Public Resources Invested in Management and Extraction PRIME National Energy Technology Laboratory OfficeOffice Office of Fossil Energy

Public Resources Invested in Management and Extraction

PRIME

National Energy Technology Laboratory

Office

Office of Fossil Energy

D. Alleman, August 2007

PRIME Goal

Develop new approaches that can lead to enhanced production of oil resources found on public lands

Reduce costs, risks and environmental impacts associated with finding and producing U. S. petroleum resources

Preserve a vial aspect of future energy security

Focus on Research that is: Longer-term Higher-risk


Research Approach

Fundamental applied research

5-10 year timeframe for expected R&D products

Breakthrough technologies New systems New approached Radical changes to existing systems and approaches

Collaboration among industry, universities, national labs and others

Minimum non-DOE cost sharing of 20%


Public Resources Invested in Management and Extraction

‘High-Level Review’Solicitation: #02NT15375.000 – 2001-2007

Total of 10 projects awarded

DOE investments of $8,601 (74%)

Performers $3,064K (26%)

Total combined $11,665K investment


Technical Areas for Research

New technologies for oil and gas recovery

Innovative drilling technology New materials New downhole fluids

Revolutionary approached for finding and developing new oil and gas fields in the United States

New high speed coring bit, Terra Tek


Projects Awarded

Performer Project Title Start End

University of Alabama

Basin Analysis and Petroleum System Characterization & Modeling, Interior Salt Basins, Central and Eastern Gulf of Mexico 06/03 04/08

University of Texas at Austin

Elastic Wave Field Stratigraphy-A New Seismic Imaging Technology 08/03 07/06

Texas A&M University

Interwell Connectivity and Diagnostic Using Correlation of Production and Injection Rate Data in Hydrocarbon Production 06/03 03/07

Terra Tek, Inc. Feasibility of Ultra-High Speed Diamond Drilling 06/03 06/08

University of Texas at Austin

A Comprehensive Statistically-Based Method to Interpret Real-Time Flowing Well Measurements 08/03 01/07


Projects Awarded – continued

University of TulsaDevelopment of Next Generation Multiphase Pipe Flow Prediction Tools 06/03 08/08

Stanford UniversityExperimental Investigation and High Resolution Simulator of In-Situ Combustion Processes 09/03 08/07

William Marsh Rice University

Surfactant-Based Enhance Recovery Processes and Foam Mobility Control 06/03 09/06

University of Southern Mississippi Smart Multifunctional Polymers 09/03 03/07

University of Wyoming

Fundamentals of Reservoir Surface Energy as Related to Surface Properties, Wettability, Capillary Action, and Oil Recovery from Fractured Reservoirs 07/03 06/08


Basin Analysis Interior Salt Basin, Gulf of Mexico

Performer: University of AlabamaGoal: • Develop the concept that petroleum systems can

be identified through basin modeling • Demonstrate how petroleum systems in the North

Louisiana Salt Basin and the Mississippi Interior Salt Basin can be used to target stratigraphic traps and facies

Results:• Reservoirs are associated with salt-supported

anticlinal and domal features• Reservoirs are Upper Jurassic and Lower

Cretaceous fluvial-deltaic sandstones• Source rock is Upper Jurassic Smackover

limestone• Generation of hydrocarbons was from Early

Cretaceous into the Tertiary• Potential undiscovered reservoirs: Triassic Eagle

Mills sandstone • Underdeveloped reservoirs: Lower and Upper

Cretaceous sandstones and limestoneBenefits:• Application of transgressive-regressive cycles for

reservoir characterization is a new concept for exploration strategies


Elastic-Wavefield Seismic Stratigraphy

Performer: University of Texas at Austin

Goal: • Demonstrate the value of elastic-

wavefield seismic stratigraphy, a new seismic interpretation method

Results:• Documented examples in which shear (S)

wave data provides geologic information than cannot be extracted from con-ventional compressional (P) wave data

• Documented examples in which P-wave data provides information that is not present in S-wave data

Benefits:• Introduced a new seismic technology that

will aid in search for subtle stratigraphic oil trap

A unique P-SV amplitude facies follows the trend of productive stratigraphic-trap wells (right): The P-P amplitude faces does not (left)


Interwell Connectivity and Diagnostic Correlation of Production and Injection Rates

Performer: Texas A & M UniversityGoal:• Develop a method that will predict interwell

connectivity from water-flood production and injection well rate fluctuations

• Represents a new low-cost method of data analysis to refine geological and engineering models

Results:• Improvements pair two statistical components in a

method that accommodates variations in compressibility and swept volume

• Found a strong correlation with tracer breakthrough times in field demonstration in Texas

Benefits:• Increased economically producible reserves.• Aid economic field development• Software package publicly available to map and

quantify interwell connectivityEffects of fractures between well pairs


Smaller Footprint DrillingUltra-High Speed Diamond Drilling

Performer: Terra Tek, Inc.Goal:• Develop significant improvements in drilling

deep, hard rock by applying ultra-high (50,000 rpm) rotational speeds

• Feasibility of concept research and test results to drill “faster and deeper”

• Demonstration of diamond bits rotating at >10,000 rpm, to achieve high rate of penetration with lower weight on bit

Results:• Tests of 7/7” diamond bits at 50,000 rpm

produced significant increase in rate of penetration

• Determined that rock failure mechanism changes at ultra-high rotation

Benefits:• Ability to drill rock with very low bit weights

and specific energy while maintaining and exceeding conventional penetration rates Ultra-high speed rotary drilling system

coring at 50,000 rpm.


Statistically Based Real-Time Flowing Measurements

Performer: University of Texas at AustinGoal:• Develop a procedure (intelligent-well design) to allow the determination of inflow profile

(rates or oil, gas and waster as a function of distance) in horizontal and deviated multilateral wells

Results:• Near-wellbore model of temperature changes completed in 2005• The wellbore model completed to run simultaneous with near-wellbore model• Minor temperature differences can be used to characterize inflow profilesBenefits:• Intelligent well technology will allow remediation of flow problems in horizontal wells by

shutting off flow in specific sections as indicated by downhole values. The models will identify and isolate the problems

Calculations of water holdup (left) and temperature profile (right) for a high-rate horizontal well.


Next Generation Multiphase Pipe flow Prediction Tools

Performer: University of Tulsa

Goal:• Develop multiphase flow prediction for

hydrocarbon recovery from deep water• Revolutionary next-generation predictive

tools for simultaneous flow of gas-oil-water in pipes

Results:• Three phase model developed for

hydrodynamics of flow behavior during production and transportation

Benefits:• Novel software will help design

production and transportation systems for deep water recovery

• Improved predictive tools will save time loss on production platforms

Three-phase separator, oil and water tanks and oil and water pumps at U. Tulsa


High-Resolution simulator of In-Situ Combustion

Performer: Standard University

Goal:• Study the dynamics of in-situ combustion

to determine how dynamics may be altered to expand recovery

• Develop process simulation methodologies and capabilities to improve in-situ combustion

Results:• Found that metallic additives improve

combustion of light oil• New simulation tool was designed, which

allows higher grid densities than current simulators

Benefits:• In-situ combustion is suited for recovery

of unconventional oil resources• In-situ combustion is environmentally

friendly

Original vs. burnedoil samples.

Combustion tubeused in lab work.


Surfactant-Based Enhanced Oil Recovery and Foam Mobility Control

Performer: William Marsh Rice University

Goal:• Develop advanced, surfactant-based enhanced

oil recovery processes based upon new high-performance and cost-effective surfactant molecules for specific crude oils

Results:• Developed surfactant-polymer for use in

carbonate reservoir that has too low pressure for CO2 flooding

• When brine is replaced by alkaline surfactant solution, oil is spontaneously displaced by gravity drainage

Benefits:• Surfactant EOR is being developed for use by

independent operators who do not have in-house research capability

• Efficient EOR processes will result in increased oil recovery from mature oil reservoirs Oil spontaneously displaced by gravity drainage

Using alkaline surfactant solution is lab experiments.


Smart Multifunctional PolymersPerformer: University of Southern MississippiGoal:• Synthesize, characterize and evaluate stimuli-responsive polymer systems to formulate

“smart” fluids for chemical enhanced recovery Results:• Synthesis of several novel chain-transfer agent.• “Smart” fluids have rheological and interfacial properties superior to current chemical

formulas

Benefits:• Stimuli-responsive polymeric surfactants have not previously been field tested.• Smart polymers will greatly improve sweep efficiency and improve cost-effectiveness of

chemical EOR projects

Outline of how uni-molecularmicelles will entrap and Release oil.


Wettability, Capillary Action and Oil Recovery from Fractured Reservoirs by Spontaneous Imbibition

Performer: University of WyomingGoal:• Improve oil recovery from fractured reservoirs through fundamental understanding of the

process of how spontaneous imbibition displaces oil from the rock matrix into the fractures Results:• Data from novel pressure measurement used to estimate pressures during imbibition.• Extensive new imbibition data sets of brines with glycerol and different oils added to alter

viscosity• Mathematical models developed as analytic models for spontaneous imbibitionBenefits:• Results will improve understanding of how imbibition process can improve recovery from

fractured low-permeability oil-wet reservoirs

Lab measurement of spontaneous imbibition


PRIME Benefits

Increased understanding and level of knowledge of enhanced oil recovery through spontaneous imbibition, in-situ combustion and chemical recovery processes

More efficient EOR processes will result in increased oil recovery from mature oil reservoirs

Improved predictive modeling for identifying strategic targets, using innovative seismic techniques and reservoir characterization

Increased knowledge and improved monitoring techniques for interwell connectivity, real-time response, and hydrodynamics of pipe flow

Significant improvement of speed and efficiency of ultra-high speed rotational drilling for hard rock application

Documents

Public Resources Invested in Management and Extraction PRIME National Energy Technology Laboratory OfficeOffice Office of Fossil Energy