Better evaluation methods and technologies, as well as, advanced exploration, and production strategies tailored to tight gas accumulations, are needed in order to make these resources part of our future energy portfolio. As a result, NETL’s natural gas program supports studies aimed at improving our understanding of the distribution and quantity of tight gas resources, as well as, projects that focus on advanced detection and prediction of tight gas reservoir “sweet spots”.

Resource characterization studies and assessments provide necessary information about the nature and distribution of “unrecoverable,” tight natural gas resources. These studies are critical for developing strategies and advanced exploration and production technologies which will make tight gas plays, economic targets. NETL’s natural gas program has supported several of these studies throughout the past decade including; support for the USGS’ gas-in-place resource assessments in western basins, characterization of tight Devonian shale and sands in the eastern US, and recent assessments of tight gas resources in the Greater Green River, Wind River, Uinta, and Anadarko basins. Recently initiated work, supported by NETL, focuses on characterizing and improving understanding of tight gas sandstones at the sub-reservoir scale. This work may ultimately led to improved exploration models for tight gas systems and subsequently increased understanding of the distribution and nature of these resources.

To date, much economic tight gas production relies upon the presence of open natural fracture systems. NETL’s natural gas program has supported research focused on developing advanced tools and methods that help predict the location of fractured tight gas reservoirs prior to drilling. These efforts include the development of advanced remote sensing technologies such as, multi-component, multi-azimuth seismic surveys , which aim to detect fractures and quantify their density and orientation prior to drilling. Other NETL supported research has demonstrated that advanced geomechanical analyses and computer based simulations can be used to predict areas most likely to contain open natural fractures in a given play and basin. Additional studies have sought to improve understanding of tight gas resources using: surface geochemical analyses, and remote satellite imagery (in conjunction with magnetic, electromagnetic and gravity data to assist in defining basement structural features including faults and associated natural fractures).

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