Argonne, in partnership with NETL, develops Web-based information for oil and gas producers

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 14, 2007) – A new Internet-based information system that will help oil and gas producers find technical solutions to problems has been developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory with funding through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), provided by the Office of Fossil Energy's Oil and Natural Gas Program.

The Web-based Produced Water Management Information System, or PWMIS, includes three sections, each of which presents different types of produced water information to users. Produced water is water trapped in underground formations that is brought to the surface along with oil and gas. It is the largest volume waste stream generated during oil and gas production, and managing it can be costly.

“Industry can benefit from having readily available and unbiased information on produced water management options and regulatory requirements,” said one of the developers, John Veil, Manager of the Water Policy Program in Argonne's Environmental Science Division.

Produced water is not a single commodity; instead, the physical and chemical properties of produced water vary considerably, depending on the geographic location of the field, the geological formation and the type of hydrocarbon product being produced. Many options are available for managing produced water, but not all are appropriate at all locations. Most small oil and gas companies do not have comprehensive information on which to base water management decisions. This new Web-based system consolidates all available information in one location.

“The U.S. Department of Energy is responsible for ensuring an adequate and reliable supply of energy for the United States, and part of that involves identifying and supporting new technologies that help explore or produce oil and gas at lower cost and with less environmental impact,” Veil said. DOE supported an earlier Web-based program, Drilling Waste Management Information System, developed by Argonne and industry partners ChevronTexaco and Marathon and opened to users in 2004. That program received nearly 1.5 million visits in its first two-and-a-half years of availability.

PWMIS contains the same three functional modules as the Drilling Waste Management Information System. Available to users of PWMIS are:

• A Technology Description Module, which provides basic information about practices that are currently employed to manage produced water. Users can click on any of the listed technologies to access separate fact sheets describing each technology and including references for additional information.

• A Regulatory Module, which identifies and summarizes existing state and federal regulations or guidelines on produced water management. Users can click on EPA, BLM, MMS or on any state to be sent to pages that offer more information about each agency's requirements.

• A Technology Identification Module, in which users are asked to answer a series of questions. The replies to these questions lead users through a decision tree, resulting in a suggested subset of water management options that would make the most sense for a given geographical or environmental setting.

Veil, the author of the technology description module and the technology identification module, has worked on water issues for 27 years and on produced water for the past 15 years. Markus Puder, author of the regulatory module, has more than 15 years experience with environmental laws and regulations. Others from Argonne's Environmental Sciences Division contributing to the product were Bob Sullivan, Pam Richmond and Tom Kotek, who contributed extensive expertise in web design and programming.

The PWMIS program is available online at http://web.evs.anl.gov/pwmis. Please direct questions about or problems with PWMIS to John Veil at 202-488-2450 or jveil@anl.gov.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

For more information, please contact Eleanor Taylor (630/252-5510 or media@anl.gov) at Argonne.