Mohan Kelkar, Ph.D.

Mohan Kelkar

Department Chairman and Williams Endowed Chair Professor Director, TU Center for Reservoir Studies (TUCRS)Stephenson Hall #2290
(918) 631-3036
mohan@utulsa.eduResearch Website

Office Hours - Summer 2013

Please contact for appointment. 

Introduction

As Director of the TU Center for Reservoir Studies (TUCRS), Mohan Kelkar has research interests in reservoir characterization and production optimization. He is currently working with several medium and small sized oil and gas companies related to reservoir characterization and optimization of tight gas reservoirs. Specifically, the projects involve optimization of in fill well locations in tight sands, development of optimum completion of horizontal wells in oil shales, upgridding of reservoir properties for both oil and gas reservoirs, and development of coarse scale descriptions which can mimic fine scale dynamic behavior. Mohan Kelkar has published over fifty refereed publications and has made over hundred technical presentations. He is a co-author of a bestseller titled “Applied Geostatistics for Reservoir Characterization,” published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in 2002 and “Gas Production Engineering” published in 2008 by PennWell Publishing.

Education and Degrees Earned

  • J.D., The University of Tulsa (1989)
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA (1982)
  • M.S., Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA (1981)
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Bombay, INDIA (1979) 
     

Areas of Academic Specialty

  • Reservoir characterization
  • Reservoir performance
  • Reservoir optimization
  • Production optimization
  • Reservoir modeling
  • Economic uncertainty analysis

Areas of Research Focus

  • Reservoir characterization
  • Upscaling
  • Tight gas reservoirs

Previous Teaching Experience

  • Visiting Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia (1982-83)

Previous Relevant Work Experience

  • Amoco Production Company, Summers 1986, 87, 88
  • President, Kelkar and Associates, (1994-current)
  • Involved in worldwide reservoir characterization projects

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Society of Petroleum Engineers
  • Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  • Member, Society of Exploration Geophysicists

Courses Taught at TU

  • Introduction to Petroleum Engineering (PE 1001)
  • Natural Gas Production Engineering (PE 3233)
  • Geostatistics (PE 7073)
  • Petroleum Economics and Property Evaluation (PE 4013/6413)
  • Rock Properties (PE 2113)

Awards & Recognition

  • 1995, Junior Faculty Research Award, The University of Tulsa
  • 2006, SPE Regional Service Award, Society of Petroleum Engineers International, Mid-Continent North America Region
  • 2007-2008, SPE Distinguished Speaker, Society of Petroleum Engineers International
  • 1986 March, 1988 April, and 1989 January, Tau Beta Pi Teacher of the Month Award, The University of Tulsa
  • 2001, Tau Beta Pi Teaching Excellence Award, The University of Tulsa

Publications

  • An Innovative Approach to Integrate Fracture, Well-Test, and Production Data into Reservoir Models
    Bahar, A., Ates, H., Al-Deeb, M.H., Salem, S.E., Badaam, H., Linthorst, S., and Kelkar, M.; SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering (August 2005) Vol. 8, No. 4
  • Application of Geostatistics for Reservoir Characterization
    Kelkar, M. and Perez, G; SPE Publications, Richardson, TX (2002)
  • Application of Geostatistics for Reservoir Characterization – Accomplishments and Challenges
    Kelkar, M.; Distinguished Authors Series, Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, Vol. 39, No. 7 (July 2000)
  • Effects of Completion Geometry on Single-Phase Liquid Flow Behavior in Horizontal Wells
    Jiang, W., Sarica, C., Ozkan, E., and Kelkar, M.; Journal of Energy Resources Technology, ASME (June, 2001)
  • Effects of Formation Damage and High-Velocity Flow on the Productivity of Perforated Horizontal Wells
    Tang, Y., Yildiz, T., Ozkan, E., and Kelkar, M.; SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering (August 2005) Vol. 8, No. 4
  • Effects of Formation Damage and High-Velocity Flow on the Productivity of Perforated Horizontal Wells
    Tang, Y., Yildiz, T., Kelkar, M.; SPE 77534, published in SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering (2004)
  • Estimation of Turbulence Coefficient Based on Field Observations
    Kelkar, M.; SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering (April 2000) pp 160
  • Journey from Well Logs/Cores to Integrated Geological and Petrophysical Properties Simulation: A Methodology and Application
    Bahar, A. and Kelkar, M.; SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering (October 2000) pp 444
  • Natural Gas Engineering
    Kelkar, M.; PennWell Publications (2008)
  • New Developments in the Upstream Oil Industry
    Kelkar, M.; Chapter 7, The Future of Oil as a Source of Energy, ECSSR Publications, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2002)