During the 1980s and 1990s DOE invested about $225 million in unconventional gas research. This research, or advances spawned by it, contributed greatly to technologies widely employed today in unconventional gas development. The archive, prepared in response to increased requests from industry for reports stored at NETL, includes nearly 1,400 documents on twelve CDs: four related to eastern gas shales, three related to western gas sands and one each related to methane from coal seams, methane hydrates, deep source gas and secondary gas recovery. Reports and proceedings covering the unconventional gas R&D program in general are included on a final CD.

Conventional seismic imaging and attribute analysis becomes less reliable the deeper the target. Rock Solid Images has developed, in a DOE-supported project, an approach that improves pre-drill diagnostics for deep reservoirs using a set of independent indicators known as seismic attenuation attributes. Essentially, the degree of attenuation is used to track the amount of gas or oil in the reservoir, and combined with conventional seismic analysis techniques, these attenuation attributes can effectively confirm or disprove the presence of oil or gas at depth.

The modeling software was tested offshore Norway where conventional seismic attribute analysis indicated possible hydrocarbons beneath a well drilled to 14,000 feet. Through rigorous forward modeling, using available log and seismic data, Rock Solid Images found that the anomaly was caused by a marked change in rock type, rather than oil or gas in the reservoir. Drilling another well was avoided. The modeling software has also been successfully tested in the deep Gulf of Mexico and offshore West Africa. It is commercially available through Rock Solid Images' iMOSS software package and has been adopted and developed for internal use by several major oil companies.

Following its spring meeting in New York, the Stripper Well Consortium (SWC) evaluated the received proposals and has subsequently made awards for 10 projects, committing over $1.16 million of SWC funding for work to be performed between August 1, 2007 and July 31, 2008. Projects address needs for both stripper oil and natural gas wells. Some projects are follow-on work to earlier SWC projects, while many are new. Some of the new projects are:

• Low Cost, Stripper Well Booster Compressor by Combined Heat and Power, Inc.

• Novel Low Rate, Electric Plunger Pump System by Impact Technologies LLC

• Hybrid Casing Plunger for Multiple Zone Stripper Wells by PAAL LLC Casing Plungers

• New Class of Novel Paraffin Inhibitors by RTA Systems, Inc.

• Low Cost, 2-Tower Micro Scale N2 Rejection System by University of Kansas Research Center

The developed technology has already been adopted by two companies. As a result of widespread interest in advancing this technology, A&M researchers have an ongoing industry research and development consortium funded by eight oil production and service companies and won a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Culminating a 22-month study effort, the National Petroleum Council presented its report, Facing the Hard Truths About Energy, to DOE Secretary Bodman on July 18. More than 350 expert participants contributed. Risks and challenges to a secure and reliable energy future were identified and strategies and recommendations were made. The NPC study conveyed multiple recommendations regarding R&D, which provides both technology for application and training for the future workforce.

• For enhanced oil recovery (EOR), support regulatory streamlining and R&D programs for marginal wells and expedite permitting of EOR projects, pipelines and associated infrastructure.

• For O&G resources affected by access restrictions, conduct national and regional basin-oriented resource and market assessments and use technology and operational advancements to allow environmentally responsible development of high potential onshore and offshore areas currently restricted by moratoria or access limitations.

• For unconventional O&G production, accelerate oil shale and oil sands R&D and leasing and accelerate unconventional natural gas leasing and development

• To expand R&D opportunities to support long-term study goals, review the current DOE R&D portfolio to refocus spending on innovative, applied research in areas such as EOR, unconventional oil and natural gas, biofuels, nuclear energy, coal-to-fuels and carbon capture and sequestration.