Education
| Degree | Discipline | Institution | Year |
| Ph.D. | Petroleum Engineering | The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA | 2003 |
| M.Sc. | Math& Sci. Education | The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA | 2003 |
| M.Sc. | Petroleum Engineering | The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, USA | 1999 |
| B.Sc. | Petroleum Engineering | The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA | 1995 |
Research Interests
I am the Founder and Director of the Kuwait University Flow Assurance and Multiphase in Energy Systems (KU-FLAMES), an International Collaborative Research Program, and the Co-director and Co-founder of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Drilling and Production Research Consortium. My research interests include petroleum and energy production and transportation; multiphase flow in energy systems; flow assurance; geothermal energy; CCUS; artificial lift in oil wells; underbalanced drilling; thermal hydraulics and multiphase flow in nuclear applications; and mathematics and science education.
Courses Taught
PE
411
Petroleum Production Engineering
PE
425
Natural Gas Reservoir Engineering
PE
505
Transport Phenomena In Petroleum Engineering
PE
556
Advanced Production Engineering
Selected Publications
- Lizarraga-Garcia, E., Buongiorno, J., Al-Safran, E., and Lakehal, D.: “CFD-informed Unified Closure Relation for the Velocity of Taylor Bubbles,” poster presented at the 24th International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Montreal, Canada, August 2016.
- Al-Safran, E., and Brill, J. 2017. Applied Multiphase Flow in Pipes and Flow Assurance-Oil and Gas Production. Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Richardson, TX., USA (ISBN: 978-1-61399-492-4).
- Al-Safran, E., Ghasemi, M., and Al-Ruhaimani, F.: “Modeling High-Viscosity Two-Phase Flow Pattern Transition in Upward Vertical Flow in Pipes,” Presented in the BHRG Multiphase Production Technology Conference, Cannes, France, June 2019.
- Al-Safran, E., Ghasemi, M., and Al-Ruhaimani, F.: “High-Viscosity Liquid/Gas Flow Pattern Transitions in Upward Vertical Pipe Flow,” SPE 199901-PA, SPE Journal, 25 (03), 1155-1173, June 2020.
- Lizarraga-Garcia, E., Buongiorno, J., and Al-Safran, E.: “Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) of Taylor Bubbles in Vertical and Inclined Pipes with Upward and Downward Liquid Flow,” SPE 205373-PA, SPE Journal, 26 (06), 3832-3847, December 2021.
- Al-Safran, E., and Al-Ali, B.: “Modeling Asphaltene Deposition in Vertical Oil Wells,” J. of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 221, 111277, 2023.
- Al-Safran, E. and Shaaban, O.: “Prediction of Slug Length Distribution in Horizontal Large Diameter Gas/Liquid Pipeline System,” J. of Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 240, 212985, 2024.
- Aql, A., Soto-Cortes, G., Al-Safran, E., Pereyra, E., and Sarica, C.: “Experimental Study of Pressure Effect on the Evolution of Slug/Pseudo Slug Flow Characteristics in a Large Diameter Slightly Upward Inclined Pipe,” Int. J. of Multiphase Flow, 195, 105583, 2026.
- Ghasemi, M., Al-Safran, E., and Rasheed, A.: “Flow Pattern Prediction of Gas/Liquid Two-Phase Flow Over a Wide Range of Liquid Viscosity and Inclination Angle Using Machine Learning,” J. of Chem. Eng. Research and Design, 228, 290-300, 2026.
Work Experience
Academic Experience
| Institution | Designation | Year/Period |
| Kuwait University | Professor | 2018-present |
| Kuwait University | Vice Dean for Research and Academic Affairs | 2012-2016 |
| Kuwait University | Associate Professor | 2010-2018 |
| Rice University (Houston, TX, USA) | Visiting Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Eng. Dept. | 2025-2026 |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Cambridge, MA, USA) | Visiting Professor in Nuclear Sci. and Eng. Dept. | 2016-2017 |
Industry Experience
| Organization | Designation | Year/Period |
| KUWAIT OIL COMPANY | Petroleum Reservoir Engineer | 1995-1997 |
| KUWAIT OIL COMPANY | Production and Flow Assurance Engineering Consultant | 2007-present |
Professional Organizations
| Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). | 1997-present |
| American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). | 2000-present |
| American Statistical Association (ASA). | 2002-present |
| American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). | 2008-present |