-93, 2009.
S. Chakrabarti, B. K. Dutta & R. Apak,
“Active manganese oxide: a novel adsorbent for
treatment of wastewater containing azo dye,”
Water Sci. Technol., vol. 60, no. 12, pp. 3017-
3024, 2009.
N. Ahmad, S. Maitra, B. K. Dutta & F. Ahmad,
“Remediation of sulfidic wastewater by
catalytic oxidation with hydrogen peroxide,” J.
Env. Sci., vol. 21, no. 12, pp 1735-1740, 2009.
M. S. Saharun, B. K. Dutta & H. Mukhtar,
“Ab initio energy calculations and macroscopic
rate modelling of hydroformylation of higher
alkenes by rhodium-based catalysts,” AIChE
J., vol. 55, no. 12, pp. 3221-3233, 2009.
R. Das, B. K. Dutta, V. Maurino, D. Viove & C.
Minero, “Suppression of inhibition of substrate
photodegradation by scavengers of hydroxyl
radicals: The solvent-cage effect of bromide on
nitrate photolysis,” Env. Chem. Letters, vol. 7,
no. 4, pp. 337-342, 2009.
I. Tsivintzelis, I. G. Economou & G. M.
Kontogeorgis, “Modeling the solid – liquid
equilibrium in pharmaceutical – solvent
mixtures: Systems with complex hydrogen
bonding behaviour,” AIChE J., vol. 55, no. 3,
pp. 756-770, 2009.
G. E. Logotheti, J. Ramos & I. G. Economou,
“Molecular modeling of imidazolium-based
[Tf2N-] ionic liquids: Microscopic structure,
thermodynamic and dynamic properties and
segmental dynamics,” J. Phys. Chem. B, vol.
113, no. 20, pp. 7211-7224, 2009.
I. Tsivintzelis, I. G. Economou & G. M.
Kontogeorgis, “Modeling the phase behavior
in mixtures of pharmaceuticals with liquid or
supercritical solvents,” J. Phys. Chem. B, vol.
113, no. 18, pp. 6446-6458, 2009.
M. Yiannourakou, I. G. Economou & I. A.
Bitsanis, “Phase equilibrium of colloidal
suspensions with particle size dispersity: A
Monte Carlo study,” J. Chem. Phys., vol. 130,
no. 19, pp. 194902-1-194902-10, 2009.
N. M. Garrido, A. J. Queimada, M. Jorge, E.
A. Macedo & I. G. Economou, “1-Octanol /
water partition coefficients of n-alkanes from
molecular simulations of absolute solvation
free energies,” J. Chem. Theory Comput., vol.
5, no. 9, pp. 2436-2446, 2009.
B. Hasse, J. Lehmann, D. Assenbaum, P.
Wasserscheid, A. Leipertz & A. P. Fröba,
“Viscosity, interfacial tension, density, and
refractive index of ionic liquids [EMIM][MeSO 3
],
[EMIM][MeOHPO 2
], [EMIM][OcSO 4
], and
[BBIM][NTf 2
] in dependence on temperature
at atmospheric pressure,” J. Chem. Eng., vol.
54, no. 9 pp. 2576-2583, 2009.
O. Muraza, E. V. Rebrov, A. Berenguer-
Murcia, M. H. M. de Croon & J. C. Schouten,
“Selectivity control in hydrogenation reactions
by confinement of polymetallic nanoparticles
in mesoporous thin films,” Applied Catalysis
A: General, vol. 368, pp. 87-96, 2009.
O. Muraza, E. V. Rebrov, M. H. J. M. de
Croon & J. C. Schouten, “Enhancement of the
stability of microporous silica films in nonaqueous
solvents at elevated temperature,”
Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, vol.
124, pp. 20-29, 2009.
M. Jain, A. Yeung, K. Nandakumar, “Induced
charge electro osmotic mixer: Obstacle shape
optimization,” Biomicrofluidics, vol. 3, no. 2,
2009.
S. Jin, P. D. Minev & K. Nandakumar, “A
scalable parallel algorithm for the direct
numerical simulation of multiple particles in
a three dimensional incompressible fluid flow,”
International Journal of Computational Fluid
Dynamics, vol. 23, pp. 427-437, 2009.
K. R. Ekambara, S. Sanders, K. Nandakumar
& J. H. Masliyah, “Hydrodynamic simulation of
horizontal slurry pipeline flow using ANSYS-
CFX,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry
Research, vol. 48, pp. 8159-8171, 2009.
M. H. Wang, H. Cunkui, K. Nandakumar, P.
D. Minev, J. Luo & S. Chiovelli, “Computational
fluid dynamics modeling and experimental
study of erosion in slurry jet flows,”
International Journal of Computational Fluid
Dynamics, vol. 23, no. 2, pp.155-172, 2009.
M. Jain, A. Yeung & K. Nandakumar,
“Efficient micromixing using inducedcharge
electroosmosis,” Journal of
Microelectromechanical Systems, vol.18, no. 2,
pp. 376-384, 2009.
C. Veeramani, P. D. Minev & K. Nandakumar,
“Collision modelling between two non-Brownian
particles in multiphase flow,” International
Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 48, pp. 226-
233, 2009.
M. R. Damen, R. W. Brand, S. C. Bloem, E.
Pingen, K. Steur, C. J. Peters, G. Witkamp
& M. C. Kroon, “Process intensification by
combining ionic liquids and supercritical
carbon dioxide applied to the design of levadopa
production,” Chem. Eng. and Processing:
Process Intensification, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 549-
553, 2009.
A. Martin & C. J. Peters, “New thermodynamic
model of equilibrium states of gas hydrates
considering lattice distortion,” J. of Phys.
Chem. C, vol. 113, no. 1, pp. 422-430, 2009.
S. Raeissi & C. J. Peters, “A potential ionic
liquid for CO2-separating membranes:
selection and gas solubility studies,” Green
Chemistry, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 185-192, 2009.
S. Raeissi & C. J. Peters, “Carbon
dioxide solubility in the homologous
1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide
family,” J. of Chem.
Eng. Data, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 382-386, 2009.
H. Machida, R. Taguchi, Y. Sato, L. J. Florusse,
C. J. Peters & R. L. Smith, “Measurement
and correlation of supercritical CO 2
and ionic
liquid systems for design of advanced unit
operations,” Frontiers in Chemical Engineering
in China, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 12-19, 2009.
A. Martin & C. J. Peters, “Thermodynamic
modeling of promoted structure sII clathrate
hydrates of hydrogen,” J. of Phys. Chem. B, vol.
113, no. 21, pp. 7548-7557, 2009.
W. B. Setianto, R. L. Smith Jr., H. Inomata, L.
J. Florusse & C. J. Peters, “Pressure profile
method extraction of phenolic liquid compounds
from cashew (Anacardium occidentale) shell
with supercritical carbon dioxide and aspects
of its phase equilibria,” J. of Supercritical
Fluids, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 203-210, 2009.
177
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
E. Kühne, L. R. Alfonsin, M. T. Mota
Martinez, G. J. Witkamp & C. J. Peters,
“Comment on “Characterization on the ability
of CO 2
to act as an antisolvent for ionic liquid
/ organic mixtures,” J. of Phys. Chem. B, vol.
113, no. 18, pp. 6579–6580, 2009.
A. R. Cruz Duarte, A. Shariati, C. J. Peters,
“Phase equilibrium measurements of structure
sH hydrogen clathrate hydrates with various
promoters,” J. of Chem. Eng. Data, vol. 54, no.
5, pp. 1628-1632, 2009.
A. Martin & C. J. Peters, “Hydrogen storage in
sH clathrate hydrates: thermodynamic model,”
J. of Phys. Chem. B, vol. 113, no. 21, pp. 7558-
7563, 2009.
E. Kühne, A. Martin, G. J. Witkamp & C.
J. Peters, “Modeling the phase behavior of
ternary systems ionic liquid + organic + CO 2
with a group contribution equation of state,”
AIChE Journal, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 1265-1273,
2009.
M. D. Bermejo, A. Martin, G. Foco, M. J. Cocero,
S. B. Bottini & C. J. Peters, “Application of
a group contribution equation of state for
the thermodynamic modeling of the binary
ionic liquid systems CO 2
- 1-butyl-3-methyl
imidazolium nitrate and CO 2
- 1-hydroxy-1-
propyl-3-methyl imidazolium nitrate,” J. of
Supercritical Fluids, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 112-117,
2009.
K. N. Marsh, J. F. Brennecke, R. F. Chirico,
M. Frenkel, A. Heintz, J. W. Magee, C. J.
Peters, L. P. N. Rebelo & K. R. Seddon,
“Thermodynamic and physical properties
of the reference ionic liquid: 1-hexyl-3-
methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)
sulfonyl]amide (including mixtures). Part 1.
Experimental methods and results (IUPAC
Technical Report),” International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry, vol. 81, no. 5, pp.
781-790, 2009.
K. M. Sabil, G. J. Witkamp & C. J. Peters,
“Phase equilibria of mixed carbon dioxide and
tetrahydrofuran hydrates in sodium chloride
aqueous solutions,” Fluid Phase Equilibria,
vol. 284, no.1, pp. 38-43, 2009.
N. Papadimitriou, C. J. Peters, A. Papaioannou
& A. K. Stubos, “Hydrogen storage in sH
hydrates: a Monte Carlo study,” J. of Phys.
Chem., vol. 112, no. 45, pp. 14206-14211,
2009.
M. N Abinayah Shree, K. Iyappan, N.
Balasubramanian & C. Srinivasakannan,
“Preparation and characterization of bio fuel
from industrial waste,” Journal of Sustainable
Development, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 71-74, 2009.
C. Srinivasakannan & N. Balasubramanian,
“Pyrolysis of Scrap tire for preparation of
activated carbon,” Journal of Solid Waste
Technology & Management, vol. 35, no. 2,
2009.
K. S. Paramakalyani, N. Balasubramanian
& C. Srinivasakannan, “De-colorization
and COD reduction of paper industrial
effluent using electrocoagulation,” Chemical
Engineering Journal, vol. 151, pp. 97–104,
2009.
N. Balasubramanian, Toshinori Kojima,
C. Ahmed Basha & C. Srinivasakannan,
“Removal of arsenic from aqueous solution
using electrocoagulation,” Journal of
Hazardous Materials, vol. 167, pp. 966–969,
2009.
C. Srinivasakannan & N. Balasubramanian,
“Investigation on the drying kinetics of millet in
fluidized beds,” Advanced Powder Technology,
vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 298-302, 2009.
V. Preethi, K. S. Parama Kalyani & C.
Srinivasakannan, N. Balasubramaniam, N.
Vedaraman, “Ozonation of tannery effluent
for removal of COD and color,” Journal of
Hazardous Materials, vol. 166, no. 1, pp. 150-
154, 2009.
C. Srinivasakannan & N. Balasubramanian,
“Estimation of moisture diffusion parameters
for fluidized bed drying of pepper,” Advanced
Powder Technology, vol. 20, no. 4, 390-394,
2009.
V. Preethi, K. Iyappan, N. Balasubramanian
& C. Srinivasakannan, “Investigation
on treatment of tannery effluent through
ozonation,” Journal of American Leather
Chemist Association, vol. 104, pp. 302-307,
2009.
N. Balasubramanian, Toshinori Kojima & C.
Srinivasakannan, “Arsenic removal through
electro coagulation: kinetics and statistical
modelling,” Chemical Engineering Journal,
vol. 155, pp. 76-82, 2009.
A. Arul Murugan, R. Thilakavathi, N.
Balasubramanian & C. Srinivasakannan,
“RSM and ANN modeling of electro-coagulation
in parallel plate electrochemical reactor,” Int.
Journal of Reactor Engineering, vol. 7, 2009.
Electrical Engineering
Department
M. Kashki, Y. L. Abdel-Magid & M. A.
Abido, “Application of novel reinforcement
learning automata approach in power system
regulation,” Journal of Circuits, Systems, and
Computers, vol. 18, no. 8 pp. 1609–1625, 2009.
M. Kashki, Y. L. Abdel-Magid & M. A. Abido,
“Parameter optimization of multimachine
power system conventional stabilizers using
CDCARLA method,” International Journal
of Electrical Power and Energy Systems.
Available at http://www.citeulike.org/articleposts/6197919,
2009.
B. Mohandes, L. El-Chaar & L. Lamont,
“Application study of 500W photovoltaic (PV)
system in the UAE,” Applied Solar Energy, vol.
45, no. 4, pp. 242-247, 2009.
J. Park, W. Liang, J. Choi, & A. A. El-Keib,
“Probabilistic production cost credit evaluation
of wind turbine generators,” The International
Journal of Innovative Computing, Information
and Control (IJICIC), vol. 5, no.12, pp. 3637-
3646, 2009.
W. Liang, J. Park, J. Choi & A. A. EI-Keib,
“Probabilistic reliability evaluation of power
systems including wind turbine generators
considering wind speed correlation,” Journal
of Electrical Engineering & Technology, vol. 4,
no. 4, pp. 485-491, 2009.
M. Soliman, E. Abdel-Rahman, E. El-
Saadany & R. Mansour, “A design procedure
for wideband micro-power generators,” IEEE
Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems,
vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 1288-1299, 2009.
M. Albadi, E. El-Saadany & H. Albadi, “Wind
to power a new city in Oman,” Energy, vol. 34,
no. 10, pp. 1579-1586, 2009.
M. Al-Badi & E. El-Saadany, “The role of
taxation policy and incentives in wind-based
distributed generation projects viability:
Ontario case study renewable energy,”
Renewable Energy, vol. 34, no. 10, pp. 2224-
2233, 2009.
Y. Mohamed & E. El-Saadany, “Adaptive
grid-voltage sensorless control scheme for
inverter-based distributed generation,” IEEE
Transactions on Energy Conversion, vol. 24,
no. 3, pp. 683-694, September 2009.
M. Al-Badi & E. El-Saadany, “Wind turbines
capacity factor modeling- a novel approach,”
IEEE Transaction on Power Systems, vol. 24,
no. 3, pp. 1637-1638, 2009.
Q. Chen, U. Kruger & A. Y. Leung,
“Cointegration testing method for monitoring
nonstationary processes,” Industrial &
Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 48, no. 7,
pp. 3533-3543, 2009.
X. Liu, U. Kruger, T. Littler, L. Xie & S.
Q. Wang, “Moving window kernel PCA for
adaptive monitoring of nonlinear processes,”
Chemometrics & Intelligent Laboratory
Systems, vol. 96, no. 2, pp. 132-143, 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
178

Scholarly Publications
A. McArdle, U. Kruger & J. Hahn,
“Multivariate statistical analysis applied to an
IL6 signal transduction model in hepatocytes,”
Statistics in Medicine, vol. 28, no. 19, pp. 2401-
2434, 2009.
D. Lieftucht, M. Völker, C. Sonntag, U.
Kruger, G. W. Irwin & S. Engell, “Improved
fault diagnosis in multivariate systems using
regression-based reconstruction,” Control
Engineering Practice, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 478-
493, 2009.
Z. Ge, L. Xie, U. Kruger, L. Lamont, Z.
Song & S. Wang, “Sensor fault identification
and isolation for multivariate non-Gaussian
processes,” Journal of Process Control, vol. 19,
no. 10, pp. 1707-1715, 2009.
M. Meribout, A. Al-Naamany & K. Al-
Busaidi, “An acoustic system for providing
the two-phase liquid profile in oil field storage
tanks,” IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics
FerroElectronics and Frequency, vol. 56, no.
10, pp. 2241-2250, 2009.
M. Meribout, N. Al-Rawahi, A. Al-Naamany,
A. Al-Bimani, K. Al-Busaidi & A. Meribout,
“An accurate machine for real-time two-phase
flow-metering in a laboratory-scale flow loop,”
IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and
Measurement, vol. 58, no. 8, pp. 2686-2697,
2009.
M. Meribout, A. Al-Naamany & K. Al-
Busaidi, “An industrial prototype acoustic
array for real-time emulsion layer detection on
oil storage tanks,” IEEE Sensors Journal, vol.
9, no. 12, pp. 1838-1846, 2009.
M. Poshtan & P. Rastgoufard, “Contingency
ranking for voltage stability analysis of largescale
power systems,” International Journal of
Applied Science, Engineering and Technology,
vol. 50, pp. 831-837, 2009
Mechanical Engineering
Department
K. C. Leong, H. Y. Li, L. W. Jin & J. C. Chai,
“Numerical and experimental study of forced
convection in graphite foams of different
configurations,” Applied Thermal Engineering,
2009. Available at http://www.sciencedirect.
com/science/journal/13594311.
V. Eveloy and P. Rodgers, “Introducing
Mechanical Engineering to students in the
Gulf Region,” The International Journal of
Engineering Education, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 603-
614, 2009.
S. C. Fok, S. Y. E. Lim & G. Y. C. Chan, “An
intelligent virtual environment to support
cognitive rehabilitation: relearning meal
preparation skills for independent living,”
International Journal of Biomechatronics and
Biomedical Robotics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 67-77,
2009.
S. Q. Yu, F. L. Tan & S. C. Fok, “Cooling of an
automatic teller machine: A numerical study,”
Engineering Applications of Computational
Fluid Mechanics, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 445-457,
2009.
F. L. Tan & S. C. Fok, “Freezing of tilapia
fillets in an air blast freezer,” International
Journal of Food Science and Technology, vol.
44, no. 8, pp. 1619-1625, 2009.
S. C. Fok & F. L. Tan, “A computer-aided
design tool to facilitate the realization of
cooling systems,” International Journal of
Product Development, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 313-328,
2009.
A. E. Pillay, S. Fok, S. Stephen & A. Abd-
Elhameed, “Monitoring interfacial degradation
in metal-coatings using laser-ablation
technology (ICP-MS),” Canadian Journal of
Pure and Applied Sciences, vol. 3, no. 2, pp.
821-825, 2009.
F. L. Tan & S. C. Fok, “Development of a
computer-aided educational tool incorporating
MATLAB for engineering measurements,”
Computer Applications in Engineering
Education, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 206-213, 2009.
S. C. Fok, “Economic bust – environment
boom?” Research Journal of Chemistry and
Environment, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 84-85, June
2009.
H. S. Ku, S. C. Fok & E. Siores, “Contrasts
on fracture toughness and flexural strength of
varying percentages of SLG reinforced phenolic
composites,” Journal of Composite Materials,
vol. 43, no. 8, pp. 885-895, 2009.
S. C. Fok, “Internet-enabled exercises
and prosthesis for home-based cognitive
rehabilitation,” International Journal of
Biomedical Engineering and Technology, vol.
2, no. 1, pp. 29-43, 2009.
A. Goharzadeh & P. Rodgers, “Experimental
characterization of solid particle transport by
slug flow using particle image velocimetry,”
Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 147,
no. 012069, 2009.
A. Goharzadeh & P. Rodgers “Experimental
measurement of laminar axisymmetric
flow through confined annular geometries
with sudden inward expansion,” ASME-
Transactions - Journal of Fluid Engineering,
vol. 131, no. 12, 2009.
E. Gunister, I. Cobanoglu & S. Isci, “The
effect of polyurethane on NaMt and ONaMt
dispersions,” Progress In Organic Coatings,
vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 357-361, July 2009.
C. H. Unlu, E. Gunister & O. Atici, “Synthesis
and characterization of NaMt biocomposites
with corn cob xylan in aqueous media,”
Carbohydrate Polymers, vol. 76, no. 4, pp. 585-
592, 2009.
M. D. Islam, I. Kubo, M. Ohadi & A. A. Alili,
“Measurement of solar energy radiation in Abu
Dhabi, U.A.E.,” J. Applied Energy, vol. 86, no.
4, pp. 511-515, 2009.
M. D. Islam, K. Oyakawa & I. Kubo,
“Visualization of flow pattern and thermal
image analysis of enhanced heat transfer
surface,” Heat and Mass Transfer J., vol. 45,
no. 4, p. 511, 2009.
M. D. Islam, K. Oyakawa, M. Yaga & I. Kubo,
“The effects of duct height on heat transfer
enhancement of a co-rotating type rectangular
finned surface in duct,” Experimental, Thermal
and Fluid Science J., vol. 33, pp. 348-356,
2009.
M. D. Islam, K. Oyakawa, M. Yaga & I. Kubo,
“The influence of channel height on heat
transfer enhancement of a co-angular type
rectangular finned surface in narrow channel,”
International Journal of Thermal science, vol.
48, no. 8, pp. 1639-1648, 2009.
M. D. Islam, M. Al-Shehi & M. Ohadi,
“Emerging applications in Cryogenics-
Nitrogen injection for Reservoir Enhanced Oil
Recovery,” ASHRAE Transactions, vol. 115,
Part 2, 2009.
K. Oyakawa, A. Umeda, M. D. Islam, N. Saji &
S. Matsuda, “Flow structure and heat transfer
of impingement jet,” Heat and Mass transfer
J., vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 53-61, 2009.
M. D. Islam, K. Oyakawa & I. Kubo,
“Comparative studies on the effect of duct
height on heat transfer and flow behavior
between co-angular and co-rotating type finned
surface,” Heat and Mass transfer J., vol. 46, no.
2, pp. 245-253, 2009.
L. Khezzar, A. C. Seibi & A. Goharzadeh,
“Water sloshing in rectangular tanks – an
experimental investigation & numerical
simulation,” International Journal of
Engineering, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1 – 11, 2009.
P. Kalinowski, Y. Hwang, R. Radermacher, S.
Al Hashimi & P. Rodgers, “Application of
waste heat powered absorption refrigeration
system to the LNG recovery process,”
International Journal of Refrigeration, vol. 32,
no. 4, pp. 687-694, 2009.
C. Seibi, A. Karrech, F. Boukadi & T. Pervez,
“Measurements while drilling techniques:
a comparative study and suggestions for
improvements,” Journal of Energy Sources, Part
A, Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental
Effects, vol. 31 no. 14, pp. 1205-1216, 2009.
A. C. Seibi, A. Al-Yhamadi, S. Al-Hiddabi, T.
Pervez, A. Karrech & A. Al-Shabibi, “Dynamic
effects of mandrel/tubular interaction
on downhole solid tubular expansion in
well engineering,” J. of Energy Resources
Technology, ASME transaction, vol. 131, no. 1,
pp. 1-7, 2009.
179
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
F. H. Boukadi, M. Sahraoui, A. C. Seibi & A.
Barhoumi, “A mathematical model to simulate
gas-oil gravity drainage in naturally-fractured
oil-wet reservoir,” Journal of Porous Media,
vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 585-592, 2009.
A. Karrech & A. C. Seibi, “Analytical model for
the expansion of tubes under tension,” Journal
of Materials Processing Technology, vol. 210,
pp. 356-362, 2009.
F. T. Akyildiz, D. A. Siginer, K. Vajravelu,
J .R. Cannon & R. A. Van Gorder, “Similarity
solutions of the boundary layer equations for
a non-linearly stretching sheet,” Mathematical
Methods in the Applied Sciences, 2009.
Available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.
com/journal/106560971/issue.
F. T. Akyildiz & D. A. Siginer, “Galerkin-
Legendre spectral method for the velocity and
thermal boundary layers over a non-linearly
stretching sheet,” Non-Linear Analysis: Real
World Applications, 2009. Available at: http://
www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.
cws_home/620392/description#description
S. Sharma, D. A. Siginer, R. K. Dukipatti & K.
A. Soschinske, “Effect of fiber sizing-test fluid
interaction on the unsaturated and saturated
flow in the VARTM process,” Journal of
Composite Materials, vol. 43, no.15, pp.1589-
1601, 2009.
S. I. Bakhtiyarov & D. A. Siginer,
“Electromagnetic levitation, part III:
Thermophysical property measurements in
microgravity,” Fluid Dynamics and Materials
Processing, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-23, 2009.
S. Jiang, P. G. Voulgaris, L. E. Holloway &
L. A. Thompson, “Distributed control of large
segmented telescopes,” Journal of Vibration
and Control, vol. 15, no.6, pp. 923-949, 2009.
R. Zhang, “A recording-based approach for
identifying seismic site liquefaction and nonlinearity
via HHT data analysis,” Advances in
Adaptive Data Analysis, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 89-
123, 2009.
Petroleum Engineering
Department
F. Akgun & E. Maida, “Aluminum tubular
make efficient drillstring,” Oil and Gas J., vol.
108, no. 9, pp. 16-25, 2009.
H. A. Belhaj, H. H. Vaziri & M. R. Islam,
“Laboratory investigation of effective stresses’
influence on petrophysical properties of
sandstone reservoirs during depletion,” JCPT,
vol. 48, no. 7, 2009.
Y. M. Wahaibi, A. S. Bemani, S. N. Bahry,
H. Sulaimani, B. Ghosh & M. Mandhari,
“Microbial enhanced oil recovery: A review,”
International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal
Technology, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 315-330, 2009.
J. Lu, D. Tiab & J. Owayed, “Steady state
productivity equations for a vertical well in
anisotropic sector fault, band, and rectangular
reservoirs,” Journal of Energy Resources and
Technology, vol. 131, no.1, pp. 1-6, 2009.
J. Lu, T. Zhu, D. Tiab & J. Owayed,
“Productivity formulas for a partially
penetrating vertical well in a circular cylinder
drainage volume,” Mathematical Problems in
Engineering, vol. 2009, no.9, pp. 1-34, 2009.
J. Owayed & J. Lu, “Pressure drop equations
for a partially penetrating vertical well
in a circular cylinder drainage volume,”
Mathematical Problems in Engineering, vol.
2009, no. 1, pp. 1-33, March 2009.
P. A. Nawrocki, “Alterations of breakdown
and collapse pressures due to material
nonlinearities,” Int. J. Geomechanics and
Engineering, 1 (2), 1-14, 2009.
Z. Turzo & G. Takacs, “CFD techniques
determine gas-lift valve behavior,” Oil and Gas
Journal, pp. 46-51, vol. 107, no. 22, 2009.
Petroleum Geosciences
Department
I. S. Al-Aasm, F. Ghazban & M. Ranjbaran,
“Dolomitization and related fluid evolution in
the Asmari Formation, Gashsaran area, SW
Iran: Petrologic and stable isotope evidence,”
Petroleum Geology, vol. 32, pp. 287-304, 2009.
C-B. Kim, I. S. Al-Aasm, F. Ghazban & H-W.
Chang, “Stable isotopic composition of dinosaur
eggshells and pedogenic carbonates in the
Upper Cretaceous Seonso Formation, South
Korea: Paleoenvironmental and diagenesis
implications,” Cretaceous Research, vol. 30,
no.1, pp. 93-99, 2009.
E. Szabo, M. Cioppa & I. S. Al-Aasm, “Pre-
Jurassic depositional age for the Lower
Amaranth member of the Amaranth Formation,
Willinston Basin, Manitoba (Canada),”
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 46,
pp. 855-873, 2009.
M. Y. Ali, “Geology and Coal Potential
of Somaliland,” Int. J. Oil, Gas and Coal
Technology, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 168-185, 2009.
M. Y. Ali, K. Berteussen, J. Small, B. Barkat
& O. Pahlevi, “Results from a low frequency
passive seismic experiment over an oilfield in
Abu Dhabi,” First Break, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 91-
97, 2009.
M. Y. Ali, M. Sirat & J. Small, “Integrated
gravity and seismic investigation over Jabal
Hafit: Implications for basement configuration
of the frontal fold and thrust belts of the Oman
Mountains,” Journal of Petroleum Geology, vol.
32, no. 1, pp. 1-20, 2009.
M. Y. Ali & A. B. Watts, “Subsidence history,
gravity anomalies and flexure of the United
Arab Emirates foreland basin,” GeoArabia, vol.
14, no. 2, pp. 17-44, 2009.
M. P. Searle & M. Y. Ali, “Structural geometry
and tectonic evolution of the Jebel Sumeini –
Al Ain region, Northern Oman and eastern
Abu Dhabi,” GeoArabia, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 113-
140, 2009.
K. Berteussen, “When geophysical data
have negative value: A small note on an
uncomfortable topic,” First Break, vol. 27, pp.
99-101, 2009.
Y. Bouzidi & D. R. Schmitt, “Measurement
of the speed and attenuation of the Biot slow
wave using a large ultrasonic transmitter,”
Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 114, no.
8, pp. 1-14, 2009.
F. Fiorini, “Ammodiscus anulatus, a new
species of benthic foraminifera from the
Colombian Basin,” Micropaleontology, vol. 55,
no. 1, pp. 94-96, 2009.
S. Lokier & T. Steuber, “Large scale intertidal
polygonal features of the Abu Dhabi coastline,”
Sedimentology, vol. 56, pp. 609-621, 2009.
S. W. Lokier, M. E. J. Wilson & L. M. Burton,
“Marine biota response to clastic sediment influx:
A quantitative approach,” Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 281, pp.
25-42, October 2009.
A. Abouessa & S. Morad, “An integrated study
of diagenesis and depositional facies in tidal
sandstones: the Hawaz Formation (Middle
Ordovician), Murzuq Basin, Libya,” Journal of
Petroleum Geology, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 39-66,
2009.
M. A. K. El-ghali, S. Morad, H. Mansurbeg,
M. A. Caja, M. Sirat & N. Ogle, “Diagenetic
alterations related to marine transgression
and regression in fluvial and shallow marine
sandstones of the Triassic Buntsandstein and
Keuper sequence, the Paris Basin, France,”
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 26, no. 3,
pp.289-309, 2009.
M. A. K. El-ghali, S. Morad, H. Mansurbeg,
M. A. Caja, G. Ajdanlijsky, N. Ogle, I. S. Al-
Aasm & M. Sirat, “Distribution of diagenetic
alterations within depositional facies and
sequence stratigraphic framework of fluvial
sandstones: Evidence from the Petrohan
Terrigenous Group, Lower Triassic, NW
Bulgaria,” Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol.
26, no. 7, pp. 1212-1227, August 2009.
J. L. Luo, S. Morad, A. Salem, J. M. Ketzer, X. L.
Lei, D. Y. Guo & O. Hlal, “Impact of diagenesis
on reservoir-quality evolution in fluvial and
lacustrine-deltaic sandstones: evidence from
Jurassic and Triassic sandstones from the
Ordos Basin, China,” Journal of Petroleum
Geology, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 79-102, 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
180

Scholarly Publications
H. Mansurbeg, M. A. Caja, R. Marfil, S. Morad,
E. Remacha, D. Garcia, T. Martín-Crespo, M.
A. K. El-ghali & J. P. Nystuen, “Diagenetic
evolution and porosity destruction of turbiditic
hybrid arenites and siliciclastic sandstones
of foreland basins: Evidence from the Eocene
Hecho group, Pyrenees, Spain,” Journal of
Sedimentary Research, vol. 79, no. 9, pp. 711
– 735, 2009.
S. Morad, M. A. K. El-ghali, M. A. Caja, K.
Al-Ramadan & H. Mansurbeg, “Hydrothermal
alteration of magmatic titanite: Evidence
from Proterozoic granitic rocks, southeastern
Sweden,” The Canadian Mineralogist, vol. 47,
no.3, pp. 801-811, 2009.
S. Morad, M. A. K. El-ghali, M. A. Caja,
M. Sirat, K. Al-Ramadan & H. Mansurbeg,
”Hydrothermal alteration of plagioclase in
granitic rocks from Proterozoic basement of
S.E. Sweden,” Geological Journal, vol. 44, no.
1, pp. 105-116, October 2009.
S. I. Kaiser, R. T. Becker, C. Spalletta & T.
Steuber, “Chapter 5, High-resolution conodont
straigraphy, biofacies and extinctions around
the Hangenberg Event in pelagic successions
from Austria, Italy, and France,” in Studies
in Devonian Stratigraphy, Palaeontographica
Americana, vol. 63, pp. 99-143, 2009.
J. Mutterlose, S. Pauly & T. Steuber,
“Temperature controlled deposition of
early Cretaceous (Barremian-early Aptian)
black shales in an epicontinental sea,”
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology,
Palaeoecology, vol. 273, no. 3-4, pp. 330-345,
2009.
T. Steuber, S. Özer, M. Schlüter & B. Sari,
“Description of Paracaprinula syriaca Piveteau
(Hippuritoidea, Plagioptychidae) and a revised
age of ophiolite obduction on the African-
Arabian plate in southeastern Turkey,”
Cretaceous Research, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 41-48,
February 2009.
B. van der Kooij, A. Immenhauser, A.
Csoma, J. Bahamonde & T. Steuber,
“Spatial geochemistry of a Carboniferous
platform-margin-to-basin transect: Balancing
environmental and diagenetic factors,”
Sedimentary Geology, vol. 219, no. 1-4, pp. 136-
150, 2009.
Arts and Sciences College:
Chemistry
P. Eason, R. Victor, J. Eriksen & A.
Kwarteng, “Status of the exotic ring-necked
parakeet, Psittacula krameri, in Oman (Aves:
Psittacidae),” Zoology in the Middle East, vol.
47, no. 1, pp. 29-38, 2009.
A. Boehme, E. Brooks, I. J. McNaught & J.
Robertson, “The persistence of animal hairs
in a forensic context,” Australian Journal
of Forensic Sciences, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 1–14,
2009.
I. J. McNaught & G. D. Peckham, “Effects
of hydrolysis on determining the solubility
product of potassium bitartrate,” J. Chem.
Educ., vol. 86, no. 3, pp. 330–331, 2009.
F. M. Salih, S. S. Al-Hansi Maysa & A. E.
Pillay, “Cytotoxic consequence of D2Oinduced
chemical transformation of thymine
and uracil,” Research Journal of Biotechnology,
vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 45-49, 2009.
S. Al Kindy, Z. Al Harasi, F. E. Suliman,
A. Al Hammadi & A. E. Pillay, “Terbium
sensitized luminescence for the determination
of ketoprofen in pharmaceutical formulations,”
Journal of Fluorescence, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 245-
255, 2009.
A. E. Pillay, F. M. Salih & K. Jayasekara,
“Potential environmental effect of elevated
levels of radium-226 in produced water,”
Journal of Environmental Research and
Development, vol. 3, no.3, pp. 595-600, 2009.
A. E. Pillay & M. Elkadi, “Report: 2nd World
Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi, 19-21
January, 2009,” International Journal of
Environmental Studies, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 281-
286, 2009.
A. E. Pillay & J. R. Williams, “Monitoring
nickel uptake in date palms from nickelcontaminated
soil,” Research Journal of
Chemistry and Environment, vol. 13, no. 2, pp.
5-9, 2009.
A. E. Pillay, S. Fok, S. Stephen & A. Abd-
Elhameed, “Monitoring interfacial degradation
in metal coatings using laser ablation
technology (ICP-MS),” Canadian Journal of
Pure and Applied Science, vol. 3, no.2, pp. 821-
825, 2009.
A. E. Pillay, J. R. Williams, T. Khan, S. Al
Saidi & B. Yaghi, “Elevated levels of rare
earths from sewage plant attached to hospital
complex,” Research Journal of Chemistry and
Environment, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 93-95, 2009.
Arts and Sciences College:
Communication
C. Brandt, “The case for reflexivity in developing
ESL students’ academic communication skills,”
International Journal of Arts and Sciences, vol.
3, no. 5, 2009, pp. 1- 18, 2009.
M. Hatakka & M. Merrifield, “Individual
transferable skills development on an
integrated course on engineering design and
communication in an engineering college in
the Middle East,” The International Journal of
Knowledge, Culture and Change Management,
vol. 9, no. 6, pp.71-83, 2009.
R. Nunn, “Addressing academic inequality: A
response in support of Wen and Gao,” TESOL
Quarterly, vol. 43, no.4, 2009.
S. Sivasubramaniam, “Responding to
reading: Issues and insights for promoting
agency, voice and subject hood in reading and
assessment,” Asian EFL Journal, vol. 11, no.1,
pp. 8-38, 2009.
L. Bilton & S. Sivasubramaniam, “An inquiry
into expressive writing: A classroom-based
study,” Language Teaching Research, vol.13,
no.3, pp. 301-320, 2009.
S. Sivasubramaniam, “Democratizing and
dehegemonizing literature in the service
of language education: Endeavours of
empowerment,” Armenian Folia Anglistika,
vol.10, no.2, pp.178-192, 2009.
Arts and Sciences College:
Humanities and Social
Sciences
M. Al-Allaf, “Qur’anic Statements and Protocol
Sentences of science: Are “Protocol Sentences”
of science and “Core Statements” of religion
two mutually inconsistent foundations of the
same worldview?” Transcendent Philosophy,
An International Journal for Comparative
Philosophy and Mysticism, vol. 10, no.2, pp.
53-70, 2009.
A. Al Shami, “The importance of comparative
Islamic juristic study to modern Muslim
legislation,” Australian Journal of Islamic
Studies, vol. 2, no.1, pp.1-24, 2009.
D. Garis, “Divine origins of rational analysis:
An exploration.” Australian Journal of Islamic
Studies, vol.2, no.1, 2009.
A. Akimov, A. Wijeweera & B. Dollery,
“Financial development and economic growth:
evidence from countries in transition,” Applied
Financial Economics, vol. 19, no. 12, pp. 1-10,
2009.
A. Wijeweera & M. J. Webb, “Military
spending and economic growth in Sri Lanka:
A time series analysis,” Defence and Peace
Economics, vol. 20, no.6, pp.499-508, 2009.
A. Wijeweera & B. Dollery, “Host country
corruption level and foreign direct investments
inflows,” International Journal of Trade and
Global Markets, vol. 2, no. 2, pp.168–178,
2009.
181
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
A. Wijeweera & D. Garis, “Wagner’s Law
and social welfare: The case of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia,” Applied Econometrics and
International Development, vol. 9, no. 2,
pp.199-209, 2009.
Arts and Sciences College:
Math
F. Talay Akyildiz, K. Vajravelu & S. J.
Liao, “A new method for homoclinic solutions
in ordinary differential equations,” Chaos,
Solitons & Fractals, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 1073-
1082, 2009.
F. Talay Akyildiz, “Laguerre spectral
approximation of Stokes’ first problem for
third grade fluid,” Nonlinear Analysis: Real
World Applications, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1029-
1041, 2009.
F. Talay Akyildiz, K. Vajravelu, R. N.
Mohapatra, E. Sweet & R. A. Van Gorder,
“Implicit differential equation arising in
the steady flow of a Sisko fluid,” Applied
Mathematics and Computation, vol. 210, no. 1,
pp. 189-1961, 2009.
R. A. Van Gorder, K. Vajravelu & F. Talay
Akyildiz, “Viscoelastic stresses in the
stagnation flow of a dilute polymer solution,”
Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics,
vol. 161, no. 1-3, pp. 94-100, 2009.
R. A. Van Gorder, K. Vajravelu & F. Talay
Akyildiz, “Solutions to the Brinkman-
Forchheimer momentum equation for a
unidirectional flow over a rectangular domain,”
International Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Research, vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 552-565, 2009.
B. Emamizadeh & M. Al Hanai, “Rearrangements
in real estate investments,” Numerical
Functional Analysis and Optimization, vol. 30,
nos. 5-6, pp. 278-485, 2009.
B. Emamizadeh & R. I. Fernandes, “A
monotonicity result related to clamped
triangular elastic membranes,” Advanced
Modeling and Optimization, vol. 11, no. 3, pp.
247-252, 2009.
F. Cuccu, B. Emamizadeh & G. Porru,
“Optimization of the first eigenvalue in problems
involving the p-Laplacian,” Proceedings of the
American Mathematical Society, vol. 137, no.
5, pp. 1677-1687, 2009.
B. Emamizadeh & J. V. Prajapat, “Symmetry
in rearrangement optimization problems,”
Electronic Journal of Differential Equations,
vol. 2009, no. 149, pp. 1-10, 2009.
B. Bialecki & R. I. Fernandes, “An alternatingdirection
implicit backward differentiation
orthogonal spline collocation method for linear
variable coefficient parabolic equations,” SIAM
J. Numer. Anal., vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 3429 – 3450,
2009.
J. Geluk, “Some closure properties for
subexponential distributions,” Statististics
and Probabability Letters, vol. 79, no. 8, pp.
1108-1111, 2009.
J. Geluk & Q. Tang, “Asymptotic tail
probabilities of sums of dependent
subexponential random variables,” Journal of
Theoretical Probability, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 871-
882, 2009.
Lin, Chang-Shou & J. V. Prajapat, “Vortex
condensates for relativistic Abelian Chern-
Simons model with two Higgs scalar fields and
two gauge fields on a torus,” Communications
in Mathematical Physics, vol. 288, no. 1, pp.
311-347, 2009.
S. M. Stewart, “On certain inequalities
involving the Lambert W function,” Journal of
Inequalities in Pure and Applied Mathematics,
vol. 10, no. 4, 2009.
AUP Department
B. Emamizadeh & M. Al Hanai,
“Rearrangements in real estate investments,”
Numerical Functional Analysis and
Optimization, vol. 30, nos. 5 & 6, pp. 478-485,
2009.
J. Leanderson, “Geology of Nahr el-Kalb
historic and archeologic site,” BAAL Hors Série
V, pp. 77-102,
2009.
J. Leanderson, “Routes around the Ras el-
Kalb southern promontory: Relationship to the
geology and geography,” BAAL Hors Série V,
pp. 103-120, 2009.
V. Stevens & G. Dudeney, “Online conferences
and teacher professional development:
SLanguages and WiAOC 2009,” TESL-EJ, vol.
13, no. 1, 2009.
S. Akayoglu, A. Altun & V. Stevens,
“Social presence in synchronous textbased
computer-mediated communication,”
Egitim Arastirmalari – Eurasian Journal of
Educational Research, Year 9, vol. 34, pp. 1-16,
2009.
V. Stevens, “Modeling social media in groups,
communities, and networks,” TESL-EJ, vol.
13, no. 3, 2009.
Conference proceedings
Chemical Engineering Department
W. Hu, M. Li, S. Azarm, S. Al Hashimi, A.
Almansoori & N. Al-Qasas, “Multi-objective
robust optimization with interval uncertainty
using constraint cuts,” in Proceedings of the
2009 ASME International Design Engineering
Technical Conferences (IDETC), San Diego,
California, U.S.A., August–September 2009.
L. K. Huynh, A. S. AlShoaibi, H. H.
Castensen & A. M. Dean, “Low temperature
partial oxidation of ethane and propane,” in
Proceedings of the 237th ACS National Meeting,
Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A., March 2009.
I. Kang, A. S. AlShoaibi & A. M. Dean,
“Ethylene pyrolysis and the subsequent
molecular weight growth reactions,” in
Proceedings of the 237th ACS National Meeting,
Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A., March 2009.
G. Bassioni, “Global warming and
construction aspects,” in Proceedings of the
7th International Scientific and Practical
Conference on Environmental Technology
Resources, Rezekne, Latvia, 2009, pp. 78-86.
G. Bassioni, “Adsorption on limestone and
interfacial phenomena in aqueous media,” in
Seventeenth Symposium on Thermophysical
Properties, National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Boulder, U.S.A., 2009.
C. L. Wu, A. S. Berrouk & K. Nandakumar,
“On the efficiency of discrete particle modeling of
gas-solid fluidized bed reactor,” in Proceedings
of the 2009 International Conference on
Chemical, Biological & Environmental
Engineering (CBEE), Singapore, October 2009,
pp. 235-240.
B. K. Dutta, M. Mohamad, S. Maitra & T. K.
Sen, “Removal of Cd(II) and Zn(II) using castor
seed hull as a low-cost adsorbent,” in Water
& Industry 2009 (IWA Specialist Conference),
Palmerston North, New Zealand, November
30-December 2, 2009, p 39.
B. K. Dutta & Idzham F. M. Ariff, “Kinetics
of advanced oxidation of monoethanol amine
by UV-H2O2,” in Water & Industry 2009 (IWA
Specialist Conference), Palmerston North, New
Zealand, November 30-December 2, 2009, p
45.
M. Narahari & B. K. Dutta, “Effects of mass
transfer and free convection currents on
the flow near a moving vertical plate with
ramped wall temperature,” in Proc. ASME
Heat Transfer Summer Conf. (HT 2009), San
Francisco, U.S.A., July 19-23, 2009, pp 1-10.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
182

Scholarly Publications
I. A. Bitsanis, A. N. Rissanou, M. Yiannourakou,
I. G. Economou & D. Vlassopoulos,
“Simulations of temperature induced ageing
and crystallization in dense suspensions of
ultrasoft colloids,” in Proceedings of the 7th
Greek Chemical Engineering Conference,
Patras, Greece, 2009, pp. 44.
Z. A. Makrodimitri & I. G. Economou,
“Molecular dynamics simulation of microscopic
structure and physicochemical properties of
elastomer polymers,” in Proceedings of the
7th Greek Chemical Engineering Conference,
Patras, Greece, 2009, pp. 94-95.
G. Tsolou, V. G. Mavrantzas, Z. A.
Makrodimitri, I. G. Economou & R. Gani,
“Atomistic simulation of the sorption of
small gas molecules in polyisobutylene,”
in Proceedings of the 7th Greek Chemical
Engineering Conference, Patras, Greece, 2009,
pp. 258-259.
I. G. Economou, T. Spyriouni & X. Krokidis,
“Thermodynamics of pharmaceutical mixtures:
From molecular modeling to equation of state
predictions with MAPS,” in Proceedings of
the 24th European Symposium on Applied
Thermodynamics, Santiago de Compostela,
Spain, 2009, pp. 135-136.
N. M. Garrido, A. J. Queimada, M. Jorge, E.
A. Macedo & I. G. Economou, “1-Octanol /
water partition coefficients based on molecular
simulation of absolute solvation energies,” in
Proceedings of the 24th European Symposium
on Applied Thermodynamics, Santiago de
Compostela, Spain, 2009, pp. 165-166.
N. M. Garrido, M. Jorge, A. J. Queimada, I.
G. Economou & E. A. Macedo, “Molecular
simulation of the hydration free energies of
substituted barbiturates,” in Proceedings of
the 24th European Symposium on Applied
Thermodynamics, Santiago de Compostela,
Spain, 2009, pp. 389-394.
R. Lundsgaard, G. M. Kontogeorgis, I. G.
Economou & N. M. Garrido, “Modeling of
partition coefficients of additives in polymer
/ polymer and polymer / solvent systems by
free energy calculations,” in Proceedings of
the 24th European Symposium on Applied
Thermodynamics, Santiago de Compostela,
Spain, 2009, pp. 506-507.
I. Tsivintzelis, I. G. Economou & G. M.
Kontogeorgis, “Modeling the solubility of
pharmaceuticals in liquid and supercritical
pure and mixed solvents,” in Proceedings of
the 24th European Symposium on Applied
Thermodynamics, Santiago de Compostela,
Spain, 2009, pp. 320-326.
G. M. Kontogeorgis, I. Tsivintzelis & I. G.
Economou, “Modeling phase equilibria of
pharmaceutical – solvent mixtures: Towards
a predictive approach for complex hydrogen
bonding systems,” in Danish Colloid and
Interface Symposium 2009, Aarhus, Denmark,
2009.
I. G. Economou, Z. A. Makrodimitri, G. Tsolou
& V. G. Mavrantzas, “Molecular simulation of
elastomer polymers and their fluid mixtures:
Microscopic structure and physical properties,”
in Thermodynamics 2009, Imperial College
London, United Kingdom, 2009.
N. M. Garrido, A. J. Queimada, M. Jorge, E.
A. Macedo & I. G. Economou, “Octanol –
water partition coefficients from molecular
simulation of solvation free energies,” in
Thermodynamics 2009, Imperial College
London, United Kingdom, 2009.
G. M. Kontogeorgis, A. Tihic, G. Folas, I.
Tsivintzelis, A. Grenner, N. von Solms, L.
Constantinou, I. G. Economou & M. L.
Michelsen, “Capabilities and limitations of
association theories,” in Thermodynamics
2009, Imperial College London, United
Kingdom, 2009.
I. G. Economou, “Prediction of thermodynamic
and transport properties of complex fluid
mixtures based on molecular simulation,”
in VIII Ibero-American Conference on Phase
Equilibria and Fluid Properties for Process
Design EQUIFASE 2009, Portugal, 2009.
N. M. Garrido, A. J. Queimada, M. Jorge, I.
G. Economou & E. A. Macedo, “Molecular
simulation of absolute free energies of polar
compounds,” in VIII Ibero-American Conference
on Phase Equilibria and Fluid Properties for
Process Design EQUIFASE 2009, Portugal,
2009.
N. M. Garrido, A. . Queimada, M. Jorge, E. A.
Macedo & I. G. Economou, “Predicting the
hydration free energy of psychotropic drugs
from molecular simulation,” in VIII Ibero-
American Conference on Phase Equilibria and
Fluid Properties for Process Design EQUIFASE
2009, Portugal, 2009.
M. H. Rausch, A. Leipertz & A. P. Fröba,
“On the origin of dropwise condensation of
steam on ion implanted metallic surfaces,”
in Proceedings of the 20th International
Symposium on Transport Phenomena, Victoria
B.C., Canada, July 2009.
T. Gebauer, A. Leipertz, A. P. Fröba, A.
Gotterbarm, J. El Hajal & A. Beutler,
“Untersuchung des Wärmeübergangs
und des Inundationseffektes in einem
Rohrbündelverflüssiger,” in Proceedings
of the 36th National Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning Conference, Berlin, Germany,
November 2009.
M. W. H. Gawargy, M. Gidas, C. Gutierrez
& B. R. Palmer, “Solid sorbents for the
selective removal of dilute H2S in the claus
process tail gas,” in Proceedings of the 5th
International Sour Oil & Gas Advanced
Technology Conference (SOGAT), Abu Dhabi,
U.A.E., 2009, pp.187-212.
E.V. Rebrov, O. Muraza, M. H. J. M. de
Croon & J. C. Schouten, “Enhancement of the
stability of microporous silica films in nonaqueous
solvents at elevated temperature,” in
Book of Abstracts, EuropaCat IX, Salamanca,
Spain, 2009, p. 526.
Electrical Engineering
Department
H. Al-Marzouqi, “Data clustering using a
modified Kuwahara filter,” in Proceedings of the
International Joint IEEE/ANN Conference on
Neural Networks (IJCNN), Atlanta, Georgia,
U.S.A., 14-19 June 2009, pp. 128-132.
A. Contin & H. Al-Marzouqi, “Searching for
partial discharge patterns for the identification
of defects of insulation systems in ac rotating
machines,” in Conference Record of the IEEE
Electrical Insulation Conference (EIC 2009),
Montreal, Canada, May 31-June 3, 2009, pp.
405-408.
Z. Al-Hamouz, H. Al-Duwaish & N. Al-
Musabi, “Optimal design of a sliding mode
AGC controller: Application to nonlinear
interconnected models,” in Proceedings of the
IFAC Workshop on Control Applications of
Optimization IFAC CAO’09, Agora, Finland,
6-8 May 2009.
N. Kouras, D. Boutana, M. Benidir & B.
Barkat, “A comparative study of some wavelet
functions in the denoising of phonocardiogram
signals,” in Proceedings of the 2nd International
Conference on Advanced Computer Theory and
Engineering, Cairo, Egypt, 25-27 September
2009, pp. 25-32.
L. Chaar, L. Lamont & M. Karkoub,
“Modeling climate parameters for renewable
energy applications in the U.A.E. using neural
networks,” in IEEE PES / CIGRE Integration
of Wide-Scale Renewable Resources into the
Power Delivery System, Calgary, Canada, July
2009.
L. Chaar & L. Lamont, “Sustainable energy
undergraduate research,” in The 5th IEEEGCC
Energy and Vehicular Technologies Conference,
Kuwait City, Kuwait, March 2009.
L. Chaar, L. Lamont & M. Karkoub,
“Prediction model for solar radiation in the
United Arab Emirates,” in World Sustainable
Energy Days, Wels, Austria, February 2009.
183
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
L. Chaar, L. Lamont & M. Karkoub,
“Assessment of wind speed and wind direction
for electrical power generation for U.A.E.,” in
World Sustainable Energy Days, Wels, Austria,
February 2009.
D. Moore, L. Chaar & L. Lamont, “Practical
engineering design courses: a barometer for the
future success of female Emirati engineering
undergraduates,” in ASEE Annual Conference,
Austin, Texas, U.S.A., June 2009.
E. Al-Qubaisi, M. Al-Ameri, A. Al-Obaidi, M.
Rabia, L. Chaar & L. Lamont “Microcontroller
based dust cleaning system for a standalone
photovoltaic system,” in International
Conference on Electric Power and Energy
Conversion Systems (EPECS’09), Sharjah,
UAE, November 2009.
L. Wu, J. Park, J. Choi, A.A. El-Keib & J.
Watada, “A study on wind speed prediction
using artificial neural network at Jeju Island
in Korea,” in Proceedings of the ISME 2009
Conference, Dalian, China, August 5-7, 2009.
N. S. Sisworahardjo, A. A. El-Keib & M. Alam,
“Least-squares polynomial approximation for
short-term generation unit asset valuation,”
in Proceedings of The IEEE/PES 2009 Power
Systems Conference and Exposition, Seattle,
Washington, March 15-18, 2009.
M. El-Sharkh, A. Rahman, M. Alam & A. A.
El-Keib, “Thermal energy management of a
CHP hybrid of wind and a grid-parallel PEM
fuel cell power plant,” in Proceedings, The
IEEE/PES 2009 Power Systems Conference
and Exposition, Seattle, Washington, March
15-18, 2009.
J. Park, Wu Liang, J. Choi, A. A. El-Keib, M.
Shahidehpour & Roy Billinton “A probabilistic
reliability evaluation of power system
including solar/photovoltaic cell generators,” in
Proceeding of The IEEE/PES General Meeting,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, July 26 – 30, 2009.
L. Wu, J. Park, J. Choi, A. A. El-Keib, M.
Shahidehpour & R. Billinton, “Probabilistic
reliability evaluation of power systems
including wind turbine generators using a
simplified multi-state model: A case study,” in
Proceedings of the IEEE/PES General Meeting,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, July 26 – 30, 2009.
J. Park, W. Liang, J. Choi, A. A. El-Keib &
M. Shahidehpour, “Transmission system
expansion planning by nodal delivery marginal
rate criterion,” in Proceedings of the IEEE/
PES Asia Transmission and Distribution 2009,
Seoul, Korea, 2009.
J. Choi, J. Park, L. Wu, J. Cha, A. A. El-
Keib & W. Junzo, “Fuzzy theory-based best
generation mix considering renewable energy
generators,” in Proceedings of the IEEE 2009
International Conference on Fuzzy Systems
(FUZZ-IEEE 2009), Jeju Island, Korea, 2009,
pp. 1462 – 1467.
M. Mahmoud, E. El-Saadany & R. Mansour,
“Surface micro-machined fabriaction of
capacitive transducer for electrostatic
energy harvesters,” in POWERMEMS 2009,
Washington DC, 2009, pp. 395-398.
M. Albadi & E. El-Saadany, “Effect of power
curve model accuracy on CF estimation of
pitch-regulated turbines,” in CIGRÉ Canada
Conference on Power Systems, Toronto,
Canada, October 2009.
M. Mahmoud, E. Abdel-Rahman, E. El-
Saadany & R. Mansour, “Battery-less
electrostatic micro-power generator,” in
Second Microsystems and Nanosystems and
Nanoelectronics Research Conference (MNRC
2009), Ottawa, Canada, 2009.
M. Albadi & E. El-Saadany, “Novel method
for estimating the CF of variable speed wind
turbines,” in Proceedings of the IEEE-PES
General Meeting, Calgary, Canada, July 2009.
Y. Atwa, E. El-Saadany, M. Salama &
R. Seethapathy, “Distribution system loss
minimization using optimal DG mix,” in
Proceedings of the IEEE-PES General Meeting,
Calgary, Canada, July 2009.
A. Abdelaziz, S. Mekhamer, M. Badr, F.
Mohamed & E. El-Saadany, “A modified
particle swarm algorithm for distribution
systems reconfiguration,” in Proceedings of the
IEEE-PES General Meeting, Calgary, Canada,
July 2009.
L. Lamont, L. Chaar & M. Karkoub,
“Modeling and control of the elastohydrodynamic
vibrations of offshore platforms
using magneto-rheological dampers,” in IV
ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Smart
Structures and Materials, Porto, Portugal,
July 2009.
L. Lamont & L. Chaar, “Photovoltaic for
multidisciplinary female engineers in the
U.A.E.,” in the 5th IEEE-GCC Energy and
Vehicular Technologies Conference, Kuwait
City, Kuwait, March 2009.
L. Lamont & L. Chaar, “Renewable
engineering for multidisciplinary female
engineers in the U.A.E.,” in World Sustainable
Energy Days, Wels, Austria, February 2009.
W. Al Habri, M. Azzam, M. Chaklab, S. Al
Dhaheri, L. Lamont, S. Faisal & Y. Abdel-
Magid, “Design of PID controller for power
system stabilization using particle swarm
optimization,” in International Conference on
Electric Power and Energy Conversion Systems
(EPECS’09), Sharjah, UAE, November 2009.
M. Meribout, “A collision free data link layer
protocol for wireless sensor networks and
its application in intelligent transportation
systems,” in Wireless Telecommunications
Symposium (WTS’09), Prague, Czech Republic,
2009, pp. 1-6.
M. Meribout, “A non-radioactive flow meter
using a new hierarchical neural network,” in
BHR Group’s 14th International Conference on
Multiphase Technology, Cannes, France, 2009,
pp. 115-119.
Y. N. Sarem, J. Poshtan, M. H. Amrollahi &
M. Poshtan, “Nonlinear model identification
for synchronous machine,” in Proceedings
of the IEEE International Conference in
Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer,
Telecommunications, and Information
Technology (ECTI-CON09), Pattaya, Thailand,
May 2009, pp. 416-421.
Q. Su, “Failure analysis of a 230kV transformer-cable
termination,” in International
Conference on Power Transformers, Torun,
Poland, 2-4 June 2009, pp. 47-54.
Q. Su, “Insulation condition monitoring of
electrical plant – how to interpret the collected
data and diagnose the incipient faults,” in
International Conference on Machines, Sydney,
Australia, 2009, pp. 12-20.
Q. Su, “A HF model of transformer entry
impedance for the analysis of lightning
protection of substations,” in X International
Symposium on Lightning Protection, Curitiba,
Brazil, 9-13 November 2009, pp. 641-648.
Mechanical Engineering
Department
P. C. Ho, Y. F. Yap, N. T. Nguyen, J. C. Chai, T.
N. Wong & L. Yobas, “Numerical investigation
of thermally mediated droplet formation
in a T-junction,” in Proceedings of ASME
International Conference on Nanochannels,
Microchannels and Minichannels, Pohang,
South Korea, June 22-24, 2009.
K. C. Leong, H. Y. Li, L. W. Jin & J. C. Chai,
“Convective heat transfer and fluid flow
characteristics of graphite foam heat sinks
with complex structures,” in Proceedings of
the 7th World Conference on Experimental
Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and
Thermodynamics, Krakow, Poland, June 28-
July 3, 2009.
K. C. Leong, H. Y. Li, L. W. Jin & J. C. Chai,
“Two-phase flow and heat in porous graphite
foams,” in Proceedings of the 11th U.K.
National Heat Transfer Conference, London,
U.K., September 6-8, 2009.
L. W. Jin, H. Y. Li, K. C. Leong & J. C. Chai,
“Experimental and numerical study of forced
convection in novel graphite foam heat sinks,”
in Proceedings of the 11th U.K. National Heat
Transfer Conference, London, U.K., September
6-8, 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
184

Scholarly Publications
H. Y. Li, K. C. Leong, L. W. Jin & J. C.
Chai, “Analysis of flow and heat transfer in
a channel with staggered porous blocks,” in
Proceedings of the 11th U.K. National Heat
Transfer Conference, London, U.K., September
6-8, 2009.
V. Eveloy, “Anode gas and steam recycling for
internal methane reforming SOFCs: Analysis
of carbon deposition,” in Proceedings of the 2009
ASME International Mechanical Engineering
Congress and Exposition (IMECE2009), Lake
Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A., November 13-19,
2009.
A. Goharzadeh & P. Rodgers, “Experimental
characterization of slug flow velocity
distribution in two phase pipe flow,” in
Proceedings of the 2009 ASME International
Mechanical Engineering Congress and
Exposition (IMECE2009), Lake Buena Vista,
FL, U.S.A., November 13-19, 2009.
A. Goharzadeh, A. Molki, P. Rodgers &
S. Bojanampati, “Enhancing the learning of
multiphase flow measurement techniques in
a modern mechanical engineering program,”
in Proceedings of the ASME International
Mechanical Engineering Congress &
Exposition, Lake Buena Vista, Fl, U.S.A.,
November 13-19, 2009.
F. L. Tan, W. Shen & S. C. Fok, “Thermal
performance of PCM-cool mobile phone,” in
CD ROM Proceedings of the 11th Electronics
Packaging Technology International
Conference, Singapore, December 9-11, 2009.
E. Gunister & T. N. Tarfa, “Mechanical and
thermal characterization of polyethylene-clay
nanocomposites,” in APST 2009, Linz, Austria,
July 2009.
M. D. Islam, K. Oyakawa, M. Yaga & I. Kubo,
“Comparative studies on the effect of duct
height on heat transfer and flow behavior
between co-angular and co-rotating type finned
surface in duct,” in CD ROM Proceedings of
the 4th International Conference on Thermal
Engineering: Theory and Applications, ICTEA
2009, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., January 12-14,
2009.
M. D. Islam, M. Al-Shehi & M. Ohadi,
“Emerging applications in cryogenics-nitrogen
injection for reservoir enhanced oil recovery,” in
CD ROM Proceedings of the Annual ASHRAE
Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A., June
20-24, 2009.
N. Kharoua, L. Khezzar & Z. Nemouchi, “CFD
simulation of the effects of free gas on the flow
behavior inside a liquid-liquid hydrocyclone,”
in Proceedings of the Fourth International
Conference on Thermal Engineering, Abu
Dhabi, U.A.E., January 12-14, 2009, pp. 64.
N. Kharoua, L. Khezzar & Z. Nemouchi, “CFD
simulation of liquid-liquid hydrocyclone:oil/
water application,” in ASME Fluid Engineering
Division Summer Meeting, Vail, Colorado,
U.S.A., August 2-5, 2009.
N. Kharoua, L. Khezzar & Z. Nemouchi,
“CFD prediction of pressure drop and flow field
in standard gas cyclones models,” in ASME
Fluid Engineering Division Summer Meeting,
Vail, Colorado, U.S.A., August 2-5, 2009.
L. Khezzar & S. Al Alawi “Analysis of plane
sudden expansion flows using CFD and
artificial neural networks,” in International
Conference Modeling Simulation and Applied
Optimization, American University of Sharjah,
U.A.E., January 20-22, 2009.
L. Khezzar & D. A. Siginer, “Natural
convection in inclined two dimensional
rectangular cavities,” in Proceedings of the
ASME Fluids Engineering Summer Conference,
Vail, Colorado, U.S.A., August 2-5, 2009.
L. Khezzar & D. A. Siginer, “Natural
convection with non-Newtonian shear-thinning
power law fluids in inclined two dimensional
rectangular cavities,” in Proceedings of the 2009
ASME International Mechanical Engineering
Congress & Exposition (IMECE2009), Lake
Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A., November 13-19,
2009.
S. Mahani & A. Molki, “Facilitating Gulf
students by means of blended learning
and innovative educational technology,” in
Proceedings of the International Conference of
Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI
2009), Madrid, Spain, 2009.
P. Rodgers & V. Eveloy, “Ten years of
thermal analysis at EuroSimE - What’s next?”
in Proceedings of the Tenth International
Conference on Thermal, Mechanical and
Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments
in Micro-Electronics and MicroSystems, Delft,
Netherlands, April 27- 29, 2009.
A. Bar-Cohen, P. Luckow & P. Rodgers,
“Minimum mass polymer seawater heat
exchanger for LNG applications,” in Proceedings
of the International Symposium on Convective
Heat and Mass Transfer in Sustainable Energy,
Tunisia, April 26-May 1, 2009.
P. Rodgers, S. Bojanampati, A. Goharzadeh,
A. Molki & V. Eveloy, “Innovative
thermofluids experiments for modern
mechanical engineering education,” in
Proceedings of the 2009 ASME International
Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition
(IMECE2009), Lake Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A.,
November 13-19, 2009.
H. Al-Hashimi, A. C. Seibi & A. Molki,
“Experimental study and numerical simulation
of domes under wind load,” in Proceedings of
ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Division
Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, July 26-
30, 2009.
A. Khalaf, Y. Al-Tartoor, A. C. Seibi &
A. Karrech, “GRE pipeline installation
procedures: a field case study,” in ASME PVP
Division Conference, Prague, Czech Republic,
July 26-30, 2009.
A. Al-Raisi, M. Al-Hammadi, A. C. Seibi &
L. Khezzar, “Water sloshing in rectangular
tanks – an experimental investigation &
numerical simulation,” in Fourth International
Conference on Thermal Engineering: Theory
and Applications, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., January
12-14, 2009.
S. Sharma & D. A. Siginer, “VARTM
process improvement for repeatable and
improved mechanical properties of composite
laminates,” in Proceedings of the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers International
Mechanical Engineering Conference &
Exposition (IMECE2009), Lake Buena Vista,
Florida, U.S.A., November 13-19, 2009.
F. M. Letelier, D. A. Siginer, C. Vera & J.
Stockle, “Friction law for the flow of bingham
fluids in channels of arbitrary cross sectional
shapes,” in Proceedings of the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers International
Mechanical Engineering Conference &
Exposition (IMECE2009), Lake Buena Vista,
Florida, U.S.A., November 13-19, 2009.
F. M. Letelier, D. A. Siginer & J. Stockle,
“Magnetically induced complex pressure
pulses in micro-channels,” in Proceedings of
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
International Mechanical Engineering
Conference & Exposition, Lake Buena Vista,
Florida, U.S.A., November 13-19, 2009.
S. Sharma & D. A. Siginer, “Prediction of
permeability based on acoustical method
and comparison with flow based techniques,”
in Proceedings of the American Society for
Composites 24th Annual Technical Conference,
University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware,
U.S.A., September 15-17, 2009.
S. Sharma, D. A. Siginer, R. K. Dukipatti
& K. A. Soschinske, “Effect of fiber sizing
– test fluid interaction on the unsaturated
and saturated flow in the VARTM process,”
in Proceedings of the American Society for
Composites 24th Annual Technical Conference,
University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware,
U.S.A., September 15-17, 2009.
S. Sharma & D. A. Siginer, “Determination
of physical properties of isotropic porous
materials by impedance tube,” in Proceedings
of the ASME Fluids Engineering Summer
Conference, Vail, Colorado, U.S.A., August 2-5,
2009.
185
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
S. Sharma & D. A. Siginer, “Permeability
measurement of orthotropic fibers under an
acoustic force field,” in Proceedings of the ASME
Fluids Engineering Summer Conference, Vail,
Colorado, U.S.A., August 2-5, 2009.
F. T. Akyildiz & D. A. Siginer, “Natural
convection and heat transfer of a Newtonian
fluid in vertical porous channels and second
order non-linear systems,” in 5th International
Conference on Dynamical Systems and
Applications, Ovidius University of Constanta,
Constanta, Romania, June 15-18, 2009.
A. Sarwar, P. G. Voulgaris & S. Salapaka,
“On l∞ performance of slowly varying
spatiotemporal systems,” in American Control
Conference, St. Louis, MS, U.S.A., June 2009.
Petroleum Engineering
Department
H. A. Belhaj & G. F. Lay, “Economical
feasibility study of abandoned oilfields utilizing
smart modelling approach: case study,” in 28th
International Conference on Ocean, Offshore
and Arctic Engineering, Honolulu, Hawaii,
U.S.A., May 31-June 5, 2009.
H. A. Belhaj, B. Mtawaa, M. R. Haroun & G.
F. Lay, “Optimization of 3-D Gas permeability
measurement: Utilization of field data,” in
SPE/EAGE Reservoir Characterization and
Simulation Conference & Exhibition, Abu
Dhabi, U.A.E., October 19-21, 2009.
B. Ghosh & B. Senthilmurugan, “Self
selective water control technology for fractured
horizontal wells – A rig-less option,” in 20th
International Oilfield Chemistry Symposium,
Geilo, Norway, 2009.
M. R. Haroun, G. V. Chilingar, S. Pamukcu, J.
Kenneth Wittle, H. Belhaj & M. N. Al Bloushi,
“Optimizing electroosmotic flow potential for
electrically enhanced oil recovery (EEORTM)
in carbonate rock formations of Abu Dhabi
based on rock properties and composition,” in
International Petroleum Technology Conference,
Doha, Qatar, 7 – 9 December 2009.
M. R. Haroun, G. V. Chilingar & S. Pamukcu,
“The efficacy of using electrokinetic transport
in highly-contaminated offshore sediments,” in
8th Symposium of Electrokinetic Remediation
(EREM), Lisbon, Portugal, July 26-29, 2009.
S. Ghedan & C. H. Canbaz & Bechir Mtawaa,
“Effect of shape factor, IFT and Amott method
derived wettability on the imbibition process,”
in Proceedings of the International Petroleum
Technology Conference (IPTC), Doha, Qatar,
December 7-9, 2009.
S. Ghedan, “Global laboratory experience
of CO 2
-EOR flooding,” in Proceedings of the
SPE/EAGE Reservoir Characterization and
Reservoir Simulation Conference, Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates, October 18-21, 2009.
S. Ghedan, Y. Boloushi, K. Khan & M. Saleh,
“Development of early water breakthrough
and effectiveness of water shut off treatments
in layered and heterogeneous carbonate
reservoirs,” in Proceedings of the SPE/EAGE
Reservoir Characterization and Reservoir
Simulation Conference, Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates, October 18-21, 2009.
O. Al-Farisi, M. Elhami, A. Al-Felasi, F.
Yammahi & S. Ghedan, “Revelation of
carbonate rock typing – the resolved gap,”
in Proceedings of the SPE/EAGE Reservoir
Characterization and Reservoir Simulation
Conference, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates,
October 18-21, 2009.
R. Lau, N. Al Hasani & L. Lau, “Awareness
and expectations – gender in the Workplace,”
in Proceedings of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers 16th Middle East Oil & Gas Show
and Conference, Bahrain, 2009.
R. Lau, L. Lau & E. Thomas, “Wegener
and the theory of expanding consonants –
teaching content in the language classroom,”
in Proceedings of the 14th TESOL Arabia
Conference, Dubai, U.A.E., 2009, pp. 289-298.
J. Lu, T. Zhu & D. Tiab, “Non-darcy
binomial deliverability equations for partially
penetrating vertical gas wells and horizontal
gas wells,” in 28thInternational Conference
on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering,
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A., May 31-June 5,
2009.
J. Lu, T. Zhu & D. Tiab, “Pressure-transient
analysis for a multiple wells system in a
circular cylinder reservoir,” in SPE Production
and Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, U.S.A., April 4-8, 2009.
J. Lu, T. Zhu & D. Tiab, “Steady-state
productivity equations for a multiple-wells
system in sector fault reservoirs and channel
reservoirs,” in SPE Middle East Oil & Gas
Show and Conference, Bahrain, March 15-18,
2009.
J. Lu, T. Zhu & D. Tiab, “Pressure behaviour
of horizontal wells in dual-porosity, dualpermeability
naturally fractured reservoirs,”
in SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and
Conference, Bahrain, March 15-18, 2009.
P. A. Nawrocki, “Elastic properties of
sandstone and their use in petroleum
engineering studies,” in Proceedings, New
Developments in Rock Mechanics and
Engineering, Sanya, China, May 2009.
M. H. Alkhaldi, H. Nasr-El-Din & H. K. Sarma,
“Application of citric acid in acid stimulation
treatments,” in Canadian International
Petroleum Conference, 60th Annual Technical
Meeting of the Petroleum Society, Calgary,
Canada, June 16-18, 2009.
J. Bon & H. K. Sarma, “Investigation of effect
of injection gas composition on CO 2
-rich MMP
and its implications in flooding in Cooper
Basin,” in Canadian International Petroleum
Conference, 60th Annual Technical Meeting of
the Petroleum Society, Calgary, Canada, June
16-18, 2009.
M. H. Alkhaldi, H. A. Nasr-El-Din & H. K.
Sarma, “New insights into the of the reaction
of citric acid with calcite,” in AIChE’s 2009
Spring National Meeting, Tampa, Florida,
U.S.A., April 26-30, 2009.
M. H. Alkhaldi, H. A. Nasr-El-Din & H. K.
Sarma, “Kinetics of the reaction of citric acid
with calcite,” in SPE International Symposium
on Oilfield Chemistry, The Woodlands, Texas,
U.S.A., April 20–22, 2009.
H. K. Sarma & S. Das, “Air injection
potential in Kenmore oilfield in Eromanga
Basin, Australia: A screening study through
thermogravimetric and calorimetric analyses,”
in SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and
Conference, Manama, Bahrain, March 15-18,
2009.
B. Senthilmurugan & B. Ghosh, “A
threshold scale inhibitor for high temperature
application,” in 20th International Oilfield
Chemistry Symposium, Geilo, Norway, 2009.
B. Senthilmurugan & B. Ghosh, “Low
molecular weight co-polymer for calcium scale
inhibition at high temperature,” in SPE
International Conference On Oilfield Chemistry
2009, Texas, U.S.A., 2009.
Z. Turzo & G. Takacs, “A new approach to
describe the gas throughput capacity of gas lift
valves,” in Proceedings of the 56th Southwestern
Petroleum Short Course, Lubbock, Texas, U.S.,
2009, pp. 177-185.
Petroleum Geosciences
Department
I. S. Al-Aasm, S. Morad & M. Sirat, “Vein
calcite in Cretaceous carbonate reservoirs of
Abu Dhabi: Record of fluid flow,” in Journal of
Geochemical Exploration, Abstract, vol. 101,
pp. 2, Sydney, May 2009.
S. Fontana, I. S Al-Aasm., A. Ceriani, S. Morad
& F. Nader, “Diagenesis and reservoir quality
evolution of the Permain Bih Formartion (Khuff
reservoir analog) Ras Al Khaimah, United
Arab Emirates,” in International Lithosphere
Project Conference, Task Force on Sedimentary
Basins, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., December 2009,
pp. 42-45.
A. B. Watts, M. Y. Ali & M. P. Searle, “Flexural
modelling of the United Arab Emirates
foreland basin: implications for the long-term
strength of continental margin,” International
Lithosphere Project Conference, Task Force on
Sedimentary Basins, pp. 213-214, Abu Dhabi,
December 2009.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
186

Scholarly Publications
M. Y. Ali, K. Berteussen, J. Small, B. T.
Anjana, B. Barkat & O. Pahlevi, “Recent low
frequency passive seismic experiments in Abu
Dhabi” in 71st EAGE Conference, Extended
abstracts, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June
2009.
M. Y. Ali, K. Berteussen, J. Small, B. Barkat
& B. T. Anjana, “Recent passive experiments
in Abu Dhabi,” in EAGE Workshop on Passive
Seismic, Extended abstracts, Limassol, Cyprus,
March 2009.
M. Y. Ali, K. Berteussen, J. Small & O.
Pahlevi, “Microseism and microtremor
analyses over an oilfield in Abu Dhabi –
Implications for cyclone and hydrocarbon
detection,” in 71st EAGE Conference, Extended
abstracts, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June
2009.
Y. F. Sun & K. Berteussen, “Challenge and
opportunity of 4C ocean bottom seismic in
shallow water environment,” in 71st EAGE
Conference, Extended abstracts, Amsterdam,
The Netherlands, June 2009.
Y. F. Sun & K. Berteussen, “Full-waveform
elastic modeling and analysis of multicomponent
ocean bottom seismic data in
shallow-water environment of the Arabian
Gulf,” in International Conference on
Theoretical and Computational Acoustics,
Dresden, Germany, September 7-11, 2009.
Y. F. Sun & K. Berteussen, “New opportunities
of 4C ocean bottom seismic in shallow-water
environment of the Arabian Gulf: A case
study,” in SEG International Annual Meeting,
Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 23-29 October 2009.
S. Lokier, T. Steuber & T. Knaf,
“Characterisation of intertidal surface
sediments of the Western Abu Dhabi
coastline,” in European Geosciences Union
General Assembly, Geophysical Research
Abstracts, 2009, p. 8525.
S. Lokier & T. Steuber, “Giant intertidal
hardground polygons of the southern Arabian
Gulf,” in European Geosciences Union General
Assembly, Geophysical Research Abstracts,
2009, p.8546.
K. Goldberg, S. Morad, F. De Rose & I. S. Al-
Aasm, “Diagenetic processes in sabkha deposits
and exploration potential of the intracratonic
Parecis Basin, Western Brazil,” in American
Association of Petroleum Geologists, Annual
Convention and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado,
U.S.A., June 7-10, 2009.
S. Morad, A. Aldahan, A. Al Saiy, O.
Adbdelghany, M. Sirat, & I. S. Al-Aasm,
“Hydrothermal dolomitization in Tertiary
limestones from north-eastern United Arab
Emirates,” in International Lithosphere
Project Conference, Task Force on Sedimentary
Basins, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., December 2009,
pp. 124-127.
M. E. Al-Suwaidi, T. Steuber & S. Vega,
“Correlation between rock physical properties,
sedimentological and diagenetic characeristics
of Early Cretaceous carbonate rocks from the
Middle East,” in International Petroleum
Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar,
December 2009.
T. Steuber, M. Parente & T. Korbar, “Mid-
Cretaceous extinction events among major
platform carbonate-producing biota in
relation to oceanic anoxia, changing seawater
composition and climate,” in 8th International
Symposium on the Cretaceous System,
Plymouth, UK, September 2009.
T. Steuber & S. W. Lokier, “Strontium
isotope stratigraphy and rudists of the Qahlah
and Simsima formations (U.A.E., Oman),” in
ILP Task Force on Sedimentary Basins, 2009
International Workshop, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.,
December 2009, p.167.
V. Vitale, M. Parente, F. Barattolo, M. Schlüter
& T. Steuber, “Green algae dasycladales from
the Upper Maastrichtian-Paleocene of Qalhat
(NE Oman),” in Abstracts of the 6th Regional
IFAA Symposium, Milan, Italy, 2009.
A. Hassan & S. Vega, “A study of seismic
velocities and differential pressure dependence
in a Middle East carbonate reservoir,” in
71st EAGE Conference, Extended Abstracts,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 2009.
S. Vega, “What have we learnt about fluid
substitution and velocity pressure dependence
on Early Cretaceous carbonate rocks from
the Middle East?” in 71st EAGE Conference
– Carbonate Workshop, Extended Abstracts,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 2009.
Women in Science and
Engineering
R. Lau, N. Al Hasani & L. Lau, “Awareness
and expectations – gender in the workplace,”
in Proceedings of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers 16th Middle East Oil & Gas Show
and Conference, Bahrain, 2009.
Arts and Sciences
College: Communication
C. Brandt, “Researching communication,
communicating research: The case for
reflexivity in developing second language
students’ academic communication skills,”
in Proceedings of the Conference of the
International Journal of Arts and Sciences,
Bad Hofgastein, Austria, 2009.
D. Dalton, “Critical reading - An evaluation
of a teaching approach,” in Proceedings of
the 39th Annual Frontiers in Engineering
Conference, San Antonio, USA, October 2009.
M. Hatakka, “Teacher beliefs about contextbased,
situated learning,” in Proceedings of
the 14th TESOL Arabia Conference, Dubai,
U.A.E, 2009, pp. 170-181.
H. L. Lim, “Social network analysis:
Measuring symmetry of information flow in
virtual learning groups,” in CD Proceedings of
the International Conference on Information
Science, Technology and Applications, Kuwait
University, Kuwait, 2009.
H. L. Lim, “E-communication patterns
in collaborative learning networks,” in
Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on
E-learning, Bari, Italy, 2009, pp. 332-338.
Arts and Sciences
College: Humanities and
Social Sciences
A. Al Shami, “Orientalists and their perception
of the image of Arab and Muslim culture: A
case study of Joseph Schacht (1902-1969),” in
Proceedings of the International Conference on
The Image of Arabs and Muslims in the World
Literature, Damascus University, Damascus,
Syria, 2009.
A. Al Shami, “Islamic contributions to
economics and finance: given the present
global economics situation,” in Proceedings of
the International Conference on Post Recession
Scenario for Malta, Malta, May 22, 2009.
A. Al Shami, “Shari’ah and Fiqh: Which
is most accommodating, enabling people to
adhere in the modern world?” in Proceedings
of the BRISMES Annual Conference on
Frontiers: Space, Separation and Contact in
the Middle East, University of Manchester,
Manchester, U.K., 2009.
A. Al Shami, “Do Sukuk comply with the
Shariah rules?” in Proceedings of the Islamic
Finance Forum, Institute for International
Research, Dubai, U.A.E., 2009.
A. Al Shami, “The rules of Shari’ah boards
and scholars,” in Proceedings of the Islamic
Finance Forum, Institute for International
Research, Dubai, U.A.E., 2009.
A. Al Shami, “Islamic finance – did it resist
the global crisis?” in Proceedings of the
International Islamic Finance Conference
on Islamic Finance in a European Financial
Services Framework, Malta Institute of
Management, Malta, 2009.
G. Harb, “Intercultural differences: German
speaking countries – a GCC country: the
United Arab Emirates,” in Proceedings of
the XIV International Conference for German
Teachers “IDT 2009”, Jena and Weimar,
Germany, August 2009.
187
The Petroleum Institute Annual 2009

Scholarly Publications
A. Wijeweera & M. J. Webb, “Defence
spending and economic growth in South Asia:
An econometric analysis,” in Proceedings
of the 5th International Conference of
Global Academy of Business and Economics
Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2009,
December 2009.
M. N. Hussain & A. Wijeweera,
“Estimation of the money demand function
in a heterogeneous panel for selected
Asian countries,” in Proceedings of the 5th
International Conference of Global Academy
of Business and Economics Research, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, 2009, December 2009.
Arts and Sciences
College: Math
A. Didenko, D. Allison & G. Miller,
“Graphing polar equations using
spreadsheets,” in Proceedings of the 6th
WSEAS International Conference on
Engineering Education, Rodos, Greece,
2009, pp. 108-110.
A. Didenko, D. Allison & G. Miller,
“Exploring Taylor polynomials using
spreadsheets,” in Proceedings of the
International Computer Aided Learning
2009 Conference, Villach, Austria, 2009, pp.
99-102.
Arts and Sciences
College: Physics
A. Bouchalkha, “Wireless sensors
technology in the oil industry,” in
International Conference on Intelligent Field
Development, Dubai, U.A.E., 30-31 March
2009.
A. Bouchalkha, “Enhancing oil production
using smart wireless technology,” in
International Conference on Production
Optimization Middle East 2009, Abu Dhabi,
U.A.E., 14-15 December 2009.
Arts and Sciences College:
STEPS
D. Moore, L. Chaar & L. Lamont, “Practical
engineering design courses: a barometer
for the future success of female Emirati
engineering undergraduates,” in ASEE
Annual Conference, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.,
June 2009.
AUP Department
L. Lau, R. Lau & E. Thomas, “Wegener
and the theory of expanding consonants –
teaching content in the language classroom,”
in Proceedings of the 14th TESOL Arabia
Conference, Dubai, U.A.E., 2009, pp. 289-
298.
R. Lau, N. Al Hasani & L. Lau, “Awareness
and expectations – Gender in the workplace,” in
Proceedings of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
16th Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference,
Bahrain, 2009.
D. Allison, A. Didenko & G. Miller, “The technology
of drawing a straight line,” in Proceedings of the
Seventh U.A.E. Math Day Conference, University
of Sharjah, Sharjah, U.A.E., 2009.
D. Allison, A. Didenko & G. Miller, “Graphing
polar equations using spreadsheets,” in
Proceedings of the 6th WSEAS International
Conference on Engineering Education, July 22-24,
2009, pp. 108-110.
V. Stevens, “Engaging collaborative writing
through social networking,” in Proceedings of the
WorldCALL 2008 Conference, Japan Association
for Language Education and Technology, July 15,
2009.
E. Thomas & J. Langille, “ESOL teachers &
science / technology students: A mismatch?” in
Proceedings of the 14th TESOL Arabia Conference,
Dubai, U.A.E., 2009, pp. 115-128.
Library
V. D. Middleton, “Professional Development 2.0:
Using social networking tools to enhance your
teaching and learning,” in Online Proceedings
of the Information Literacy Network 2008
Professional Development Conference, Sharjah,
U.A.E., November 2009.
Patents
Chemical Engineering
Department
R. Prud’Homme, I. Aksay, D. Adamson & A.
Abdala, “Packing materials and flexible medical
tubing containing thermally exfoliated graphite
oxide,” U.S. Patent Application No. 20090053433,
February 26, 2009.
R. Prud’Homme, I. Aksay, D. Adamson & A.
Abdala, “Automotive body panel containing
thermally exfoliated graphite oxide,” U.S. Patent
Application No. 20090054578, February 26, 2009.
R. Prud’Homme, I. Aksay, D. Adamson & A.
Abdala, “Tire containing thermally exfoliated
graphite oxide,” U.S. Patent Application No.
2009054581, February 26, 2009.
R. Prud’Homme, I. Aksay, D. Adamson & A.
Abdala, “Emulsifier containing thermally
exfoliated graphite oxide,” U.S. Patent Application
No. 2009054272, February 26, 2009.
R. Prud’Homme, I. Aksay, D. Adamson & A.
Abdala, “Thermally exfoliated graphite oxide
and its use in nanocomposites,” Japanese Patent
Application No. JP2009511415, March 19, 2009.
B. K. Dutta, N. Ahmad & P. Nadzrul,
“Removal of dissolved sulfides from
wastewater by air oxidation in the presence
of UV radiation,” Malaysian Patent
Application No. PI20090321, January 23,
2009.
Electrical Engineering
Department
M. Mahmoud, E. Abdel-Rahman, R. Mansour
& E. El-Saadany, “Springless vibration
energy harvesters,” U.S. Provisional Patent
No. 61288616, December 2009.
Other
peer-reviewed
publications
AUP Department
C. Eide, “Distance Learning. The jury
is still out,” in TESOL Arabia Learner
Independence Special Interest Group,
Conference Newsletter, 2009, p 2.
J. Olearski, “Swimmers,” Pen Pusher, no.
13, Summer/Autumn 2009, pp. 48-51.
V. Stevens, “Life-long learner autonomy
meets Electronic Village Online,” TESOL
Arabia Learner Independence Special
Interest Group, Conference Newsletter, 2009,
p. 9.
C. Toms, “English for business life,”
Perspectives, vol. 16, no.2, June 2009, pp.
34-35.
Library
V. D. Middleton, “Library 2.0,” Newsletter
of The Special Libraries Association Arabian
Gulf Chapter, vol. 14, no. 2, April 2009,
p.31.
Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
188

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Annual Report 2009 The Petroleum Institute
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