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What and Why the AEC?
What is the greatest target for new oil reserves (Figure 1)?
Where and Why
Why EOR?– Because oil will be needed for many (many!) decades, and there remains much oil to be produced (Table 1).
Can EOR be improved?– After all of our best efforts, we still leave 30- 70% behind.
Beyond EOR
Reservoir-scale tools are good at measuring matrix properties in the near-well bore environment.
Because we are unable to measure interwell matrix and fracture properties, we rely on approximations.
In most cases, we lack the ability to monitor the inter- well changes in fluid properties that occur as the reservoir is developed and produced.
With greater knowledge of the matrix, fracture, fluid properties and production-related changes, our ability to increase recovery rates should improve.
How?
(Figures 2 and 3)
Illuminate
Nanotechnology (Figures 4 and 5)
Nanotechnology refers to a field of applied science and technology whose theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, generally 100 nanometers or smaller, and the fabrication of devices or materials that lie within that size range.
Applications (Figures 6, 7, and 8)
Physical Parameters
- Pressure (min/max, mean, dist)
- Temperature (min/max, etc.)
- Permeability (relative)
- Porosity - Pore size - Pore throat - Pore geometry
- Stress/strain conditions
Chemical Parameters
- Presence of:
- Hydrocarbons (oil, natural gas)
- Water
Oil/Water/Gas interface
- Impurities
- Corrosives (CO2, H2S)
- Trace Elements
- Type of hydrocarbon
- pH (min/max, mean, dist)
- Viscosity
- Fluid saturation
- So, Sw, Sg
- Wettability
Spatial distribution of fluids (Figure 9)
- Oil, H20, natural gas
- Location of bypassed oil, gas
Rock formation boundaries
- Rock layer morphology
- Reservoir compartments
- Natural fracture distribution
- Fault block geometries
- Artificial fracture geometry
4-D reservoir pore system?
Operating Conditions
- Depths: 5,000 – 15,000 ft
- Temperatures: 30 – 350°F
- Pressures: 0 – 8K psi
- pH: 4-8 (acidic)
- Presence of: complicated fluids, water and clays
- Salinity: seawater to very concentrated
- Size (pore throats in rock formations): ≤5 μm
- Additional functional needs:
- Location capability, low power, transmission capability, reasonable cost
Challenges
Emplacement
- How to get them into the reservoir
- How to protect them from this harsh environment
- How to retrieve them (assuming “passive” sensors)
Telemetry
- How to transmit a signal
- 3-D location information from each
 sensor ?
Communication/Data Acquisition
- How to retrieve the data
- How to power
Data Processing
- How will the data be effectively processed, analyzed, and used to retrieve more oil & gas
Economics
Mobilize Remaining Oil
- Lower viscosity of petroleum
- Increase miscibility of petroleum
- Alter wettability in the reservoir
- Alter fluid phase behavior
- Shutoff water production
- Maintain reservoir pressure
- Improve recovery in oil-water transition zones
- Separate water from oil in the reservoir or well bore (in situ)
Wild Mobilization Ideas
- Smart propants
- Nano particles as contrast agents
- Nano receivers
- Nano explosives
- Magnetic nano particles for dispersion, retrieval and self-propulsion
- Nano “Heated” particles
- Nano surfactants
- Smart seals
- Nano fluidics
- Nano NMR
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Who and When?
The Advanced Energy Consortium
- AEC under development for three years
- Developed by Bureau of Economic Geology in conjunction with executive level R&D management of the member companies
- Anti-Trust approval for consortium from Dept of Justice in August, 2007
- Organizational structure and technology focus defined during collaborative meetings with members, UT and Rice University
- January 1, 2008, start up
Mission
The AEC will investigate how pre-competitive research in micro- and nanotechnology, with an initial emphasis on sensors and materials, can create a positive disruptive change in the upstream oil and industry.
:
Membership
- BP
- BakerHughes
- ConocoPhillips
- Halliburton
- Marathon
- Occidental
- Schlumberger
- Shell
- Total
:
Progress and Next Steps
- Pre-Competitive Workshop, May ‘08
- RFP Summer, 2008
- 62 proposals received
- Over 30 institutions worldwide
- RFP Review Fall, 2008
- First Awards January, 2009
- $4-6 million in funding for FY 09
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Conclusions
- Nanotechnology can be applied to oilfield applications.
- We can build on existing experience from Medical Imaging and Nanofluidics research.
- We can envision self-propelled nanosensors.
- This is a billion dollar opportunity!
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Overarching Question
Why do we leave so much oil in the ground?
We must contact and then impact the molecules. To that end, nanotechnology holds great promise.
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AEC Contacts
(www.beg.utexas.edu/aec)
ScottTinker, Director
([email protected])
Jay Kipper, Associate Director
([email protected])
Sean Murphy, Program Manager
([email protected])
Paul Ching, Executive Advisor
([email protected])
Howard Schmidt, Nano Scientist
([email protected])
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