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Papers by eric robertson

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Biotechnology for Oilfield Op... more The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Biotechnology for Oilfield Operations program supports development, engineering, and application of biotechnology for exploration and production. This continuing INEEL program also supports mitigation of detrimental field conditions. The program is consistent with the United States Department of Energy mission to "promote activities and policies through its oil technology and natural gas supply programs to enhance the efficiency and environmental quality of domestic oil and natural gas exploration, recovery, processing, transport, and storage." In addition, the program directly supports the focus areas of Reservoir Life Extension; Advanced Drilling, Completion and Stimulation Systems; Effective Environmental Protection; and Cross Cutting Areas. The program is enhanced by collaborative relationships with industry and academia. For fiscal year 2003, the program focused on production and characterization of biological surfactants from agricultural residuals and the production and application of reactive microbial polymers.

Fusion Science and Technology, 2012

This paper evaluates the integration of a hightemperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) to an in situ... more This paper evaluates the integration of a hightemperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) to an in situ oil shale retort operation producing 7950 m 3 /D (50,000 bbl/day). The large amount of heat required to pyrolyze the oil shale and produce oil would typically be provided by combustion of fossil fuels, but can also be delivered by an HTGR. Two cases were considered: a base case which includes no nuclear integration, and an HTGRintegrated case. The HTGR was assumed to be physically located near the oil shale operation such that heat losses during surface transport of the heating fluid were negligible. Transferring the required retort heat for all three cases to the underground oil shale was modeled by a series of closed-loop pipes. The pipes ran from the surface to the desired subsurface zone where the majority of the heat was transferred to the oil shale; the cooled fluid was then returned to the heat source at the surface for reheating. The heat source was a natural gas fired boiler for the base case and was an HTGR for the HTGR-integrated case. The fluid and heat flows through the circulation systems were modeled using Hyprotech's HYSYS.Plant™ process modeling software. A mass and energy balance model was developed to evaluate oil production, gas production and usage, electricity generation and usage, heat requirements, and CO 2 emissions for each case. Integrating an HTGR to an in situ oil shale retort operation appeared quite feasible and had some notable advantages over the base case. The HTGR-integrated case produced the same amount of refinery-ready oil, four times the amount of gas, 8% of the amount of CO 2 , and 70% of amount of electricity as the base case evaluated with retort heat coming from combustion of fossil fuels.

SPE Production & Facilities, 1998

This paper reports the results of a laboratory investigation evaluating the use of bacteria to re... more This paper reports the results of a laboratory investigation evaluating the use of bacteria to reduce water production from oil wells. The objectives are to show that bacteria can be used to form in-depth stable plugs in porous media, that the bacterial plug can effectively reduce the amount of water being produced in oil wells by preferentially reducing water relative permeability, and to briefly report on the economical value of such a treatment. Bacterial strains for tests in a physical model of a producing well and near wellbore region with flow in two dimensions were selected based on results in linear-flow sandpacks. Results from the linear sandpacks showed that in-depth plugs can be formed in porous media by the injection of one pore volume of nutrient. The pre-treatment sandpack permeability of 6600 md was reduced to a stable 200 md after one treatment. Bacterial injection and incubation in the two-dimensional physical model resulted in a 47% decrease in water cut (from 95% ...

SPE Reservoir Engineering, 1993

Summary Oil recovery experiments using Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 (ATCC 39307) and a sucrose-bas... more Summary Oil recovery experiments using Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 (ATCC 39307) and a sucrose-based nutrient were performed with Berea sandstone cores (permeability 0.084 to 0.503 μm [85 to 510 md]). Oil recovery efficiencies for four different crude oils (0.9396 to 0.8343 g/cm3 [19.1 to 38.1°APr|) varied from 2.8% to 42.6% of the waterflood residual oil. Microbial systems reduced interfacial tension (IFT) ≍20 mN/m [≍20 dyne/cm] for all oils tested. After the microbial flood experimentation, organisms were distributed throughout the core, with most cells near the outlet.

This report covers fiscal year 1991 research results for the Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEO... more This report covers fiscal year 1991 research results for the Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) and Wettability Research Program conducted by EG&G Idaho, Inc. at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) for the U.S. Department of Energy Idaho Field Office (DOE-lD). The program is funded by the Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy, and managed by the DOE-lD and the Bartlesville Project Office (BPO). The objectives of this multi-year program are to develop MEOR systems for application to reservoirs containing medium to heavy crude oils and to design and implement an industry cost-shared field demonstration project of the developed technology. The program is inclusive of collaborative research efforts (established as subcontract agreements) in wettability with the New

All Days, 2008

Total worldwide CBM in-place reserves estimates are between 3500 Tcf and 9500 Tcf. Unminable coal... more Total worldwide CBM in-place reserves estimates are between 3500 Tcf and 9500 Tcf. Unminable coal beds have been recommended as good CO2 sequestration sites as the world prepares to sequester large amounts of greenhouse gases. In the U.S., these coal seams have the capacity to adsorb and sequester roughly 50 years of CO2 emissions from all the U.S. coal-fired power plants at today's output rates. The amount and type of gas adsorbed in coal has a strong impact on the permeability of the coal seam. An improved mixed gas adsorption isotherm model based on the extended-Langmuir theory is discussed and is applied to mixed gas sorption-induced strain based on pure gas strain data and a parameter accounting for gas-gas interactions that is independent of the coal substrate. Advantages and disadvantages of using freestanding versus constrained samples for sorption-induced strain measurements are also discussed. A permeability equation used to model laboratory was found to be very accura...

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 2010

Waterflooding is by far the most widely used method in the world to increase oil recovery. Histor... more Waterflooding is by far the most widely used method in the world to increase oil recovery. Historically, little consideration has been given in reservoir engineering practice to the effect of injection brine composition on waterflood displacement efficiency or to the possibility of increased oil recovery through manipulation of the composition of the injected water. However, recent work has shown that oil recovery can be significantly increased by modifying the injection brine chemistry or by injecting diluted or low salinity brine. This paper reports on laboratory work done to increase the understanding of improved oil recovery by waterflooding with low salinity injection water. Porous media used in the studies included outcrop Berea sandstone (Ohio, U.S.A.) and reservoir cores from the Green River formation of the Uinta basin (Utah, U.S.A.). Crude oils used in the experimental protocols were taken from the Minnelusa formation of the Powder River basin (Wyoming, U.S.A.) and from th...

This task will begin to assess the costs associated with separating the CO 2 from flue gas and th... more This task will begin to assess the costs associated with separating the CO 2 from flue gas and then injecting it into a coal seam. The technical challenges and costs associated with CO 2 separation from flue gas and transportation of the separated CO 2 from the point source to an appropriate sequestration target will be analyzed. An interim status report will be prepared that details the data generated and analysis performed in FY-06, as described as follows: 1) The report will include the selection of a specific coal-fired power plant for the application of CO 2 separation technology. An appropriate CO 2 separation technology will be identified from existing commercial technologies. 2) The report will also include a process design for the chosen technology tailored to the selected power plant that will be used to obtain accurate costs of separating the CO 2 from the flue gas. In addition, an analysis of the costs for compression and transportation of the CO 2 from the point-source to an appropriate coal bed sequestration site will be included in the report.

All Days, 1998

Correctly choosing an analytic steam stimulation model for forecasting oil recovery for any given... more Correctly choosing an analytic steam stimulation model for forecasting oil recovery for any given reservoir is an important process of reservoir management. A model should accurately predict key project performance parameters such as oil/steam ratio, optimum cycle length, peak production, and cumulative oil production in order to be of real value. There are a number of different mathematical steam stimulation models available for use; each developed using different assumptions and geometries, and placing emphasis on different recovery mechanisms. The four models chosen for comparison against actual production from 11 different reservoir types located throughout the world are 1) Boberg and Lantz (1966), 2) Seba and Perry (1969), 3) Jones (1977), and 4) Gontijo and Aziz (1984). Each of the four models is described along with the input needed for each. A simple method that directs the engineer to the analytic model that most accurately predicts response from steam stimulation of a give...

All Days, 2007

Waterflooding is by far the most widely applied method of improved oil recovery. Crude oil/water/... more Waterflooding is by far the most widely applied method of improved oil recovery. Crude oil/water/rock interactions can lead to large variations in the displacement efficiency of waterfloods. Laboratory waterflood tests and single-well tracer tests in the field have shown that injection of low-salinity water can increase oil recovery, but work designed to test the method on a multi-well field scale has not yet been under-taken. Historical waterflood records could unintentionally provide some evidence of improved recovery from water-flooding with lower salinity water. Numerous fields in the Powder River basin of Wyoming have been waterflooded using low salinity water (about 1000 ppm) obtained from the Madison limestone or Fox Hills sandstone. Three Minnelusa formation fields in the basin were identified as candidates for waterflood comparisons based on the salinity of the formation and injection water and reservoir characteristics. Historical production and injection data for these fi...

All Days, 2005

Sorption-induced strain and permeability were measured as a function of pore pressure using subbi... more Sorption-induced strain and permeability were measured as a function of pore pressure using subbituminous coal from the Powder River basin of Wyoming, U.S.A. and high-volatile bituminous coal from the Uinta-Piceance basin of Utah, U.S.A. We found that for these coal samples, cleat compressibility was not constant, but variable. Calculated variable cleat-compressibility constants were found to correlate well with previously published data for other coals. Sorption-induced matrix strain (shrinkage/swelling) was measured on unconstrained samples for different gases: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen. During permeability tests, sorption-induced matrix shrinkage was clearly demonstrated by higher permeability values at lower pore pressures while holding overburden pressure constant; this effect was more pronounced when gases with higher adsorption isotherms such as carbon dioxide were used. Measured permeability data were modeled using three different permeability models that take in...

Unminable coal beds are potentially large storage reservoirs for the sequestration of anthropogen... more Unminable coal beds are potentially large storage reservoirs for the sequestration of anthropogenic CO 2 and offer the benefit of enhanced methane production, which can offset some of the costs associated with CO 2 sequestration. The objective of this report is to provide a final topical report on enhanced coal bed methane recovery and CO 2 sequestration to the U.S. Department of Energy in fulfillment of a Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership milestone. This report summarizes work done at Idaho National Laboratory in support of Phase II of the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership. Research that elucidates the interaction of CO 2 and coal is discussed with work centering on the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Sorption-induced strain, also commonly referred to as coal swelling/shrinkage, was investigated. A new method of obtaining sorption-induced strain was developed that greatly decreases the time necessary for data collection and increases the reliability of the strain data. As coal permeability is a strong function of sorption-induced strain, common permeability models were used to fit measured permeability data, but were found inadequate. A new permeability model was developed that can be directly applied to coal permeability data obtained under laboratory stress conditions, which are different than field stress conditions. The model can be used to obtain critical coal parameters that can be applied in field models. An economic feasibility study of CO 2 sequestration in unminable coal seams in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming was done. Economic analyses of CO 2 injection options are compared. Results show that injecting flue gas to recover methane from CBM fields is marginally economical; however, this method will not significantly contribute to the need to sequester large quantities of CO 2. Separating CO 2 from flue gas and injecting it into the unminable coal zones of the Powder River Basin seam is currently uneconomical, but can effectively sequester over 86,000 tons (78,200 Mg) of CO 2 per acre while recovering methane to offset costs. The cost to separate CO 2 from flue gas was identified as the major cost driver associated with CO 2 sequestration in unminable coal seams. Improvements in separations technology alone are unlikely to drive costs low enough for CO 2 sequestration in unminable coal seams in the Powder River Basin to become economically viable. Breakthroughs in separations technology could aid the economics, but in the Powder River Basin, they cannot achieve the necessary cost reductions for breakeven economics without incentives. Disclaimer This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.

The Alaska North Slope (ANS) holds a vast resource of natural gas but has no current method of tr... more The Alaska North Slope (ANS) holds a vast resource of natural gas but has no current method of transportation from the North Slope to world markets. The Prudhoe Bay field contains the largest portion of the discovered natural gas on the North Slope or about 21.8 Tcf of natural gas available for sale after CO 2 removal and satisfying power requirements and other North Slope use. The natural gas at Prudhoe Bay that is produced during oil production operations is reinjected and used to increase oil recovery. Currently, there are two broad gas-marketing schemes proposed for commercializing the natural gas on the North Slope. One is a gas-pipeline/liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant scenario; the other is a gas-toliquids (GTL) option that chemically converts the natural gas to a stable, liquid syn-crude in a North Slope plant, eliminating the need for an additional pipeline from the North Slope to a southern Alaska port. The purposes of this report were to assess the effect of applying new technology to the economics of a proposed GTL plant, to evaluate the potential of a slower-paced, staged deployment of GTL technology, and to evaluate the effect of GTL plant placement on economics. Five scenarios were economically evaluated and compared: a no-major-gas-sales scenario, a gaspipeline/LNG scenario, a fast-paced GTL development scenario, a slow-paced GTL development scenario, and a scenario which places the GTL plant in lower Alaska, instead of on the North Slope. Evaluations were completed using an after-tax discounted cash flow analysis. Results indicate that the slowpaced GTL scenario is the only one with a rate of return greater than 10 percent. The other scenarios did not show positive net present values under the economic conditions selected for the simulations. Their rank, in order of net present value, is as follows: slow-paced GTL development, no-major-gas-sales, fastpaced GTL development, a fast-paced GTL development in southern Alaska, and finally a gaspipeline/LNG project. The slow-paced GTL development would allow cost saving on subsequent expansions. These assumed savings along with the lowering of the transportation tariff combine to distinguish this option for marketing the North Slope gas from the other scenarios. Critical variables that need further consideration include the GTL plant cost, the GTL product premium, and operating and maintenance costs. Reducing these costs, or increasing the premium, would increase the profitability of the GTL process. In addition, understanding these variables better and reducing their uncertainty would allow a more accurate prediction of economic profitability.

SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 2007

Summary Sorption-induced strain and permeability were measured as a function of pore pressure usi... more Summary Sorption-induced strain and permeability were measured as a function of pore pressure using subbituminous coal from the Powder River basin of Wyoming, USA, and high-volatile bituminous coal from the Uinta-Piceance basin of Utah, USA. We found that for these coal samples, cleat compressibility was not constant, but variable. Calculated variable cleat-compressibility constants were found to correlate well with previously published data for other coals. Sorption-induced matrix strain (shrinkage/swelling) was measured on unconstrained samples for different gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrogen (N2). During permeability tests, sorption-induced matrix shrinkage was demonstrated clearly by higher-permeability values at lower pore pressures while holding overburden pressure constant; this effect was more pronounced when gases with higher adsorption isotherms such as CO2 were used. Measured permeability data were modeled using three different permeability models th...

SPE Journal, 2008

Summary This paper describes the derivation of a new equation that can be used to model the perme... more Summary This paper describes the derivation of a new equation that can be used to model the permeability behavior of a fractured, sorptive-elastic medium, such as coal, under variable stress conditions. The equation is applicable to confinement pressure schemes commonly used during the collection of permeability data in the laboratory. The model is derived for cubic geometry under biaxial or hydrostatic confining pressures. The model is designed to handle changes in permeability caused by adsorption and desorption of gases onto and from the matrix blocks in fractured media. The model equations can be used to calculate permeability changes caused by the production of methane (CH4) from coal as well as the injection of gases, such as carbon dioxide, for sequestration in coal. Sensitivity analysis of the model found that each of the input variables can have a significant impact on the outcome of the permeability forecast as a function of changing pore pressure; thus, accurate input dat...