DOE invests $30 million for unconventional oil, natural gas recovery
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected six projects to receive approximately $30 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development in unconventional oil and natural gas recovery.
The projects, selected under the Office of Fossil Energy’s (FE’s) Advanced Technology Solutions for Unconventional Oil and Gas Development funding opportunity, will address critical gaps in understanding reservoir behavior and optimal well-completion strategies, next-generation subsurface diagnostic technologies and advanced offshore technologies.
As part of the funding opportunity announcement and at the direction of Congress, DOE solicited field projects in emerging unconventional plays with less than 50,000 barrels per day of current production, such as the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale and the Huron Shale. The newly selected projects will help master oil and gas development in these types of rising shales, along with bolstering DOE efforts to strengthen America’s energy dominance, protect air and water quality, position the nation as a global leader in unconventional oil and natural gas resource development technologies, and ensure the maximum value of the nation’s resource endowment is realized.
For more information, visit www.Energy.gov or call (202) 586-5000.
WVU partners to make marketable products from shale gas
According to reports, West Virginia University (WVU) has partnered with the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the University of Pittsburgh and Shell to develop technologies to take advantage of shale gas reserves.
A WVU team is investigating value-added gas-liquid products that could reduce the United States’ demand for crude oil by up to 20 percent. The technologies developed in the project will use shale gas as feedstock to produce aromatics, C2 and C4 olefins, and hydrogen. While the products the team is seeking to manufacture are nothing new, they are typically made from petroleum resources, according to the report.
For more information, visit https:// cigru.wvu.edu or call (304) 293-5067.
Enterprise Products to expand Orla natural gas processing complex
Enterprise Products Partners LP plans to add 300 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of incremental capacity at its cryogenic natural gas processing facility under construction near Orla, Texas, in Reeves County. The addition of a third processing train at Orla would increase inlet volume capacity to 900 Mmcf/d and allow Enterprise to expand its NGL extraction capabilities by an incremental 40,000 bpd to 120,000 bpd. The third processing train is expected to begin service in the second quarter of 2019 and will complement trains one and two, which are on schedule for completion in the second and third quarters of 2018, respectively.
Mixed NGLs from Orla will be delivered into Enterprise’s fully integrated pipeline system, including the new Shin Oak Pipeline currently under construction and scheduled to begin operations in the second quarter of 2019.
For more information, visit www.Enterpriseproducts.com or call (713) 381-3635.
Natural gas production in Pa., Ohio, W.Va growing faster than demand
Significant growth in natural gas production over the past decade — primarily from the Marcellus and Utica shales in the Appalachian Basin — have increased gross natural gas output in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Production in these three states increased from a combined 1.4 Bcf/d in 2008 to nearly 24 Bcf/d in 2017, with their combined share of total U.S. natural gas production reaching 27 percent, up from just 2 percent in 2008. Over that same period, natural gas consumption in these three states has also grown but to a much lesser extent.
Almost all of the recent growth in natural gas consumption in these states has been in the electric power sector. Natural gas consumption for electricity generation in these states grew from 0.5 Bcf/d in 2008 to 1.9 Bcf/d in 2017. Additions of natural gas-fired electricity generating capacity, higher utilization of existing natural gas-fired plants and retirements of coal plants have contributed to greater use of natural gas for electricity generation in the region.
For more information, visit www.eia. gov or call (202) 586-8800.