Gary Pope

Research Areas
Geologic Carbon Storage
Enhanced Oil Recovery
Reservoir Engineering
Petrophysics and Pore Scale Processes
Reservoir Simulation
Natural Gas Engineering

Educational Qualifications
BS Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, 1967
PhD Chemical Engineering, Rice University, 1971

PGE Courses Taught
Enhanced Oil Recovery
Thermodynamics and Phase Behavior
Reservoir Engineering
Advanced Thermodynamics and Phase Behavior
Advanced Reservoir Engineering

Research
Dr. Pope’s research interests are in the areas of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), geological storage of CO2 (GSC), reservoir simulation, natural gas engineering (such as stimulation of blocked gas wells) and petrophysics (such as new three-phase relative permeability measurements and models). Current EOR research includes development and experimental testing of new surfactants and polymers for chemical EOR, development and applications of the UTCHEM and UTCOMP simulators, and development of new hybrid EOR processes for heavy oils. Current research on GSC includes optimization of CO2 EOR and the development of novel approaches such as coupled energy production and storage in geopressured-geothermal aquifers.

Awards & Honors
UT Inventor of the Year (2018).

SPE Honorary Member Award (2008).

AIME Environmental Conservation Distinguished Service Award (2008).

Billy and Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Centennial Engineering Research Award (2006).

SPE IOR Pioneer Award (2006).

Lohmann Medal (2006).

SPE/AIME Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal (2004).

SPE John Franklin Carll Award (2002).

SPE Distinguished Achievement Award (1996).

SPE Distinguished Member Award (1995).

SPE Reservoir Engineering Award (1991).

Highlighted Publications and Google Scholar ProfileD.L. Walker, C. Britton, D.H. Kim, S. Dufour, U. Weerasooriya, and G.A. Pope, “The Impact of Microemulsion Viscosity on Oil Recovery,” SPE 154275, presented at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, OK, 14-18 April 2012.

P.J. Liyanage, S. Solairaj, G.W Pinnawala Arachchilage, H.C. Linnemeyer, D.H.Kim, U. Weerasooriya, and G.A. Pope, “Alkaline Surfactant Polymer Flooding using a Novel Class of Large Hydrophobe Surfactants,” SPE 154274, presented at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, OK, 14-18 April 2012.

S. Solairaj, C. Britton, J.Lu, D.H.Kim, U. Weerasooriya, and G.A. Pope, “New Correlation to Predict the Optimum Surfactant Structure for EOR,” SPE 154262, presented at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, OK, 14-18 April 2012.

J. Lu, C. Britton, S. Solairaj, P.J. Liyanage, D.H. Kim, S. Adkins, G. Pinnawala-Arachchilage, U. Weerasooriya, and G.A. Pope, “Novel Large-Hydrophobe Alkoxy Carboxylate Surfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery,” SPE 154261, presented at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, OK, 14-18 April 2012.

S. Adkins, G. Pinnawala-Arachchilage, S. Solairaj, J. Lu, U. Weerasooriya, and G.A. Pope, “Development of Thermally and Chemically Stable Large-Hydrophobe Alkoxy Carboxylate Surfactants,” SPE 154256, presented at the Eighteenth SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, OK, 14-18 April 2012.

R. Ganjdanesh, S.L. Bryant, R. Orbach, G.A. Pope, and K. Sepehrnoori, “Coupled CO2 Sequestration and Energy Production from Geopressured-Geothermal Aquifers,” CMTC 151351, presented at the Carbon Management Technology Conference, Orlando, FL, February 7-9, 2012.

M. Roshanfekr, R.T. Johns, G.A. Pope, L.N. Birtton, H. Linnemeyer, C. Britton, and A. Vyssotski, “Simulation of the Effect of Pressure Temperature, and Solution Gas on Oil Recovery From Surfactant Polymer Floods,” SPE Journal, 17 (3), September, 2012.

D.B. Levitt, G.A. Pope, and S. Jouenne, “Chemical Degradation of Polyacrylamide Polymers Under Alkaline Conditions,” SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 14 (3), June, 2011.

D.B. Levitt, W. Slaughter, G.A. Pope, and S. Jouenne, “The Effect of Redox Potential and Metal Solubility on Oxidative Polymer Degradation,” SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 14 (3), June, 2011.

V. Bang, G.A. Pope, M.M. Sharma, “Phase Behavior Study of Hydrocarbon/Water/Methanol Mixtures at Reservoir Conditions,” SPE Journal, 15(4), December, 2010.