Page 15 - CEGE Magazine - Fall 2021

Daneshy warns that shunning any area of knowledge and research is unwise, “We need to address both environmental protection and resource production si- multaneously. All our creative efforts are needed to solve these two problems.”
The industry estimates that in the US, we will require 12-13 million barrels of oil per day for the next 10 years. That number already reflects a reduction of demand. The US Energy Information Administration reports that “US total petroleum consumption was about 13% lower in 2020 than the levels in 2018 and 2019 largely because of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.” (US Energy Information Administration https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/ oil-and-petroleum-products/use-of-oil. php viewed 8/13/2021). So, even as we pursue efforts to reduce usage and de- velop new resources, some extraction of oil and gas will need to continue.
A key step in reducing the environmen- tal impact of oil and gas operations, Daneshy believes, is to hydraulically fracture wells. “It allows us to get more resource out of one horizontal well, possibly 1,000 to 2,000 barrels per
day compared to 10 barrels from a non-fractured well. So, you can ap- preciate that fracturing will reduce the number of wells drilled, thus reducing the environmental impact compared to the much larger number of non-frac- tured wells that would be needed for the same amount of resource.”
Upcoming Challenges
Addressing the environmental concerns of society, while at the same time meet- ing the energy needs of society is one of the main challenges facing engineers. “To meet both objectives is quite a chal- lenge. Both sides need to get together and exchange ideas, both sides need to work together. Neither side can afford to say the other side is all bad; that will not lead us to a solution.”
Another challenge Daneshy identifies
for the near future is developing greater efficiency of production. “Right now, we cannot produce more than 40-50% of the oil or gas in a reservoir, the remainder stays trapped. To get more of that re- source out of the ground, we need new
technologies. A lot of exciting advance- ments are happening with technologies like remote sensing, fiber optics, micro- seismic monitoring, and adjacent well pressure monitoring. Our technologies are advancing, and we need to continue implementing these advances.”
Creative Thinking / Innovative
Solutions
Daneshy enjoys learning through research, sharing that information, and finding useful applications. He has de- veloped a passion for studying creativity and ways to help people conceive
and develop ideas outside their typical experiences.
“Children interpret things differently than we adults do. Observing them can often reveal how constrained our thinking has become. For example, I had a clock sitting on my desk, and I gave it to my nephew’s son, who is about 5 years old. As soon as he got it, the boy started to play with it and came up with many cre- ative ways to use that clock as a toy!” He was not constrained by “knowing” what “should” be done with a clock.
Daneshy describes creativity in terms of horizontal (vs. vertical) thinking and says that a classroom is a good place to expose one’s self to horizontal thinking.
“Students will not all think the way you do, and the way they look at something can be quite instructive. I learn a lot from the questions students raise. It is exciting for me to pass on what I have used and discovered, and to see young engineers develop new solutions in energy production.”
“Universities are the right place to bring these pieces of the process together— different ways of thinking, different tech- nical disciplines, and young brains.”
Daneshy and his wife Rowshan (MS Library Science, 1971) are pleased to give back to the University of Minneso- ta to ensure that the young engineers
of tomorrow, particularly international students, can access high quality education and conduct research in a collaborative environment. Their fund, the Dr. Abbas Ali and Mrs. Rowshan K. Daneshy Fellowship, has benefited CSE graduate students since 2014. In addi- tion, the Daneshys supported the recent renovation of the W. David Lacabanne Rock Mechanics Laboratory and the purchase of the rock strength device. They feel that “Experimental work, such as that conducted in the Lacabanne Laboratory, is vital to the student experi- ence and to spurring research break- throughs in engineering.”
Panel on display in the W. David Lacabanne Rock Mechanics Laboratory highlighting the rock strength device.
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering | DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND GEO- ENGINEERING 15