Technical Qualifications


TSA's principal and staff have several years of experience in Petroleum Engineering and UIC engineering (more than 30 years) and with EPA UIC CDX and database experience (more than 20 years). Our unique experience couples an in-depth knowledge of O&G E&P operations and injection well technology (for all classes) plus in-depth regulatory knowledge (compliance and enforcement).

Petroleum Engineering and UIC Engineering

Our experience in petroleum engineering includes: Drilling and completions (both vertical and deviated/horizontal injection wells); well construction - casing and cementing; reservoir engineering - well testing including pressure fall-offs, injectivity tests, step-rate tests (SRTs) to determine fracture gradients), pulse tests/interference tests etc.; design and execution of cement jobs (single stage, 2-stage and 3-stage jobs), evaluation of cement quality and logs (Ultrasonic Imaging Tool - USIT, Segmented Bond Logs - SBT, Circumferential Acoustic Scanning Tool - CAST-V). We have worked in every major oil and gas producing province in the U.S.A. with a recent major focus on the North Slope (permafrost environment) and Cook Inlet areas of Alaska. Our work areas have included both offshore and onshore oilfields both in the U.S. and overseas.

Additional work areas of current focus include solids injection (of drill cuttings/muds etc.) via slurry fracture injection (SFI), CO2 injection for both EOR as well as geologic sequestration in deep saline aquifers, and review of enhanced production from tight gas/unconventional reservoirs with an emphasis on completions/stimulations/fracturing techniques.

Talib Syed, P.E. is a Registered Professional Engineer (Petroleum Engineering) in Colorado (PE # 32507) and Wyoming (PE # 8638) and certified to testify in legal court proceedings, if necessary. He is a nationally recognized expert in deep well injection technology.

Talib obtained a BS (Chemical Engineering -1971) and a MS (Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma - 1983) and has worked in the areas of chemical process engineering in Germany, as a Petroleum Engineer (both offshore and onshore) in Saudi Arabia and has been providing consulting support to EPA's UIC programs since 1982 (and in Alaska since 1999). He is a member of SPE - Society of Petroleum Engineers (since 1977), of AIME - American Institute of Mechanical Engineers, GWPC - Ground Water Protection Council and IOGCC (Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission). (Please see attached resume of Talib Syed).

Talib Syed's expertise includes the following areas:

Evaluation and analysis of borehole geophysical logs to determine formation water salinities and enable EPA to define aquifers that are either underground sources of drinking water -USDWs (and grant aquifer exemptions if they meet the aquifer exemption criteria per 40 CFR regulations) or grant a "No USDW" ruling. Also, evaluate formation water sample laboratory analysis data in conjunction with aquifer exemption requests received from operators. Work with AOGCC in conjunction with Class II related permits issued by the state.

Drilling and well construction design and completion for both newly drilled wells as well as work-overs to convert existing Class II wells to Class I wells. Areas of expertise include well hydraulics, mud design, casing and cement job design and execution. Ensure cementing jobs are carried out as per design (both for surface and long string casings) and may include single-stage, 2-stage or 3-stage cement jobs. Evaluate quality of cement job and current cement bond logging techniques such as USIT - ultrasonic imaging tool, SBT - segmented bond tool, and CAST-V (circumferential acoustic Scanning Tool). Select appropriate packer setting depth and tubing and packer design and perforation or open-hole completion as per operator and permit conditions.

Extensive experience with well logging tools and theory and applications:

  • Open hole logs - GR, resistivity, SP, Technical Qualifications/neutron/density, etc.
  • MWD/LWD (measurement while drilling and logging while drilling) logs
  • Cased hole/production logs - RST (reservoir saturation tool), Water Flow Log/Oxygen Activation (WFL/OA), Borax-PNL, Temperature, spinner surveys, CO (carbon oxygen) logs, RTS (radioactive tracer surveys).
  • Caliper logs to monitor corrosion of down-hole tubular from corrosion/erosion impacts from both fluids and solids injection (fracture slurry injection)
  • Ultrasonic leak detection logs to evaluate very small leaks in injection wells (especially in WAG - water alternating gas wells).
  • Other tools used both in e-line and slick-line applications for well intervention and access operations.

Stimulation and fracturing studies - Review of fracture model studies in conjunction with solids injection and potential risks to USDWs from fracture slurry injection operations. Give technical recommendations to regulatory agencies on setting appropriate permit requirements.

TSA's consultants have extensive computer literacy and technical and regulatory knowledge to be able to make on-site decisions at the rig - after reviewing data and consulting with operator representatives relating to the entire drilling operation - from spud through completion and placing the well on-line/commissioning. TSA has received excellent rating from both operators and EPA for such support provided in the last 10 years.

Expertise in Geologic Sequestration

TSA's consultant - Talib Syed has extensive expertise related to the science/engineering and/or emerging industry practices related to CO2 injection for both Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and geologic storage applications. His expertise covers critical areas of well design and construction, permitting, testing and monitoring for both CO2-EOR and CO2-GS wells (Class II and proposed Class VI wells). He is widely published and presented papers on the current state of art of these types of injection wells.

Expertise in Fracture Slurry Injection

TSA's consultant - Talib Syed has extensive knowledge and experience with the permitting, design, construction, operation and monitoring of FSI wells in Alaska and has been involved with every Class I well FSI well in Alaska these past several years. Fracture growth modeling studies and risk assessment to USDWs is a critical part of the technical support provided to EPA in these projects in Alaska.

UIC Engineer with UIC-CDX database experience

TSA's consultant - Ghulam Iqbal, PhD, P.E. has extensive experience in both UIC engineering/petroleum engineering and database management projects. His past experience has included hazardous waste injection modeling, development of a contaminant database for EPA, development and maintenance of Alaska UIC database for both Class I and Class V wells, and the recent conversion of underground injection well data into the national database format.