Hui Long

Hui Long came to Penn State from China in 2001 with a B.S. degree in geology (Northwest University, China) and a M.S. degree in geological engineering (Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences). Hui was interested in a program that would allow him opportunities to further develop numerical modeling skills, run experiments in the lab and pursue field research.

Pressure Success at Sea
Since joining G3, Hui has participated in the design, fabrication, deployment, and analysis of a pressure penetrometer that measures pore pressure in low permeability mudstones encountered in Ocean Drilling. In the summer of 2005, this tool was successfully deployed in the Gulf of Mexico aboard IODP Expedition 308. The development of the new "Temperature Two Pressure (T2P) Probe" was documented in the Proceedings of the Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, May 1-4, 2006, OTC Paper #17957. Hui also was lead author on Analysis and Interpretation for DVTP-P and Piezoprobe Deployments at Hydrate Ridge (in press) with advisors Derek Elsworth and Peter Flemings for the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Hui continues to run consolidation and triaxial tests on core samples taken during Expedition 308. The test results will provide petrophysical properties for the sediment and will be used to derive parameters for the soil model that simulates the stress and pressure responses induced by probe penetration.

In the Lab—Numerical Modeling
Hui also is very active in the lab developing his numerical modeling skills. He maintains and updates PSU-FRAC and PSU-McFRAC, which are web-based Matlab programs used to predict the potential hydrocarbon column height in a sand. In addition, Hui collects and processes overburden data for the rock deformation database of the GeoFluids Consortium.

Broad Experience, Unlimited Opportunities
With a background in interdisciplinary research; experience working with researchers from around the world; bilingual language skills in Chinese and English; and fresh off an internship with Exxon-Mobil, Hui's career prospects are envious! Further, his broad experience in soil mechanics, hydrogeology and basin modeling leaves Hui open to entertain job opportunities in either the energy industry or academia.

Hui has certainly been pleased by his experience at Penn State and says that not only does Penn State have a "very good Geosciences program," but that for his family, "State College is a safe and beautiful town."