PETROLEUM ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Faculty

 

Dr. Pawel A. Nawrocki Associate Professor & Deputy Chairman Phone: +971 2 607 5477 Email: pnawrocki@pi.ac.ae

Dr. Nawrocki has a MS degree in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Lodz, Poland, a PhD degree in Technical Sciences, Field of Mechanics, from the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and over 15 years of experience in applied rock mechanics research focused on petroleum geomechanics and mining engineering applications. He gained his experience working in Canada, Poland, and the United States.

Modeling of stresses around openings in geomaterials (analytical, semi-analytical, elastic and elastoplastic solutions), wellbore stability analysis (linear and nonlinear), and problems of time-dependent behavior of rocks are the major areas of his research. His other professional interests include rock testing and modeling of rock behavior, acoustic emission monitoring, oil shales, hydraulic fracturing, in situ stress measurements, ground control in deep mining, seismicity, rock damage, and continuum mechanics.

In the 90ties Dr. Nawrocki was associated with the Geomechanics Group at the University of Waterloo in Canada were he was an Academic Member of the Porous Media Research Institute, a non-profit research organization that works in unison with major oil companies addressing technical problems of the industry through cooperative, joint university-industry research initiatives. In his role as a Research Assistant Professor, he was involved in several projects of this kind such as the Waterloo Shale Project, the Waterloo Sand Production Project, Hydraulic Fracturing of Soft, Weak Rocks, and a project on Nonlinear Effects in Wellbore Stability Analysis. He also worked on developing models for strain-rate sensitive geomaterials, brittle failure of rocks, degradation of rock properties due to progressing deformation, stress modeling in a mining seam, rock bursts, and stress changes in rocks due to seismic events. Describing rock fracturing process through Acoustic Emission monitoring of rock samples in compression and relating that information to current level of rock damage was the major direction of his research at the Mining and Mineral Sciences Laboratories of CANMET in Canada, where he worked before coming to Abu Dhabi.

An active ISRM and SPE member, Dr. Nawrocki has extensive experience in proposal writing, project planning and management, and with delivering technical presentations. He taught rock mechanics course at the University of Waterloo and delivered invited lectures and short courses at companies and research centres in many countries such as Canada, Norway, South Africa, China, Korea, France and the United States. He has authored and co-authored over forty papers in international journals and conferences, advised and co-supervised students, and served as a referee in international journals and conferences.

Research Interests

Rock mechanics, rock testing and modeling of rock behavior, borehole stability analysis, shale behavior and fracturing of soft, weak rocks, acoustic emission monitoring.

Selected Publications

• Nawrocki, P.A. and Dusseault, M.B.: Modelling of damaged zones around openings using radius-dependent stiffness. Rock Mech. and Rock Eng., 28 (4) 1995.
• Xu, G., Dusseault, M.B. and Nawrocki, P.A.: An elastoplastic constitutive model for rocks and its verification. Proc. IACMAG’97, 9th Conf. Int. Assoc. Comp. Meth. Adv. in Geomech. (IACMAG), Wuhan, China, Nov. 2-7, 1997.
• Aydan, Ö and Nawrocki, P.A.: Rate-dependent deformability and strength characteristics of rocks. Proc. 2nd Int. Symp. on Hard Soils, Soft Rocks. Naples, Italy, Oct. 12-14, 1998.
• Nawrocki, P.A., Dusseault, M.B., and Bratli R.K.: Use of uniaxial compression test results in modelling stresses around openings in non-linear geomaterials. J. Petr. Sci. and Eng., 21 (1-2) 1998.
• Nawrocki, P.A. and Mróz, Z.: A viscoplastic degradation model for rock-like materials. Int. J. of Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 35 (7) 1998.
  
• Dusseault, M.B., Nawrocki, P.A., Fam, M. and Fooks, J.: Physical and mechanical properties of two shales with emphasis on petroleum geomechanics. Proc. 9th ISRM Congress, Paris, August 1999.
• Nawrocki, P.A., Cristescu, N.D., Dusseault, M.B., Bratli, R.K.: Experimental methods of determining constitutive parameters for non-linear stress modelling. Int. J. of Rock Mech. and Min. Sci. 36 (5) 1999.
• Dusseault, M.B., M. Gray and Nawrocki, P.A.:Why oil wells leak: cement behaviour and long-term consequences. SPE 64733-MS. Proc. SPE Int. Oil & Gas Conf. and Exhib. Beijing, China, Nov. 7-10, 2000.
• Nawrocki, P.A., Mogilevskaya, S.G., Dusseault, M.B. and Bratli. R.K.: Modelling borehole stresses in anisotropic stress fields in non-linear rocks. Proc. IACMAG’2001, 10th Conf. Int. Assoc. Comp. Meth. Adv. in Geomech. (IACMAG), Tucson, Arizona, Jan. 7-12, 2001.
• Nawrocki, P.A. and Garis, D.: How high oil prices help to shift peak oil into the future. Proc. Energy 2030. Int. Forum on Energy Res. and Techn. Abu Dhabi, UAE, Nov. 1- 2, 2006.
• Nawrocki, P.A.: Continuum methods for stress and stability analysis of boreholes and tunnels. Proc. 4th Asian Rock Mech. Symp. ARMS-4, Singapore, Nov. 8-10, 2006.
• Nawrocki, P.A.: Stability Considerations in Borehole Design. Proc. 1st Sri Lankan Geotech. Soc. Int. Conf. Soil and Rock Eng., Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 6-10, 2007.
• Nawrocki, P.A.: Alterations of breakdown pressures in rocks exhibiting stress-dependent mechanical properties. Proc. IACMAG’2008, 12th Conf. Int. Assoc. Comp. Meth. Adv. Geomech. (IACMAG), Goa, India, Oct. 1-6, 2008.
• Nawrocki, P.A.: Elastic properties of sandstone and their use in petroleum engineering studies. Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. New Dev. Rock Mech. and Eng., Sanya, China, May 24-26, 2009.
• Nawrocki, P.A.: Alterations of breakdown and collapse pressures due to material nonlinearities. Int. J. Geomech. and Eng., 1 (2) 2009, 155-168.