Maurice B. Dusseault

• Oil sands, shale gas and energy policy;
• geomechanics aspects of mining, petroleum and civil engineering;
• enhanced oil recovery geomechanics; reservoir engineering rock mechanics (including coupled process, hydraulic fracturing, borehole stability and underground excavation); salt rock mechanics;
• oil and gas well integrity; oil reservoir monitoring methods;
• CO₂ sequestration; deep waste disposal technology for solid and liquid wastes; compressed air energy storage;

Professor Dusseault carries out research in coupled problems in geomechanics, oil production, and novel deep waste disposal technologies. He also studies geomechanics issues in CO₂ sequestration, hydraulic fracturing, well leakage mechanisms, steam injection, biosolids injection, and THM coupling issues.

Current projects include:

• Hydraulic fracturing of naturally fractured rock masses
• Work, energy and stress-strain responses of stresses rock masses
• Rock-cement-casing interaction and gas seepage along oil and gas wells
• THM coupling in naturally fractured rock masses
• Deformation monitoring of rock masses
• Remote non-destructive assessment of solid infrastructure condition

Course offerings have included university graduate and undergraduate courses, seminar series and lecture tours, university extension courses for industry, private seminars, professional short courses, conference presentations, invited professional lecture tours.

He has also taught a number of professional short courses in subjects such as production approaches, petroleum geomechanics, waste disposal, and sand control, presented in 20 different countries in the last 10 years.

As a contract professional lecturer, he has worked for BP, PEICE, SPE, Hess, other companies.

Professor Dusseault has co-authored two textbooks with John Franklin (former ISRM President, deceased 2012) as well as 550 full-length articles in engineering and scientific journals and conference proceedings, plus many project reports for agencies such as the US Bureau of Reclamation, AOSTRA, City of Edmonton, Alberta Research Council, the Solution Mining Research Institute and others.

Recent publications include

• Malekzadeh FA, Dusseault MB 2013. A solution for the transition zone isosats in two-phase primary drainage in the presence of gravity. Computational Geosciences, July.

• Shafiei A, Zendehboudi S, Dusseault MB 2013. Mathematical Model for Steamflooding in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, (In press), DOI: 10.1021/ie302791a Publication Date (Web): April 22, 2013.

• Shafiei A, Dusseault MB 2013. Geomechanics of thermal viscous oil production in sandstones. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering 103, 121-139.

• Liang WG, Yang XQ, Gao HB, Zhang CD, Zhao YS, Dusseault MB 2012. Experimental study of mechanical properties of gypsum soaked in brine. Int J of Rock Mech. & Mining Sci 53, 142-150

Professor Dusseault is a co-holder of several patents in Canada and the United States. Please note, this is not a complete list of all international patent awards.

• US&Can 2015: US 8,978,764 CA 2,775,787 Multi-stage fracture injection process for enhanced resource production from shales. DUSSEAULT MB and Bilak R.
• United States: New Provisional Patent Application No. 61/500,966. Applicants/Inventors: DUSSEAULT, Maurice B. and MALEKZADEH, Farshad A. Process for sequestration of gasses in a formation using an unstable front of gas-saline during injection. Also applied for in a series of countries including Canada, Europe, Indonesia, China, GCC…
• United States Patent 7,922,643. Method for reducing the emission of green house gases into the atmosphere. Applicants/Inventors BILAK, Roman; BRUNO, Michael S.; ROTHENBURG, Leo; DUSSEAULT, Maurice B., Awarded April 12 2011. Also awarded in Canada #2673129; Indonesia #WO0200901912; China #200780044988.X; Europe (Intention to Grant) 07 868 988.2; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan Turkmenistan and Russia 15025; South Africa 2009/04554; Ukraine 95005, Armenia 15025;
• The previous patent has also been applied for and is pending in the GCC (Gulf Cooperative Council); Mexico; Australia; India; South Korea.
• Canada Patent Pending 2,751,814. Process for sequestration of fluids in geological formations. DUSSEAULT, Maurice B and BILAK Roman. Pending in the following jurisdictions: Australia;China EA (Eurasia); EP (Europe); India; Indonesia; Japan; Mexico; South Africa. South Korea; United States; GCC
• Canada Patent Issued 2,775,787. Multi-stage fracture injection process for enhanced hydrocarbon production from shales. DUSSEAULT, MB; BILAK,R. Pending in the following jurisdictions: United States; Europe, China. Indonesia; Ukraine; Brazil; GCC; WIPO;
• United States Patent #6,962,561 B2, (08/11/2005); #6,491,616 B2 (10/12/2002); 6,409,650 B1 (25/06/2002) (Continuation in part of US Patent #6,287,248) Method for Biosolid Disposal and Methane Generation, Bruno MS, Bilak R, Dusseault, MB
• Patents issued outside of US and Canada: Method for Biosolid Disposal and Methane Generation: Bruno MS, Bilak R, Dusseault, MB, Australia #753,813, (13/02/2003); Mexico #232,220, (17/12/2005); Singapore #87,301, (28/12/2002); South Korea, #520,695 (05/10/2002) and #550,149 (01/02/2006), others…
• Canadian Patent #2,316,617 (08/04/2003)
• Canadian Patent #2,277,528 (2002) Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods
• United States Patent #6,002,063 (14/12/2000) Apparatus and Method for Subterranean Injection of Slurried Wastes
• United States Patent #6,287,248 (11/09/2001). Method for Biosolid Disposal And Methane Generation
• United States Patent #6,241,019 (05/06/2001) Enhancement of Flow Rates Through Porous Media
• United States Patent #6,405,797 (18/06/2002) Enhancement of Flow Rates Through Porous Media
• United Kingdom Patent #GB2324819 (12/12/2001) Enhancement of Flow Rates Through Porous Media

• 2002-2003 Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer, visiting 19 countries and 28 separate SPE sections.
• Keynote speaker at many international conferences

• Cross appointed to Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering
• Member, The Water Institute

• Cross appointed to Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering
• Professional Engineer, Alberta Professional Engineers, Geophysical and Geologists Association
• Professional Engineer, Ontario Professional Engineers Organization
• Member, Society of Petroleum Engineers
• Member, Canadian Geotechnical Society
• Member, European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers
• 2004-2009 Member, Norwegian Research Council Evaluation Committee
• Advisor for the Iranian National Oil Company
• Advisor for the Colombian national oil company (EcoPetrol)
• Member, Scientific Advisory Council of the New Brunswick Energy Institute
• Science Advisor. Alberta Dept of Energy and the Alberta Energy Regulator

The following news stories have featured Professor Dusseault's research:

• June 18, 2015 Professor Dusseault comments on the gas geyser in Lambton Shores

• January 31, 2014 (The Western Star) Professor’s position on fracking met with criticism

• June 26, 2014 Greenhouse gas, not fracking, is the larger concern in natural resource development

• 1971 BSc University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
• 1977 PhD University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
• PEng (Professional Engineer) provinces of Alberta and Ontario