Colin McPhee is widely recognised as an industry expert in core analysis, petrophysics, geomechanics, and formation damage. His 40 years' experience includes major integrated petrophysics and geomechanics projects for fields in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the North Sea. Currently, Colin is Global Technical Head for Geomechanics and Rock properties for LR Senergy, advising clients on petrophysical and geomechanical aspects of field development, asset evaluation and well construction.
After working as a wellsite geologist in the North Sea then a geotechnical engineer, Colin joined the Department of Petroleum Engineering in Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh in 1980 where he was responsible for technical and operational supervision of departmental research projects, involving petrophysical core analysis and fluid flow in porous media. He later joined Edinburgh Petroleum Services where he managed its core analysis laboratory equipment division and core testing laboratory, and developed one of the first core analysis audit and laboratory management consultancies in the world. Since then he has managed over 200 core analysis programmes for Helix RDS and LR Senergy and has audited over 50,000 SCAL measurements . His active promotion of closer cooperation between stakeholders and core analysis vendors and his innovative solutions in SCAL data interpretation has ensured that core data are more reliable, robust and representative. Colin developed an industry-leading, independent training course in core analysis data acquisition and utilisation in 1990 and has now taught over 100 courses to over 1500 industry professionals, worldwide. Colin has written several technical papers, regularly presents at industry conferences worldwide and has been a Technical Editor for the Society of Petroleum Engineers Formation Evaluation publication. He was a SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2010-2011, lecturing on core analysis. Colin has a BSc in applied geology from Strathclyde University and a masters in civil engineering from Glasgow University.
