RPSEA Selects Projects for the 2008 Small Producer Program

Danette Mozisek — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Research Will Help Meet U.S. Energy Demand and Lower Costs for Consumers

SUGAR LAND, Texas--(April 9, 2009)--The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) announces six proposals have been selected for negotiations leading to an award under the RPSEA 2008 Small Producer Program. This program, which focuses on the technology challenges of small producers, targets advancing technology for mature fields in its 2008 Annual Plan.

"The six selected projects build upon the seven projects selected for the 2007 program to form an integrated research portfolio to provide the technology to enable small producers to extract the maximum amount of oil and natural gas out of their existing asset base and continue to make their important contribution to the nation’s energy needs,” said RPSEA President C. Michael Ming. “The Small Producer Program is designed to bring the resources of America’s leading universities, research institutions and technology innovators to bear on the problems facing small producers trying to enhance production from mature fields. In mature fields, up to two-thirds of the original oil in place is often left behind, making this program especially beneficial to extract additional resources from existing surface footprints.”

All awards under the RPSEA Small Producer Program must be made to consortia organized for the benefit of small producers, and each proposal must provide a minimum of 20% cost share, with up to 50% for field demonstration projects. The selected projects are:

Development Strategies for Maximizing East Texas Oil Field Production

Project Leader: Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin

Additional Project Participants: Danmark Energy L.P. and John Linder Operating Co., LLC

Field Demonstration of Alkaline Surfactant Polymer Floods In Mature Oil Reservoirs, Brookshire Dome, Texas

Project Leader: Layline Petroleum 1, LLC

Additional Project Participants: TIORCO, LLC and The University of Texas at Austin

Electrical Power Generation from Produced Water: Field Demonstration of Ways to Reduce Operating Costs of Small Producers

Project Leader: Gulf Coast Green Energy

Additional Project Participants: Denbury Resources, ElectraTherm Inc, Dry Coolers Inc., Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M University (GPRI)

Mini-Waterflood: A New Cost Effective Approach to Extend the Economic Life of Small, Mature Oil Reservoirs

Project Leader: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Additional Project Participants: Armstrong Energy Corporation

Commercial Exploitation and the Origin of Residual Oil Zones: Developing a Case History in the Permian Basin of New Mexico and West Texas

Project Leader: University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Additional Project Participants: Chevron Corporation, Yates Petroleum, and Legado Resources

Evaluation and Modeling of Stratigraphic Control on the Distribution of Hydrothermal Dolomite Reservoir away from Major Fault Planes

Project Leader: Western Michigan University

Addition Project Participants: Polaris Energy Company

Funding for the projects is provided through the “Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program” authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This program—funded from lease bonuses and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands—is specifically designed to increase supply and reduce costs to consumers while enhancing the global leadership position of the United States in energy technology through the development of domestic intellectual capital. RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer several elements of the program. RPSEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium with more than 145 members, including 25 of the nation's premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States. Additional information can be found at www.rpsea.org.

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7-Jun-09 5:00 PM

RPSEA - Articles

RPSEA Selects Projects for the 2008 Small Producer Program