Prof. Ian D. Gates
Positions
Professor
Schulich School of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Director
Global Research Initiative for Sustainable Low-Carbon Unconventional Resources
Contact information
Web presence
Phone number
Office: +1 (403) 220-5752
Preferred method of communication
Please send an email to arrange an online or in-person meeting.
I'm looking for...
Study participants
I am always looking for energetic, proactive, and enthusiastic graduate students and post-docs. If interested, send an email with CV. I will contact you if I think you are a good fit in my group.
Research partners
New projects keep us active and energized and relevant - if you or your company would like to support research activities or have a research problem you wish to solve, send me an email.
Background
Educational Background
Doctor of Philosophy Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1999
Master of Applied Science Chemical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 1992
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Calgary, 1990
Biography
Ian D. Gates is Professor in Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and Director of the University of Calgary’s CFREF $75 million sustainable low-carbon unconventional resources program. He worked for seven years in industry prior to joining the university in 2004. His research spans heavy oil and oil sands technology, hydrogen, methane, and material science of energy systems. Ian has also been entrepreneurial having been a co-founder of several companies including Gushor (sold to Schlumberger 2013), Proton Technologies (hydrogen from heavy oil), Solideum (solid bitumen), and several consulting companies. His research group’s motto: ‘save money, make money, save the environment, and save life’ guides all of their research endeavors.
Research
Areas of Research
My research spans heavy oil and oil sands technology, hydrogen, methane conversion, methane emissions reduction, and material sciences. We have focused not only on fundamentals but also scaling-up to enable applications. This has led to several start-up companies that are founded from technologies developed from my research. Furthermore, we conduct energy systems analysis including techno-economic analysis, life cycle sustainability analysis, and technology development assessments. We have conducted not only lab studies but also field-scale studies with development and/or assessment of our and others' technology in field pilots and commercial operations.
- Gas Analysis: GC-MS, GC-SCD (sulphur chemiluminescence detector), GC-FID (simulated distillation), and 3 microGCs, Helium gas membrane test/flux apparatus, autoSorb iQ (high vacuum adsorption / physisorption / chemisorption / desorption / BET)
- Reactors: High pressure, high temperature combustion/gasification apparatus (700C, 9MPa), Parr Reactors (350C), Physical Model Apparatus (Soil/Oil Sand), Molten Alloy Reactors, High T Furnace (1100C), High T Furnace (1800C, N2/Argon environment), Electrolysis cells, Furnace tube reactors
- Core Flood: 2.2 m high pressure (9 MPa) core flood apparatus, Multiple sand packs and small-scale flow models, Hele-Shaw Flow Cells (flat-rectangular, radial)
- Rheology and Mechanical Testing: TA Instruments DHR-2 rheometer, Brookfield Rheometer (2.8 McP max, up to 220C), Anton-Paar Viscometer (viscosity/density), Uniaxial Mechanical Tester (for compressibility+Young’s modulus), Asphalt Penetration, Asphalt Ductility
- Interfacial Science: Zeta/Streaming Potential Analyzer, Tensiometer for IFT (up to 220C), Dynamic Foam Analyzer, Camera systems for contact angle
- Analysis: UV-VIS split beam spectrophotometer, Moisture Analyzer (sand and bulk samples), Surface Roughness Profilometer (down to 200 nm), Calorimeter, Pycnometers, Flash Tester, Total Acid Number, Asphaltene content
- Other Equipment and Features: Confocal Microscope with High Pressure (~5MPa) Stage, Particle Size Distribution (PSD) with Image Capture (takes images of all grains for shape analysis), Laser PSD, Steam Generator (17 MPa, 320C), Vacuum Pumps, Vacuum Oven, -40 to +45C controlled environment (1.5mx1mx1.5m), Roll mill, Precision knife coating apparatus, Precise high temperature roll assembly, Open lab space areas
- Access to Other Equipment: Dynamic Imaging Lab (SEM, TEM, CT scanners which can hold core packs), ICP, RITS lab
- Reservoir Simulation: Petrel (Geomodelling), Eclipse & Intersect (Reservoir Simulation), CMG IMEX, GEM, STARS (Reservoir Simulation)
- Process Simulation: Aspen HYSYS, DWSIM
- Computational Fluid Dynamics: COMSOL (flow, electromagnetic, chemical reaction, heat transport, multiphase, porous media modules), Ansys Fluent (computational fluid dynamics)
- DFT and molecular simulation: Gaussian, Material Studio, VASP
- Mechanical Modelling: Abaqus (mechanics for hydraulic fracturing)
- Codes developed in Group (C, C++, Python, Matlab): Steam scheduling for CSS, SAGD, SF (for field scale modelling using typecurves, Discrete Fracture Model code, Optimization Codes, Air pollution LSTM modelling and forecasting, Multiphase/multiregime flow models
- Hardware in Group: six 80-core workstations, six 8-core dual + eight 16-core quad processor + four 40-core quad processor workstations, 16-core +2 and 4 GPU (128 core each) workstations, 96-core cluster, access to Westgrid supercomputing capabilities as needed, GPU-enabled computing
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Awards
- FCAE, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Canadian Academy of Engineering. 2023
- APEGA Frank Spragins Summit Award, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. 2019
- Killam Annual Professor Award, Killam Trust and University of Calgary. 2018
- Outstanding Teaching Performance for ENPE571 (Unconventional Oil), 2015
- Outstanding Teaching Performance for ENCH501 (Transport Phenomena), 2014
- Professor of the Year, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, 2014
- Recognition for Achievements for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2014
- Schulich School of Engineering Mentoring Excellence Award, 2014
- Achievement in Innovation 2012, Awarded February 2013, 2013
- Killam Innovation in Teaching Award, 2013
- Third and Fourth Year Engineering Students Excellence in Teaching Award, 2013
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Round 6 Winner (Jointly with Dr. Michael Kallos, ChemE & PetE) 2011, 2011
- Third and Fourth Year Engineering Students Excellence in Teaching Award 2011, 2011
- chulich School of Engineering Departmental Teaching Excellence Award 2010, 2010
- First and Second Year Engineering Students Excellence in Teaching Award 2010, 2010
- Dr. R.M. Butler Memorial Best Paper Award 2008 Winner; Presented 2009, 2009
- Early Research Excellence Award, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary 2009, 2009
- Schulich School of Engineering Common Core Teaching Excellence Award 2009, 2009
- Schulich School of Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award 2009, 2009
- Winner ASTECH 2009 Award: Category: Outstanding Commercial Achievement in Alberta Science and Technology (gross sales < $25M) for Gushor Inc. (University of Calgary Spin-off Company; co-Founder), 2009
- 2004 Oil and Gas Engineering Professor of the Year, 2004
Publications
More Information
- Simulation/modelling and experimental capabilities focused on Energy Systems including Oil and Gas, Hydrogen, Carbon dioxide, Methane, Heavy oil, Bitumen, Reactive systems, Interfacial Phenomena, and Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow
- Strong experience of scaling up laboratory-scale systems to field-scale systems
- Exceptional team that has proven track record of working with industry – from start-ups to large corporations supporting innovation, research, and technology development – finding practical solutions for our sponsors
- Focused on both Fundamentals and Applications
- Start-up Companies – 1 sold, 2 evolved, 2 growing, 4 incubating
- >215 peer-reviewed publications, >60 patents pending, applied for, and abandoned (~25 awarded and active)
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