About
James P. Brill, Ph.D., returned to The University of Tulsa in December 2023 as the McDougall Eminent Chair Professor in Petroleum Engineering. He first joined the faculty in 1966 and retired in 2000. He holds a B.S. in engineering from the University of Minnesota (1962), and a Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas (1966). He formed the fluid flow projects (TUFFP) in 1973, the paraffin deposition projects (TUPDP) in 1995, and served for five years as a consultant on the Decision Review Board for TUCoRE, established by Chevron in 2002. Multiphase flow data and prediction models developed by Brill and his students have played a significant role in offshore facilities design. He was a consultant to more than 35 international oil and gas companies and taught more than 70 short courses on multiphase flow in pipes in 15 different countries. He published nearly 300 technical papers and research reports, with many appearing in SPE, ASME and AIChE Journals and the International Journal of Multiphase Flow. He is co-author of the SPE Monograph “Multiphase Flow in Wells,” which was translated into Russian in 2006, and the 2017 SPE Textbook “Applied Multiphase Flow in Pipes and Flow Assurance.”
Awards & Honors
- ENS College of Engineering Hall of Fame, The University of Tulsa, 2018
- Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, 2009
- Legend of Production and Operations, SPE, 2009
- Honorary Member, SPE and AIME, 2009
- DeGolyer Medal, SPE, 2008
- Established Jim Brill’s UTulsa Endowed Presidential Scholarship Challenge Fund for PE Students, 2007
- Fellow, ASME, 2000
- Chair, ETCE Petroleum Production Technology Symposium, 1998-2001
- Chair, ASME Petroleum Division’s Production Committee, 1998-2000
- Distinguished Member, SPE, 1997
- John Franklin Carll Award, SPE, 1997
- Commencement speaker, The University of Tulsa, 1997
- Member, United States National Academy of Engineering, 1997
- Editor of ASME Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 1996-2000
- Mr. Homecoming, The University of Tulsa, 1995
- Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, SPE, 1994
- Production Engineering Award, SPE, 1994
- SPE representative, ABET Board of Directors, 1994-2000
- SPE representative, ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission, 1989-1994
- Fellow, ACE Academic Administrators Internship Program, 1969-1970
- Member, Tau Beta Pi Honorary Engineering Society, 1964
- Member, Pi Epsilon Tau Honorary Petroleum Engineering Society, 1963
Education
- Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1966
- Dissertation: “The Analytical Description of Liquid Slug Flow in Small-Diameter Vertical Conduits”
- B.S., Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1962
Research Interests & Areas of Expertise
- Multiphase flow in pipes
- Oil and gas production engineering
- Flow assurance
