Holger Ott’s workshop focuses on oil properties from the reservoir engineering point of view. His presentation, ‘Aspects of Reservoir Engineering’, firstly discusses the notion of creativity from his personal perspective. Subsequently he provides a provides a schematic view on oil reservoirs and production, and goes on to link subsurface processes to oil. Lastly, he touches on the relationship of modern petroleum engineering and climate problems and their solutions.

He considers that there have been many creative acts throughout the history of science. He draws parallels between art and science in terms of their shared reliance on ‘observation’ and ‘techniques’ and creative acts. What makes people creative? What is the difference between the scientific and an artistic approach?

Holger then moves on to explain what an oil reservoir is. He explains key concepts and processes on what keeps the oil in the ground and how it can be produced. Different choices of the hydrocarbon sources and the processes involved in the extraction of oil from subsurface reservoirs, involve environmental issues and associated technical and scientific challenges.

In the third section of his presentation, Holger tells us about those different chemical rock-fluid interaction that engineers need to consider. Various chemical methods leave different quantities of oil in the ground behind: ‘It all depends on the rate of oil you want to produce. Do you choose a fast or sustainable method?’ He explains the impact these methods have on the environment.

After the presentation, Alejandra Rodríguez-Remedi and Ernst Logar ask the Leoben team about their favourite oil and oil smell. Holger’s favourite is conventional oil is his favourite, not heavy oil or other unconventionals, which demands lots of energy to be produced with a respectively high CO2 footprint. Patrick Jasek likes what he calls ‘intermediate oil’, one with a greenish look, and he also likes the smell of petrol that one gets when filling up at a petrol station. Karez Abdulhameed prefers oil which ‘smells clean,’ and shares her experience of growing up in Iraq, seeing petrol sold on the street, the various containers they had to use, and the sound of the bell that the street vendors rang.