Volume 9, No. 2, 2nd Quarter 2003

 

 Petroleum Technology Transfer Council   

WWW.PTTC.ORG
 

Transferring Technology, Region-To-Region

One emphasis for PTTC is to share with independents across the country those technologies that are having good success in other areas. It is all too easy for us to stay with what is comfortable, with what is common in our part of the country. But for many technologies, there is a commonality that makes them applicable in many geographic areas. 

PTTC initiatives that stimulate region-to-region technology transfer are: (1) leveraging insights from the "Produced Water Manual" developed within the Midcontinent region in PTTC's DOE-supported PUMP project, (2) coordinating presentations from several regions for major regional society meeting, and (3)

cont. on page 2
In This Issue

Environmental Corner.................. 3
Tech Transfer Track................... 4-6
State-of-the-Art Summary.......... 8-9
DOE Digest............................ 10-11
Solutions From the Field............ 12
Upcoming PTTC Events............. 15

PTTC is a national not-for-profit information network formed in 1993 by oil and natural gas producers. Programs are funded primarily by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy through the National Petroleum Technology Office (NPTO) and Strategic Center for Natural Gas (SCNG) within the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL). Other funding comes from state governments, universities, state geological surveys, and industry contributions.

Perspectives From The Chairman

James Bruning, Bruning Resources, LLC, Fort Smith, Arkansas, took over as PTTC's Chairman in March 2003. His leadership culminates years of faithful service in both the South Midcontinent Region and on the National Board of Directors. With Jim now embarking on his tenure as leader, PTTC posed some questions to him about independents and technology.

It is helpful to first understand his background. Prior to forming Bruning Resources, LLC, Jim served as president and CEO of Freedom Energy, Inc., in Fort Smith, AR, from 1992 until 2000, when he sold his interest. A Ph.D. geologist with degrees from the University of Toledo and New Mexico Tech, he started in the oil and gas industry with Arco. Dr. Bruning has worked in Arkansas since 1977, with previous positions with TXO Production Corporation and Sonat. The governor of Arkansas appointed Dr. Bruning to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC). He is active in several professional societies and involved in IPAA.

Jim well recognizes the cost and time pressures that independents face, so PTTC will continue emphasizing delivering technology in a manner that respects these constraints. To that end, lunch and learn meetings have been one avenue that PTTC has been exploring. Providing meetings in the local environment convenient to producers is another part of that equation. Jim believes, as do most independents, that face-to-face contact is still of great value.

When asked what the primary barriers to independents applying newer technologies are, Jim's response was straightforward - money and time. The magnitude of the cost is one aspect, but an equally important aspect is that independents are not completely convinced that newer technologies work and are cost effective, so they delay. PTTC’s program addresses that confidence issue by providing reliable information.

The time issue must consider not only the time spent becoming aware of technology through PTTC and others, but also the additional significant time required to truly become knowledgeable in the technology. That often takes looking through professional society literature, talking to vendors and suppliers, getting opinions from independent experts, etc. Staffing may need to be beefed up. The extra time and money for this process can be significant. Busy independents may forgo spending this time and money, but the consequences can be ill-informed decisions that can unjustly discredit newer technologies or missed opportunities when appropriate technologies are not used.