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Reading geoscientists scoop prestigious research paper prize – University of Reading

Three Reading researchers have won an award for an innovative research paper published in the renowned Geophysical Prospecting publication, the journal of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE). Dr Solomon Assefa, Professor Clive McCann and Mr Jeremy Sothcott will receive EAGE's Eötvös Award 2004 for their paper, 'Velocities of compressional and shear waves in limestones', which was judged to be the best published in the journal during 2003. The paper, which had to be "of high scientific standard and represent a significant contribution or an outstanding tutorial in one or more of the disciplines of the Association", was based on research carried out by the three scientists in the Geophysics Laboratory of the former Postgraduate Research Institute for Sedimentology at the University of Reading. The paper is based on work carried out during the course of Dr Assefa's PhD research. The objective of the research programme was to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which sound waves travel through rocks, with the aim of enhancing the information which can be deduced from seismic surveys of oil reservoirs deep within the Earth's crust. The quantity of oil in, and the ease with which it can be extracted from, a reservoir depends upon the size and shape of the pores (holes) within the reservoir rock. By undertaking very accurate measurements of the speed of sound waves in samples of reservoir rocks at high pressure and analysing the detailed internal structures of the rocks, the scientists were able to relate the variations in the speed of the waves to both the total volumes and to the shapes of the pores within the rocks. The results of the research are of both fundamental scientific interest and of practical assistance to reservoir engineers in interpreting seismic surveys of oil reservoirs. The paper has proved to be of great interest to other scientists and engineers and the authors have received many requests for reprints. The authors will receive the Eötvös Award, which consists of a certificate and specially bound copies of the issue in which the paper appeared, at the Annual Meeting of the EAGE in Paris in June. End For further information, please contact Craig Hillsley, Press Officer, University of Reading Tel: 0118 378 7388 E-mail: c.hillsley@reading.ac.uk