Research Interests
- Energy economics and systems analysis of energy transition
- Energy technology-economics-policy interface
- Assessment of oil demand and oil market analysis in relation to energy transition, geopolitical uncertainty, economic growth and demand elasticity
- Reaction engineering and thermodynamics of hydrogen production
Selected publications
Alshammari, Y.M., 2021. Scenario analysis for energy transition in the chemical industry: An industrial case study in Saudi Arabia. Energy Policy, 150, p.112128
Alshammari, Yousef M. "Achieving climate targets via the circular carbon economy: The case of Saudi Arabia." C 6.3 (2020): 54.
Alshammari, Yousef M. "The energy transition in transport using alternative fuels: Can new technologies achieve policy targets?." OPEC Energy Review 43.3 (2019): 301-326
Alshammari, Yousef M., and Moufid Benmerabet. "Global scenarios for fuel oil utilisation under new sulphur and carbon regulations." OPEC Energy Review 41.4 (2017): 261-285
Alshammari, Y. and Sarathy, S.M, (2016). “Achieving 80% Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target in Saudi Arabia under Low and Medium Oil Prices”, Energy Policy
Alshammari, Y., and Hellgardt, K., (2015). “CFD Modelling of Sub and Supercritical Water Reforming of n-Hexadecane in a Tubular Flow Reactor”, Chemical Engineering Research and Design
Alshammari, Y., and Hellgardt, K., (2015). “Sub and Supercritical Water Reforming of n-Hexadecane in a Tubular Flow Reactor”, Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 107, 723-732
Alshammari, Y., and Hellgardt, K., (2014). “H2O2 Decomposition and Partial Oxidation of n-Hexadecane in Supercritical Water”, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 93, 565-575
Alshammari, Y., and Hellgardt, K., (2014). “A New HYSYS Model for Underground Gasification of Hydrocarbons under Hydrothermal Conditions”. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 39, 12648–12656
Alshammari, Y., and Hellgardt, K., (2012). “Thermodynamic Analysis of Hydrothermal Gasification of Hexadecane”, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37, 5656 – 5664
Completed Projects
Scenarios for energy transition in the petrochemical industry (2017-2018)
Sponsor: SABIC | Institution: University of Vienna
Scenarios for Future Utilisation of Fuel Oil under New Sulphur and Carbon Regulations (2016-2017)
Sponsor and Institution: OPEC
Acceleration of Transition towards Low Carbon Technologies in Saudi Arabia (2016)
Institution: University of Vienna | Sponsor: King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies
Systems Analysis of Low Carbon Transition in Saudi Arabia
Sponsor and Insititution: KAUST
Techno-economic Assessment of Hydrogen Production Using Nuclear Energy (2013-2014)
Institution: IAEA
Underground Gasification of Hydrocarbons (2009-2013)
Institution: Imperial College London | Sponsor: Saudi Arabia
Synthesis gas and clean hydrogen will become key components of the energy industry. Their production from fossil fuels is likely to be a major source of these energy vectors and chemical building blocks for many decades ahead. Currently, all the hydrocarbon conversion steps are carried out above surface, starting from oil and gas extraction and transportation to dedicated plants, with any separated CO2 returned back to the fields. However, there are increasingly strong drivers to reduce the environmental impact of the oil processing industry, by e.g. minimising the “footprint” of such operations and leaving the undesirable and low-value material underground (CO2, heavy metals, sulphur). One novel approach, which could be key, would be the production of syngas or hydrogen via downhole hydrothermal processing/partial oxidation. This envisages using the sub-surface well system as a continuous processing and reactor network to carry out as much as possible of the required separations and conversions in the well system (underground) or close to it (at the wellhead).
The goal is to radically reduce, by design, the overall environmental footprint (by minimising the number of species extracted other than final products, the number of external processing steps and the need for transport to/from the underground fields) while improving the overall economics of new fields and increasing the efficiency of recovery from conventional, mature reservoirs. This project focuses on innovative processes for syngas/hydrogen production from hydrocarbons. In particular, the project will address the reaction engineering and catalysis of the partial oxidation and steam or CO2 reforming of hydrocarbons and heterocycles under downhole conditions, enabling immediate re-injection of CO2 for EOR or sequestration and production of H2 at surface and in situ removal of heavy metals and sulphur.