The University of Tulsa's Petroleum Engineering Department

Ken has been married for 32 years to Pat and has 2 grown children. He received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering in May 1976 Cum Laude and as an Outstanding Senior and a Masters of Science in Engineering in May 1980, Cum Laude with a thesis titled “Oil-Water Flow in Horizontal Pipes”. Both degrees from The University of Tulsa, of course.He is currently a partner or officer in 7 companies.  His current favorite is Impact Technologies LLC which manages technology development through design, patenting, prototyping and commercializing phases.  Product development includes Inverted Motors (high speed electric, low speed electric, hydraulic, pneumatic versions), High Pressure Slurry Piston Pumps, Gas-Liquid-Solids compact separation, SPI gel systems, and other products. Impact manages or is involved in 9 projects with the US Department of Energy/ NETL, University of Tulsa, Penn State University, University of Missouri-Rolla, University of Texas-Arlington, Stripper Well Consortium, Oklahoma Center of the Advancement of Science and Technology and various industry partners. Ken started out with Chevron U.S.A. in 1977 as a Production Engineer and a Reservoir Engineer in New Orleans, Research Engineer in LaHabra, CA, then back to New Orleans as a Drilling Engineer. He then worked for CNG Producing Company and Mapco Oil and Gas Company in Tulsa.  He has also managed international consulting contracts for CEALC, Inc.Ken has served on the executive boards of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC), Stripper Well Consortium, Oklahoma Commission on Marginally Producing Oil and Gas Wells, Mid-Continent Coal Bed Methane Symposium, International Energy Advocates, and the Tulsa Engineering Foundation. He served as the 2004 SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium and Exhibition General Chairman (prior to Mohan Kelkar). He received the SPE Mid-Continent Regional Service Award in 2004.

He has served on the PE department’s Industry Advisory Board since early 1990s and was chairman in 1998 – 2001. A little history, he was the 1976 SPE Student Chapter President and took first place in the SPE Rocky Mountain Regional Student Paper Contest 1975.Ken is a registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma. He is the author or co-author of 10 technical publications and has been awarded 3 patents (US and international) and additional patents are pending.

Ken in his own words:

Why did you choose TU?

 Tulsa University was a local , well known university. My sister was going to TU as well.  I visited the campus, liked the professors, got a very good PE scholarship from NL Baroid and I signed up. No one I knew was in the petroleum industry, so it took a lot of catching up to find out what it was all about.

Did TU prepare you well for your future endeavors?

Yes, very well. First, it is a very good school and well known in the petroleum industry and in academia.  It has had and still has a world renowned faculty.  I now believe that a PE degree is a more broad and multi-discipline degree with engineering and science coverage in math, structure, chemicals, flow, porous media, multiphase flow and other fields. This is what industry now wants!  This has helped me in designing and patenting new motors and tools for drilling especially as applied to (multiphase) underbalanced drilling systems. It has helped me (with others) design new gel and many other products.

Any fond memories you would like to share?

Late night working on a chalk board with a group of fellow engineers to try to understand what a professor really said in class, serving as the TU Chapter SPE president and getting to know a lot of students, long hours collecting data for my Masters thesis, and summers with Getty Oil working very hard in very hot Texas and Oklahoma fields to remind me why I wanted a good PE degree from TU.