Imperial PhD researcher recognised by Middle East industry awards ceremony

Dr Ali Al-Menhali has been awarded Best Dissertation of the Year at the 2016 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference.

Dr Ali Al-Menhali from the Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering has been awarded the prestigious Best Dissertation of the Year Award at the 2016 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC).

The award is in recognition of Dr Al-Menhali’s PhD thesis on “Multiphase flow CO₂ injection in saline aquifers and oil reservoirs: Multi-scale observations”, a topic which is fundamental to the design and operation of CO₂ storage and CO₂ enhance oil recovery projects. This research was performed as part of the Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre (QCCSRC), jointly funded by Qatar Petroleum, Shell and Qatar Science and Technology Park.

Dr Al-Menhali’s PhD research has led to several highly-cited articles in leading academic research journals and numerous conference presentations. Since graduating with his PhD in 2016, Dr Al-Menhali has been preparing to start work back with Qatar Petroleum.

“I was delighted that Ali received the ADIPEC Award, his thesis really pushed the use and development of  digital rock petrophysics to answer several major outstanding questions,” explains Dr Sam Krevor, Dr Al-Menhali’s PhD supervisor, ”He has taken an innovative approach and I believe his work will have major implications for CO₂ migration at the field scale.”

After a rigorous selection process led by the Awards Chairman, Mr Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy, Chief Executive Officer, ADCO, with the support of 28 other esteemed members of the Regional Select Jury, the award was presented at the ADIPEC Awards Gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal on 7 November.