Dr. Yuefeng Sun

Research and Projects

The ultimate recovery of world's hydrocarbon reserves (conventional and unconventional) depends largely on our understanding of reservoir heterogeneity and the physics of in-situ reservoir fluid flow. As in the past when geologists played the leading role in petroleum discovery and exploration, future geoscientists will again help to provide the fundamental scientific framework for reservoir management to maximize petroleum production. The future is bright for those who want to pursue in these research directions.  Prospective graduate students with in-depth knowledge in geology, geophysics, petroleum engineering and economics will earn to become one of the first generation of interdisciplinary earth resource scientists.

Dr. Sun leads the TAMU Reservoir Geophysics Program (RGP) supported by companies and individual philanthropists. Generous long-term support for these programs has been made possible by the Devon Energy Corporation and the Chuanwen Sun Foundation. To fill out the membership form, see TAMU RGP membership. For generous donation, please contact Dr. Sun.

Highly qualified and motivated students in geology, geophysics, physics, mathematics and engineering are encouraged to apply for graduate studies in the following areas:

• Petrophysics and Reservoir Geophysics: Theoretical/computational poroelasticity; Mechanics and electrodynamics of fractured porous media; Applications to petroleum/energy geosciences and fundamental earth sciences:
  • Carbonate rock physics
  • Petrophysics and advanced well log analysis
  • Acoustic, seismic and dielectric evaluation of reservoir permeability heterogeneity
  • 3D seismic AVO inversion of fluid content, porosity and permeability
  • 4D (time-lapse) seismic monitoring of reservoir production (conventional and unconventional energy resources) and CO2 sequestration
  • Fracture identification and characterization, estimation of in-situ tectonic stress fields, stress-induced anisotropy and borehole geophysics
  • Mechanisms of seismic attenuation, physical characterization of wavelet and seismic resolution
  • Sediment physics, seismo-acoustics and geodynamics
  • Dielectrics of hydrocarbon- and gas hydrate-bearing formation
  • Biogeophysics: Physics and detection of microorganisms in natural sediments and rocks; Applications to definition and origin of life, Earth's deep biosphere and astrobiology
  • Singular mechanics
• Quantitative Petroleum Geology: Mechanisms of petroleum genesis, accumulation and migration; Basin and reservoir dynamics; Physics of reservoir fluid flow; Fault, fracture and matrix permeability; Quantitative description of carbonate reservoir rock types and pore structure types; Outcrop study integrated with subsurface reservoirs; Integrated studies of reservoir heterogeneity and real-time reservoir monitoring; Advanced conventional and unconventional energy research.

Experience

• 2012-present: Williford Professor, Texas A&M University, Department of Geology and Geophysics
• 2007–2011: Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Department of Geology and Geophysics
• 2005–2006 : Associate Professor of Geophysics, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 1998–2005 : Doherty Associate Research Scientist, Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• 1996–2004 : Staff Logging Scientist, ODP-LDEO-BRG Logging Services, Columbia University
• 1995–1997 : Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• 1988–1994 : Graduate Teaching/Research Fellow, Columbia University, Henry Krumb School of Mines
• 1983–1987 : Research Geophysicist, Xinjiang Oil Company, PetroChina, China
• 1981–1982 : Field Geophysicist, Geological Prospecting Bureau, Xinjiang Oil Company, China

Selected Publications

• Stoll, R.D., Y.F. Sun and I. Bitte, 2007, Seafloor properties from penetrometer tests, IEEE Journal of Ocean Engineering, Vol. 32, No. 1, 57-63, doi:10.1109/JOE.2007.890943.
• Sun, Y. F., K. Berteussen, S. Vega, G.P. Eberli, G.T. Baechle, R.J. Weger, J.L. Massaferro, G. L. Bracco Gartner and P.D. Wagner, 2006, Effects of pore structure on 4D seismic signals in carbonate reservoirs, SEG Expanded Abstract, Vol. 76, 3260-3264.
• Sun, Y.F. and D. Goldberg, 2005, Dielectric method of high resolution gas hydrate estimation, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 32, L04313, doi:10.1029/2004GL021976.
• Sun, Y.F. and D. Goldberg, 2005, Analysis of electromagnetic propagation tool response in hydrate-bearing formation, in: S. Dallimore and T. Collett (Eds.), Scientific Results from Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well Program, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 585.
• Bracco Gartner, G.L., J. Massaferro, M.R. Nasser, J. Leguijt, K. Van der Kolk, H. Hillgartner, W. Asyee, G.P. Eberli, R. Weger, and Y.F. Sun, 2005, Obtaining permeability from seismic data: A new breakthrough in carbonate reservoir modeling, The International Petroleum Technology Conference, Qatar, Paper 10577, November 21-23, 2005.
• Sun, Y.F., 2004, Pore structure effect on elastic wave propagation in rocks: AVO modeling, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, Volume 1, No. 4, 268-276, doi: 10.1088/1742-2132/1/4/005.
• Sun, Y.F., 2004, A two-parameter model of elastic wave velocities in rocks and numerical AVO modeling, Journal of Computational Acoustics, Volume 12, No.4, 619-630, doi: 10.1142/S0218396X04002432.
• Extended Publication List

Affiliations

• Petroleum Geosciences
• Member of the Board of Editors, Journal of Computational Acoustics.
• Member of AAPG, AGU, APS, SEG.
• Adjunct Associate Professor of University of Miami, RSMAS.