Bo Ren is an improved oil recovery engineer, working for the State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery (STARR) program at BEG. His research interests include CO₂ enhanced oil recovery, geological carbon sequestration, and reservoir optimization and management. Much of his work is focused on understanding and controlling subsurface multiphase flow and reactive transport. He develops and uses full and reduced-physics models to predict flow. These flow models consider geologic constraints and include both physics- and data-driven processes.

Research Interests

Improved Oil Recovery

Geologic Carbon Storage

Reservoir Numerical Simulation

Unconventional Resource Development

Data Analytics

Education

Ph.D. Petroleum Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, August 2017

Supervisor: Dr. Larry W. Lake, Co-Supervisor: Dr. Steven L. Bryant

M.S. Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), June 2012

B.S. Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), June 2009

Professional History

Research Associate, Improved Oil Recovery Engineer, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, November 2019 – Present

Postdoctoral Fellow, Reservoir Engineer, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, September 2017 – October 2019

Geomodeler Intern, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, May 2017 – August 2017

Reservoir Engineering Intern, BP America, May 2014 – August 2014

Graduate Research Assistant, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, September 2012 – May 2017

Graduate Research Assistant, China University of Petroleum (East China), September 2009 – May 2012

Selected Publications

Ren, B., Duncan, I.J. Reservoir Simulation of Carbon Storage Associated with CO2 EOR in Residual Oil Zones, San Andres Formation of West Texas, Permian Basin, USA. Energy. 2019:167, 391-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.11.007

Ren, B., Male, F., Baques, V., Duncan, I.J., Lake, L. W. Oil Saturation in Residual Oil Zones and Its Effects on CO2 WAG Injection Strategies. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 9 September - 2 October, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2118/196230-MS

Ren, B., Bryant, S.L., Lake, L.W. Estimating Local Capillary Trap Volume Capacities using a Geologic Criterion. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 2019: 85, 46-57.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2019.03.025

Peng, S., Ren, B., Meng, M.M. Quantifying the Influence of Fractures for More-Accurate Laboratory Measurement of Shale Matrix Permeability Using a Modified Gas-Expansion Method. SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering – Formation Evaluation. 2019, preprint. https://doi.org/10.2118/195570-PA

Ren, B., Delaney, J.M., Lake, L.W., Bryant, S.L. Interplay Between Permeability Retardation and Capillary Trapping of Rising Carbon Dioxide in Storage Reservoirs. SPE Journal. 2018:23(5), 1866-1879. https://doi.org/10.2118/187356-PA

Google Scholar

Selected Committees

Associate Editor, SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 2019 – present,

Technical Editor, SPE Journal and SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 2017 - present

Committee Member, SPE Student Section Award Judging, 2018

Selected Awards

Outstanding Reviewer, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 2018

Shell Research Award, UT-Austin GAIN (Graduate and Industrial Network), 2015

3rd Prize for Research Excellence in Energy & Environment, UT-Austin Energy Week, 2015

Recipient, ConocoPhillips Fellowship, UT-Austin, 2012-2013

Recipient, Roberto Rocca Scholarship, China University of Petroleum (East China), 2010 - 2011