Biography
Dr. Arash Abarghani is a Senior Research Scientist at the EERC, where he conducts laboratory analyses and interprets laboratory data to support research activities related to improved production of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, enhanced oil recovery in unconventional and conventional formations, and subsurface storage of CO2 and/or rich gas. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of North Dakota; an M.Sc. degree in Sedimentary Geology from the Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran, Iran; and a B.Sc. degree in Geology from the University of Tabriz, Iran. Prior to his position at the EERC, Dr. Abarghani served as a Subsurface Geologist for the Exploration Directorate of the National Iranian Oil Company for 14 years.
Dr. Abarghani’s principal area of interest and expertise is the characterization of unconventional source rocks using organic petrology, geochemistry, and other advanced methods, including atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nano IR spectroscopy (AFM–IR), and high-resolution AFM. He serves as a reviewer for the International Journal of Coal Geology, Marine and Petroleum Geology, and Fuel. He is a member of The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP). He has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers and technical reports in leading international journals.
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles:
- Stenshoj, R., Abarghani, A., Badrouchi, N., Yu, Y., Smith, S.A., Rudra, A., Petersen, H.I. and Sanei, H. (2023) Hydrocarbon residue in a Danish chalk reservoir and its effects on CO2 injectivity. Marine and Petroleum Geology, p.106424.
- Abarghani, A., Ardakani, O.H., Hawthorne, S.B., Smith, S.A., Kurz, B.A. and Sorensen, J.A. (2022) Application of aromatic/aliphatic ratios analysis in revealing migration pathways in unconventional reservoirs: A case study of the Bakken shale. International Journal of Coal Geology, p.104070.
- Hawthorne, S.B., Miller, D.J., Kukowski, K., Grabanski, C.B., Abarghani, A., Azzolina, N., Pekot, L.J., Kurz, B.A., and Sorensen, J.A. (2021) Turtles and Snakes: Evidence for Molecular Shape-Selective Migration of Crude Oil Hydrocarbons in the Bakken Petroleum System. Energy & Fuels, 35, 13, 10584–10596.
- Abarghani, A., Gentzis, T., Liu, B., Hohlbauch, S., Griffin, D., Bubach, B., Shokouhimehr, M., and Ostadhassan, M. (2020) Bacterial vs. thermal degradation of algal matter: Analysis from a physicochemical perspective. International Journal of Coal Geology, p.103465.
- Abarghani, A., Gentzis, T., Liu, B., Khatibi, S., Bubach, B., and Ostadhassan, M. (2020) Preliminary Investigation of the Effects of Thermal Maturity on Redox-Sensitive Trace Metal Concentration in the Bakken Source Rock, North Dakota, USA. ACS Omega, 5, pp. 7135-7148.
- Abarghani, A., Ostadhassan, M., Hackley, P.C., Pomerantz, A.E., and Nejati, S. (2020) A Chemo-mechanical Snapshot of In-situ Conversion of Kerogen to Petroleum. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 273C, pp. 37-50.
- Abarghani, A., Gentzis, T., Shokouhimehr, M., Liu, B., and Ostadhassan, M. (2020) Chemical heterogeneity of organic matter at nanoscale by AFM-based IR spectroscopy. Fuel, 261, p.116454.
- Lee, H., Abarghani, A., Liu, B., Shokouhimehr, M., and Ostadhassan, M. (2020) Molecular weight variations of kerogen during maturation with MALDITOF-MS. Fuel, 269, p.117452.
- Khatibi, S., Abarghani, A., Liu, K., Guedes, A., Valentim, B., and Ostadhassan, M. (2020) Backtracking to Parent Maceral from Produced Bitumen with Raman Spectroscopy. Minerals, 10(8), p.679.
- Liu, B., Liu, K., Abarghani, A., Khatibi, S., Kong, L., Rafieepour, S., Li, X., and Ostadhassan, M. (2020) 1-D Mechanical earth modeling in the Permian Lucaogou Shale of the Santanghu basin, Northwest China from a complete set of laboratory data. Interpretation, 9(2), pp.1-58.
- Abarghani, A., Ostadhassan, M., Bubach, B., and Zhao, P. (2019) Estimation of thermal maturity in the Bakken source rock from a combination of well logs, North Dakota, USA. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 105, pp. 32-44.
- Abarghani, A., Ostadhassan, M., Gentzis, T., Carvajal-Ortiz, H., Ocubalidet, S., Bubach, B., Mann, M., and Hou, X. (2019) Correlating Rock-Eval™ Tmax with bitumen reflectance from organic petrology in the Bakken Formation. International Journal of Coal Geology, 205, pp. 87-104.
- Khatibi, S., Ostadhassan, M., Hackley, P., Tuschel, D., Abarghani, A., and Bubach, B. (2019) Understanding organic matter heterogeneity and maturation rate by Raman spectroscopy. International Journal of Coal Geology, 206, pp. 46–64.
- Zhao, P., Ostadhassan, M., Shen, B., Liu, W., Abarghani, A., Liu, K., Luo, M., and Cai, J. (2019) Estimating thermal maturity of organic-rich shale from well logs: Case studies of two shale plays. Fuel, 235, pp.1195-1206.
- Li, C., Ostadhassan, M., Abarghani, A., Fogden, A., and Kong, L. (2018) Multi-scale evaluation of mechanical properties of the Bakken shale, Journal of Materials Science, pp.1-19.
- Abarghani, A., Ostadhassan, M., Gentzis, T., Carvajal-Ortiz, H., and Bubach, B. (2018) Organofacies study of the Bakken source rock in North Dakota, USA, based on organic petrology and geochemistry, International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 188, pp 79-93.
- Hasani Giv, M., and Abarghani, A. (2010) Study of microfacies and porosity types in reservoir quality control in Ilam Formation at one of the Iranian oil fields, Abadan plain, Tehran University Journal of Sciences, Vol.3, pp 53-62.
- Abarghani, A., and Adabi, M.H. (2001) Geochemical evidence for middle-upper Jurassic carbonates primary mineralogy (Dalichai and Lar Formations), Northwest Maragheh, Iran, Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol.6-7, pp 84-90.
- Adabi, M.H., and Abarghani, A. (2000) Microfacies of Dalichai and Lar Formations (Middle-Upper Jurassic) and application of sedimentary geochemistry (Stable isotopes and trace elements) in discrimination between two formations, Tehran University Journal of Sciences, Vol.1, pp 39-52.
Conference Presentations:
- Chakhmakhchev, A., Kurz, M.D., McRae, T.A., Yu, X., Abarghani, A., Schmidt, D.D., Azzolina, N.A., Kurz, B.A. and Sorensen, J.A. (2024) Investigating H2S Occurrence in Bakken Oil-Producing Wells Using Sulfur Isotopes in Gas, Water, and Rock Samples. In SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (p. D021S036R002). URTEC, Houston, Texas, USA.
- Sur, S., Belobraydic, M.L., Abarghani, A., Smith, S.A., Mladenich, B., and Finnigan, Z. (2023) Development and application of a workflow process to screen geologic reservoir for site selection and drilling, 2023 RMS-AAPG Annual Meeting, Bismarck, North Dakota, USA.
- Abarghani, A., Ostadhassan, M., and Gentzis, T. (2019) Organic matter nano-scale chemical heterogeneity in the Bakken Shale, the 36th Annual Meeting of The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP), Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
- Abarghani, A., and Adabi, M.H. (2001) Sedimentary geochemistry; a useful tool in discrimination between the reef and non-reef facies, an example from west Alborz, 20th Symp. of GSI, pp 486-487.