26. Unconventional Oil & Natural Gas Technologies Maximum Phase I Award Amount: $250,000 Maximum Phase II Award Amount: $1,600,000 Accepting SBIR Phase I Applications: YES Accepting STTR Phase I Applications: YES Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) development has dramatically increased U.S. production of oil and natural gas over the past decade. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that crude oil production from unconventional (tight oil) reservoirs has increased from 16.5% of total U.S. production in 2008 (0.8 million barrels of oil per day (MMb/d)) to 56.5% of total U.S. production in 2018 (5.6 MMb/d). Over the same period, natural gas production from unconventional reservoirs has also increased from 16.8% of total U.S. production (3.4 trillion cubic feet (Tcf)) to 56.6% of total U.S. production (16.4 Tcf). Based on the EIA's 2018 Annual Energy Outlook, these trends are expected to continue through 2050 when UOG resources are projected to contribute 70.1% of total U.S. oil production (7.9 MMb/d) and 76.1% of total U.S. natural gas production (32.7 Tcf). Based on these projections, UOG production from existing and emerging plays will continue to play a vital role in U.S. energy security and dominance through 2050. While the combination of extended-lateral horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing has led to the significant production increases discussed above, the full potential of U.S. UOG resources has yet to be realized. The recovery efficiency of UOG is difficult to bound, but the limited information available suggests that recovery factors are often despairingly low, perhaps 20% in gas-rich shale reservoirs and less than 10% in liquid-rich plays. a. Advanced Shale Gas Recovery Technologies for Horizontal Well Completion Optimization Advanced Shale Gas Recovery Technologies for Horizontal Well Completion Optimization Proposals are sought to develop and test technologies that will reduce the amount of or eliminate the water needed for hydraulic fracturing when completing natural gas wells or that will improve the apparent low (<30%) natural gas and liquids recovery efficiency currently associated with horizontal, hydraulically fractured wells producing from shale formations. Proposals should focus on addressing a number of important areas where cost effective improvements may be possible. The objective is to increase the efficiency of resource recovery on a per well basis or reduce the volume of fresh water required to produce a unit volume of natural gas. For example, research could include quantitative assessments of the practical and economic limits and potential benefits (if any) of employing mixtures of natural gas (not LPG as is currently practiced) with conventional sand-laden fracturing fluids, as a novel fracturing fluid to partially replace water in the large volume, multiple stage hydraulic fracturing treatments representative of those being applied in shale gas and shale oil plays today. Examples of analyses could include laboratory experiments and/or computer simulations that quantify the effect on relative permeability to gas in a producing wellbore when mixtures of conventional fracturing fluids and natural gas (versus fracturing liquids only) are employed as fracturing fluids under conditions representative of major shale gas plays. Research could characterize the potential volumes and rates of natural gas / conventional fracturing fluid mixtures required to achieve well productivity similar to that achieved when wells are fractured using conventional fracturing fluids alone. Questions Contact: William Fincham, william.fincham@netl.doe.gov b. Advanced Hydraulic Fracture Diagnostics for Unconventional Oil and Natural Gas Wells This topic invites proposals for research that is focused on developing novel technologies for more accurately characterizing the orientation and dimensions of hydraulic fractures, in support of efforts to reduce the environmental risks and increase the efficiency of fracturing in unconventional oil and natural gas wells. Understanding the extent to which fractures may intersect with pathways to shallower water supplies is an important aspect of unconventional oil and gas resource development risk mitigation. The current categories of diagnostic tools (Cipolla and Wright, 2000) include a variety of methods for near-wellbore fracture diagnostics (e.g., production and temperature logs, tracers, borehole imaging) as well as a variety of far-field techniques (e.g., microseismic fracture mapping), but none of these succeed in consistently providing a fully detailed and accurate description of the character of created fractures. DOE has several projects currently underway that seek to expand the tools available for fracture diagnostics. These include a combination of highly sensitive borehole sensors coupled with proppant-sized acoustic emitters that can signal from within a created fracture, electromagnetic logging tools that can image the dimensions of a fracture filled with conductive proppant, enhanced logging methods and permanent downhole seismic sensors. DOE is interested in building upon its existing research portfolio by developing new ways to reduce the cost and/or enhance the accuracy of existing or under-development technologies and methods for hydraulic fracture diagnostics, or by researching entirely new solutions. Specific concepts could include innovative and breakthrough technologies for improved subsurface characterization, visualization, and diagnostics, including: Near-wellbore fracture diagnostic methods Far-field fracture diagnostic methods Intelligent proppant systems. Questions Contact: William Fincham, william.fincham@netl.doe.gov c. Other In addition to the specific subtopics listed above, grant applications in other areas relevant to this topic are invited. Questions Contact: William Fincham, william.fincham@netl.doe.gov References: Subtopic a: 1. National Energy Technology Laboratory. Using Natural Gas Liquids to Recover Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources. U.S. DOE, NETL, 2020, https://netl.doe.gov/node/9482 References: Subtopic b: 1. Cipolla, C.L. and Wright, C.A. State-of-the-Art in Hydraulic Fracture Diagnostics. Presented at the SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Brisbane, Australia, 16 18 October. SPE-64434-MS, https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPE-64434-MS 2. National Energy Technology Laboratory. Fracture Diagnostics Using Low Frequency Electromagnetic Induction and Electrically Conductive Proppants. U.S. DOE, NETL, 2017, http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/oil-and-gas/project-summaries/unconventional-resources/fe0024271-utaustin 3. National Energy Technology Laboratory. Injection and Tracking of Micro-seismic emitters to Optimize Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) Development. U.S. DOE, NETL, 2020, http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/oil-and-gas/project-summaries/unconventional-resources/fe0024360-paulsson 4. National Energy Technology Laboratory. Evaluation of Deep Subsurface Resistivity Imaging for Hydrofracture Monitoring. U.S. DOE, NETL, 2017, http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/oil-and-gas/project-summaries/natural-gas-resources/fe0013902-groundmetrics
