Eric van Oort

Research Areas
Drilling and Completions
Drilling and Well Construction Performance Optimization
Drilling Automation
Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD)
Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Sensors and Measurement Systems Design
High-Fidelity Drilling-Related Modeling, Digital Twinning, and Software Development
Drilling Fluids Technology, Mud-Shale Interactions and High-Performance Fluid Design
Real-Time Operations Centers & Monitoring, Remote Command and Control
Wellbore Geomechanics (Borehole Stability, Lost Circulation, Well Control, etc.)
Well Re-Use and Repurposing, ARO Minimization
Drilling For Geothermal Energy, CCS/CCUS, Hydrogen, Subsurface Waste Disposal
Well Integrity, Zonal Isolation, Wellbore Cementing, Well Barrier Design and Verification
Well Plugging and Abandonment (P&A), Well Decommissioning

Research Website
RAPID

Educational Qualifications
Ph.D., University of Amsterdam, Chemical Physics, 1990
M.S., University of Amsterdam, Chemical Physics, 1986
B.S., University of Amsterdam, Chemistry, 1983
Barlaeus Gymnasium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1982

PGE Courses Taught
PGE 430: Introduction to Drilling & Completions
PGE 383: Advanced Well Construction
PGE 379/381: Drilling Engineering

Awards & Honors
Lockheed Martin Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching, 2025.
Society of Petroleum Engineers Drilling Engineering Award, 2017.
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Member Award, 2016.
Society of Petroleum Engineers Best Paper Award, SPE D&C (September Issue, 1997).
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer (1996).
KSEPL Experimental Award, awarded for best experimental work in Shell Research (1994).

Professional Affiliations & Activities (Most Recent & Significant)

2025

• Invited Speaker — Shale as a Barrier, HAVTIL (Norwegian Offshore Regulator), Stavanger Norway, March 3, 2025
• Co-organizer & Speaker — AkerBP Shale as a Barrier Workshop, Stavanger, Norway, Feb. 28, 2025
• Invited Speaker — Geothermal Rising/NOV TXLAOK Rig Event, Jan. 29, 2025

2024

• Organizer & Speaker — PACE Forum Meeting, Austin, Oct. 16–17 2024
• Invited Speaker — SPE DAC Committee, Academic Perspective, Aug. 29, 2024
• Moderator MPD Panel Session — IADC ART Conference, Austin, Aug. 28, 2024
• Invited Speaker — Practices and Standards for Plugged Orphaned and Abandoned Hydrocarbon Wells, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, July 18–19, 2024
• Invited Speaker — Aramco Americas Monthly Exchange Technical Seminar, Virtual, May 15, 2024
• Organizer — UT RAPID Industry Consortium Meeting, Austin, May 7–9, 2024
• Invited Speaker — SPE Transatlantic Virtual Workshop: Plugging & Abandonment, Virtual, April 24, 2024
• Co-organizer — AADE Technical Fluids Conference, Houston, Texas, April 2024
• Presenter — Paper IADC/SPE 217694, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Galveston, March 5, 2024
• Invited Speaker — Darcy 2023 Industry Trends: Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), Virtual, Feb. 2, 2024

2023

• Invited Speaker — SPE/GR Workshop: Geothermal and Oil & Gas, Denver, Nov. 14, 2023
• Invited Keynote Speaker — Weatherford MPD Summit, Houston Nov. 11, 2023
• Co-organizer — Intl. Geomechanics Symposium (IGS), Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 30–Nov. 2, 2023
• Organizer — Joint CSE RAPID + BEG Hotrock Geothermal Workshop, Houston, Sept. 28, 2023
• Invited Speaker — Enhanced Geothermal Earth Shot, Department of Energy (DOE), Sept. 26, 2023
• Co-organizer — SPE Offshore Europe Conference, Aberdeen, UK, Sept. 4–7, 2023
• Invited Speaker — SPE Well Decommissioning Conference, Aberdeen, UK, June 6–7, 2023
• Invited Speaker — IADD Forum, Houston TX: Educational Perspective, May 24, 2023
• Invited Speaker — Department of Energy (DOE) Earthshot Enhanced Geothermal: Drilling and Well Construction Performance & Cost Optimization, May 11, 2023
• Invited Keynote Speaker — AADE National Technical Conference, Midland, TX —  Geothermal Drilling: Making or Breaking an Inexhaustible Source of Green Baseload Energy, April 4, 2023
• Invited Speaker — Norce Research Institute, Norway: Introduction to Geothermal and Well P&A R&D at UT Austin, March 10, 2023
• Invited Speaker — Rice University: Latest Developments in Geothermal Drilling & the Path to Geothermal Anywhere, Feb. 28, 2023
• Invited Speaker — SPE Transatlantic Virtual Workshop: Onshore Plugging and Abandonment — Shale As A Barrier (SAAB): Stimulating Rock Formations to Form High-Integrity Well Barriers, January 23, 2023

2021–2022

• Invited Graduate Seminar Speaker — Colorado School of Mines (CSOM), Avoiding Well Leakage and Guaranteeing Long-Term Well Integrity using Shale/Salt as a Barrier, Nov. 21, 2022
• Invited Speaker — ARPA-E Subsurface Annual Review, Sept. 27–28, 2022
• Invited Speaker — IADC DEC Meeting — Future of Drilling: Brain Drain Manifesto, Sept. 21, 2022
• Invited Seminar Speaker — Schlumberger, Aug. 15–16, 2022
• Invited Speaker — ARMA KAUST Webinar, April 25, 2022
• Co-Organizer — AADE Fluids Technical Conference and Exhibition, April 20, 2022
• Invited Speaker — AADE Fluids Technical Conference and Exhibition, April 20, 2022
• Invited Speaker — AAPG GTW Well Planning and Delivery Webinar, Feb. 9, 2022
• Invited Speaker — SPWLA DPS Webinar, Sept. 9, 2022
• Invited Speaker — SPE ATCE Conference, Fall 2021
• Co-PI — Offshore Energy Safety Institute (OESI), 2015–2018: http://oesi.tamu.edu/

Other

• Member — Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
• Member — International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC)

Highlighted Publications and Google Scholar Profile
Montes, Abraham C., Ashok, Pradeepkumar, and Eric van Oort. “Review of Stuck Pipe Prediction Methods and Future Directions.” SPE J. (2025;): doi: 10.2118/220725-PA

Khaled, M. S., Wang, N., Ashok, P., van Oort, E., & Wisian, K. (2023). Real-Time Prediction of Bottom-hole Circulating Temperature in Utah FORGE Wells Using Machine Learning Models. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 238, 212891.

Denduluri, V.S., Genedy, M., Juenger, M., McDonald, M., & van Oort, E. Experimental Investigation of Geopolymers for Application in High-Temperature Geothermal Well Cementing to Improve Zonal Isolation. SPEDC (2023): doi: 10.2118/212491-PA

Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Chen, D., Ashok, P., & van Oort, E. (2022). Comprehensive review of high frequency torsional oscillations (HFTOs) while drilling. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 111161.

van Oort, E., Juenger, M., Aldin, M., Thombare, A., McDonald, M., Lucas, A., & Ditlevsen, F. (2022). Simplifying Well Abandonments Using Shale as a Barrier. Society of Petroleum Engineers. doi:10.2118/199654-PA

Gu, Q., Fallah, A., Ambrus, A., Feng, T., Chen, D., Ashok, P., & van Oort, E. (2022). Computationally efficient simulation of non-isothermal two-phase flow during well construction using a new reduced drift-flux model. Applied Thermal Engineering, 118077.

van Oort, E., Vargo, R.: Improving Formation Strength Tests and Their Interpretation, SPE Drilling and Completions, September 2008, P.284–294

van Oort, E.: On the Physical and Chemical Stability of Shales, J. Pet. Sci. & Engr., 1051 (2003), 1–23

van Oort, E., Hale, A.H., Mody, F.K. and Roy, S.,: Transport in shales and the design of improved water-based shale drilling fluids. SPE Drilling & Completions, 1996, September.

Karaborni, S., Smit, B., Heidug, W., Urai, J.L. and van Oort, E., The swelling of clays : molecular simulations of the hydration of montmorillonite. Science, 1996, 271 (23 February), p. 1102–1104.

van Oort, E., Manson, N.B. and Glasbeek, M.: Optically Detected Spin Coherence of the Diamond N-V Centre in its Triplet Ground State, J.Phys.C.: Solid State Physics 21, 1988, 4385–4391

Quotations in the Press
Bloomberg Law, March 2024, https://news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-ethics/failed-oil-well-plugs-are-silent-polluters-that-no-one-watches

World Oil, Jim Redden, November 2022, https://www.worldoil.com/magazine/2022/november-2022/columns/drilling-advances-plugging-the-brain-drain/

NPR Marketplace, Andy Uhler, May 2020, https://www.marketplace.org/2020/05/19/oil-gas-industry-turns-to-remote-work-cut-costs-covid19/

NBC News, May 2020, http://www.nbnews24.com/2020/05/01/the-world-is-still-producing-more-oil-than-it-needs-why/

Global Geothermal News, March 2020, https://geothermalresourcescouncil.blogspot.com/2020/03/usa-texas-geothermal.html

Renewable Energy World, December 2019, https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/2019/12/05/new-initiative-positions-texas-as-geothermal-energy-leader/

NPR Marketplace, Amy Choi, August 2018, https://www.marketplace.org/2018/08/15/tech/what-armageddon-got-right-about-space-drilling-and-what-it-didnt-which-was-mostly

NPR Marketplace, Andy Uhler, May 2018, https://www.marketplace.org/2018/05/16/tech/roughnecks-could-soon-be-data-analysts

US News, Alan Neuhauser, May 2018, https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-05-08/oil-prices-recover-but-hiring-lags

Daily Texan, Jennifer Liu, April 2018, http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2018/04/11/ut-program-uses-oil-drilling-data-to-make-us-oil-production-more-efficient

NPR, Mose Buchele, March 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/03/08/591141384/americas-oil-boom-is-fueled-by-a-tech-boom; http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/mar/08/americas-oil-boom-is-fueled-by-a-tech-boom/

Rigzone, Robotics and Automation: The Oil, Gas Skillsets of the Future, Nov. 15, 2017, http://www.rigzone.com/news/robotics_and_automation_the_oil_gas_skillsets_of_the_future-15-nov-2017-152472-article/

JPT, SPE Announces 2017 International Award Recipients, Aug. 1, 2017, https://www.spe.org/en/jpt/jpt-article-detail/?art=3251

JPT, Steven Whitfield, Workforce Education Key to Understanding Drilling Data, May 1, 2017, https://www.spe.org/en/jpt/jpt-article-detail/?art=2933

JPT, University Consortium Prepares for Spike in Decommissioning, April 4, 2017, https://www.spe.org/en/jpt/jpt-article-detail/?art=2888

Houston Chronicle, Lydia DePillis: Occidental Finds Strategy for Growth: Hold the Layoffs, Feb. 16, 2017, http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Occidental-finds-strategy-for-growth-Hold-the-10937172.php

Houston Chronicle, Eric van Oort: What ‘Deepwater Horizon’ Gets Right, and Wrong, Oct. 17, 2016, http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/pasadena/news/article/What-Deepwater-Horizon-gets-right-and-wrong-9979158.php

The Conversation, Eric van Oort: ‘Deepwater Horizon’ Honors Oil Rig Workers, but Oversimplifies the Blowout, Oct. 7, 2016 https://theconversation.com/deepwater-horizon-honors-oil-rig-workers-but-oversimplifies-the-blowout-66391

Houston Chronicle, Lydia DePillis: Engineering an Oil Industry Career Means Rethinking Skills, July 13, 2016, http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Engineering-an-oil-industry-career-means-9286579.php

Houston Chronicle, Lydia DePillis: Houston’s schools adjust to an oil bust, after gearing up for a boom, July 9, 2016, http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/economy/article/Houston-s-schools-adjust-to-an-oil-bust-after-8350400.php?t=20358f9f33438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium

JPT, Steve Rassenfoss: BOPs Become the Focus of Data-Driven Scrutiny, July 1, 2016, http://www.spe.org/jpt/article/11433-bops-become-the-focus-of-data-driven-scrutiny/

JPT, Trent Jacobs: Drilling Down On Particle Size Analyzers, May 1, 2016, http://www.spe.org/jpt/article/11102-ep-notes-25/

Drilling Contractor, Kelli Ainsworth: Drilling programs give university students hands-on exposure to automation, simulation, Sept. 8, 2015, http://www.drillingcontractor.org/drilling-programs-give-university-students-hands-on-exposure-to-automation-simulation-36750

JPT, Jack Betz: Automation Program Looks Outside Industry for Inspiration, March 1, 2015, http://www.spe.org/jpt/article/8347-ep-notes-12/

JPT, Trent Jacobs: The Dawn of a New Automation Consortium, July 1, 2015, http://www.spe.org/jpt/article/9189-the-dawn-of-a-new-automation-consortium/

Drilling Contractor: Remote directional drilling enhances shale well quality, efficiency, March 28, 2013, http://www.drillingcontractor.org/remote-directional-drilling-enhances-shale-well-quality-efficiency-23290

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, David Wethe: NASA Helps Hatch Robots for Drilling Oil Without Humans, Sept. 3, 2012

Fortune, Jon Birger: Why Shell is Betting Billions to Drill for Oil in Alaska, May 24, 2012

Houston Chronicle, Brett Clanton: A Real Time Vigil, Sunday Sept. 19, 2010

Drilling Contractor, Linda Hsieh: Remote Operations Centers Earning Keep Through Drilling Optimization, 24/7 Support, Demanning, drillingcontractor.org, Sept. 8, 2010

Offshore, Jim Banks: Time is Money, Offshore-technology.com, Sept. 3, 2010

Wall Street Journal, B. Casselman, R. Gold and S. Chen: Gulf Coast Braces for a Bad Storm, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008

Houston Chronicle, K. Hays: Watching from Afar, Sunday, July 7, 2007

KHOU TV/11 News, D. Lauck: Behind the Scenes at Shell Oil, Friday, April 27, 2007

Patents
United States Patent 5,602,082
Efficiency of ethoxylated/propoxylated polyols to remove water from shale

United States Patent 5,686,396
Efficiency of polyglycerol with other additives to remove water from shale

United States Patent 6,823,950
Method for formation pressure control while drilling

United States Patent 7,320,951
Silica-based drilling mud comprising glycoside lubricants with amino-linked alkyl chains

United States Patent 9,909,413
Systems and Method for Determining a Rheological Parameter

United States Patent 9,920,608
Method of Improving Hydraulic Fracturing by Decreasing Formation Temperature

United States Patent 9,957,434
Cementitious Compositions Comprising a Non-Aqueous Fluid and an Alkali-Activated Material

United States Patent 9,957,439
Fracturing Fluid for Prevention of Shale Fracture Hydration during Well Stimulation by Hydraulic Fracturing

United States Patent 10,185,306
Utilizing Look-Up Tables Representing All Models in an Automation Control Architecture to Independently Handle Uncertainties in Sensed Data in Oil and Gas Well Construction

United States Patent 10,619,472
LMI-based control of stick-slip oscillations in drilling

United States Patent 10,774,637
Sensing Formation Properties during Wellbore Construction

United States Patent 10,808,499
Hydrocarbon detection in oil and gas wells using fiber optic sensors

United States Patent 10,836,949
Magnetorheological fluids and methods of using same

United States Patent 10,859,481
Systems and methods for determining a fluid characteristic

United States Patent 11,008,832
Methods for increasing wellbore strength

United States Patent 11,499,083
Method for Plugging and Abandoning Oil and Gas Wells

United States Patent 11,582,393
Industrial Tool Imaging

United States Patent 11,629,984
An X-ray Mass Flow Rate Sensor for High Pressure Processes

United States Patent 11,767,737
Methods for Increasing Wellbore Strength

United States Patent 11,884,872
Magnetorheological Fluids And Methods Of Using Same

United States Patent 12,129,836
Geothermal well designs and control thereof for extraction of subsurface geothermal power

Publication Number 20230272710
Solids analysis of drilling and completion fluids

Publication Number 20230374976
Geothermal Well Designs and Control Thereof for Extraction of Subsurface Geothermal Power

Publication Number 20240059957
Control of Lost Circulation Through a Thermally Activated Metallic Additive

Attorney Docket Number UTXA/8073USL
Thermally Activated Lost Circulation Control

Attorney Docket Number UTXA/8328PCT
Real Time Automatic Controller for Managed Temperature Drilling

Attorney Docket Number UTXA/8401USL
Control System for Drilling Vibration Suppression

International Patent CA 2406796 A1
Drilling Mud

International Patent CA 2468732
Procede Servant a Controller la Pression d’une Formation Pendant la Forage (method for formation pressure control while drilling)

International Patent EP 1274809B1
Drilling Mud

International Patent GB 2400871A/GB 2400871B
Method for formation pressure control while drilling

International Patent WO 01/81492A2/WO 01/81492A2
Drilling Mud