Speaker
Rodolfo Camacho-Velázquez
Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Abstract
Natural fractures are common heterogeneities in both conventional and shale reservoirs. Various characteristics of natural fractures, including geometry, morphology, orientation, density, connectivity, and in-situ stress, determine their petrophysical properties. In addition to a natural fracture network, dissolution cavities may also exist, exhibiting characteristics that also define their petrophysical properties. However, commercial simulators’ continuous approach considers a uniform fracture distribution with a fully connected fracture network and dual-porosity systems.

Shale production has demonstrated that principles like Darcy’s law and the continuity equation from traditional calculus are not applicable. Therefore, we need to deepen our understanding of these complex systems to make better-informed decisions about their production and recovery. Climate change is a real global challenge that we can and must confront. As petroleum engineers and geoscientists, we are expected to play a crucial role in issues like the underground storage of CO2 and hydrogen and the production of advanced geothermal energy. Therefore, we will face a dual challenge: developing increasingly complex reservoirs and engaging in energy transition technologies.

About the Speaker
Dr. Rodolfo Camacho-Velázquez is a professor in the Petroleum Department at the School of Engineering at UNAM. He teaches courses related to reservoir engineering, and he is the tutor for the development of undergraduate, master, and doctoral theses. He is also an independent consultant, giving consultancies and teaching courses to different companies.

He is retired from Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) where he worked more than 25 years, occupying different managerial positions of technical responsibility related to the behavior and characterization of naturally fractured reservoirs. Previously, he was the Head of the Petroleum Department at the National University of Mexico, UNAM, and a research leader at the Mexican Petroleum Institute.

He has more than 40 years of industry experience. He has conducted research and hand-on naturally fractured reservoir dynamic characterization to estimate reserves and formation properties. He also has extensive experience in the analysis of flow of fluids in porous media considering the relevant equations that provides a better understanding of the mechanisms of fluid flow, and optimization of production.

He is the author of more than 120 papers, some of them published in the SPE Reservoir Engineering, SPE Formation Evaluation, JPT, SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, SPE Production & Facilities, SPE J., Water Resources Research, J. of Canadian Petroleum Tech., J. of Petroleum Science & Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, SPE Advanced Technology Series, Petroleum, Computational Applied Mathematics, ARPN J. of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Oil Gas Sci. Technol. – Rev. IFP Energies Nouvelles, Fractal Fract., and Energies.

Among his main distinctions are the following: SPE Reservoir Technical Director for the period 2021–2024, Chair of the Mexican Chapter of Interpore during 2021–2024, Member of the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Committee, 2020–2023. SPE Distinguished Lecturer for the 2015–2016 season, having received the Lester Uren Award in 2008 in recognition of his technical contributions, President of the Mexico Section of the SPE during 2004–2007, and Review Chairman for SPE Formation Evaluation Journal.

Dr. Camacho received a BSc in Geophysics Engineering from UNAM in 1979, M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering in 1984 and Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering in 1987 both from the University of Tulsa, USA.

About the Series
The Claude R. Hocott Lectureship in Petroleum Engineering is a graduate seminar series held weekly for current master’s and PhD students in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE). Contact Assistant Professor Yingda Lu to learn more.