Sunil Kokal

Sunil Kokal is a principal scientist (senior advisor) and a focus area champion of enhanced oil recovery in the Reservoir Engineering Technology team of EXPEC Advanced Research Center at Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Since joining Aramco in 1993, he has been involved in applied research projects on sustainability, EOR/IOR, reservoir fluids, hydrocarbon phase behavior, crude oil emulsions, and production-related challenges. He spearheaded the implementation of the first Carbon Capture Utilization and Sequestration and CO2-EOR demonstration project that received many firsts-in-the-world, including 8 international awards. He is also working on an initiative on energy sustainability and circular carbon economy.

Kokal has written more than 150 technical and 60 journal papers and has authored the chapters on “Crude Oil Emulsions” and “Reservoir Fluid Sampling” for the SPE Petroleum Engineering Handbook (2006). He is currently on the JPT editorial review board. He has served as the associate editor for the Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, and Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal, and earlier served on the editorial review board of the Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology. He is a fellow of the Energy Institute and the recipient of 2018 SPE IOR/EOR Pioneer award, 2016 SPE Honorary Member, 2012 SPE DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal, 2011 SPE Distinguished Service Award, the 2010 SPE Regional Technical award for Reservoir Description & Dynamics, and the 2008 SPE Distinguished Member Award for his services to the society. He served as a SPE Distinguished Lecturer during 2007–2008 and later as chair of the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Committee. Kokal holds a PhD degree in chemical engineering from the University of Calgary and a BS degree in chemical engineering from the IIT, New Delhi.