Basic Introduction:

FAN Dian is currently a Research Assistant Professor at SUSTech. He received his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, from Texas Tech University, USA, in 2018. Dr. Fan’s research is focused on multi-scale theoretical and numerical simulation studies of fluids and micro-/nano-particles transport in complex subsurface geologic media. His research aims to apply to shale oil and gas exploration, geological carbon sequestration and storage, removal of micro-/nano-plastics in wastewater, sand control in the process of oil and gas production, and recovery of environmental nanoparticle tracers.

Professional Experience:

2021.08-present: Research Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology

2024.07-2024.09：Visiting Scholar, Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nurnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11)

2021.01-2021.04: Research Fellow, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London

2018.06-2021.01: Postdoc Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London

2020.05-2020.12: Teaching Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London

2015.09-2018.05: Teaching Assistant, Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas Tech University

Education:

2013.08-2018.05: Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, Texas Tech University

2009.08-2013.06: B.E. in Petroleum Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology

Synergistic Activities:

2022-2027: 1st term of the Young Committee Member of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (Process Modelling and Numerical Simulation)

Awards and Honors:

“Pengcheng Peacock Plan” Specially-Hired Talent (2023)

Research Interests:

1. Transport of Fluids and Solid Particles in Geological Porous Media

2. Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Numerical Simulations

Selected funded projects:

1. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (42202136), Shale media deformation and their porosity and permeability evolution based on mineral granular mechanics, 2023-2025, principal investigator.

2. EU Horizon 2020 (No. 764810), Science 4 Clean Energy, 2017-2020, €9,785,730, participated

3. EU Horizon 2020 (No. 640979), ShaleXenvironmenT, 2015-2018, €3,399,202, participated

Published Works:

First/Corresponding-authored journal papers (*corresponding author)

1. Fan, D.*, Tang, Y., Wang, P. et al., 2025. Crossover Scaling of Structural and Mechanical Properties in 3D Assemblies of Non-Spherical, Frictional Particles. Communications Physics, 8(81).

2. Fan, D., Hou, H., Zeng, J., Yuan, B., Lv, Z., Chen, Y., Li, Y., Huang, S., Striolo, A. and Zhang, D., 2024. Lattice Boltzmann Method/Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method Applications for Transport and Packing of Non-Spherical Particles during Geo-Energy Explorations: A Review. Physics of Fluids, 36(8): 081302.

3. Fan, D.*, Chapman, E., Khan, A., Iacoviello, F., Mikutis, G., Pini, R., and Striolo, A., 2022. Anomalous Transport of Colloids in Heterogeneous Porous Media: A Multi-Scale Statistical Theory. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 617: 94-105.

4. Fan, D.*, Pini, R. and Striolo, A., 2021. A Seemingly Universal Particle Kinetic Distribution in Porous Media. Applied Physics Letters, 119, 134101.

5. Fan, D.*, Ettehadtavakkol, A. and Wang, W., 2020. Apparent Liquid Permeability in Mixed-Wet Shale Permeable Media. Transport in Porous Media. 134: 651-677.

6. Fan, D.*, Phan, A. and Striolo, A., 2020. Accurate Permeability Prediction in Tight Gas Rocks via Lattice Boltzmann Simulations with an Improved Boundary Condition. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 73, 103049.

7. Wang, W., Fan, D.*, Sheng, G., Chen, Z. and Su, Y., 2019. A Review of Analytical and Semi-Analytical Fluid Flow Models for Ultra-Tight Hydrocarbon Reservoirs. Fuel. 256: 115737.

8. Fan, D. and Ettehadtavakkol, A., 2017. Analytical Model of Gas Transport in Heterogeneous Hydraulically Fractured Organic-Rich Shale Media. Fuel. 207: 625-640.

9. Fan, D. and Ettehadtavakkol, A., 2017. Semi-Analytical Modeling of Shale Gas Flow through Fractal Induced Fracture Networks with Micro-Seismic Data. Fuel. 193: 444-459.

10. Fan, D. and Ettehadtavakkol, A., 2016. Transient Shale Gas Flow Model. Journal of Natural Gas Science & Engineering. 33: 1353-1363. 

Co-authored journal papers

1. Huang, K., Huang, S., Jiang, Q., Gates, I.D. and Fan, D., 2024. Analytical Prediction Model for Edge Water Invasion Flow Rate in SAGD Heavy Oil Reservoirs. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 244, 213404.

2. Huang, K., Huang, S., Jiang, Q., Gates, I.D., Fan, D., Zhao, H., Wang, H. and Wang, G., 2024. Simulation of Edge Water Invasion Mitigation of the SAGD Chamber by Low Temperature Oxidation (LTO) Coking Air Injection and Optimization of Operating Parameters. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 243, 213351.

3. Huang, K., Huang, S., Zhou, Y., Jiang, Q., Liu, J., Wang, Z., Gates, I.D., Fan, D. and Li, K., 2024. Mitigating Water Invasion in Heavy Oil Reservoirs: A Review of Techniques and the Potential of Low-Temperature Oxidation for Plugging via Air Injection as A Low-Carbon Strategy. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 243, 213401.

4. You, A., Huang, S., Gong, R., Jiang, Q., Fan, D. and Zhao, H., 2024. Experimental Study on the Mechanism of Associated Gas Generation by Heavy Oil Aquathermolysis and Thermal Cracking during Steam Injection. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 182, p.106722.

5. Kali, R. F. S., Fan, D., Hazel, N., and Striolo, A. 2022. Techno-Socio-Economic Analysis of Geological Carbon Sequestration Opportunities. Environmental Science: Advances, 1 (2), 138-155.

6. Pang, Y., Fan, D., and Chen, S., 2021. A Novel Approach to Predict Gas Flow in Entire Knudsen Number Regime through Nanochannels with Various Geometries. SPE Journal, 1-20.

7. Phan, A., Fan, D., Striolo, A., 2020. Fluid Transport through Heterogeneous Pore Matrices: Multiscale Simulation Approaches. Physics of Fluids, 32(10): 101301.

Conference Papers & Presentations

1. Fan, D. Multi-Scale Transport of Colloids in Randomly Packed Beads and Sandstone. Transport in Narrow Channels, Institute d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse – Cargèse, France, September 9-13, 2024.

2. Chen, Y., Fan, D., and Yuan, B. Dispersion and Straining of Non-Spherical Suspended Particles in Randomly Packed Beads. 16th InterPore Annual Meeting, Qingdao, China, May 13-16, 2024.

3. Fan, D., Chapman, E., Pini, R., and Striolo, A. Dispersion and Retention of Colloids in Saturated Sandstone from the Microscale to the Macroscale. 14th InterPore Annual Meeting, Abu Dhabi, UAE, May 30-June 2, 2022.

4. Fan, D. Multi-Scale Dynamics of Nanoparticles versus Solutes Transport in Porous Media. An invited speech at Imperial College London, London, UK, March 25, 2022.

5. Fan, D. A Seemingly Universal Particle Kinetic Distribution in Porous Media. Mathematics in (bio)Chemical Kinetics and Engineering, Shanghai, China, October 24-27, 2021.

6. Fan, D., Wang, W., Ettehadtavakkol, A. and Su, Y. Confinement Facilitates Wetting Liquid Slippage Through Mixed-wet and Heterogeneous Nanoporous Shale Rocks. Conference paper at Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA, July 22-24, 2019.

7. Fan, D. Simulations of Colloidal Nanoparticle Flow Through Geological Porous Media. An invited speech at BP Research Centre, Sunbury-on-Thames, UK, November 6, 2019.

8. Fan, D., Phan, A. and Striolo, A. Accurate Lattice Boltzmann Simulations of Gas Permeability Through Nanoporous Media. UK Fluids Conference, Cambridge, UK, August 27-29, 2019.

9. Fan, D., Striolo, A. and Pini, R. Recovery of Molecular versus Particle Tracers in Porous Media. International Conference on Properties & Phase Equilibria for Product & Process Design, Vancouver, Canada, May 12-16, 2019.