Pacelli L. J. Zitha is the Director of the Geosciences and Engineering Laboratory and Professor and Chair of Geo-Energy Production Systems at the Delft University of Technology Department of Geoscience and Engineering. He is the founder of Binga Energy B.V., an energy firm based in the Netherlands which provides technical and reservoir management services for oil and gas field development and invests in renewable energies.
Background
Zitha, Pacelli Lidio José was born on October 19, 1961 in Maputo, Mozambique son of Jose Eugenio and Maria Salome (Mulhui) Zitha. He started his primary studies late (at the age of 7) at the Ecola Padre Alves Martins in He holds an MSc degree in Theoretical Fluid Physics (1991) and a PhD degree in Condensed Matter Physics (2004), from the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI). For more than 25 years he conducted research on fluid flow in porous media, polymers, foam and magnetic fluids with applications in Improved and Enhanced Oil Recovery. He was involved in research-based pilot design, planning and implementation as well as field development studies. He has published over 160 technical and scientific papers. He lectured various short courses including Production Engineering, Improved/Enhanced Oil Recovery and Formation Damage Mitigation and Natural Gas Engineering,. He served in various committees including the SPE R&D Advisory Committee (2007-2010) and as Chairman of the European Formation Damage Conference (2009, 2011).
Education
1988 DEUG Maths and Physics, University Paris VII,
1989 Licence in fundamental physics, University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI)
1990 Master in Fundamental Physics, University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI)
1991 Theoretical Fluid Physics, University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI)
1994 Doctor of Philosophy in Physics, University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI)
Career
Associate professor, since 2002, director Dietz-Laboratory, since 2005.
Assistant professor, 1997—2002, science director Dietz-Laboratory, 1997—2005,.
Research associate Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, 1995—1997.
Assistant research engineer French Petroleum Institute, Rueil-Malmaison, 1991—1995.
Junior researcher University Orsay, France, 1990—1991.
Achievements
Pacelli Lidio José Zitha has been listed as a noteworthy science administrator, educator by Marquis Who's Who.
Provided experimental evidence for the bridging adsorption of polymers during flow in porous media
Invented the Magnetorheological Drilling Fluids and co-invented the Magnetorheological Cement (together with Jan Dirk Jansen)
Demonstrated that stale foams can be developed in porous media contrary to current belief up to that point. Develop a simplified theory for foam propagation in porous media.
Discovered the mechanism for the cross-linking of polyacrylamide base polymers by organic cross-linkers like polyethylene imine.
Membership
Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
American Physical Society (APS)
Society of Rheology (SoR)
International Association of Colloid and Surface Scientists (IACIS)
Interests
Chess, music, reading, history, gardening.
Connections
Married Emrin Bovens, April 5, 1997. Children: Edgar Ferdinand Pouleni, Victor Gontran Leonard.
