DOE Digest

DOE Awards Four More PUMP Projects

The National Petroleum Technology Office, part of DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory, recently made four awards under Phase II of its PUMP (Preferred Upstream Management Practices) Program. The PUMP Program is a high priority federal program to collect and distribute information that domestic producers can use to increase production and recovery from mature domestic reservoirs. PTTC was one of several organizations winning a PUMP award during Phase I.

Winners during Phase II of the PUMP solicitation are:

• University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). The geological surveys of Texas and New Mexico will team together to develop a "play portfolio" of the major oil reservoirs in the Permian Basin. The play portfolio will group into plays all reservoirs having cumulative production above one million barrels and summarize key reservoir characteristics and preferred management practices. Preferred technologies for further, economically viable, exploitation will be identified. Simultaneously, reservoir characterization studies of the SACROC Unit of the Horseshoe Atoll, Fullerton Clear Fork, and Barnhart Ellenburger will be performed.
• Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS). The ISGS will develop an enhanced database of Illinois Basin reservoirs using a Geographical Information System (GIS) approach. Existing reservoir maps will be enhanced using the GIS and existing core analysis to create maps that can more clearly define reservoir quality, producing zones, and particular pay characteristics. Through the Internet, producers will have access to a complete database of flow zone indicators, thickness maps of reservoir quality rock, thickness maps of porosity and permeability, reservoir geometry including size and orientation, and structural components. Value of the play portfolios will be demonstrated in three major reservoirs-the Cypress Sandstone, the Aux Vases sandstone, and the Saint Genevieve Limestone.
• Utah Geological Survey (UGS). UGS will develop play portfolios from the major oil producing provinces in Utah and adjacent areas. The play portfolios will include geologic and reservoir description; production and reservoir data, case study field evaluations; summaries of effective stimulation and completion technologies; location of transportation infrastructure; and identification and discussion of land use constraints. The plan incorporates an industry Technical Advisory Board composed of companies operating in Utah, plus other stakeholder groups.
• Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC), New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. PRRC will design a website that includes comprehensive oil field and ground water information databases in a Geographical Information System (GIS) format. Included in this website will be risk assessment tools to identify the seriousness of a produced water spill and offer suggested corrosion mitigation strategies. This consolidated information system will save countless administrative hours required to research the nature and components of produced water. It will assist operators in planning corrosion management strategies that will reduce leaks, spills and associated costs.

For more information, visit DOE's website (http://www.fossil.energy.gov/techline/tl_pump2_sel.shtml)

Drilling, 3-D Seismic, Gas Upgrading, and Gas-To-Liquids Conversion Focus of Recent DOE R&D Project Awards

Through the Strategic Center for Natural Gas (SCNG) within its National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), DOE recently made six gas-related R&D project awards. In the drilling realm, Novatek Engineering, Inc. will work on developing a high-speed method of transmitting drilling data through the drill pipe and casing. A technical hurdle to be overcome includes finding an effective way for transmitting data across the threaded connections between individual pipe joints. In the exploration realm, Paulsson Geophysical Services, Inc. will focus on developing an advanced seismic receiver that can handle high data volumes.

Two of the six projects relate to upgrading low quality natural gas. This is significant because, according to the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), about one-third of U.S. natural gas reserves are of low quality. Membrane Research and Technology, Inc. will build and field test a one mmcfd membrane unit for removing excess nitrogen in a high nitrogen gas field in Ohio. In the second project, GTI (with industry partners) will develop, demonstrate and evaluate a gas/liquid absorber that can process five to 10 times more natural gas than similar membrane units, which means that related treating equipment is 50-70% smaller and lighter.

Two other projects target gas-to-liquids conversion, which is one option for tapping the natural gas resources of Alaska's far North Slope. TDA Research, Inc. will develop a more efficient, lower-cost method of reforming natural gas. Reforming, or chemically breaking apart the gas molecule typically in the presence of steam, is the most expensive step in producing liquids from natural gas. Improvements here could change the economics of gas-to-liquids conversion. The University of Fairbanks will study how to best transport gas converted to liquids through the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). Special effort will be spent to study the effect of different fuel blends on restarting the flow through the TAPS pipeline should it ever need to be shutdown for prolonged repairs during winter months.

For more information, visit NETL's website (http://www.netl.doe.gov) or contact Donald Geiling (phone 304-285-4784 or email donald.geiling@netl.doe.gov).

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