Professor Zachary Aman
Started at UWA: 2013
Investigating deepwater oil and gas systems for long-distance transport and reliability
When we make new scientific discoveries, whether through innovative high-pressure tests, new measurement methods in the lab, or exploring real-life situations, we learn how to better support and protect the next generation of offshore production systems.Professor Zachary Aman
Professor Zachary Aman is the Program Chair of UWA’s Master of Engineering in Oil and Gas and delivers coursework on offshore field development and flow assurance. He also supports a research team of 15 PhD students, looking after key areas of innovation within these topics. Professor Aman began his career at UWA in 2013 after completing his PhD at the Center for Hydrate Research at the Colorado School of Mines in the United States. From 2014, Professor Aman has been a Visiting Scientist in Flow Assurance at CSIRO, while continuing to supervise PhD and final-year project students in Chemical Engineering at UWA.
Professor Aman specialises in understanding interfacial phenomena associated with deepwater oil and gas production, including the formation and blockage of ice-like gas hydrate solids in the pipeline. His research focuses on establishing more accurate methods to assess pipeline failure, alongside the development of new chemical and physical technologies to control these scenarios. His work has also branched towards understanding the migration of oil and gas during deepwater blowout, such as the Deepwater Horizon incident of 2010.
Qualifications:
- PhD, Colorado School of Mines, US
Vice Chair-elect, Gordon Research Conference on Natural Gas Hydrate Systems, 2018
Donald W. Davidson Award for outstanding research contribution in the field of gas hydrates, awarded by the ICGH International Scientific Committee, 2017
Chair, Gordon Research Seminar on Natural Gas Hydrate Systems, 2016
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, UWA Engineering Faculty, 2015
Co-Chair, Gordon Research Seminar on Natural Gas Hydrate Systems, 2014
Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award, President’s Diversity Committee, Colorado School of Mines, 2009
UWA study to aid rapid clean-ups after disastrous offshore oil and gas leaks
One of the first experimental investigations to simulate the high-pressure formation of oil droplets during deepwater blowouts has attracted the attention of the prestigious journal Chemical Engineering Science.
Read moreNew study finds natural oil dispersion mechanism for deep-ocean blowout
A first-of-its-kind UWA study observed how oil droplets are formed and measured their size under high pressure. They further simulated how the atomized oil spewing from the Macondo well reached the ocean's surface during the Deepwater Horizon accident.
Read moreITF HyJump JIP to study hydrate blockage risk in subsea jumpers
The University of Western Australia is leading a joint industry project supported by the Industry Technology Facilitator to provide industry with a better understanding of the mechanism of hydrate growth and blockages.
Read moreFunding
2017
Western Australian Energy Research Alliance WAERA ex Woodside
- 'Qualification of Green Inhibitors for Lean Subsea Tiebacks'
Chevron Australia
- 'Woodside/Total E&P UK Ltd – Hydrate Deposit Growth in Subsea Jumpers ("HyJump")'
Western Australian Energy Research Alliance WAERA ex Woodside
- 'Pluto Water Handling: Concept Definition Hydrate Growth Assessment of Gas-Dominant Flowlines'
WA Energy Research Alliance WAERA ex Chevron
- 'Wax, Emulsion and Rheology Testing'
Oilfield Technologies
- 'Computer Based Modelling of Experimental Data Related to Methane Hydrate Growth'
Western Australian Energy Research Alliance WAERA ex Woodside
- 'Experimental Measurements of Field Joint Modelling for Insulated Pipelines'
Department of Industry Innovation and Science – AusIndustry: Innovation Connections
- 'Researcher Placement: Review of Science Algorithms for the Fluid Flow Design Software Package – Carnac FFDS'
