Jeffrey Priest
Professor
Tier II Canada Research Chair
PhD
BEng
Contact information
Location
Preferred method of communication
Please contact me by email
Research
Research areas
- Energy engineering
- Reservoir characterization
- Hydrocarbons - conventional
- Hydrocarbons - unconventional
- Engineering for the environment
- Environment and climate change
- Assessing risk and mitigation hazards
Research activities
Geomechanics of gas hydrates
The realization of gas hydrate as an energy resource requires the dissociation of hydrate within sand dominated hydrate reservoirs. However, this leads to significant changes in sediment behavior that may affect wellbore stability. Hydrate dissociation in fine-grained sediments is also occurring naturally due to global climate change, especially in the Arctic, which may lead to submarine landslides. My research incorporates advanced laboratory characterization and numerical modeling to evaluate the complex interactions between hydrate and the sediment in which they reside. This will help in assessing risk and mitigating the hazards associated with hydrate production, as well as the impact of climate change on hydrates and development of natural hazards, such as submarine landslides.
Hydraulic Fracturing of low permeability shales
Optimizing the efficiency of hydrocarbon recovery resulting from stimulation of low permeability shale rocks using hydraulic fracturing, requires detailed understanding of the stress-strain behavior of the reservoir rocks during such activities. In addition, this knowledge is required to understand and mitigate the risk associated with induced seismicity resulting from hydraulic fracturing. Therefore, my research encompasses advanced laboratory characterization of shale rocks, application of fracture mechanics, and development of numerical models to understand the response of reservoir rocks to hydraulic fracturing.
Biography
Dr. Jeffrey Priest obtained his BEng (Hons) and PhD from the University of Southampton. He is an professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and holds the Canada Research Chair in Geomechanics of Gas Hydrates. His collaboration with Geotek, UK led to the development of the Pressure Core Analysis and Transfer System (PCATS): Triaxial apparatus. Since his arrival at the University of Calgary he has also collaborated with with colleagues in Dept. of Civil Engineering, Geoscience and Physics to improve our understanding of hydraulic fracturing of shale reservoir rocks and there link to induced seismicity.
Publications
Madhusudhan, B.N., Clayton, C.RI. and Priest, , J.A. (Accepted). The Effects of Hydrate on the Strength and Stiffness of some Sands. J. Geophys. Res.
AbuAisha, A, Eaton, D., Priest, J.A. and Wong, R.C.K., Loret, B. and Kent, A. H. (2018). Fully coupled hydro–mechanical controls on non–diffusive seismicity triggering front driven by hydraulic fracturing. Journal of Seismology
McKean, S. and Priest, J.A. (2018). Multiple Failure State Triaxial Testing of an Unconventional Siltstone Reservoir. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering.
Powrie, W., Rorke, L., Clayton, C. R. I., Priest, J. A. and Otter, L. (2018). Effects of saturation on the resilient modulus of a pavement formation material. Geotechnique
Priest, J. A., Hayley, J.L., Smith, W.E., Schultheiss, P. and Roberts, J. (2018). PCATS Triaxial Testing: Geomechanical properties of sediments from pressure cores recovered from the Bay of Bengal during Expedition NGHP-02. Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.07.005
Smith, W. E., Grozic, J.L.H. and Priest, J.A. (2018). The Influence of Tetrahydrofuran Hydrate Veins on Fine-Grained Soil Behaviour. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2017-0399
Mamou, A., Powrie, W., Priest, J.A. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2018). Behaviour of saturated railway track foundation materials during undrained cyclic loading. Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Sultaniya, A., Priest, J.A. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2017). The impact of formation and dissociation conditions on the stiffness of a hydrate-bearing sand. Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Coelho B., Priest J. A., Hölscher, P. (2017). Dynamic behaviour of transition zones in soft soils during regular traion traffic. Proc. IMechE Vol. 232 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit, 232(3), 645-662
AbuAisha, A, Eaton, D., Priest, J.A. and Wong, R.C.K. (2017). Hydro-mechanically coupled Finite-Discrete Element Modelling (FDEM) approach to simulate hydraulic fracturing in isotropic and fractured rock formations. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 154, 100-113
Mamou, A., Powrie, W., Priest, J.A. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2017). The effects of drainage on the behaviour of railway track foundation materials during cyclic loading. Geotechnique, 67(10), 845-854.
Otter, L., Clayton, C.R.I., Priest, J.A. and Grabe, P.J. (2015). The stiffness of unsaturated railway formation. Proc. IMechE: Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit, 230(4), 1040-1052
Pinkert, S., Grozic, J. L. H. and Priest, J. A. (2015)., Int. J. Geomech., 15(6). doi/:10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000477
Sultaniya, A., Priest, J.A. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2015). Measurements of the changing wave velocities of sand during the formation and dissociation of disseminated methane hydrate, J. Geophys. Res, 120 (2), 778 - 789
Priest, J.A., Druce, M., Roberts, J., Schultheiss, P., Nakatsuka, Y. and Suzuki, K. (2015). PCATS Triaxial: A new geotechnical apparatus for characterizing pressure cores from the Nankai Trough, Japan. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 66(2), 460-470
Priest, J.A., Clayton, C.R.I. and Rees, E.V.L. (2014). Potential impact of gas hydrate and its dissociation on the strength of host sediment in the Krishna-Godavari Basin, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 58(A), 187-198,
McKean, S., Priest, J.A., and Eaton. D.W. (2018). Identifying Discrete Fracture Networks by Clustering with Microseismic Data. 71st Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoEdmonton 2018, 23rd – 26th September 2018.
Ma, B., Hayley, J. L., Priest, J.A. (2018). Experimental Investigation on the Geomechanical Behaviour of Hydrate-Bearing Fine-grained Sediments. 71st Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoEdmonton 2018, 23rd – 26th September 2018.
Debnath, K., Hayley, J. L., Priest, J.A. (2018. Modeling changes in hydrate stabilities associated with Arctic warming and its impact on slope instabilities. 71st Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoEdmonton 2018, 23rd – 26th September 2018.
Abbas, M., Priest, J.A., Hayley, J. L. (2018. (2016). Evaluation and Comparison of Geomechanical Properties of Hydrate bearing and Frozen Sands. 71st Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoEdmonton 2018, 23rd – 26th September 2018.
McKean, S. and Priest, J.A., Multiple Failure State Triaxial Testing of Anisotropic Laminated Fine-Grained Sedimentary Rocks, 70th Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoOttawa 2017, 1st October - 4th October 2017.
Wu, J., Priest, J.A. and Grozic, J.L.H. (2017). The behavior of fine-grained sediments containing THF hydrate veins during triaxial compression tests. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH8-2014), 25 June – 30 June 2017, Denver, Colarado, USA, 7 pages.
Priest, J.A. and Grozic, J.L.H. (2017). Strength comparisons of laboratory synthesized hydrate-bearing sand and its relationship to natural sediments. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH9-2017), 25 June – 30 June 2017, Denver, Colarado, USA, 7 pages.
McKean, S., Priest, J.A. and Wong, R.C.K. (2016). Induced Permeability and Stress Drop Mechanisms in Hydraulic Fracturing. 69th Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoVancouver 2016, 2nd – 5th October 2016.
Wu, J., Priest, J.A. and Grozic, J.L.H. (2016). The impact of cylindrical tetrahydrofuran hydrate veins on the geomechanical behavior of fine-grained soils. 69th Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoVancouver, 2016, 2nd – 5th October 2016.
Priest, J.A. and Grozic, J.L.H. (2015). Stability of fine-grained sediments subject to gas hydrate dissociation in the Arctic continental margin, 7th International Symposium on Submarine Mass Movement and their consequences, Springer, Wellington, New Zealand, 1-4th November, 2015.
Smith, W.E., Grozic, J.L.H. and Priest, J.A. (2015). The Formation of Laboratory Analogues of Natural Hydrate-Bearing Fine-Grained Soil. 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference, September 2015
Priest, J.A. and Grozic, J.L.H. (2014). Gas hydrate-bearing clays: A slope stability issue? In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Gas Hydrates, 28 July – 1 August 2014, Beijing, China, 8 pages.
Awards
Teaching Excellence Award, SSE, 2016
Technology Strategy Board ‘Engineering Excellence Award’. Awarded to University of Southampton and Geotek Ltd, Knowledge Transfer Partnership – 07047, December 2013
Excellence in Teaching Award ‘Best Contribution to Academic Support’ within Civil Engineering awarded by Southampton University Students Union, 2013
Thomas Hawksley Gold Medal & John F Alcock Memorial Prize, 2007
Institution of Mechanical Engineers – Best Journal Paper ‘Monitoring the dynamic displacements of Railway Track’ in Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 2007