Solicitations: There are currently no open oil or natural gas solicitations. Oil and Natural Gas solicitations are available on the NETL "Solicitations and Business Opportunities" page.

Projects:
Detailed project descriptions, including links to project related publications and publically available deliverables, are provided for many of the Oil and Natural Gas Technology program's current and completed projects.

Publications:
        Newsletters | Brochures | TechLines | Reports | Factsheets

Newsletters:

• Fire in the Ice: A quarterly publication highlighting the National Methane Hydrate R&D Program
• E & P Focus:  E&P Focus highlights NETL's oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) activities.

• GasTIPS: GasTIPS, produced in partnership between the National Energy Technology Laboratory and the Gas Technology Institute, highlights natural gas technology research in the gas exploration, production, and processing areas.
• Eye on Environment: Eye on Environment highlights DOE's Oil and Gas Environmental Research Program
• Class Act: A publication highlighting DOE's Reservoir Class Program
• Downstream Details: A technology transfer newsletter highlighting downstream projects

Brochures:

• Mar 2006:   CO2 EOR Technology Brochure [PDF-3.43MB]
• Mar 2006:   Microhole Technology [PDF-1.34MB]
• Feb 2004:   Native American Initiative [PDF-561KB]
• Oct 2003:   Technology Development with Independents [PDF-131KB]
• Sept 2002:  PUMP - Preferred Upstream Management Practices [PDF-210KB]

Reports: //Archive 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002

Exploration & Production

• April, 2009: DOE-Funded Primer Underscores Technology Advances, Challenges of Shale Gas Development - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the release of “Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer.” [PDF-5.11MB] The Primer provides regulators, policy makers, and the public with an objective source of information on the technology advances and challenges that accompany deep shale gas development and describes the importance of shale gas in meeting the future energy needs of the United States. Protecting and conserving water resources is an important aspect of producing shale gas, and this effort was championed by the Ground Water Protection Council through a cooperative agreement with NETL.
• March, 2009: Nome Region Energy Assessment The purpose of this assessment is to present an analysis of options available to the city of Nome for electric power production and space heating. [PDF-2.60MB]
• February, 2009: Final Project Report DE-FC26-05NT42662 Petrophysical Analysis and Geographic Information System for San Juan Basin Tight Gas Reservoirs [PDF-3.14MB]
• January, 2009: Final Project Report DE-FC26-02NT15133 Major Oil Plays in Utah and Vicinity/PUMP 2 [PDF-57.8MB]
• January, 2009 Final Project Report DE-FC26-03NT15424The Mississippi Leadville Limestone Exploration Play of Utah and Colorado-Exploration Techniques and Studies for Independents [PDF-39.4MB]
• September, 2008: Final Project Report DE-FC26-04NT15520 pH Sensitive Polymers for Improving Reservoir Sweep and Conformance Control in Chemical Flooding [PDF-3.32MB]
• August, 2008: Final Project Report DE-FC26-06NT42948 275° C Downhole Switched-Mode Power Supply[PDF-3.33MB]
• August, 2008: 2007 Oil Shale Environmental Issues and Needs Workshop [PDF-1.15MB]
• October, 2007: Alaska Spur Pipeline Route Study - Available at the following ftp site ftp://ftp.netl.doe.gov/pub/SpurLine/
• July, 2007: Alaska Coal Gasification Feasibility Studies - Healy Coal-to-Liquids Plant [PDF-3.6MB]
• July 2006:  Beluga Coal Gasification Feasibilty Study - Phase I Final Report [PDF-4MB]

Gas Hydrates

• April, 2009: Final Project Report DE-FC26-02NT41628 Support of Gulf of Mexico Hydrate Research Consortium: Activities to Support Establishment of a Sea Floor Monitoring Station Project [PDF-9.63MB]
• October, 2008: Final Project Report DE-FC26-06NT42962 Phase 1 Final Technical Report - Characterization and Quantification of the Methane Hydrate Resource Potential Associated with the Barrow Gas Fields [PDF-1.89MB]
• April, 2008: Final Project Report DE-FC26-05NT42665 Gas Hydrate Instability in the Southeastern Bering Sea [PDF-1.32MB]
• March, 2008: Alaska Gas Hydrate Research and Stratigraphic Test Preliminary Results [PDF-1.84MB] - Robert B. Hunter, Scott A. Digert, Ray Boswell, and Timothy S. Collett
• February, 2008: Well Log Data from the BP-DOE-US "Mount Elbert" Test - Digital well log data acquired at the February 2007 gas hydrates test well at Milne Point, Alaska are now available. Data include Gamma ray, neutron porosity, density porosity, three-dimensional high resolution resistivity, acoustics including compressional- and shear-wave data, and nuclear magnetic resonance.
• October, 2007: Final Phase 1 Project Report DE-AI26-06NT42938: Gas Hydrate Research Database and Web Dissemination Channel (Year 1) [PDF-921KB]
• October, 2007: American Journal of Science Article DE-FC26-06NT42960: Generalization of Gas Hydrate Distribution and Saturation in Marine Sediments by Scaling of Thermodynamic and Transpot Processes" [PDF-1.66MB]
• October, 2007: Report to Congress on Methane Hydrates Research [PDF-external site]. This report from the Federal Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee provides an assessment of the Methane Hydrate Research Program as well as an assessment of the 5-year research plan of the Department of Energy.
• August, 2007: Final Project Report DE-AI26-06NT42878Geochemical characterization of concentrated gas hydrate deposits on the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand [PDF-3.50MB]
• July, 2007: Topical Report DE-FC26-06NT42667: Combining Multicomponent Seismic Attributes, New Rock Physics Models, and In Situ Data to Estimate Gas-Hydrate Concentrations in Deep-Water, Near-Seafloor Strata of the Gulf of Mexico [PDF-535KB] - Task 8 (Select Rock Physics Model)
• July, 2007: Topical Report DE-FC26-05NT42664/ESD05-036: Approach to Forming Hydrate Bearing Samples in Fine Grained Material [PDF-94KB]
• March, 2007: Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrates Joint Industry Project (JIP) DE-FC26-01NT41330: Well Logs from the 2005 GOM Cruise [external site - Chevron JIP]

Factsheets: //Archive 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002

• May, 2009: Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Program - Program Fact Sheet [PDF]
• May, 2009: NETL R&D Tackles Technological Challenges of the Williston Basin's Bakken Formation Program Fact Sheet [PDF-2.13MB]

TechLines: //Archive 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002
Announcements describing technical progress in a particular project or program area.

• February, 2009: DOE Project Leads to New Alliance to Promote Low-Impact Drilling A project supported by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has given rise to a major new research consortium to promote advanced technology for low-impact oil and gas drilling.
• July, 2007:  DOE-Led Partnership Creates Tool to Raise Output of Non-Conventional Natural Gas This project has successfully demonstrated a new technology that will help optimize the output of natural gas from the often-grudging non-conventional gas reserves on which the U.S. will have to depend for half its domestic production in the future.
• July, 2007: Oil and Natural Gas Program Uses Stranded Gas to Revive Oil Production A DOE project, managed by NETL, is turning "stranded" natural gas at marginal, or low-production, oil fields into fuel for distributed electric power.

Software:

• Computer Software and Supporting Documentation

 
Presentations:: //Archive 2005 | 2007 | 2008

• Upcoming Presentation – June 28-July 1, 2009: The paper “An Alternative Tri-axial Testing System for CO₂-Rock Interaction Experiments” will be given at the 43rd US Rock Mechanics Symposium and 4th US-Canada Rock Mechanics Symposium in Asheville, NC, June 28–July 1, 2009. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-08NT0005643 titled “Geomechanical Study of Bakken Formation for Improved Oil Recovery.” View abstract and other project information.
• Upcoming Presentation – June 28-July 1, 2009: The paper “Laboratory Testing on Geomechanical Properties of Carbonate Rocks for CO₂ Sequestration” will be given at the 43rd US Rock Mechanics Symposium and 4th US-Canada Rock Mechanics Symposium in Asheville, NC, June 28-July 1, 2009. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-08NT0005643 titled “Geomechanical Study of Bakken Formation for Improved Oil Recovery.” View abstract and other project information.
• June 9, 2009: The poster presentation “Saline Water Disposal in the Uinta Basin, Utah” was given at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ annual convention in Denver, CO. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-NT0005671 titled “Water-Related Issues Affecting Conventional Oil and Gas Recovery and Potential Oil Shale Development in the Uinta Basin, Utah.” View abstract and other project information.
• May 20, 2009: The paper “Increasing the Viscosity of CO₂ to Improve EOR Performance” was given at the 9th International Symposium on Supercritical Fluids, Bordeaux, France, May 18-20, 2009. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-FG26-04NT-15533 “Synthesis and Evaluation of CO₂ Thickeners Designed with Molecular Modeling.” View abstract and other project information.
• May 19-22, 2009: The paper “Geomechanical Study of Bakken Formation for Improved Oil Recovery” was given at the International Symposium on Rock Mechanics session Rock Characterization, Modeling, and Engineering Design Methods at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, China, May 19–22, 2009. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-08NT0005643 titled “Geomechanical Study of Bakken Formation for Improved Oil Recovery.” View abstract and other project information.
• May 11, 2009: The paper “Comparing the Depositional Characteristics of the Oil-Shale-Rich Mahogany and R-6 Zones of the Uinta and Piceance Creek Basins” was given at Geological Society of America-Rocky Mountain Section annual meeting in Orem, Utah. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-NT0005671 titled “Water-Related Issues Affecting Conventional Oil and Gas Recovery and Potential Oil Shale Development in the Uinta Basin, Utah.” View abstract and other project information.
• May 3–6, 2009: The paper “Mapping Study to Characterize NSCR Performance on a Natural Gas-Fueled Engine” was given at the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division 2009 Spring Technical Conference, in Milwaukee, WI, May 3–6. This presentation is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-02NT15464, “Cost-effective Reciprocating Engine Emissions Control and Monitoring for E&P and Gathering Engines.” View abstract and other project information.
• May 3–6, 2009: The paper “Variation in Long-Term Emissions Data from NSCR-Equipped Natural Gas-Fueled Engine” was given at the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division 2009 Spring Technical Conference, in Milwaukee, WI, May 3–6. This presentation is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-02NT15464, “Cost-effective Reciprocating Engine Emissions Control and Monitoring for E&P and Gathering Engines.” View abstract and other project information.
• April 2, 2009: The paper “Chemical Flooding in Kansas” was given at the Tertiary Oil Recovery Project’s 18th Oil Recovery Conference in Wichita, Kan., April 1–2, 2009. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-FG26-08NT0005679 titled “Bridging the Gap between Chemical Flooding and Independent Oil Producers.” View abstract and other project information.
• March 30, 2009: The paper “Emerging Technologies for CBM Produced Water Treatment and Disposal” was given at the National Academies public forum in Denver, CO, March 30-31, 2009. The paper is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-05NT15551 titled “Coalbed Natural Gas Produced Water Treatment Using Gas Hydrate Formation at the Wellhead.” View abstract and other project information.
• March 28, 2009: The presentation “Resource Potential of Gas Hydrates: Recent Contributions from International Research and Development Projects” by T. Collett, was given at the 7th Petroleum Geology Conference, London, England. (http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/pgc7 [external site]) The presentation is related to the NETL project AI26-05NT42496, “Methane Hydrate Related Research and Support.” View abstract and other project information.
• March 22, 2009: The presentation “Gas Hydrate Energy resource Studies in the United States” by T. Collett, was given at the American Chemical Society Meeting, March 22-26, 2009, Salt Lake City, Utah. (http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_MEETINGS&node_id=86&use_sec=false&__uuid=614acbfd-ce1c-4a0b-98de-348a14738f4e [external site]) The presentation is related to the NETL project AI26-05NT42496, “Methane Hydrate Related Research and Support.” View abstract and other project information.
• January 29, 2009: The presentation “Gas Hydrates the world’s largest energy resource - but should I care!” by T. Collett, was given at the Colorado School of Mines Van Tuyl Lecture Series, Golden, Colorado. (http://geology.mines.edu/ [external site]) The presentation is related to the NETL project AI26-05NT42496, “Methane Hydrate Related Research and Support.” View abstract and other project information.
• January 26, 2008: The presentation “Fire in Ice: Harvesting Methane from Oceans and Permafrost” by Claudia J. Rawn, was given at the Smoky Mountain Chapter of the American Meteorological Society meeting. ( http://www.ametsoc.org/chapters/smokymnt/ [external site] ) The presentation is related to the NETL project FEAB111, “Hydrate Formation and Dissociation in Simulated and Field Samples.” View abstract and other project information.
• January 15, 2009: The presentation “Geologic and Engineering Controls on the Energy Resource Potential of Gas Hydrates” by T. Collett, was given at the India Eight International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition meeting. (http://petrotech2009.org/ [external site]) The presentation is related to the NETL project AI26-05NT42496, “Methane Hydrate Related Research and Support.” View abstract and other project information.

Enhanced Oil Recovery Illustrations:

• Cross-sectional illustrations of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Methods, drawn by Joe. R. Lindley, Publications Specialist.

CDs:
The following CDs are currently available through our CD-DVD Ordering System:

• May 2009: Major Oil Plays in Utah and Vicinity (DOE/NETL-2009/1363) - A portfolio of oil plays in Utah, as well as neighboring Colorado and Wyoming, compiled by the Utah Geologic Survey with funding from NETL. The portfolio contains comprehensive maps that provide data useful to organizations involved in petroleum exploration and production. The data includes geologic settings, outcrop analogs, land-use issues, and best-development practices for each oil-producing area within the three states.
• September 2008: Advanced Diagnostics and Imaging Systems (ADIS); and Drilling Completion Stimulation (DCS) Project Archive, Version 1.0, DOE/NETL-2008/1333 - A DVD Archive of research by the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory and DOE’s National Institute for Petroleum Energy Research that focuses on seismic and advanced imaging technologies for oil and gas exploration; and application of improved technologies for drilling, well completion and well stimulation to increase ultimate recovery of oil and gas. Reducing the footprint of exploration and production represents a significant goal of new technologies.
• September 2008: Carbon Dioxide Flooding Project Archive - Results from the 1960's to 2008, a DVD, Version 1.0, DOE/NETL-2008/1328 - A DVD Archive that captures the broad range of CO2 research conducted by the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory and DOE’s National Institute for Petroleum Energy Research including; field demonstration, laboratory studies of mobility and conformance, simulation, and predictive modeling.
• September 2008: Environmental Program Archive, - Program Results from 1991 to 2008, Version 1.0, DOE/NETL-2008/1327 - A DVD Archive of research conducted by the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory and other National Laboratories that focuses on promoting oil and gas development while maintaining environmental protection of the nation’s land and vital resources. Significant research was conducted to assist Federal regulatory agencies in determining regulations that protected the environment and avoided unnecessary costs to oil and gas producers, including streamlining permitting requirements.
• May 2008: Oil Program Enhanced Oil Recovery Archive: Program Results from the Mid 70s to 2007 - A DVD archive of nearly three decades of research from the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) is now available. The archive includes more than 800 documents and includes a comprehensive summary of DOE/NETL Enhanced Oil Recovery research.
• May 2008: Reservoir Depositional Classification CLASS Program 1992-2008: Collection of Historical Documents - A DVD archive that focuses on the results of the Reservoir Class Field Demonstration program, which was initiated in 1992 in response to rapidly declining domestic production of oil and the realization that huge volumes of oil were in danger of being abandoned.
• May 2007: Archive of Unconventional Gas Research Data - Nearly 1,400 documents on 2 DVDs chronicles research and development work carried out at the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory during the 1980s and 1990s that played a vital role in helping to meet the nation's growing demand for natural gas.
• June 2006: Final Project Report - Geologic Play Book for Trenton Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration DE-FC26-03NT41856 - This project developed an integrated resource assessment model of the Trenton-Black River reservoirs in New York, Ohio and West Virginia. This effort will increase development of the gas resources from the Trenton-Black River reservoirs and facilitate increased exploration and higher success rates in this emerging play. The three main objectivesof this project were: 1)to develop an integrated, multi-faceted, resource assessment model of Trenton-Black River reservoirs in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia; 2)to define possible fairways within which to conduct more detailed studies leading to further development of the gas resource in these reservoirs; and 3)to develop an integrated structural-stratigraphic-diagenetic model for the origin of Trenton-Black River hydrothermal dolomite reservoirs. The final product of this project is a detailed and multi-disciplinary play book.
• December 2005: Final Project Report - Identifying and Remediating High Water Production Problems in Basin Centered Formations - Oil and gas exploration and development are progressive processes that are hugely dependent on historical data and experience for successful results. Data pertaining to the chemical and electrical properties of intra-formational waters is also crucial but has been difficult to effectively access. This is no longer the case as a primary output of this project is a robust database amassing thousands of formation water analyses. The digital database, included on this CD, provides data with dynamic value for operators to increase gas production from key Rocky Mountain basins, without significant additional overhead. Along with electric logs, core, and seismic, the database becomes yet another valuable tool for maximizing production. Also provided on this CD is a GIS-based digital atlas showing the distribution of the data.
• June 2005 Heavy Oil Publications - Selected Reports from Heavy Oil Projects - This CD contains selected DOE reports and analysis on resource and recovery technologies for U.S. heavy oil. They cover DOE-funded heavy oil R&D involving laboratory work, numerical simulator development, and various thermal and non-thermal field tests of heavy oil recovery processes. Included are an Excel spreadsheet of more than 500 of the largest heavy oil reservoirs (a subset of 1,025 analyzed) and publications on heavy oil resources in selected basins.
• June 2005: Stratigraphic Framework, Structure, and Thermal Maturity of Cretaceous and Lower Tertiary Rocks In Relation to Hydrocarbon Petential. Crazy Mountains Basin, Montana  - This report is part of a series of studies by the U.S. Geological Survey, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory to identify and evaluate "unconventional" basin-centered gas accumulations found in the deep areas of many Rocky Mountain basins. 
• May 2005: Rome Trough Consortium - This CD contains data from a multi-year study of the pre-Knox stratigraphic interval in the Rome Trough, a graben that contains a thickened section of the Rome and Conasauga Formations. The Rome Trough Consortium, a partnership consisting of the Department of Energy , three state geological surveys and five Appalachian Basin energy companies, was formed to carry out this study. The Consortium was headed by the Kentucky Geological survey. 
• May 2005: FRACGEN™ and NFFLOW™ Fracture-Description and Reservoir Engineering Codes for Highly Fractured Reservoirs (Release Z) -  FRACGEN™ is a computer program that generates a stochastic network of lines that represent patterns of fractures found within petroleum reservoirs and aquifers. Although the realizations of fractured layers are inherently two-dimensional, the layers can be stacked to represent multi-layer reservoirs. NFFLOW™ (Release Z)is a FORTRAN code for simulating the flow of dry gas through tight (< 1 md matrix permeability) highly fractured reservoirs. This version of NFFLOW™ is for single layer reservoirs and cannot accommodate multi-layer fracture networks. A version for multi-layer reservoirs is currently in development. NFFLOW™ is designed to work with the fracture network files from FRACGEN™, but it can be used with any fracture network description that has the proper format, regardless of the source. 
• April 30, 2005: Final Technical Report to the National Energy Technology Lab, Interagency Agreement, Task DE-AT26-97FT34343, September 8, 1997-April 30, 2005 - This DVD final technical report contains a detail summary of Lab and Field work, including lab data and cruise reports associated with Gas Hydrates Research conducted by the USGS for DOE/NETL in the above interagency task agreement.
• 2001: Deep Trek Workshop Proceedings - The proceedings on this CD include presentations made during the workshop; the breakout session results for the advanced smart drilling systems, drilling and completion fluids, completion-based well design, and drilling diagnostics and sensor systems; and a list of workshop participants. In total, there were over 95 participants from more than 50 organizations. 
• August 2004: Natural Gas Resources of the Uinta Basin, Utah, and the Deep Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma and Texas - NETL's Phase II Data CD - Follow-up CD to the Phase I release of the Greater Green River and Wind River Basin Assessments. This CD contains data including maps, cross-sections, histograms, and poster presentations.
• Feb. 2003: Natural Gas Resources of the Greater Green River and Wind River Basins of Wyoming - NETL's Phase I Final Report - In addition to detailed descriptions of project methodology and results, the CD contains numerous detailed maps and cross-sections that depict the regional geology of key gas-bearing formations. 
• 2002: Greater Green River Basin Production Improvement Project - This CD contains the results of the Greater Green River Basin Production Improvement Project. The purpose of this project was to reduce the technical risks and the economic uncertainty of industry development of the region's low-permeability (tight) gas resource.
• Mar. 2002: Proceedings of the Methane Hydrates Interagency R&D Conference - The purpose of this conference, held last March, was to present the results of and future plans for methane hydrate research by each of the agencies. Participating agencies include: DOE Office of Fossil Energy, NETL, Naval Research Laboratory, Minerals Management Service, U. S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Science Foundation.