Research Excellence Award

Kwamena Opoku Duartey is a petroleum engineering researcher whose work is situated at the intersection of subsurface energy systems, reservoir engineering, enhanced oil recovery, carbon storage, and emerging underground hydrogen storage technologies. Publicly available academic information identifies his research affiliation with the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and its Petroleum Recovery Research Center, where his work includes energy-related subsurface research. [1] His publication record includes research addressing unconventional reservoir performance, underground hydrogen storage, and long-term geological carbon storage. [2][3]

Abstract

Kwamena Opoku Duartey’s research profile is centered on petroleum engineering and subsurface energy systems, with particular relevance to reservoir characterization, enhanced oil recovery, carbon storage, and underground hydrogen storage. His recent research has examined underground hydrogen storage as a means of supporting large-scale energy storage and has considered geological formations, hydrodynamic behavior, geochemical interactions, and related storage challenges. [2] His work also contributes to the study of long-term carbon dioxide storage through core- to field-scale modeling approaches. [3]

Keywords

Energy; Petroleum Engineering; Reservoir Engineering; Underground Hydrogen Storage; Carbon Capture and Storage; Enhanced Oil Recovery; Subsurface Energy; Reservoir Simulation; Geological Storage.

Introduction

The transition toward lower-carbon energy systems has increased research interest in geological storage, reservoir management, and technologies capable of integrating conventional subsurface engineering with emerging energy applications. Duartey’s research falls within this broader field, combining petroleum engineering principles with investigations of hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide storage. His academic profile also includes research into unconventional reservoir behavior and fluid-flow-related challenges. [1][4]

The available scholarly record indicates an emphasis on quantitative modeling and engineering analysis. This orientation is relevant to contemporary energy research because geological formations used for petroleum production, carbon storage, and hydrogen storage require characterization of fluid behavior, reservoir properties, pressure response, and long-term storage performance.

Research Profile

Duartey’s publicly documented research expertise includes petroleum engineering, energy, drilling fluids, hydrogen energy, and modeling and simulation. [1] His research trajectory reflects a movement from conventional and unconventional reservoir engineering toward applications associated with energy transition and subsurface storage.

His institutional research activities are associated with the Petroleum Recovery Research Center at New Mexico Tech. A 2025 publication on long-term CO₂ storage lists Duartey with the Petroleum Engineering Department and the Petroleum Recovery Research Center at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. [3]

Research Contributions

Underground hydrogen storage. One of Duartey’s prominent recent research areas is underground hydrogen storage. His 2025 study in Energies examined UHS as a large-scale energy-storage pathway and discussed storage in geological environments including aquifers, salt caverns, and depleted reservoirs. [2]

Carbon storage. Duartey is also a co-author of research assessing long-term CO₂ storage using core- to field-scale models. The study, published in Energies in 2025, addresses geological carbon storage through an integrated modeling perspective. [3]

Unconventional reservoirs. Earlier research includes a multi-fractured well performance model for unconventional reservoirs, published in Heliyon in 2022. The study demonstrates the application of reservoir modeling to performance analysis in unconventional formations. [4]

Publications

Selected publications associated with Duartey’s research include the following works. The list is not intended to represent a complete bibliographic record.

Research Impact

The available publication record demonstrates research activity across conventional reservoir engineering and emerging subsurface energy applications. In particular, the focus on underground hydrogen storage is relevant to the development of technologies intended to address the intermittency and seasonal characteristics of renewable energy systems. [2]

The research on geological CO₂ storage complements this direction by addressing long-term subsurface containment and modeling at multiple scales. [3] Taken together, these studies position Duartey’s work within a research area connecting reservoir engineering, geological storage, energy transition, and computational modeling.

Public research-profile information reports 12 publications and 70 citations on ResearchGate at the time of its indexed record; such platform metrics can change over time and should therefore be interpreted as time-specific indicators rather than fixed measures of research impact. [1]

Award Suitability

For a Research Excellence Award within the Energy field, Duartey’s profile presents several relevant characteristics. His research addresses technically significant problems in petroleum and reservoir engineering while extending these methods toward emerging applications in underground hydrogen storage and geological carbon storage. [2][3]

A principal strength is the thematic continuity between reservoir engineering and energy-transition research. His publications demonstrate engagement with computational and engineering approaches to subsurface systems, including unconventional reservoir performance and geological storage. [4] This combination provides a substantive basis for consideration under an award category emphasizing research quality, technical relevance, innovation, and contribution to the energy research community.

A formal award assessment should nevertheless consider verified bibliometric records, the complete publication portfolio, independent citation data, peer-review contributions, research leadership, funded projects, patents where applicable, and documented societal or industrial outcomes. The present profile is therefore best understood as a scholarly recognition summary based on publicly accessible information rather than as an independent adjudication of award eligibility.

Conclusion

Kwamena Opoku Duartey is an energy and petroleum engineering researcher whose documented work encompasses reservoir engineering, unconventional reservoirs, underground hydrogen storage, and geological CO₂ storage. His recent research reflects the growing convergence between subsurface engineering and energy-transition technologies. [2][3] On the basis of the publicly available scholarly record, his research profile is relevant to academic recognition in Energy and related areas of subsurface engineering, subject to independent verification of complete research and impact records.

External Links

• ORCID Profile
• Google Scholar Profile

References

1. ResearchGate. (n.d.). Kwamena Opoku Duartey — Research profile. ResearchGate. Profile information includes affiliation, research areas, publications and citation indicators.
   https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kwamena-Duartey
2. Duartey, K. O., Ampomah, W., Rahnema, H., & Mehana, M. (2025). Underground Hydrogen Storage: Transforming Subsurface Science into Sustainable Energy Solutions. Energies, 18(3), 748.
   DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en18030748
   https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/3/748
3. Boison, P. K. N., Ampomah, W., Simmons, J. D., Bui, D., Sibaweihi, N., Amosu, A., & Duartey, K. O. (2025). Geochemical Assessment of Long-Term CO₂ Storage from Core- to Field-Scale Models. Energies, 18(15), 4089.
   DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154089
   https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4089
4. Mohammed, S., Boakye-Ansah, Y. A., Gyamfi-Yeboah, E., Duartey, K. O., & Nyamekye, W. I. (2022). A multi-fractured well performance model for unconventional reservoirs. Heliyon, 8(10), e10827.
   DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10827
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9561737/