I conduct research on improved numerical modeling of carbonate reservoirs through careful integration of geological and petrophysical knowledge with statistical analysis and fluid-flow modeling. A major component of this research is the statistical analysis of outcrop data to determine the styles and scales of petrophysical heterogeneity, coupled with flow modeling to understand their effects on fluid flow. The insights obtained from these outcrop studies lead to improved statistical analysis, model construction, and scaleup for subsurface reservoir flow models focused on identifying, reproducing, and preserving the flow effects of important heterogeneities.

An essential ingredient in my research is careful integration with geological and petrophysical knowledge at all levels of analysis and modeling. Without this integration the statistical detection of key heterogeneities is nearly impossible, the numerical modeling of petrophysical variability is far too unconstrained, and scaleup is much more difficult.

My most recent research activities include (1) modeling of relationships between porosity, permeability, rock fabric, and capillary pressure, (2) analysis and flow modeling of high-resolution X-ray CT scans of vuggy rudistid and fractured limestones, and (3) flow modeling to estimate the effective flow properties of simulated fracture patterns. I plan to expand the subsurface modeling to include seismic data, and the petrophysical modeling to include relationships with relative permeability.

B.S. with Honor, GPA 3.94/4.00, Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming, May 1978

M.S., GPA 4.00/4.00, Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University, May 1981

Ph.D., GPA 3.93/4.00, Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University, December 1983

Senior Research Engineer, ARCO Exploration & Production Technology, Plano, Texas, August 1988–June 1995

Reservoir Engineer, Standard Alaska Production Company, Anchorage, Alaska, August 1986–August 1988

Project Engineer, Standard Oil Production Company, Warrensville, Ohio, December 1983–August 1986

Jennings, J. W., Jr., Ruppel, S. C., and Ward, W. B., 2000, Geostatistical analysis of permeability data and modeling of fluid-flow effects in carbonate outcrops: Society of Petroleum Engineers Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering, v. 3, no. 4, p. 292–303.

Jennings, J. W., Jr., 2000, Spatial statistics of permeability data from carbonate outcrops of West Texas and New Mexico: implications for improved reservoir modeling: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations No. 258, 50 p.

Jennings, J. W., Jr., 1999, How much core-sample variance should a well-log model reproduce? Society of Petroleum Engineers Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering, v. 2, no. 5, p. 442–450.

Technical editor, SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering, Society of Petroleum Engineers

Conference organizing committee, 1998 Gordon Research Conference on Modeling of Flow in Permeable Media

Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association national scholarship winner, Academic years 1976–1977, 1977–1978

One of the top five men at the University of Wyoming, Academic years 1974–1975, 1975–1976, 1976–1977, 1977–1978

James W. Jennings, Jr., Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Bureau of Economic Geology
The University of Texas at Austin
University Station, Box X
Austin, Texas 78713-8924
E-mail:
Telephone: 512-471-4364