After graduating with a BSc Honors in Physics in 1973, Mamora joined Shell in Malaysia. In 1988, he moved to Stanford University where he gained an MS and then in 1993 a PhD in Petroleum Engineering. He accepted an offer to teach at Texas A&M University (TAMU), where he is still based. He has since built an impressive portfolio of publications and projects working with a variety of commercial companies and industry organizations. For more details, visit

http://www.pe.tamu.edu/mamora/index.html.

Mamora’s main research interests include steam injection with additives (propane, petroleum distillate, (NaOH) to enhance heavy oil production and analytical steamflood prediction methods.

For his PhD, Mamora studied the kinetics of in situ combustion (ISC) of heavy oils with laboratory tests and analytical modeling based on samples from Venezuela and Canada. Subsequent work has continued to focus on thermal recovery, mostly based on steam-based processes. In joint projects with industry and the US Department of Energy (DoE), he has achieved successful results adding hydrocarbons to the steam to act as solvents, as in a VAPEX system. Adding caustic soda (NaOH) has also yielded significant benefits—used in sufficiently small concentrations to be cost-effective unlikely to damage pipelines or surface facilities.

Mamora is also involved with investigating technologies for the in situ upgrading of heavy oil. This work is funded by the Crisman Institute, which is supported by several major oil and service companies. The process involves introducing catalysts, as used in a refinery process, to partially refine the oil and leave Vanadium and other heavy metals behind. Good results have been achieved in laboratory combustion tube tests at 400–500 degC using small amounts of Tetralin (C₁₀H₁₂). Tetralin donates hydrogen to hydrocarbons, displacing heavy metals and producing a less dense, less viscous crude. Laboratory tests adding Tetralin to steam at lower temperatures have shown success, where, in addition to improving production, Tetralin also increases the proportion of heavy metals removed from the produced crude. This is an interesting finding. A key challenge to upscaling the process to the field is to determine how Tetralin can be introduced into the reservoir efficiently. Unlike CAPRI, where the catalyst is in or around the producing well, the idea scenario is to place the Tetralin within the formation, perhaps in the form of flood slugs.  

The TAMU Petroleum Engineering department, headed by Dr. Stephen Holditch, is studying several topics related to heavy oil and improved oil recovery (IOR) in general. One idea, initiated by BP, is to make sweep water more viscous using emulsions, which are much cheaper than polymers. High levels of asphaltene help to maintain these emulsions, which are more effective at pushing out oil and less prone to bypassing than water. The technique is being tested on several types of oil—heavy, medium and light.

Mamora would like to spend more time progressing his Ph. research into ISC, but he observes that “operators have a phobia against it”—they consider ISC hard to control and potentially dangerous. While agreeing that propagation of the fireflood needs careful monitoring, he maintains that the technique offers considerable potential. For example, steam injection becomes uneconomic for deployment at depths below around 3,000 ft. Several companies are considering deeper plays. The technique needs smarter wells with more measurements of pressure, temperature and CO2 levels in real time. Better modeling software and control systems are required to estimate the location of the fireflood and take preventative action to avoid blowout—like an early warning system. Firefloods often do not behave predictably, particularly in the presence of high permeability layers and tight zones.   

Downhole steam generation may be an alternative for deeper reservoirs, however generating large volumes of steam inside a 7-in casing represents a challenge.

Steam front prediction is another of Mamora’s research topics. Simulators, such as ECLIPSE software, are able to generate adequate models, but more data is needed to more accurately define the reservoir. Static well data is insufficient to characterize the reservoir. 4D seismic can provide the required information in shallow wells, but becomes less effective for deeper wells. Mamora suggests that well-to-well seismic might be a solution in the future.

Mamora has now been at TAMU for 15 years. During the first 5 years, he struggled to get funding for projects he was involved with. One benefit of a general industry cut back on research at that time is that the University inherited laboratory equipment being discarded by some of the major companies. Today, he believes commercial companies have, in general, few capabilities for major experimental research. As a result, research facilities such as those provided at TAMU are becoming increasingly busy. The department has an increasing portfolio of sponsors, with US majors being joined by regional players and independents with less experience of heavy oil production methods. Seven years ago Mamora would not have believed that Canada would be producing over one million bbl/d of heavy oil. This is now one of many factors that is increasing interest from around the world in TAMU research. In coming years, this research, driven by its industry sponsors, will further address the use of additives, SAGD thermal efficiency and other heavy oil production challenges.