Legend of gas and gas-condensate fields: An Azerbaijani scientist who made history through science

Zahid Aliyev, an Azerbaijani scientist internationally recognised in the field of development and operation of gas and gas-condensate fields, has made a significant contribution to the advancement of global energy science through his scientific work. His academic achievements have been highly appreciated at the international level. In 2004, in the United Kingdom, he was named among the “100 Outstanding People of the World” and “2000 Outstanding Personalities of the 20th Century”. The University of Cambridge awarded him the title of “Living Legend”. In the United States, Zahid Aliyev was honoured with the Order of “International Peace Ambassador” and the “International Peace Prize”.

His fundamental research, scientific approaches closely linked with industrial practice, and many years of pedagogical activity laid the foundation for Zahid Aliyev’s recognition as a leading authority in the gas industry.

The Daily Baku conducted a study of Zahid Aliyev’s life path and scientific activity.

Zahid Aliyev was born on March 10, 1935, in the Zayam settlement of Shamkir district, into a railway worker’s family, as one of eight children. His father, Samad Aliyev, in 1918, while still very young, lost his family and relatives during massacres committed against Azerbaijanis by Armenian radicals in Yerevan and later sought refuge in Azerbaijan together with his sister.

Zahid Aliyev’s childhood coincided with the years of war and the difficult post-war period. His father Samad went to the фронт in 1941, while his mother struggled alone to raise six children. The children, hungry and barefoot, waited all day for their mother to return with bread money earned through hard labour. His younger sister Solmaz and brother Vahid could not endure those hardships and passed away at an early age.

During the war years, although still a child, Zahid always stayed by his mother’s side, helping her as much as he could. In the post-war years, at the age of 11–12, during summer months he would collect fruits grown in their yard, board trains at Zayam station, take them to the Tbilisi market to sell, and hand over all the money he earned to his mother. Once, at one of the stations, thieves took his money and attempted to throw him out of the carriage, but by sheer chance he managed to escape.

Despite all these hardships, his passion for learning never diminished. From the very first days at school, Zahid attracted the attention of his teachers. He loved reading books so much that his father Samad jokingly used to say: “I’m afraid this boy will turn into Don Quixote.”

In 1952, Zahid graduated from secondary school with a gold medal and in the same year entered the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute named after M. Azizbeyov (now the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University). After graduating in 1957 with a degree in “Development of Oil Fields”, he began his scientific career. From 1957 to 1958, he worked at the Oil Expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR, and from 1958 to 1960 as a junior researcher at the Azerbaijan Oil Production Research Institute.

In 1964, at the All-Union Gas Research Institute (VNIIGaz), he defended his candidate dissertation on “Issues of Developing Gas-Condensate Fields under Conditions of Non-Maintenance of Natural Reservoir Pressure”. From 1965 to 1968, he worked in Bulgaria as chief engineer of development projects for the Chiren and Novo-Oryakhovo gas-condensate fields.

From 1969, Zahid Aliyev worked as a senior researcher at VNIIGaz, while simultaneously serving as a chief consultant on gas field development in the German Democratic Republic between 1969 and 1973.

From 1973 to 1979, he continued his work at VNIIGaz as a leading researcher.

Between 1979 and 1982, he worked as a senior lecturer, and from 1982 to 1987 as an associate professor at the Russian State University of Oil and Gas (now the I.M. Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas).

In 1984, at the Moscow Oil and Gas Institute named after I.M. Gubkin, he defended his doctoral dissertation on “Development and Application of Gas-Hydrodynamic Methods for Obtaining Initial Data and Substantiating Operating Regimes of Gas and Gas-Condensate Wells”.

From 1987, he served as a professor at the Department of Development and Operation of Gas and Gas-Condensate Fields at the same university. From 1980, he also worked as a senior lecturer and later as an associate professor at the Moscow Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry.

Since 1996, Zahid Aliyev had been an academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and the International Academy of Oil and Gas Sciences, as well as a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. He was also an academician of the International Academy of Sciences of Nature and Society. From 1962 to 1970, he was a member of the editorial board of the Scientific and Technical Council of VNIIGaz.

The scientist’s academic legacy is exceptionally rich. Zahid Samad oglu Aliyev authored a total of 327 scientific works, including 20 monographs and 23 thematic brochures. Under his supervision, 13 candidates of sciences were trained. He authored a number of fundamental works widely used in the gas industry, including Guidelines for Well Testing (Moscow, 1995), Guidelines for Designing the Development of Gas and Gas-Oil Fields (Pechora, 2002), Fundamentals of Gas Production Technology (Moscow, 2003), and Study of Horizontal Wells (Moscow, 2004).

At the I.M. Gubkin University of Oil and Gas, Zahid Aliyev taught key disciplines related to gas field development and operation technology, application of horizontal wells, oil and gas field modelling, reservoir physics, and mathematical modelling methods.

His scientific and industrial activity was highly appreciated. In 1972, he was awarded the Order “For Services to the Motherland” of the German Democratic Republic, and in 1973 the Medal “For Labour Distinction”. In 1981, he received the silver medal of the USSR Exhibition of National Economic Achievements, and in 1982 the badge “Honoured Worker of the Gas Industry”. In 2005, he was awarded the badge “Honoured Worker of the Fuel and Energy Complex” and the Vernadsky Medal of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

The scientist gained broad international recognition. In the United States, he was named “Man of the Year” for several consecutive years (2004–2008). In the United Kingdom, he was recognised as one of the “100 Outstanding People of the World” and “Professional of the Year 2005”. He received an honorary gold medal in the United States, the “Gold Medal for Russia” (2007), the Order of “International Peace Ambassador” (2006, USA), the “International Peace Prize” (2005, USA), the title “Living Legend” (2005, Cambridge, UK), the honorary title “His Excellency” (2006, UK), and was named among the “2000 Outstanding Personalities of the 20th Century” (2005, UK). In 2008, he became a laureate of the I.M. Gubkin Academic Award.

Zahid Aliyev passed away on July 22, 2022, in Moscow. His scientific legacy, the specialists he trained, and his fundamental works continue to serve as important reference sources for the development of the gas industry.