Center for Energy Resources Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, has an opportunity to support a Ph project:
Rock Physics of Reservoir Rocks with Varying Pore Water Saturation and Pore Water Salinity, - in the framework of the large project:
SmartWater – Advanced Waterflooding of Danish Oil and Gas Reservoirs.

Description of the project
Enhanced oil recovery with new and emerging recovery technologies will be necessary for future oil production. A four-year SmartWater project is focused around the effects of injected water salinity on oil recovery. The effect is known and has been studied the last years, but the mechanisms, how change of salinity of the injected water results in better recovery, are not explained yet. This requires advanced studies, both experimental and theoretical. Both types of studies, as well as interaction between them, are planned within the SmartWater project.

The task of the PhD student
The task for the PhD student will be to develop a rock physical model for displacement of oil by brines of the different salinity. Depending on the experimental results, the model should incorporate data from elastic wave propagation, electrical resistivity and low field nuclear magnetic resonance.
The student is expected to exhibit creativity, openness to new challenges and interest to independent and nontrivial research.

Required skills

• A degree (M.Sc.) in civil or petroleum engineering, geophysics, or other relevant areas
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of flows and fluid distribution in porous media
• Knowledge of elasticity of porous media
• Good writing skills in English
• Interest to independent research
• Good skills in laboratory work, applied physics and modeling

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.

Salary and appointment terms
The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.

Further information
The project will be supervised by Professor Ida Fabricius, ilfa@byg.dtu.dk with possible co-supervision from other involved researchers.

Do NOT send applications to this e-mail address, but use the electronic submission system - see below!

Application
We must have your online application by 31 January 2012. Please open the link "apply for this job online", fill in the application form and attach the following documents;

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
• Excel sheet with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see guidelines and excel spreadsheet here)

Candidates may apply prior to obtaining their master's degree, but cannot begin before having received it.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.