Research at Texas A&M University at QatarADDING KNOWLEDGE TO QATAR AND THE WORLD

I n 2003, Texas A&M University opened a campus in Qatar’s Education City with a primary focus on engineering, the backbone of Qatar’s economy. Since then, Texas A&M University at Qatar is the resource for industry leaders, scientists and engineers who come to interact with experts conducting research relevant to the real-world of science and technology. They recognize how this research, and Texas A&M at Qatar’s dedication to building a core of locally trained scientists and engineers, helps establish the knowledge-based economy that is so vital to sustain growth

and development in the region.The research at Texas A&M at Qatar has been strongly supported by the industry and by member organizations of Qatar Foundation

for Education, Science and Community Development. Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) is the main research funding organization within Qatar Foundation (QF) and it is dedicated to funding research that meets the needs of Qatar. The Qatar Science & Technology

Park (QSTP) is another essential component of QF committed to promoting technology development and implementation. The support of these organizations has been instrumental in developing first-class research programs at Texas A&M at Qatar and fostering partnerships with local industries and government agencies.

Research at Texas A&M at Qatar seeks more effective oil and gas production, innovative methods to convert Qatar’s abundant supply of natural gas to ultra-clean transportation fuels, faster development of alternative energy sources, novel methods for hazardous waste water treatment and enhancement of chemical process safety.

We propose innovative materials for industrial and infrastructure applications and develop novel signal processing techniques for medical and automotive applications. In addition, we conduct research in wireless communications, mobile computing, computer engineering, fuel cells and robotic tools for oil & gas exploration. Our engineering research is complemented by fundamental studies in physics, chemistry and mathematics and by scholarly contributions in education, history, political science and English. The world-class researchers of Texas A&M at Qatar and their partners around the world are solving complex and important problems extending human knowledge to address the challenges of the 21st century.

Our research benefits Qatar and the World

The Texas A&M at Qatar Vision: To be the premier provider of engineering education in the region, a valuable contributor to knowledge internationally and a valued resource to the State of Qatar.

Research at Texas A&M at Qatar is organized through four engineering programs: chemical, electrical and computer, mechanical and petroleum, as well as the science and liberal arts programs. The Science Program covers chemistry, physics and mathematics, while the Liberal Arts Program covers English, history and political science. More than seventy faculty members work side-by-side with profes-sional staff, students, post-docs and collaborators in Qatar and from around the world to explore new ideas and create new opportunities. Here, we touch on examples of the projects that are underway.

More than seventy faculty members work side-by-side with professional staff, students, post-docs and collaborators in Qatar and from around

the world to explore new ideas and create new opportunities.

Chemical EngineeringThe Chemical Engineering Program has active research in most chemical engineering

disciplines, especially those relating to water, sustainable energy, synthetic fuels, natural gas and the environment. Topics related to the sustainable use of water and energy resources are led by Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Wahab and Dr. Patrick Linke. They include desalination techniques; the development of novel methods to predict the spread of toxic compounds in the sea around industrial facilities, particularly to find out how those compounds affect marine life in the waters around Qatar; and investigations of the efficient use of energy across entire industrial cities.

Many of these programs come together in the recently launched-initiative, Qatar Sustainable Water and Energy Laboratory (QWE), which is already making a significant and visible contribution to address Qatar’s urgent need to sustainably manage water and energy resources in light of the country’s spectacular economic growth and sector diversification. Drs. Abdel-Wahab and Linke see QWE as an umbrella for the many projects they carry out in the field. “QWE is not a project in itself, but rather a unified initiative with a long-term sustainable development goal in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030,” said Dr. Linke. He adds, “We carry out many research projects at QWE. Each of these projects covers a dimension of the overarching grand research challenge: The sustainable utilization of water and energy resources in Qatar and the wider world.”

Natural gas, especially in the liquid state (LNG) and as the feedstock for the synthetic fuel produced by the gas-to-liquid (GTL) process, is central to Qatar’s economy and a key research area in the Chemical Engineering Program. Dr. Elbashir is leading a project that focuses on measuring and correlating the properties and chemical characteristics of various GTL blends and new formulated synthetic jet fuels, and will work in tandem with Dr. Reza Sadr from Mechanical Engineering who will investigate their corresponding combustion behavior in current and future gas turbine engines. Dr. Nimr Elbashir’s efforts in this project will be supported by his research on developing innovative reactor technology to formulate the future generation of GTL jet fuels. This research is funded by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and is overseen by an advisory committee from major energy corporations such as ExxonMobil, Shell and Sasol.

We carry out many research projects at QWE. Each of these projects covers a dimension of the overarching grand research challenge: the sustainable utilization of water and energy resources in Qatar and the wider world.

Applications of electrical and wireless technology to oil and gas well drilling are especially relevant, impacting as they do on the heart of the Qatar economy.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Topics covered in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Program are wide ranged, but especially focus on computer engineering, power electronics and wireless and telecommunication systems. Next generation broadband wireless communications, cognitive radio and multimedia transmission and applications are areas of promise. Sophisticated three-dimensional computer imaging is a topic at the forefront of new development.

Applications of electrical and wireless technology to oil and gas well drilling are especially relevant, impacting as they do on the heart of the Qatar economy. Dr. Shehab Ahmed and Dr. Khalid Qaraqe are working to overcome the challenges of wired downhole logging communications facing the Qatari oil and gas industry. These challenges are the surface terrain, transmission through water and wellbores of irregular dimensions. In fact, investigating irregular wellbores is a specialty of Dr. Ahmed’s team which is looking at advanced designs for wireline tool conveyance. One promising solution is cabling technology where a current is sent to the downhole logging measuring equipment which has proven particularly effective when the bores are drilled through soft, damp soil resulting in erratic and changing bore dimensions.

Dr. Qaraqe’s team addresses advanced communication technologies in gas exploration, drilling and production. With these advances, well performance efficiency can be enhanced and well data such as flow rates, pressure and temperature can be better monitored by a procedure that allows communications between surface and downhole tools without having to interrupt production. Dr. Qaraqe asserts, “The need for advanced technologies in the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry has never been greater. It is our belief that the models and results produced by this project will form the basis for a number of future products and will substantially improve the ability of oil and gas companies to monitor and more efficiently maintain their fields.”

Mechanical EngineeringResearch carried out in Texas A&M at Qatar’s Mechanical

Engineering Program is varied and cross-disciplinary. Projects range from hydraulics, energy conservation, alternative energy sources, flow and wind patterns in the Gulf to nano- and micro- technology and applications in medicine. “We are most enthusiastic about the way our program is developing and are confident we will have a major impact on materials research in Qatar,” remarks Dr. Richard Griffin, program coordinator. He refers particularly to the need to better understand the characteristics of engineering materials that are exposed to the sometimes-severe local climatic extremes. Corrosion, for example, is a major problem being investigated.

Elements of nano-technology impact several projects including that of Dr. Reza Sadr, who is investigating heat transfer enhancements using nano-technology and super critical flows. Dr. Reza Tafreshi, for example, is developing an engine research laboratory to study control systems and fault diagnosis with implications to engine performance and emissions.

Possibly the ultimate sustainable energy comes from the sun and solar energy, an obvious consideration in the sun-drenched Gulf. Here, Dr. Nesrin Ozalp is developing methods to produce hydrogen from methane using solar energy. This project has the potential of using essentially limitless solar energy to break methane into its component elements, hydrogen and carbon, without producing the environmentally unfriendly byproduct carbon dioxide.

We are most enthusiastic about the way our program is developing and are confident we will have a major impact on materials research in Qatar.

Petroleum EngineeringNot surprisingly, research in the Petroleum Engineering

Program concentrates on those problems related to oil and gas extraction which have global implications, but especially impact production in Qatar. The volume of gas extracted here is huge. Hence, even small amounts of impurities such as sulfur and carbon dioxide pose problems including corrosion and carbon dioxide sequestration.

Dr. Mohammed Aggour and Dr. Anuj Gupta are leading research efforts in these areas. The research in Petroleum Engineering also concentrates on the drilling technology and issues related to geology and reservoir formations in the Gulf region,

reservoir modeling and control, horizontal wellbore technologies and the properties of crude oils. Carbonate acidizing, the treatment of a reservoir formation with a stimulation fluid containing a reactive acid, is of particular interest. The acid dissolves the immediate wellbore surroundings enhancing the production of reservoir fluids. Dr. Mashhad Fahes is looking at this process and investigating the impact of the spent acid and the effect of acid penetration beyond the wellbore vicinity. She is also carrying out related studies concerning the relationship between gas productivity and rock wettability. “I am particularly pleased with our research activities which not only address many of the current oil and gas concerns in Qatar’s oil and gas industry, but also give the students the technical and analytical skills to help solve them,” remarks Dr. Aggour.

Oil and gas are not simply fuels, they are the building blocks for the vast spectrum of chemicals, plastics and polymers that impact our lives.

Science ProgramQuantum interferometry, nonlinear photonics and DNA-

mimetic polymers are three of the more esoteric projects of the Science Program. The program is strong on fundamentals, but does not neglect the practical side. Dr. Hans Schuessler applies atomic physics and laser spectroscopy to problems related to maintaining reservoir pressure. By injecting selected rare gas isotopes into a well, then testing samples extracted from various layers in the well, Dr. Schuessler can point the way for reservoir engineers to anticipate and overcome potential problems in gas production.

Fundamental numerical methods are most relevant to the real world. To this end, Dr. Rudolph Lorentz notes that computer simulations such as computational fluid dynamics, automotive crash simulations and the simulation of oil/gas reservoir performance are playing an ever-increasing role in manufacturing. However, storing the computational results, often in the terabyte and petabyte range, has become an acute problem. The mathematics-based numerical data compression algorithms Dr. Lorentz develops go a long way to alleviate the situation. A new tree-based optimizing graph algorithm can reduce data size by a factor of two to three if small errors cannot be tolerated, and by a factor of eight to 10 if they can.

Work on polymer, hybrid-composites, organo-metallic compounds, surface chemistry, chemical catalysis and macromolecular chemistry, in general, is active and varied. Typical of these efforts is Dr. Ashfaq Bengali’s search for new uses for the rich natural resources of Qatar. He points out that oil and gas are not simply fuels, but are building blocks for the vast spectrum of chemicals, plastics and polymers which impact our lives. With short-timescale infrared spectroscopy, Bengali is exploring the chemical mechanism in the conversion process from a petroleum- based feedstock to a product of choice.

Liberal Arts ProgramThe research conducted by the Liberal Arts Program is

diverse, covering English, education, history and political science. In keeping with the nature of liberal arts, much of this research is aimed at the building of general knowledge and intellectual theory. For example, Dr. Troy Bickham’s research on 17th and early 18th century British-American relations and Dr. David Work’s research on the U.S. Civil War has added to knowledge and understanding in the field of history. Such works help us to better understand the past and its significance in shaping the world we live in today.

Dr. Todd Kent and Dr. Douglas Thornton are both active in public opinion research which provides significant insight on foreign policy decision making. Dr. Hassan Bashir’s research falls under the umbrella of the growing field of comparative political theory. This type of research can help one to understand current political conflicts, as well as predict likely fault-lines of future political conflict.

Other ongoing research in the Liberal Arts Program seeks to build upon theoretical models and then apply that research to current educational practices. Dr. Zohreh Eslami has been actively engaged not only in the research field of sociolinguistics, but also in applying sociolinguistics to English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching and learning. Her research has included examination of cross-cultural pragmatics, interlanguage pragmatics and comparing teachers’ beliefs to student’s beliefs in ESL contexts. The findings of such research can then be used to enhance current educational practices in the field of ESL.

When scientists and engineers from Qatar and elsewhere in the region need support for their work, they contact Texas A&M at Qatar. They come because of the breadth and depth of the knowledge of our faculty and researchers, and because our facilities and experimental resources are extensive with equipment unique to Qatar and the region. We have, for example, introduced the sophisticated CNC (computer numerical controlled) 5-axis machining technique. This, coupled with the innovative PPM (proto plastic maker) and a titanium three-dimensional printer, give the University the capability of making precise three-dimensional models and components. Already, the facility has attracted considerable attention in the medical field.

We also have the “Cave,” an Immersive Visualisation Facility (IVF), a complete visualisation environment for running and viewing 3D stereoscopic graphical applications. “The Immersive Visualisation Facility allows students or researchers to see and manipulate their data in true 3D with great detail and the feeling of not seeing a scene, but being ‘immersed’ in it,” remarks Chief Information Officer Khalid Warraich.

The University emphasizes the integration of research, student involvement and the dissemination of knowledge promoted by local workshops and seminars, as well as by active participation of both faculty and students through publications and attendance at international conferences. The University is proud of its success in fostering partnerships and cooperative programs with the local industries and government agencies. Consistent with this goal of multifaceted research involvement and cooperation, the University also encourages the concept of topic-focused laboratories. Introduced officially in February 2010, under the patronage of His Excellency, Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, deputy prime minister of Qatar and the country’s minister of energy and industry, the Qatar Sustainable Water and Energy Utilization Laboratory (QWE) is a realization of the working relationship between the University and the nation’s energy and industrial sectors.

Research Capacity at Texas A&M University at Qatar When scientists

and engineers from Qatar and elsewhere in the region need support for their work, they contact Texas A&M at Qatar. They come because of the breadth and depth of the knowledge of our faculty and researchers, and because our facilities and experimental resources are extensive with equipment unique to Qatar and the region.

The QWE was established to address the need to ensure sustainable water and energy resources in light of Qatar’s spectacular economic growth and industrial diversification. The facility provides access to the latest computing technologies, including supercomputers and computational grids, while the water analysis capacities at QWE are among the most modern and best-equipped in the Middle East. Support for the research work on GTL processes and related fuels and chemicals properties comes from the Fuel Characterization Lab which is equipped with highly-sophisticated and advanced analytical equipment to characterize the physical and chemical properties of fuels including their molecular structure. Power and energy are topics of the Fuel Cell Laboratory that carries out research on the design of fuel cell-powered air conditioning systems and their grid integration. The Power Laboratory emphasizes the design of advanced motor drives and power system simulation and design. Focus on

wireless systems from the algorithm design to implementation is the theme of the Wireless Communication and Networking Laboratory (WRL). Their top-of-the-line equipment leads the region in making possible both fundamental and applied research. The laboratory is particularly active in physical and network layers applications and training and education for students and local engineers through coursework, short-courses and workshops. The Materials Characterization Laboratory includes a comprehensive suite of non-invasive diagnostic tools such as SEM microscopes, x-ray diffraction equipment and NMR, and the cutting-edge facilities expected of a major research university. The

Multi Scale Thermo Fluids (MSTF) Laboratory uses advanced measurement techniques to study the flow field and heat transfer in engineering systems at the nano and micro scale. The Petroleum Engineering Program established state-of-the art facilities for simulation of drilling operations, well control, drilling management and production operations. Most recently, the program has completed a sophisticated Gas Condensate and Wettability Research Laboratory. The program is also working on establishing the Acid Stimulation Laboratory for the evaluation of the performance of various acid treatments in carbonate rocks. In addition to research activities, these laboratories will be used for training of petroleum engineers from industry.

The most important element of successful research is people, and it is this “the human resource” factor — including training, skill and enthusiasm of the Texas A&M at Qatar faculty and students — that make research possible and worthwhile. His Excellency, Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, deputy prime minister of Qatar and the country’s minister of energy and industry, told a recent Texas A&M at Qatar conference that he is “very proud” of the work carried out at the University and is pleased with its contributions to “the human resource.”

This human resource, this capacity building, takes many forms. Our strong and funded relationships with numerous authorities, institutions and organizations in Qatar expose our students to the real-life problems of the region. The research partnerships initiated with dozens of universities and research centers put our research programs on the international scene and, most importantly, expose our students to the world of international science and engineering.

The students learn much from, and give much to, the research areas of the almost $50 million in research grants awarded to the faculty. But Texas A&M at Qatar’s commitment to the resource factor is perhaps best judged by the successful placement of our students to Qatar’s industry, the enthusiasm shown by potential students who want to take part in our programs and by the reputation that Texas A&M at Qatar has gained in the local community as an unbiased, scholarly and practical hub of engineering and technical know-how.

“The Human Resource” factor — the training, the skill and the enthusiasm of the Texas A&M at Qatar faculty and students — makes research possible and worthwhile.

Research Facts and Numbers Number of refereed journal papers published in 2008-2009 academic year 140

Number of books published in 2008–2009 academic year 4

Number of conference presentations in 2008–2009 academic year 200

Funding for active research projects in 2009 (approximation) $50,000,000

Number of grad students supervised by faculty in 2009–2010 10

Number of postdocs and research associates supervised by faculty in 2009–2010 70

Number of undergraduate students supervised by faculty in 2009–2010 30

Research ProgramTexas A&M Engineering Building, Education City

PO Box 23874, Doha, Qatar tel. +974.423.0210 http://research.qatar.tamu.edu

It’s Time for Texas A&M.