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KAUST Discovery has taken an interest in one of the latest products of ANPERC research into mudcake growth inside oil wells. J. Carlos Santamarina and post-doc Qi Liu have developed a model to better understand the gradual transition at the boundary of mudcake formed on a well's outer edge, and the "slurry" of fluid inside the well. As Liu puts it, "The mudcake forms as a filtrate, similar to ground coffee in a French press, at the interface between the well and the rock." This helps the industry better understand well stability, and may even lead to "engineered" muds that can be monitored directly. The full article can be found here.

The last time ANPERC appeared in a featured article for KAUST Discovery was in April, when Center Director Tadeusz Patzek outlined the plan to efficiently use fossil fuels during the global transition to more renewable energy sources. ANPERC's research into petroleum engineering has garnered attention both for its potential impact on industry profits and responsible energy production for the future.

Read the KAUST Discovery article here.