|
|
|
Unconventional Resources
|
 |
USGS & USSD Team Up to Develop a
Series of Geologic Assessments
As part of an effort to evaluate and prioritize potential
unconventional oil and gas resources worldwide, the U.S.
Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. State
Department, is developing a series of geologic assessments.
The first geologic province completed is Norte Basin in
Uruguay, which is the southern part of the Parana Basin in
Brazil. The main structures are NW-SE trending horsts and grabens. The structures control the Devonian age shales and
the oil and gas resources of the basin. The USGS estimates 13.4
trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas and
0.5 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil.
The Publication and USGS Fact Sheet 2011–3100 (9/8/2011)
"Assessment of Potential Shale Gas and Shale Oil Resources
of the Norte Basin, Uruguay, 2011" can be downloaded from
the USGS website.
|
|
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) |
 |
DOE Releases Review of 40 Years of RD&D
On December 9, 2011 DOE released a comprehensive review of 40
years of RD&D related to the past successes and failures of
lab- and field-scale efforts to reduce CO2
mobility using CO2 thickeners, foams and gels.
Results clearly indicate that mobility and conformance
control for CO2 EOR can be technically and
economically attainable. The report is now available for
download.
|
|
Independents (formerly Small Producers) |
 |
RPSEA 2011 Request for Proposals for Small Producer Program
RPSEA announced on December 13, 2011 the
request for proposals for the Small Producer Program.
Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals well in
advance of the due date of February 27, 2012 (4 PM CST) to allow
time for electronic receipt processing.
For information on current and completed Small Producer
Projects go to
www.rpsea.org/en/cms/3083.
|
|
Deepwater/Ultra-Deepwater |
 |
Pacific Drilling Launches IPO as New Ultra-Deepwater
Contractor
Pacific Drilling launched shares on November 11, 2011 in
their ultra-deepwater drilling operations on the New York
Stock Exchange. The goal is to raise $50 million from a
public offering of six million shares. Pacific Drilling
originated in Luxembourg, but the operational headquarters
are in Houston, TX. Pacific Drilling, CEO Christian Beckett
comments that the company is a unique start-up company for
ultra-deepwater drilling with 850 global employees.
Floating Production Storage and Offloading
The FPSO market report for 2011-2021 was released on
December 7, 2011. This comprehensive report is a review of
the offshore platform market in 2011 with predictions on
where the market will go in the next 10 years. FPSO is a
growing market and the global forecast includes analysis of
deepwater systems and services. To order contact
oliver.davison@vg-energy.com.
|
|
Environmental/Water Issues |
 |
2011 Ground Water Protection Council Annual Forum
Proceedings Now Available
The Proceedings of the 2011 Ground Water Protection
Council Annual Forum were made available to the
public on November 29, 2011. The GWPC Forum held in
Atlanta, GA., September 24-28, focused on Ground water
availability and quality, and energy sustainability.
Abstracts and slide presentations can be reviewed
and downloaded at the GWPC website.
|
|
Methane Hydrates |
 |
Methane Hydrates R&D Program: Today and Tomorrow
On November 16, 2011 DOE's National Energy Technology
Laboratory posted the latest brochure on Methane Hydrates.
Methane Hydrates R&D Program: Today
and Tomorrow. The four-page
brochure highlights new research. Recent accomplishments
include characterization of hydrate potential on the North
Slope, ability to reliably detect and characterize gas
hydrates prior to drilling, hydrate quality in the Gulf of
Mexico, estimates of technically recoverable resources of
gas hydrates in Alaska, development of new tools to measure
hydrate properties and modeling capability, and
collaborative agreements for global gas hydrate research
programs.
|
