Cem Sarica, Ph.D.

Cem Sarica

Professor and F.H. "Mick" Merelli/Cimarex Energy Endowed ChairDirector, TU Fluid Flow Projects (TUFFP), TU Paraffin Deposition Projects (TUPDP), TU Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects (TUHWALP)Co-director, TU High-Viscosity Oil Projects (TUHOP)North Campus, Drill Building #108
918-631-5154
cem-sarica@utulsa.eduResearch Website - TUFFP2013 Vita - Prof. Cem Sarica

Office Hours - Summer 2013

On sabbatical.  Please contact Linda Jones, (918) 631-5110, for appointment.

Introduction

Cem Sarica is the director of the TU Fluid Flow Projects (TUFFP) and TU Paraffin Deposition Projects (TUPDP) at The University of Tulsa (TU). TUFFP and TUPDP are research consortia sponsored by major oil and gas producers and service companies. TUFFP and TUPDP conduct applied research addressing the needs of their membership.

Dr. Sarica was an Associate Professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at The Pennsylvania State University before joining The University of Tulsa. He has also served as Assistant Professor at the Istanbul Technical University for two years. He is a member of both the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He currently serves as a member of SPE Projects, Facilities and Construction Advisory Committee. He has served as a member of SPE Journal Editorial Board between 1999 and 2007. He has also previously served as Associate Editor of Journal of Energy Resources Technology (JERT) between the years 1996 and 2004.  He is a member of Technical Advisory Committee of British Hydrodynamics Research Group (BHRg) Multiphase Production Conferences. He was the Technical Program Chair of BHRg 2008 Conference.

Education and Degrees Earned

  • Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, The University of Tulsa (1990)
  • M.S., Petroleum Engineering, Istanbul Technical University (1984)
  • B.S., Petroleum Engineering, Istanbul Technical University (1982)

Areas of Research Focus

  • Multiphase Flow in Pipes
  • Flow Assurance (Paraffin Deposition, Hydrates, and Heavy Oil)
  • Oil and Gas Production
  • Horizontal Wells

Previous Teaching Experience

Pennsylvania State University

  • Graduate Program: “Two Phase Flow Modeling in Pipes" and "Advanced Production Engineering”
  • Undergraduate Program “Rock and Fluid Properties”, “Rock and Fluid Properties Lab”, “Petroleum Engineering Design”
  • Continuing Education (Short Course):“Fundamentals of Pipeline Construction, Operation and Financing” (Summer 1999)

The University of Tulsa

  • Graduate Program: “Two Phase Flow Modeling” and “Advanced Production Design”
  • Continuing Education (Short Course): “Two Phase Flow in Pipes” (1994 – 1999)

Istanbul Technical University

  • Undergraduate Program “Petroleum Production Technique-1”, “Petroleum Production Technique-2”
  • Graduate Program: “Two Phase Flow in Pipes" and "Advanced Production Engineering”, “Fluid Mechanics” and “Computer Programming”
  • Continuing Education (Short Course): "Two Phase Flow in Pipes” (1991 and 1992)

Previous Relevant Work Experience

Dr. Sarica was an Associate Professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) before joining The University of Tulsa.  Prior to joining PSU, he served as a Research Associate at TU Fluid Flow Projects (TUFFP) and as Associate Director of TUFFP for six years. He has also served as Assistant Professor at the Istanbul Technical University for two years.

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Society of Petroleum Engineers
  • Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • Turkish Petroleum Engineers Chamber

Courses Taught at TU

  • Advanced Production Design (PE 7023)
  • Production Engineering I (PE 3073)

Awards & Recognition

  • ASME Certificate of Appreciation, February 2000.
  • ASME’s Petroleum Division 75th Anniversary Medallion Award, 1999.
  • 1999 ASME Jacobson Best Paper Award Recipient: Tengesdal, J. O., Sarica, C., Schmidt, Z. and Doty, D.: “A Mechanistic Model for Predicting Pressure Drop in Vertical Upward Two-Phase Flow,” Presented at ASME’s ETCE 99, Feb. 1-3, 1999 Houston TX.
  • Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Outstanding Editor Award, October 2000.

Publications

  • A Design Approach for “Self-Lifting” Method to Eliminate Severe Slugging in Offshore Production Systems
    Tengesdal, J. Ø., Thompson, L., and Sarica, C.: SPE 84227, SPE Production & Facilities Journal, August 2005.
  • A Model To Predict Liquid Holdup and Pressure Gradient of Near-Horizontal Wet-Gas Pipelines
    Fan Y., Wang, Q., Zhang, H. Q., Sarica, C., and Danielson, T.: SPE 95674, SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction Journal, June 2007.
  • A Numerical Model Coupling Reservoir and Horizontal Well Flow Dynamics – Transient Behavior of Single-Phase Liquid and Gas Flows
    Vicente, R., Sarica, C. and Ertekin, T.: Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal, March 2002.
  • A Unified Mechanistic Model for Slug Liquid Holdup and Transition between Slug and Dispersed Bubble Flows
    Zhang, H. Q., Wang, Q., Sarica, C. and Brill, J.P: International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 97-107, 29, 2003.
  • A Unified Model of Heat Transfer in Gas-Liquid Pipe Flow
    Zhang, H., Wang, Q., Sarica, C., and Brill, J. P.: SPE 90459, SPE Production & Facilities Journal, February 2006.
  • An Investigation of Two-phase Oil-water Paraffin Deposition
    Couto, G. H., Chen, H., Dellecase, E., Sarica, C., and Volk, M.: SPE Production & Operations Journal, February 2008.
  • Characterization of Oil-Water Flow Patterns in Vertical and Deviated Wells
    Flores, G. J., Chen, X. T., Sarica, C., and Brill, J. P.: SPE Production & Facilities, pp. 102-110, May 1999.
  • Effects of High Oil Viscosity on Oil-Gas Flow Behavior in Horizontal Pipes
    Gokcal, B., Wang, Q., Zhang, H. Q., and Sarica, C.: SPE 102727, Accepted for Publication in SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction Journal, 2008.
  • Improvements in Single-Phase Paraffin Deposition Modeling
    Hernandez, O. C., Sarica, C., Volk, M., Brill, J. P., Delle-Case, E. and Hensley, H.: SPE 84502, SPE Production & Facilities Journal. November 2004.
  • Investigation of Slug Flow Characteristics in the Valley of a Hilly-Terrain Pipeline
    Al-Safran, E. Sarica, C. Zhang, H. Q., and Brill, J.P: International Journal of Multiphase Flow, pp. 337-357, 31/3, March 2005.