SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION FROM ANALYSIS OF RESERVOIR

FLUID PROPERTY DISTRIBUTION AND ASPHALTENE EQUATION OF
STATE MODEL
Chengli Dong (Shell), David Petro (Marathon), Ahmad S. Latifzai (Shell), and Julian Y. Zuo,
Andrew E. Pomerantz, Oliver C. Mullins and Ron S. Hayden (Schlumberger)
Copyright 2012, held jointly by the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log
Analysts (SPWLA) and the submitting authors
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging
Symposium held in Cartagena, Colombia, June 16-20, 2012.

shows significant variation and is critical for

understanding the reservoir fluid distribution. When the
DFA results are integrated with the asphaltene EoS
model, reservoir connectivity across multiple sands and
wells is determined with high confidence, and the
results are confirmed by production data. Advanced
laboratory fluid analysis, such as two-dimensional gas
chromatography, further confirms the result from the
DFA and asphaltene EoS model.

ABSTRACT
Characterization of complicated reservoir architecture
with multiple compartments, baffles and tortuous
connectivity is critical; additional complications arise
because reservoir fluids undergo dynamic processes
(multiple charging, biodegradation and water/gas
washes) that lead to fluid columns with significant
property variation. Accurate understanding of both
reservoir and fluids is critical for reserve assessment,
field management and production planning.

INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition
that complex reservoir architectures and complex fluid
distributions are often the norm. Reservoir fluids
undergo many dynamic processes over time, which
may lead to highly complex oil columns. Factors that
give rise to fluid complexities include current/multiple
reservoir charging, biodegradation, water/gas washes,
and leaky seals. Reservoir architecture is often complex
with multiple compartments, baffles and tortuous
connectivity. Because the reservoir fluids often exhibit
large variations, reservoir compartmentalization can
appear as stair-step discontinuous fluid properties. In
contrast, well connected reservoirs exhibit smooth
distributions of reservoir fluid properties. Analysis of
reservoir fluid property distribution often functions as a
proxy for reservoir connectivity in field scale, which
has been supported by many field case studies.[Mullins,
O.C. 2008; Elshahawi, H., et. al. 2011; Mullins, O.C.,
et. al. 2011; Zuo, J.Y., et. al. 2011]

In this paper, a methodology is presented for reservoir

connectivity analysis from integration of reservoir fluid
property distributions, a new asphaltene Equation of
State (EoS) model , and advanced laboratory fluid
analysis. Detailed reservoir fluid property distribution,
such as gas-oil ratio (GOR), composition, density and
asphaltene content, is measured in real time and at
downhole conditions with downhole fluid analysis
(DFA) conveyed by a formation tester tool. The new
asphaltene EoS model describes fluid distributions in a
connected reservoir with the fluids in equilibrium.
Integration of the DFA technique with the asphaltene
EoS model provides an effective method to analyze
connectivity in field scale. This method works for both
volatile oil/condensate gas reservoirs with large GOR
variation and black oil fields with asphaltene variation.

Downhole fluid analysis (DFA), conveyed by a

formation tester tool such as Modular Dynamic Tester
(MDT), is a new technology that has enabled efficient
measurement of the reservoir fluid distribution, both
vertically in multiple sand layers and laterally when
used in multiple wells. With the DFA technique,
reservoir fluid properties can be measured in real time
and at downhole conditions, including gas-oil ratio
(GOR), hydrocarbon composition, CO2 content,

The field case study presented herein involves multiple

stacked sands in five wells in a complicated offshore
field. Formation pressure analysis is inconclusive in
determining reservoir connectivity due to measurement
uncertainties;
furthermore,
conventional
PVT
laboratory analysis does not indicate significant fluid
property variation. In this highly under-saturated black
oil field, asphaltene content from the DFA technique

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

density, viscosity, relative asphaltene content and

fluorescence intensity.[Dong, C., et. al., 2008] Twodimensional gas chromatography (2D-GC) is an
advanced laboratory fluid analysis technique. With the
2D-GC technique, biomarkers, particular aromatic
compounds in addition to all manner of alkanes, are
well separated enabling sophisticated analyses.

Well #1

Well #2

Well #3

Well #4

Well #5

Sand

A
B
C
D

Previous modeling of fluid GOR variability in the

reservoir has been a first principles approach utilizing
cubic equations of state (EoS) such as the PengRobinson EoS. Many fields contain under-saturated
black oil with a small variation in fluid GOR, however,
the solid contents (primarily asphaltene) of the reservoir
fluids can vary significantly and have complicated
distributions. This results in huge variations in fluid
viscosity as well as phase-separated tar mats. Modeling
asphaltenes with the traditional cubic EoS approach is
not scientifically proper and consequently is not
predictive. A new asphaltene EoS model has been
developed recently to model asphaltene gradients and
predict asphaltene distribution in reservoirs.[Zuo, J.Y.,
et. al. 2010; Freed, D.E., et. al. 2010; Mullins, O.C.
2011, Zuo, J.Y., et. al. 2011]

E
F

DFA only
DFA + Oil sample
DFA + Water sample

Fig. 1 Cross section plot with DFA and fluid samples

stations, including DFA only (red bars), DFA plus oil
samples (green points), and DFA plus water samples
(blue points).
The cross section plot in Figure 1 shows the depths
where the reservoir fluids were analyzed with the DFA
technique, and the fluid samples (oil or water) acquired
for laboratory analysis. Note that the DFA analysis was
applied to the fluids at all station depths in real time,
regardless of whether or not the fluid samples are
acquired (all points in Figure 1), whereas the PVT and
advanced laboratory analysis requires fluid samples
(green and blue points in Figure 1). In some wells, only
the DFA technique was used and no fluid samples were
obtained, so the fluid properties from the DFA are the
only fluid information available at those depths (red
bars in Figure 1).

RESERVOIR FLUID DISTRIBUTION

This case study includes five wells (Wells #1-5) and six
sand layers (Sands A to F) as shown in the cross section
plot in Figure 1. Understanding the connectivity among
the sand layers and across wells, along with accurate
description of reservoir fluid property distributions, is
critical for economic assessment, production planning
and field management.

Reservoir fluid GOR and stock tank oil (STO) density

analyzed in the conventional PVT laboratory are
displayed in Figures 2 and 3 respectively. The
annotations next to the points are sand names
corresponding to those in Figure 1, and the three green
lines are the water zones with the sand and well name
next to them. The thin bars on both sides of each point
represent measurement uncertainties, which are
approximately 10% relative for the GOR and 0.005 g/cc
absolute for the STO density. For all of the GOR and
STO density results, the effects of drilling mud
contamination has been corrected.

Reservoir fluid properties were analyzed with three

different methods: the DFA technique by the MDT,
conventional
PVT
(pressure-volume-temperature)
laboratory analysis of the fluid samples acquired by the
MDT, and advanced 2D-GC analysis on some of the
MDT samples.

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

in most sands and wells are masked by the

measurement uncertainty as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
An expanded view of the fluid GOR and STO density
(from the PVT laboratory) in Sand A of Wells #1 and
#5 is displayed Figure 4. The variations in the GOR and
STO density between Wells #1 and #5 are masked by
the measurement uncertainties. Attempts to determine
the connectivity of Sand A between Wells #1 and #5
are inconclusive if only the GOR and STO density from
conventional PVT analysis are considered.

A
A
A
A

Sand A, Well #5
Sand A, Well #1

B
B
C

X
X

Sand F, Well #3

Fig. 2 Distribution of reservoir fluid GOR from

conventional PVT laboratory analysis with error bars.

X
X

X
X

A
A

A
A

Sand A, Well #5

Well 1

Well 5

Sand A, Well #1

Fig. 4 Distribution of reservoir fluid properties with

error bars in Sand A in Wells #1 and #5, including
GOR and STO density from PVT laboratory. The green
bar in each plot is water zone.

B
B
C

Formation pressures of Sand A in Wells #1 and #5 are

displayed in Figure 5. The formation pressures differ by
approximately 10-25psi between Wells #1 and #5,
which suggests the potential for disconnected sand in
these two wells. However, the pressure measurements
of Sand A in Wells #1 and #5 were conducted in
different wireline runs and with different pressure
gauges, so potentially the pressure difference could be
from the measurement uncertainties of both the
pressure and depth. Additionally, a portion of this field
had been slightly depleted due to the reduced aquifer
pressure from productions of nearby fields. This makes
the pressure analysis more complicated and
connectivity determination
using the formation
pressures is inconclusive.

Sand F, Well #3

Fig. 3 Distribution of reservoir fluid STO density from

conventional PVT laboratory analysis with error bars.
The reservoir fluid GOR and STO density from the
PVT lab show very little variation across all sand layers
and wells, especially when measurement errors are
considered. The variations of the GOR and STO density

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

Fig. 6 Color absorption of reservoir fluids.

Fluid color absorption changes linearly with the
asphaltene content as stipulated by Beer-Lamberts
law.[Dong, C., et. al. 2006] In this case, asphaltene
content of five fluid samples was measured in the PVT
laboratory, and the results are plotted versus the color
measured with the DFA in Figure 7. The good linear
relationship in Figure 7 indicates that the fluid
coloration from the DFA quantitatively reflects the
asphaltene content variation.

Fig. 5 Formation pressures of Sand A in Wells #1 and

#5.
Taking into account measurement errors in formation
pressures and conventional PVT laboratory tests for
GOR and STO density, it is difficult to confidently
determine whether or not Sand A is connected between
Wells #1 and #5.

10
9

In addition to fluid GOR and STO density, fluid

properties measured with the DFA, especially fluid
color, were also analyzed to assess sand connectivity.
Crude oil color is caused primarily by asphaltene
content. For example, heavy oils contain large amounts
of asphaltenes that give them a dark to black color, and
light oils and gas condensates, which are colorless or
have a light yellowish color, have low or zero
concentrations of asphaltenes as shown in Figure
6.[Dong, C., et. al. 2006] Note that the fluid color
absorption is measured with the DFA technique in
downhole conditions and in real time, and usually it is
not measured in the conventional PVT laboratory. The
fluid color measured by the DFA technique uses optical
density (OD) to generate an absorbance unit (vertical
axis unit in Figure 6). One OD absorbance unit
corresponds to a 10-fold reduction in light intensity;
OD is used because it is linear with changes in
concentration of the absorbing species.

Asphaltene content (wt%)

y = 4.26x
R = 0.99

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

Fluid color absorption (OD)

Fig. 7 Linear relationship between fluid color

absorption from the DFA and asphaltene content.
Reservoir fluid color distribution measured with the
DFA technique for this field study is displayed in
Figure 8. Note that the fluid of Sand D in Well #4 (light

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

blue point in Figure 8) is not displayed in Figures 1 and

2, because the fluid at this depth was analyzed with the
DFA only without acquiring samples. Effects of mud
contamination on the DFA fluid color have been
corrected for all points in Figure 8.

1A
1A

1A
1A

Uncertainty of the fluid color measurement from the

DFA is approximately 0.01 OD absolute, and compared
to the fluid color variation, the measurement error is
significantly smaller which leads to a high signal to
noise ratio. In Figure 8, measurement error bars have
been added to all the points but they are mostly masked
by the size of the points. The fluid color, or asphaltene
content, varies significantly in the field even after
considerations of the DFA measurement uncertainty, as
opposed to the almost no variation in the fluid GOR and
STO density from the conventional PVT laboratory.

Sand A, Well #5

X
X

Sand A, Well #1

X
X
X
F

Sand F, Well #3

Fig. 8 Distribution of reservoir fluid color from the

DFA. Annotations next to the points are sand names.

The fluid colors from Sand A in Well #5 (the red points

above the top green bar in Figure 8) show an increasing
trend, which indicates an increasing asphaltene content
down dip in Sand A. The fluid color of Sand A in Well
#1 (the blue diamond above the top green bar in Figure
8) follows the same increasing trend of the fluid colors
in Well #5. The connectivity between Wells #1 and #5
from the fluid color (asphaltene content) will be further
investigated with the EoS/asphaltene model.

The DFA fluid color of Sand A in Wells #1 and #5 are

expanded in Figure 9. The variation of the fluid color is
significant with no ambiguity, even after consideration
of the measurement uncertainties, whereas the
variations of the fluid GOR and STO density from PVT
laboratory are masked by the measurement
uncertainties (Figure 4). Thus, the variation of the fluid
color and asphaltene content from the DFA
measurements is the focus of the connectivity analysis
across the sand layers and wells of this field.

The two fluid colors in Sand B in Wells #1 and #5 (red

and blue points below the middle green bar) exhibit
significant difference as shown in Figure 8. With a
depth difference of only 60ft in TVD, the fluid color of
Sand B in Well #5 (red point) increases by a factor of
two compared to the one in Well #1 (blue point). This
suggests that for Sand B, the asphaltene content in Well
#5 is approximately twice that of the content in Well
#1.
The fluid color of Sand C in Well #1 is significantly
higher than all other fluids. The fluid colors in Sand D
and F also show a scattered pattern suggesting
complicated distribution of asphaltene. All these
variations of the fluid color and asphaltene contents will
be quantitatively analyzed with the new EoS/asphaltene
model later.

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

variation of asphaltene content, using an EoS approach

coupled with the asphaltene distribution model based
on Yen-Mullins model.[Zuo, J.Y., et. al. 2010; Freed,
D.E., et. al. 2010; Mullins, O.C. 2011, Zuo, J.Y., et. al.
2011] All the required inputs of this methodology can
be measured with the DFA technique, which enables
this method to be applied in real time and at downhole
conditions.

X
X
X
X

This method assumes a connected reservoir with the

reservoir fluids in equilibrium including an equilibrium
distribution of the asphaltene content. Comparison of
the fluid properties predicted by the asphaltene EoS
model to those measured with the DFA technique can
be used to evaluate reservoir connectivity and fluid
equilibrium. If the model predictions match the DFA
measurements, the reservoir is likely connected and the
reservoir fluids are in equilibrium; otherwise the
reservoir is disconnected or the reservoir fluids are not
in equilibrium.

X
X
X
X

X
X
Well #5

Well #1

Water

Fig. 9 Distribution of reservoir fluid color of Sand A in

Wells #1 and #5.

RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION
DFA AND ASPHALTENE EOS MODEL

ASPHALTENE EOS

The asphaltene EoS is applied in this case study to

model the reservoir fluid distribution, in particular
fluid coloration (asphaltene content), for evaluation of
the connectivity across the sands and wells. Modeling
results of the asphaltene EoS on the fluid color
distribution are displayed as orange curves in Figure 11.
Each curve segment represents a model result with
different inputs. For example, the model result across
Sand A points uses the fluid properties of Sand A in
Well #5 as the input, and the model predicted fluid
color absorption at other depth as the orange curve. The
fact that the model prediction for Sand A in Well #1
matches the measured fluid color absorption (Figure
11) is evidence that Sand A is likely connected between
Wells #1 and #5 (red and blue points above the top
green bar), provided the reservoir fluids in Sand A are
in equilibrium.

Asphaltenes are the heaviest components of crude oils

with the least diffusivity, and they can have high
potential grading with depth due to the gravitational
force of the asphaltene particles. After decades of
debate and advances, the size of asphaltene molecules
and nanocolloidal/cluster particles are defined in the
new Yen-Mullins model as shown in Figure
10.[Mullins, O.C. 2011] With known size of the
different asphaltene structures, asphaltene distributions
in reservoirs can be modeled from a first principles
approach.

Fig. 10 Typical structures for asphaltene molecules,

nanoaggregates and clusters of nanoaggregates in YenMullins model.
A methodology has been developed to predict reservoir
fluid property distribution with depths, especially the

FROM

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

x,200

x,230

x,260

x,290

x,320 x,350

Sand A, Well #5

X
X

Sand A, Well #1

X
X

Well #5

Well #1

A
Well #5

Well D
#1

Well #5

Well #1

Fig. 12 Distribution of fluid GOR from PVT lab,

formation pressure, and fluid color from DFA with
asphaltene EoS modeling in Sand A in Wells #1 and #5.

X
X
X

ADVANCED FLUID FINGERPRINTING

X
F

Sand F, Well #3

Advanced laboratory analyses employing the 2D GC

technique is used to fingerprint selected fluid samples
from this field, which includes one sample each from
Sands A, C and F, and two samples from Sand B. The
analysis of the DFA fluid color and asphaltene EoS
indicates that these five fluids are not connected or not
in equilibrium. The 2D GC fingerprinting results are
displayed in Figure 13, and leads to the conclusion that
all five fluids differ significantly, indicating that Sands
A, C and F are not connected to each other, and Sand B
is not connected between Wells #1 and #5. This result
agrees with the analysis of the DFA fluid color and
asphaltene EoS modeling.

Fig. 11 Asphaltene EoS modeling of reservoir fluid

color distribution.
On the other hand, when the fluid properties of Sand B
in Well #1 (blue diamond below the middle green bar in
Figure 11) are used as the input, the asphaltene EoS
model predictions differ significantly from the
measured fluid color of Sand B in Well #5 (red point
below the middle green bar in Figure 11). This
suggests that the two fluids of the Sand B in Wells #1
and #5 belong to different flow units, or they are in
significant disequilibrium, even though they are both
labeled as Sand B.

Volatile Fraction

Using this approach, the asphaltene EoS and fluid DFA

color indicate that the fluids in Sands C, D and F are
not connected or not in equilibrium with each other, and
they are not connected to or not in equilibrium with
Sands A or B either.

Non-volatile Fraction
Sand
A, Well #5
20D 067
Sand
B, Well #5
20D 308

ethyl benzene/ethyl
heptane
0.80

0.40

Sand308
B, Well #5
20D
Sand372
F, Well #3
20D

Sand
F, Well #3
20D 372

Sand601
C, Well #1
25D

Sand
SSB B, Well #1

1.40

Dia(,)R27 /
Dia(,)R29

o-xylene/methyl
octane

1.20

0.60
0.40

Dia(,)S27 /
Dia(,)R27

0.00

0.20
0.00

Dia(,)S27 / n-C26

C4 benzene_b/C3
benzene_f
C2 Phenanthrenes /
C2 Dibenzothiophenes

An expanded view of Sand A is displayed in Figure 12,

shows the GOR from the PVT laboratory, formation
pressure, and fluid color from the DFA along with the
asphaltene EoS modeling results. The asphaltene EoS
modeling result matches the measured fluid color from
the DFA, which suggests that Sand A in Wells #1 and
#5 are connected and the fluids are in equilibrium.

Biphytane / n-C35

1.00
0.80

0.20

C4 benzene_b/C4
cyclohexane

Hopane/n-C31

Hopane
/ n-C31
Sand B, Well
#1
SSB
1.60

Sand
C, Well #1
25D 601

0.60

C3 benzene_f /
decane

20D
Sand067
A, Well #5

C3 benzene_a/C3
cyclohexane

Dia(,)S27 / H

acp 26 / ach 26

Fig. 13 2D GC fingerprints of the fluid samples from

Sands A, B, C and F.

CONCLUSIONS
In this case study, integration of the fluid color
(asphaltene) with the asphaltene EoS modeling provides
an effective methodology to evaluate reservoir
connectivity across multiple sands and wells. The
results were confirmed by actual production data. This
method can be applied in real time and at downhole

The analysis results of the DFA fluid color and

asphaltene EoS model have been confirmed by actual
production data from this field.

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

conditions. Advanced laboratory analysis further

increases the confidence in this methodology. In
contrast, the analysis of connectivity is inconclusive
when only the fluid properties from the conventional
PVT laboratory and formation pressure are used.

Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado, 30

October2 November 2011
Zuo, J.Y., Freed, D., Mullins, O.C., Zhang, D. and
Gisolf, A.: Interpretation of DFA Color Gradients in
Oil Columns Using the Flory-Huggins Solubility
Model, SPE 130305, presented at CPS/SPE
International Oil&Gas Conference and Exhibition,
Beijing, China, 8-10 June, 2010

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors want to thank Marathon Oil Company for
allowing this study and its publications. We also want
to thank Jim Tucker for his help in this field study.

Zuo, J.Y., Elshahawi, H., Dong, C., Latifzai, A.S.,

Zhang, D. and Mullins, O.C.: DFA Asphaltene
Gradients for Assessing Connectivity in Reservoirs
under Active Gas Charging, SPE 145438, presented at
the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition,
Denver, Colorado, 30 October2 November 2011

REFERENCES SECTION

Zuo, J.Y., Mullins, O.C., Freed, D., Zhang, D., Dong,

C. and Zeng, H.: Analysis of Downhole Asphaltene
Gradients in Oil Reservoirs with a New Bimodal
Asphaltene Distribution Function, J. Chem. Eng. Data,
2011, Vol. 56, page 1047-1058

Dong, C., Hegeman, P.S., Carnegie, A. and Elshahawi,

H.: " Downhole Measurement of Methane Content and
GOR in Formation Fluid Samples", SPE 81481, SPE
Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, 714, Feb. 2006
Dong, C., O'Keefe, M., Elshahawi, H., Hashem, H.,
Williams, S., Stensland, D., Hegeman, P.S., Vasques,
R., Terabayashi, T., Mullins, O.C., and Donzier, E.:
New Downhole Fluid Analyzer Tool for Improved
Reservoir
Characterization,
SPE108566,
SPE
Reservoir Evaluation & Engi-neering, Vol. 11, No. 6,
page 1107-1116, Dec. 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elshahawi, H., Latifzai, A.S., Dong, C., Zuo, J.Y. and

Mullins, O.C.: Understanding Reservoir Architecture
Using Downhole Fluid Analysis and Asphaltene
Science, paper presented in SPWLA Annual Logging
Symposium, Denver Colorado, May 14-18, 2011

Dr. Chengli Dong is a Senior Fluid

Specialist with Shell Global Solutions, and previously
he was Senior Reservoir Domain Champion with
Schlumberger. He has been a key contributor on the
development of downhole fluid analysis. He conducted
extensive spectroscopic studies on live crude oils and
gases, and he led the development of interpretation
algorithms on the downhole fluid analysis tools. In
addition, Dr. Dong has extensive experience on design
and interpretation of formation testing logs as well as
their applications on reservoir characterization. He has
published more than 50 technical papers, and he coinvented 15 granted US patents, eight patent
applications and one trade secret award. He holds a BS
degree in chemistry from Beijing University, and PhD
in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas
at Austin.

Freed, D.E., Mullins, O.C. and Zuo, Y.J.: Theoretical

Treatment of Asphaltene Gradients in the Presence of
GOR Gradients, Energy & Fuels, 2010 Vol. 24, page
3942-3949
Mullins, O.C., The Physics of Reservoir Fluids;
Discovery through Downhole Fluid Analysis,
Schlumberger Press, Houston, 2008
Mullins, O.C., The Asphaltenes, Annual Review of
Analytical Chemistry, 2011 Vol. 4, page 393-418
Mullins, O.C., Andrews, A.B., Pomerantz, A.E., Dong,
C., Zuo, J.Y., Pfeiffer, T., Latifzai, A.S., Elshahawi, H.,
Barr, L. and Larter, S.: Impact of Asphaltene
Nanoscience on Understanding Oilfield Reservoirs,
SPE146649, presented at the SPE Annual Technical

David Petro is a Senior Technical Consultant at

Marathon Oil Corporation with 32 years of experience
in the oil and gas industry. During the past 17 years he

SPWLA 53rd Annual Logging Symposium, June 16-20, 2012

has worked on reservoir characterization of deepwater

Gulf of Mexico projects.

That molecular information is used to understand

fundamental physical and chemical processes in
petroleum such as asphaltene compositional grading.
He graduated from Stanford University with a PhD in
chemistry in 2005 and has co-authored 30 peerreviewed publications.

Ahmad S. Latifzai has over twelve years

of industry experience, working in onshore and offshore
environments. He has contributed to a number of field
studies incorporating Downhole Fluid Analysis to
determine compartmental connectivity on production
time scale. Currently he is a petrophysicist working on
US onshore light tight oil operations. He has
coauthored a number of papers on the subject of
formation testing and is a coinventor a several patents.

Dr. Oliver C. Mullins is the primary

originator of Downhole Fluid Analysis for formation
evaluation. For this, he has won several awards
including the SPE Distinguished Membership Award,
the SPWLA Distinguished Technical Achievement
Award and Distinguished Lecture three times for the
SPWLA and SPE. He authored the award winning book
The Physics of Reservoir Fluids; Discovery through
Downhole Fluid Analysis. He has co-edited 3 books
and coauthored 9 chapters on asphaltenes. He has
coauthored ~180 publications with ~2900 literature
citations. He has coinvented 75 allowed US patents. He
is Fellow of two professional societies and is Adjunct
Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M
University.

Julian Youxiang Zuo is currently a

scientific advisor in reservoir engineering at
Schlumberger-DBR Technology Center. He has been
working in the oil and gas industry since 1989.
Recently, he has been leading the effort to develop and
apply the industrys first simple Flory-Huggins-Zuo
equation of state (EOS) for predicting compositional
and asphaltene gradients to address a variety of major
oilfield concerns such as reservoir connectivity, tar mat
formation, asphaltene instability, flow assurance,
nonequilibrium with late gas charging, etc. He has
authored and coauthored more than 130 technical
papers in peer-reviewed journals, conferences and
workshops.Zuo holds a Ph.D. degree in chemical
engineering from the China University of Petroleum in
Beijing.

Ron Hayden is Domain Team Leader

North America Offshore. He joined Schlumberger in
1977 as a field engineer and he has served in various
assignments including Computing Center Manager,
District Manager, Sales Manager, Marketing Strategist
and Account Manager. He was recently Petrophysics
Domain Champion where he was responsible for the
introduction and application of new technology and
interpretation techniques in the Gulf of Mexico. He is a
member of SPE and SPWLA.

Andrew E. Pomerantz is the

Geochemistry Program Manager at Schlumberger-Doll
Research. His research focuses on the development of
novel techniques to characterize the chemical
composition of kerogen and asphaltenes, including
methods in mass spectrometry and X-ray spectroscopy.