Research
Research is the intellectual core that drives the work of our faculty, students, and staff at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It defines UL Lafayette's role as a higher education institution, industry partner, and member of the local and international communities. Our department is fully committed to raising the bar in higher education, and we emphasize research because it naturally complements our primary teaching function.
Our first-rate facilities and generous funding provide our faculty researchers with an ideal environment in which they can explore, discover, and create, keeping us at the forefront of their area of expertise. Our emphasis on student-faculty mentorship and small class sizes allows us to inspire a new generation of research through students' active participation in funded projects.
We encourage students at all levels to engage in fundamental and applied research. Our award-winning programs in undergraduate research have jumpstarted exciting careers for our graduates and positioned UL Lafayette as a leader in nurturing students who receive nationally competitive scholarships. We take seriously our commitment to student-led research through internal and external support.
The key research areas we explore in the Department of Petroleum Engineering area:
- Deep water development, using heavy foam for well drilling;
- EOR (thermal and surfactant) from complicated reservoirs;
- Reservoir characterization;
- Petroleum Data Technology Consortium (PDTC);
- Horizontal well completion with ICD, DTS technologies, and more;
- Multi-lateral wells (fishbone, etc);
- Low-permeability reservoirs;
- Synthetic oil-based muds;
- Fracking technology;
- Bit corrosion