Thesis Proposal Petroleum Engineer in Saudi Arabia Riyadh – Free Word Template Download with AI

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains a global energy powerhouse, with the Arabian Peninsula's hydrocarbon reserves underpinning national economic strategy. As the capital city and administrative hub for the petroleum industry, Riyadh serves as a critical center for research and innovation within Saudi Aramco's operations. Current petroleum engineering practices in Riyadh face mounting challenges in maintaining production from mature carbonate reservoirs—particularly those developed since the 1970s—which now account for over 45% of Saudi Arabia's total oil output. This thesis proposes a targeted investigation into advanced Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques specifically tailored to the unique geological and operational conditions prevalent in Riyadh's surrounding fields, such as Ghawar, Safaniya, and Abu Hadriya.

Despite Saudi Arabia's world-leading position in oil production capacity (exceeding 12 million barrels per day), declining reservoir pressures and waterflood inefficiencies in mature fields threaten long-term production sustainability. Current petroleum engineering methodologies deployed across Riyadh-based operations exhibit limitations when applied to the complex carbonate pore structures and heterogeneous formations characteristic of the region. Field data from Saudi Aramco's technical reports (2022) indicates 15-20% of original oil in place remains unrecoverable due to inadequate reservoir management strategies. This knowledge gap represents a critical opportunity for innovation that aligns with Vision 2030's objectives of optimizing domestic resources and advancing technological sovereignty in the petroleum sector.

1. To develop a geomechanical model integrating 3D seismic data, core analysis, and well-log information from Riyadh-operated fields to characterize carbonate reservoir heterogeneity.
2. To evaluate the techno-economic viability of tailored polymer flooding and CO₂-foam injection methods for specific reservoir zones identified in Riyadh's mature fields.
3. To establish an optimization framework that balances EOR implementation costs against incremental oil recovery, with particular focus on Riyadh's operational infrastructure constraints.
4. To propose a decision-support tool for petroleum engineers in Saudi Arabia to prioritize field development strategies using real-time reservoir monitoring data.

Existing studies on carbonate EOR (e.g., Nasr et al., 2019; Al-Masroori et al., 2021) primarily focus on Gulf Coast reservoirs with different mineralogical compositions. Saudi Arabian petroleum engineers have recognized the need for localized solutions—Saudi Aramco's "Carbonate Reservoir Characterization Project" (2023) explicitly identified Riyadh-based teams as pivotal to developing region-specific workflows. Recent publications in the Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering (Vol. 115, 2024) highlight challenges with chemical compatibility in Saudi carbonate rocks due to high salinity brines, a factor not adequately addressed in global EOR models. This thesis bridges that gap by incorporating Riyadh's specific geochemical parameters into simulation protocols.

The research will employ a three-phase approach grounded in Saudi Arabia's operational context:

1. Data Acquisition & Integration (Months 1-4): Collaborate with Saudi Aramco's Riyadh headquarters to access proprietary reservoir datasets including core samples from the Uthmaniyah Formation, 3D seismic surveys, and production history. All data will be processed using Petrel® software compliant with Saudi Aramco's technical standards.
2. Reservoir Simulation & Sensitivity Analysis (Months 5-8): Develop a high-resolution geological model using CMG STARS® to simulate polymer flooding and CO₂-foam injection scenarios. Key variables include rock compressibility (measured via Saudi Geological Survey's lab protocols), brine chemistry, and injection rates calibrated to Riyadh's existing infrastructure capacity.
3. Economic Optimization & Field Implementation Framework (Months 9-12): Apply multi-criteria decision analysis incorporating Saudi Arabia's current fiscal parameters (including Vision 2030 resource efficiency incentives) to determine optimal EOR deployment strategy. The outcome will be a Riyadh-specific implementation roadmap validated against case studies from the Abqaiq and Shedgum fields.

This thesis will deliver three key contributions to petroleum engineering practice in Saudi Arabia:

• An open-source geomechanical modeling template specifically calibrated for Riyadh's carbonate reservoirs, addressing a critical need identified in Saudi Aramco's 2023 technical review.
• A cost-benefit analysis framework that quantifies incremental oil recovery versus EOR implementation costs under Saudi Arabia's current fiscal and operational regulations, directly supporting petroleum engineers in Riyadh during project feasibility studies.
• A validated decision-support algorithm for reservoir management teams in Riyadh, designed to integrate with the Kingdom's digital transformation initiatives like "AI-Driven Reservoir Management" (ADRM) platform launched by the Ministry of Energy.

These outcomes directly advance Saudi Arabia's energy security objectives. By increasing recovery factors from 35% to 42% in targeted mature fields, the research could unlock an estimated 180 million barrels of incremental oil—equivalent to three years of Riyadh's annual municipal energy consumption. For the petroleum engineer operating in Riyadh, this work provides actionable tools to maximize asset value within Vision 2030's framework for sustainable hydrocarbon development.

The proposed 12-month research schedule leverages Riyadh's infrastructure advantages: access to Saudi Aramco's advanced laboratories at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), proximity to field operations, and collaboration pathways with industry partners. All data acquisition will comply with Saudi Arabian regulations on energy sector data sovereignty, ensuring seamless integration with national technical standards.

This thesis addresses a strategic imperative for Saudi Arabia's petroleum engineering community in Riyadh. As the Kingdom transitions toward sustainable resource management under Vision 2030, the development of field-specific EOR technologies becomes non-negotiable for maintaining production leadership. By focusing on Riyadh's operational ecosystem—where petroleum engineers interface with cutting-edge reservoir data and national energy policy—this research will generate immediately applicable knowledge that elevates both academic scholarship and industrial practice in Saudi Arabia. The proposed framework represents more than an academic exercise; it is a pragmatic response to the nation's most critical energy challenge, positioning Riyadh as the epicenter of next-generation petroleum engineering innovation within the Kingdom.

• Saudi Aramco. (2023). *Carbonate Reservoir Characterization Project Final Report*. Riyadh: Saudi Aramco Technical Publications.
• Nasr, T., et al. (2019). "Polymer Flooding in Carbonate Reservoirs: Lessons from the Middle East." *SPE Journal*, 24(5), 2103-2117.
• Al-Masroori, A. H., et al. (2021). "CO₂-foam EOR in Saudi Arabian Carbonates: Experimental and Simulation Study." *Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering*, 206, 109387.
• Ministry of Energy. (2024). *Vision 2030 Digital Transformation Roadmap for Hydrocarbon Sector*. Riyadh: Government Press.
• KAPSARC. (2023). *Advanced Reservoir Modeling Standards for Middle Eastern Carbonates*. Research Report No. 45-118.

⬇️ Download as DOCX Edit online as DOCX