EME Faculty
Zuleima T. Karpyn |
|---|
Assistant Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering |
| office: | 151 Hosler Building | |
| phone: | 814-863-2273 | |
| email: | ztk101@psu.edu | |
| fax: | 814-865-3248 |
View Full CV (.pdf)
Bio
Biographical Sketch
Zuleima T. Karpyn is an assistant professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. Her teaching and research interests are reservoir characterization and multiphase transport phenomena in porous media, including applications in reservoir engineering, underground hydrology, and environmental remediation. She holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Universidad Central de Venezuela, and M.S. and Ph.D. in petroleum and natural gas engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Karpyn is a recipient of the 2008 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award granted by the National Science Foundation, and the 2005 Penn State Wilson Research Initiation Grant. She is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Core Analysts, and the American Geophysical Union.
Educational Background
Ph.D. (Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering), The Pennsylvania State University, 2005
M.S. (Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering), The Pennsylvania State University, 2001
B.S. (Chemical Engineering), Universidad Central de Venezuela, 1997
Active Research Projects
Dr. Karpyn works on multiphase transport phenomena in porous media to improve the representation and prediction of hydrocarbon recovery processes, underground pollutant migration, carbon sequestration, and anticipate the natural flow of ground water. Ongoing research projects include experiments and numerical simulations of fluid flow through fractured rocks and unconsolidated porous media using high-resolution x-ray imaging techniques to investigate the effect of rock heterogeneities and flowing conditions on the mobility of immiscible fluids through geologic formations. Other activities include characterization of petrophysical and dynamic transport properties of tight sands, shales, and deep saline aquifers for carbon sequestration.
Selected Publications
- Thararoop, P., Karpyn, Z.T., Gitman, A., and Ertekin, T. 2008. "Integration of seismic attributes and production data for infill drilling strategies – a virtual intelligence approach". Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, in press.
- Petchsingto, T., and Karpyn, Z.T., 2007. "Deterministic Modeling of Fluid Flow through a CT-Scanned Fracture Using Computational Fluid Dynamics". Energy Sources, Part A, in press.
- Karpyn, Z.T., Alajmi, A., Radaelli, F., Halleck, P., and Grader, A., 2007. "X-ray CT and hydraulic evidence for a relationship between fracture conductivity and adjacent matrix porosity". Engineering Geology, in press.
- Basbug, B., and Karpyn, Z.T., 2008. "Absolute permeability estimation from pore-scale characteristics of carbonate reservoirs using artificial intelligence". International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 1(4): 382-398.
- Karpyn, Z.T., and Piri, M., 2007. "Prediction of fluid occupancy in fractures using network modeling and X-ray microtomography. I: data conditioning and model description". Physical Review E, 76(1), 016315: 1-13.
- Piri, M., and Karpyn, Z.T., 2007. "Prediction of fluid occupancy in fractures using network modeling and X-ray microtomography. II: results". Physical Review E, 76(1), 016316: 1-11.
- Ayala, L.F., and Karpyn, Z.T., 2007. "On the calculation of static bottom-hole pressures in gas wells". Petroleum Science and Technology, 25(8), 1099-1104.
- Karpyn, Z.T., Grader, A.S. and Halleck, P.M., 2007. "Visualization of fluid occupancy in a rough fracture using micro-tomography". Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 307(1), 181-187.
- Li, G., Karpyn, Z.T., Halleck, P.M., and Grader, A.S., 2006. "Modeling the formation of fluid banks during counter-current flow in porous media". Transport in Porous Media, 62(2): 125-138.
- Karpyn, Z.T., Li, G., Grader, A.S., and Halleck, P.M., 2006. "Experimental conditions favoring the formation of fluid banks during counter-current flow in porous media". Transport in Porous Media, 62(1): 109-124.
Recent Activities and Awards
Activities
- Program Committee Chair, 2008 SPE Eastern Regional Meeting - Joint with Eastern Section of AAPG, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 11-15.
- Session Chairperson, 2007 SPE Latin American & Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 15-18.)
- Technical Review Committee Member, 2007 SPE Latin American & Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 15-18.
- Technical Reviewer, Elsevier journals: Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Engineering Geology, Fluid Phase Equilibria, Fuel Processing Technology.
- Technical Editor, Society of Petroleum Engineers Editorial Review Committee, Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering Journal, 2005-present.
- Chair, Scholarship Program, Pittsburgh Petroleum Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2004-present.
- Faculty Advisor, Society of Petroleum Engineers - Penn State Student Chapter, 2003-present.
- Member, American Chemical Society (ACS), 2008-present; Society of Core Analysts (SCA), 2005-present; American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2003-present; Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), 1999-present.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions
- National Science Foundation, Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, 2008.
- The Pennsylvania State University, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Wilson Research Initiation Grant, 2005.
- 2nd place. 2003 Penn State Annual Graduate Exhibition - Engineering division.
- 1st place. International SPE Student Paper Contest 2001 - Master’s division.
- 1st place. Rocky Mountain Regional SPE Student Paper Contest 2001 - Master’s division.
- 3rd place. 2001 Penn State Annual Graduate Exhibition - Engineering Division.
Research Interests
- Multi-phase flow in porous media
- Capillary-driven flow
- Unconventional reservoirs
- Solid/liquid interfaces and wettability
- X-ray Computed Tomography and image processing techniques