The items listed below have appeared previously on the home page.

• Recent Study Provides Insight into Vast Energy Resource in Residual Oil Zones Billions of barrels of oil that could increase domestic supply, help reduce imports, and increase U.S. energy security may be potentially recoverable from residual oil zones, according to initial findings from a study supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE). The recently completed study is one of several FE-supported research projects providing insight that will help tap this valuable-but-overlooked resource.
• Harnessing Coal's Carbon Content to Advance the Economy, Environment, and Energy Security [PDF] A report requested from the National Coal Council by DOE Secretary Chu shows that advanced coal combustion and carbon emissions capture technologies, coupled with carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (EOR), could lead to annual industry revenues of $200 billion, $60 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues, and over one million new jobs. Further, crude oil imports could be reduced by more than six million barrels per day.
• Research Projects to Address Technical Challenges Facing Small Oil and Natural Gas Producers Selected by DOE for Further Development Nine new research projects aimed at extending the life of mature oil and natural gas fields, while simultaneously reducing the environmental footprint of production operations and minimizing environmental risks, have been selected to receive a total of $8.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE). The research contracts will be administered by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, under NETL management.
• DOE Announces New Research to Advance Safe and Responsible Deepwater Drilling Technologies Thirteen projects aimed at reducing the risks while enhancing the environmental performance of drilling for natural gas and oil in ultra-deepwater settings have been selected by DOE for further development. The total value of the projects is more than $56 million over 4 years with approximately $21.2 million of cost-share provided by the research partners in addition to the $35.4 million in federal funds. The research contracts will be administered by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, under NETL management.
• Natural Gas Compression Technology Improves Transport and Efficiencies, Lowers Operating Costs An award-winning compressor design that decreases the energy required to compress and transport natural gas, lowers operating costs, improves efficiencies and reduces the environmental footprint of well site operations has been developed by a Massachusetts-based company with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
• U.S. and Japan Complete Successful Field Trial of Methane Hydrate Production Technologies U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the completion of a successful, unprecedented test of technology in the North Slope of Alaska that was able to safely extract a steady flow of natural gas from methane hydrates – a vast, entirely untapped resource that holds enormous potential for U.S. economic and energy security.
• Novel Surfactant Formulation May Bring New Life to Mature Oilfields A new generation of high-performance surfactants has proven successful in mobilizing residual oil in two mature fields in Oklahoma through a project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Read the detailed project summary.
• Innovative DOE Technology Demonstrates Potential for Significant Increases in Safe and Responsible Production from Depleted U.S. Oil Fields The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that an innovative technology has successfully improved oil recovery at a 106-year old Illinois field by more than 300 percent. This method of extraction could help pull as many as 130 million additional barrels of oil from the depleted field, which is past peak production using traditional drilling.
• DOE Releases Comprehensive Review of CO₂ Enhanced Oil Recovery Mobility Control A thorough review of 40 years of RD&D related to the past successes and failures of lab- and field-scale efforts to reduce CO₂ mobility using CO₂ thickeners, foams, and gels is now available. Results clearly indicate that mobility and conformance control for CO₂ EOR can be technically and economically attainable. Read the report [PDF]
• Fossil Energy R&D Returns Significant National Benefit in More Than Three Decades of Achievement Research and development activities at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy have helped increase domestic energy supplies and security, lowered costs, improved efficiencies, and enhanced environmental protection over the past 30 years, according to newly released informational materials.
• Spring 2012 Issue of E&P Focus Now Available This issue reviews ongoing R&D aimed at improving CO₂ Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Included are discussions of: real-time CO₂ flood monitoring; improvements in mobility, conformance and sweep efficiency; near-miscible applications in the Arbuckle reservoirs in central Kansas; and the increasing potential of CO₂ EOR in residual oil zones.
• Obama Administration Announces New Partnership on Unconventional Natural Gas and Oil Research Three federal agencies announce a formal partnership to coordinate and align all research associated with development of our nation’s abundant unconventional natural gas and oil resources. The partnership exemplifies the cross-government coordination required under President Obama’s Executive Order, which creates a new Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources.
• New Models Help Optimize Development of Bakken Shale Resources Exploration and field development in the largest continuous oil play in the lower 48 states, located in North Dakota and eastern Montana, will be guided by new geo-models developed with funding from DOE/NETL.
• DOE/NETL-Sponsored Online Mapping Portal Helps Oil and Gas Producers Comply with New Mexico Compliance Rules By speeding the process and cutting the cost of regulatory compliance, the New Mexico Pit Rule Mapping Portal supports domestic oil and gas production, helping to strengthen the nation’s energy security. The web-based tool, developed by researchers at New Mexico Tech’s Petroleum Recovery Research Center, will be especially helpful to smaller operators. Link to the New Mexico Pit Rule Mapping Portal
• Remote Gas Well Monitoring Technology Applied to Marcellus Shale Site A technology to remotely monitor conditions at energy-rich Marcellus Shale gas wells to help insure compliance with environmental requirements has been developed through a research partnership funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
• Fall 2011 Issue of E&P Focus Now Available! In this issue read about NETL research focusing on expanding E&P capabilities in deepwater and ultra-deepwater regions in an environmentally responsible manner. Included are overviews of NETL-sponsored projects directed at developing technologies to further increase discovery ratios and production in the Gulf of Mexico.
• DOE Selects Projects Aimed at Reducing Drilling Risks in Ultra-Deepwater The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has selected six new natural gas and oil research projects aimed at reducing risks and enhancing the environmental performance of drilling in ultra-deepwater settings. The projects have been selected for negotiation leading to awards totaling $9.6 million, and will add to the research portfolio for FE’s Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Program. The total value of the projects is more than $26.4 million over 3 years with approximately $16.8 million of cost-share provided by the research partners in addition to the $9.6 million in federal funds. The research contracts will be administered by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), under the management of the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.
• Methane Hydrate Production Technologies to be Tested on Alaska's North Slope The U.S. Department of Energy, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and ConocoPhillips will work together to test innovative technologies for producing methane gas from hydrate deposits on the Alaska North Slope. The production tests are the next step in efforts to evaluate the response of gas hydrate reservoirs to alternative gas hydrate production concepts. The tests will provide critical information to inform potential future extended-duration tests.
• New Recycling Solution Introduced to Treat Marcellus Shale Flowback Frack Water A new joint partnership between Casella Waste Systems, Inc. and Altela, Inc. has been formed to solve the environmental issue of brackish, salty water produced from drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Altela, Inc. first tested its technology in the Appalachian basin through a project supported by NETL and is currently treating frac flowback water in the Marcellus Shale with its patented technology at a facility in Williamsport, PA.
• Electronic Oil & Natural Gas Permitting Leads to Faster Process; Wins National Award With support from the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Ground Water Protection Council collaborated with Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to enhance the oil and natural gas permitting process, now being used or considered for use in multiple states.
• CO₂ Injection in Kansas Oilfield Could Greatly Increase Production and Permanently Store Carbon Dioxide The feasibility of using carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection for recovering between 250 million and 500 million additional barrels of oil from Kansas oilfields has been established in a study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The University of Kansas Center for Research studied the possibility of near-miscible CO₂ flooding for extending the life of mature oilfields in the Arbuckle Formation while simultaneously providing permanent geologic storage of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. Read the project summary   Abstract of phase two research
• New Technologies that Enhance Environmental Protection, Increase Domestic Production, Result from DOE-Supported Consortium
  New technologies that help small, independent oil and natural gas operators contribute to domestic energy production while improving environmental protection have resulted from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) support of the Stripper Well Consortium (SWC).
• DOE Selects Projects Totaling $12.4 Million Aimed at Increasing Domestic Energy Production While Enhancing Environmental Protection A total of 11 research projects that will help find ways to extract more energy from unconventional oil and gas resources while reducing environmental risks have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy. The eight new Unconventional Resources Program projects and three new Small Producer Program projects will be administered by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), under the management of FE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.
• Website Provides Data for Key Oil Play in North Dakota, Eastern Montana The online tool, called the Bakken Decision Support System (BDSS), assembles data for the Bakken and Three Forks Formations into an application that enables a user to visualize geologic and oil production information. The BDSS includes geological properties for the two formations and incorporates analytical tools that allow a user to evaluate and interpret the information.
• Newly Installed Alaska North Slope Well Will Test Innovative Hydrate Production Technologies A fully instrumented well that will test innovative technologies for producing methane gas from hydrate deposits has been safely installed on the North Slope of Alaska. The project goals include injecting and storing CO₂ while producing methane gas from hydrate.
• Breakthrough Water Cleaning Technology Could Lessen Environmental Impacts from Shale Production A novel water cleaning technology currently being tested in field demonstrations could help significantly reduce potential environmental impacts from producing natural gas from the Marcellus shale and other geologic formations. NETL is addressing concerns about produced water by funding multiple projects to develop environmental tools and technologies that will improve management of water resources, water usage, and water treatment during oil and gas exploration and production.
• Nations's First Single-Source Website Disclosing Hydraulic Fracturing Additives - The Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), through an NETL-managed project funded through the Oil & Natural Gas Program, unveiled a landmark web-based national registry (http://www.fracfocus.org) disclosing the chemical additives used in the hydraulic fracturing process on a well-by-well basis. Information covers wells drilled starting in 2011. Participating energy companies voluntarily upload information about the chemical additives and the proportion used in each hydraulic fracturing job. At launch, 24 energy companies are participating.
• Growth in Shale Gas Development Supported by Energy Department Research American ingenuity and steady research in the Office of Fossil Energy has helped natural gas production from shales increase fourteen-fold over the past decade. The energy supply promise of natural gas produced from shales, and the role of the National Energy Technology Laboratory in conducting R&D that helped make it happen is featured in this new Department of Energy brochure, Shale Gas: Applying Technology to Solve Americas Energy Challenges. Read the Brochure >
• Water Treatment System Cleans Marcellus Shale Wastewater A water treatment system that can turn wastewater into clean water has been shown to reduce potential environmental impacts associated with producing natural gas from shale formations in the Appalachian basin. Additional Information
• NETL-Sponsored Project Improves Performance, Reduces Emissions for Natural Gas Industry Researchers at Kansas State University are developing emissions control and monitoring technologies that can be applied to engines used in natural-gas-gathering systems. This alternative to engine replacement would provide the U.S. natural gas industry with a more efficient way to upgrade existing engines while mitigating greenhouse gases.
• New Methane Hydrate Primer Now Available!
  This document provides a simple, but comprehensive, explanation of what methane hydrate is, where it is found, its potential as a fuel source, and the current state of methane hydrate research activities.
• DOE's Early Investment in Shale Gas Technology Producing Results Today A $92 million research investment in the 1970s by DOE is today being credited with technological contributions that have stimulated development of domestic natural gas from shales. Spurred by the technological advancements resulting from this investment, U.S. shale gas production continues to grow, amounting to more than 8 billion cubic feet per day, or about 14 percent of the total volume of dry natural gas produced in the United States.
• Winter 2011 Issue of E&P Focus Now Available!
  In this issue read about NETL research focusing on R&D in the Bakken Shale.
• DOE and SPE Collaborate to Provide Expanded Access to Research Documents The results of nearly four decades of research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are now available through the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) OnePetro online document repository. Over 9,000 documents in the DOE/NETL Knowledge Management Database (KMD) can now also be accessed through OnePetro. The KMD provides access to content from dozens of CDs and DVDs related to oil and natural gas research that NETL has published over the years. It also provides links to reports, data sets, and project summaries from ongoing research supported by FE's Oil and Natural Gas Program. Read More
• Innovative Telemetry System Will Help Tap Hard-to-Reach Natural Gas Resources The commercialization of an innovative telemetry communications system developed through a SCNGO research program will help U.S. producers tap previously hard-to-reach natural gas resources deep underground, resulting in access to additional supplies that will help enhance national energy security. Read project summary
• Projects Selected to Boost Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources - Ten projects focused on two technical areas aimed at increasing the nation’s supply of "unconventional" fossil energy, reducing potential environmental impacts, and expanding carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage options have been selected for further development by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
  Read More
• Study Examines Benefits of Expanding North Dakota Oil Refinery Capacity – A recent press release through Senator Byron Dorgan’s (D-N.D.) office indicates that the results of an oil refinery study shows "real promise" for building a new 34,000 barrel per day diesel and naphtha refinery in North Dakota. The study was conducted by The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives with support by the Corval Group, Purvin and Gertz Inc., and Mustang Engineers and Constructors and was managed through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
• Successful Oil and Gas Technology Transfer Program Extended to 2015 The Stripper Well Consortium - a program that has successfully provided and transferred technological advances to small, independent oil and gas operators over the past nine years - has been extended to 2015 by DOE.
• DOE/NETL Awards Second Phase of North Dakota Oil Production Study The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded an agreement to the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center to extend a study that will enhance the understanding of factors affecting oil production from the Bakken and Three Forks-Sanish formations within the Williston Basin. Read more on this project
• Data Acquisition Processor Fills Gap for Extreme Down-hole Conditions Honeywell International, Inc. has developed a Reconfigurable Processor for Data Acquisition (RPDA) – a reprogrammable, multi-functional device that can operate at temperatures up to 250^oC (482^oF). The system is housed in a rugged package suitable for deep down-hole oil and natural gas logging and measurement-while-drilling (MWD) operations, and permanent wellbore installation applications. The project was funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under the Office of Fossil Energy’s Oil and Natural Gas Program. Read more on this project
• DOE-Sponsored Seismic Project Helps Identify Untapped Oil in Developed Reservoirs Using innovative seismic-based technologies developed with funding from NETL, a Kansas drilling company has discovered an untapped, 10-foot-thick oil zone in a developed Colorado reservoir.
• Alabama Injection Project Aimed at Enhanced Oil Recovery, Testing Important Geologic CO2 Storage Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection — an important part of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology — is underway as part of a pilot study of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Citronelle Field of Mobile County, Alabama. A project team led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham is conducting the injection. Study results of the 7,500-ton CO2 injection will provide estimates of oil yields from EOR and CO2 storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs.
• Initial Scientific Results Available from DOE/NETL-Sponsored Gas Hydrate Expedition Gas hydrate, a potentially immense energy resource, occurs at high saturations within reservoir-quality sands in the Gulf of Mexico, according to reports released by FE's National Energy Technology Lab. Initial findings from the May 2009 expedition of the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Joint Industry Project (JIP) detail the extremely valuable and advanced datasets on the various gas hydrate occurrences that were discovered in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
• National Research Council Lauds U.S. National Gas Hydrate R&D Effort
  In a Congressionally mandated report released January 29,2010, the National Research Council praised The National Methane Hydrate R&D Program, which is investigating the science and technology needed to realize the commercial development of natural gas from hydrates.
  Read more on The National Methane Hydrates R&D Program
• Corval Group Selected to Conduct NETL-Sponsored North Dakota Refinery Feasibility Study In an NETL-sponsored project, a steering committee of oil industry leaders has selected the Corval Group to conduct a feasibility study of oil refinery capacity in North Dakota. This study may spur additional exploration and development of the oil-producing Bakken Formation and the newly discovered Three Forks Formation underlying the Bakken. Increased oil production from these formations could result in a positive economic impact to North Dakota and the region, and a reduction in dependence on foreign oil supplies. Read more about this project
• DOE seeking candidates for two advisory committes The Department of Energy is currently seeking nominations of qualified individuals to serve on the Ultra-Deepwater Advisory Committee and the Unconventional Resources Technology Advisory Committee. The closing date for receipt of applications is March 1, 2010. Read more
• Extreme Drilling Laboratory Is Ready to “Rock and Roll” The Extreme Drilling Laboratory (XDL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) proudly announces the much-anticipated debut of its prototype Ultra-deep Drilling Simulator (UDS). The concept of the high-tech facility located in Morgantown, W. Va., was conceived in cooperation with industry and funded by the Federal Government under Section 999 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Research conducted in the XDL is expected to have a direct impact on increasing our domestic supply of oil and natural gas (NG) by developing affordable, efficient, and environmentally safe means to harvest ultra-deep oil and NG resources.
• DOE-Sponsored Beaufort Sea Expedition Studies Methane's Role in Global Climate Cycle Increased understanding of methane's role in the global climate cycle and the potential of methane hydrate as a future energy resource could result from a recent joint research expedition off the coast of northeastern Alaska involving the NETL. Read More on the Expedition.
• September, 2009:DOE/NETL-Sponsored Software Application Assists Exploration of Gas-Rich Fayetteville Shale A project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy has resulted in the development of the Fayetteville Shale Infrastructure Placement Analysis System, or IPAS, which is now available online. Read more on this project.
• September, 2009: DOE/NETL Showcases Websites for Tight Gas Resource Development Two DOE projects funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory provide quick and easy web-based access to sought after information on tight-gas sandstone plays. Operators can use the data on the websites to expand natural gas recovery in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and the central Appalachian Basin of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
• September, 2009: Nine Unconventional Natural Gas Projects Address Water Resource and Management Issues The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has selected nine new projects targeting environmental tools and technology for shale gas and coalbed methane (CBM) production. NETL’s goals for these projects are to improve management of water resources, water usage, and water disposal, and to support science that will aid the regulatory and permitting processes required for shale gas development.
• August, 2009: DOE/NETL-Sponsored Project Pushes the Limits of Seismic-While-Drilling Technology In a project sponsored by DOE/NETL, Technology International Inc. has developed a breakthrough borehole imaging system that stands on the cusp of commercialization. By pushing the limits of seismic-while-drilling technology, the patent-pending SeismicPULSER system provides more accurate geo-steering for the discovery of new oil and natural gas reserves.
• July, 2009: DOE Selects Recipient to Transfer Oil and Natural Gas Innovations The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded to the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) funding of up to $4 million to disseminate the newest, most energy-efficient and cost-effective innovations, ideas, tools, and knowledge developed in the realm of oil and natural gas by researchers at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and other organizations.
• July, 2009: DOE/NETL-Sponsored Software Application Assists Exploration of Gas-Rich Fayetteville Shale A project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy has resulted in the development of the Fayetteville Shale Infrastructure Placement Analysis System, or IPAS, which is now available online.
• July, 2009: DOE/NETL Showcases Websites for Tight Gas Resource Development Two DOE projects funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory provide quick and easy web-based access to sought after information on tight-gas sandstone plays. Operators can use the data on the websites to expand natural gas recovery in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and the central Appalachian Basin of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
  
• July, 2009: DOE Leads National Research Program in Gas Hydrates Dr. Ray Boswell, Senior Management and Technology Advisor at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources that the R&D program in gas hydrates is working to integrate and leverage efforts throughout the United States and internationally to enable gas hydrates to become a viable option for meeting future energy demands.
• DOE-Funded Primer Underscores Technology Advances, Challenges of Shale Gas Development - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the release of “Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer.” [PDF-5.11MB] The Primer provides regulators, policy makers, and the public with an objective source of information on the technology advances and challenges that accompany deep shale gas development and describes the importance of shale gas in meeting the future energy needs of the United States. Protecting and conserving water resources is an important aspect of producing shale gas, and this effort was championed by the Ground Water Protection Council through a cooperative agreement with NETL.
• DOE/NETL-Supported Publication Boosts Search for Oil, Natural Gas by Petroleum Operators A comprehensive publication detailing the oil-rich fields of Utah and nearby states can now provide petroleum companies and related service providers with the geologic, geographic, and engineering data needed to tap into these resources. The portfolio is available on CD through the NETL CD-DVD ordering system.
• New Edition of the E&P Focus Newsletter Now Available E&P Focus is a quarterly NETL publication highlighting the latest developments in oil and natural gas R&D being carried out by the Department of Energy. E&P Focus promotes the widespread dissemination of research results among all types of oil and gas industry stakeholders: producers, researchers, educators, regulators, and policymakers. Read more on E&P Focus including subscription information
• DOE-Funded Project Shows Promise for Tapping Vast U.S. Oil Shale Resources A technology as simple as an advanced heater cable may hold the secret for tapping into the nation's largest source of oil, which is contained in vast amounts of shale in the American West. A recently completed project sponsored by DOE/NETL successfully demonstrated the application of a ceramic-composite insulated heater cable for oil shale recovery deep underground.
• DOE/NETL-Sponsored Technology Enhances Recovery of Natural Gas in Wyoming Research sponsored by DOE/NETL has found a way to distinguish between groundwater and the water co-produced with coalbed natural gas, thereby boosting opportunities to tap into the vast supply of natural gas in Wyoming as well as Montana. Read more about this project.
• DOE/NETL Project Leads to New Alliance to Promote Low-Impact Drilling
  A project supported by the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory has given rise to a major new research consortium to promote advanced technology for low-impact oil and gas drilling. The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and Texas A&M University, the University/National Laboratory Alliance will fund and transfer advanced technologies to accelerate development of domestic oil and natural gas resources with minimal environmental impact.
• E&P Technology: From Idea to Widespread Adoption in the U.S. An article in the latest World Oil magazine shows the paths, hurdles and obstacles to commercialization of new E&P technology in this country. It can be more than 15 years from an idea to widespread technology development. New or improved technologies can come into being when there is industry pull to fill a void or fill a critical need. The article highlights the critical role that the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, funded through the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and that the Department of Energy's Oil and Gas R&D Programs play.
  Read article [PDF-240KB]
• The Fall 2008 edition of Fire in the Ice is now available.
• NETL 2007 Accomplishment Report Released NETL, the research arm of DOE's Fossil Energy program, has released its annual Accomplishments Report showcasing researching and technology successes during the past fiscal year. The report highlights numerous oil and gas research projects that will "help ensure ample, affordable energy".
• The Summer 2008 edition of Fire in the Ice is now available. In this edition read about an update on results of the Spring 2008 Mallik well test in Canada, the relationship between pore fluid profiles and methane flux, current perspectives on methane release from hydrates during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, and an Update on seismic-scale rock physics of methane hydrates. The "Spotlight on Research" features Koji Yamamoto of JOGMEC.
• DOE Report: Alaska North Slope Has Plenty of Potential  The Office of Fossil Energy has issued a comprehensive new report Alaska North Slope Oil and Gas: A Promising Future or an Area in Decline? To answer this question, the report examines the potential for Arctic Alaska to remain a major contributor to the Nation's domestic energy supply under different development scenarios.
• NETL-Funded Pipeline Robot Revolutionizes Inspection Process The self-propelled Explorer II robot demonstrates it can maneuver through most gas lines to spot pipeline defects before they escalate into gas leaks or ruptures.
  Read more on this technology.
• DOE-Led Partnership Creates Tool to Raise Output of Non-Conventional Natural Gas This project has successfully demonstrated a new technology that will help optimize the output of natural gas from the often-grudging non-conventional gas reserves on which the U.S. will have to depend for half its domestic production in the future.
• Oil and Natural Gas Program Uses Stranded Gas to Revive Oil Production
  A DOE project, managed by NETL, is turning "stranded" natural gas at marginal, or low-production, oil fields into fuel for distributed electric power.
• New Seismic Technology Improves Pre-Drill Diagnostics for Deep Oil and Gas Reservoirs  New technology developed through a cost-shared project managed by NETL is improving industry's ability to identify commercially viable deep oil and gas targets prior to drilling.
• DOE Oil Recovery Project Extends Success through Technology Transfer
  A groundbreaking oil-recovery project managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory is coming to a close, but its success will continue to be felt throughout the United States and the world.
• Archive of Unconventional Gas Research Data Now Available The compiled research and development (R&D) reports chronicle work carried out during the 1980s and 1990s that played a vital role in helping to meet the nation's growing demand for natural gas. This archive includes nearly 1,400 documents.
• DOE-Supported Oil and Gas Advances Garner Prestigious Innovation Award Two DOE/NETL-sponsored technological advances that could help increase U.S. recoverable reserves of oil and natural gas have won awards for engineering innovation and were recognized at this year's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. The technologies received the Hart's E&P Magazine Special Meritorious Awards for Engineering Innovation.
• Research Opens Way to 218 Billion Barrels of By-Passed Domestic Oil
  A new computer tool, developed as part of a NETL-managed project, will increase recovery of up to 218 billion barrels of by-passed oil remaining in mature domestic fields.
• NETL Reports Provide Important Information for Deep Gas Explorers
  Two comprehensive reports provide detailed geologic information of the Northern Appalachian Basin and northeastern Gulf Coast regions. These reports are an important source of information for companies interested in exploring these regions for deep gas, enhancing the likelihood that trillions of cubic feet of natural gas can be added to our Nation’s domestic supply of energy.
• First Round Winner of the new Methane Hydrate Research Fellowship Program Announced   Ms. Monica Heintz, a Ph.D. student at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has received the inaugural award, which is part of a new NETL program that provides support for graduate and post-graduate scientists in fields related to the study of methane hydrates. DOE announced the award at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas on May 2.
• DOE-Supported Oil and Gas Advances Garner Prestigious Innovation Award Two DOE/NETL-sponsored technological advances that could help increase U.S. recoverable reserves of oil and natural gas have won awards for engineering innovation and will be recognized at this year's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. The technologies are slated to receive the Hart's E&P Magazine Special Meritorious Awards for Engineering Innovation.
• Data Gathering Completed for North Slope Hydrate Well  Coring, logging and sampling operations have been successfully completed on the Mt. Elbert Prospect, an Alaska North Slope (ANS) well designed to test the potential for methane hydrates to become part of the overall ANS energy portfolio. The well tested a new method for identifying where methane hydrates might exist beneath Arctic permafrost. The cooperative R&D project between BP Exploration (Alaska) and DOE took place in the Milne Point Field near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
• DOE's Microhole R&D Program Yielding Promising New Tools Technology being developed under the Energy Department's ambitious, two-year-old Microhole Initiative is already yielding new tools designed to drill ultrasmall-diameter natural gas and oil wells.
• NETL-Funded R&D Yields Non-Disruptive Plastic Natural Gas Pipeline Repair Tool  NETL’s research partnership with Timberline Tools of Whitefish Montanta and Oregon State University resulted in a unique new tool that can remotely repair plastic natural gas distribution pipelines without disrupting natural gas flow.
• Methane Hydrate Research Fellowship Now Available!  NETL has launched an academic research fellowship program to support qualified postgraduate students in their pursuit of advanced degrees related to methane hydrate science.
• Colorado Company Pursues Low-Cost, Low-Impact Technology to Develop Nation's Oil Shale Resources A DOE-funded project has successfully demonstrated the viability of a new technology that could prove to be the key to unlocking America's largest potential source of oil.
• DOE-Funded 'Microhole' Drilling Rig Demonstrated Successfully in Midcontinent  A DOE-funded technology that could change the way America's oil and natural gas wells are drilled has been successfully demonstrated in the Nation's Midcontinent region.
• DOE Project Revives Oil Production in Abandoned Fields on Osage Tribal Lands A technology developed with DOE funding has revived oil production in two abandoned oilfields on Osage Indian tribal lands in northeastern Oklahoma.
• DOE-Funded Project Honored with Environmental Stewardship Award Project Developed Low-Cost Methods, Tools to Remediate Old, Orphaned Oil Sites - A U.S. Department of Energy-funded project has been honored with a major national award for superior environmental stewardship related to oil and natural gas operations.
• DOE-Funded Technology to Upgrade Low-Quality Natural Gas Commercialized Research Targets Subquality Gas Resource Comprising a Third of U.S. Gas Reserves
• DOE-Funded Technology Improves Directional Drilling Efficiency, Safety A new Department of Energy-funded technology has demonstrated the capability to dramatically reduce costs and improve safety and efficiency in drilling America's oil and natural gas wells. The new system uses robotics and innovative software to "unstick" non-vertical wells.
• DOE Researchers Developing Technology to Safely Detect Flaws in Plastic Gas Pipelines The Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory is developing the first technology that can detect flaws in plastic natural gas pipelines without disrupting pipeline operations. It potentially is applicable to almost one-quarter of the Nation's natural gas pipeline system.
• NETL-Supported Technologies Win R&D 100 Awards Two Oil and Natural Gas R&D Program projects have resulted in technologies that have earned prestigious R&D 100 Awards from R&D Magazine
• DOE, Industry Consortium Project Deploys New Stripper Well Tool  Vortex Flow LLC has deployed its novel technology to more than 200 stripper well operations nationwide, helping to increase oil and gas production while lowering maintenance costs. Technology development was sponsored by the Stripper Well Consortium, a national group co-funded by the Department of Energy
• New Projects to Uncover the Potential of America's Methane Hydrate Resource Six cost-shared R&D projects will seek to unlock this huge potential source of hydrocarbon energy.
• A Two-For-One Solution....  A new cost-shared project will inject carbon dioxide (CO2) into an oil reservoir to maximize domestic oil production. At the same time, the project will assess the potential for later storing CO2 in the reservoir once the oil is depleted rather than emitting it into the atmosphere.
• New Document details potential natural gas demand for South Central and other areas of Alaska [PDF-3.71MB] The document, "Alaska Natural Gas Needs and Market Assessment", details potential natural gas demand for South Central and other areas of Alaska directly associated with a potential spur pipeline connecting the proposed Alaska North Slope Gas Pipeline to the Cook Inlet pipeline infrastructure.
• DOE Initiative Targets Ultra-Low Environmental Impacts of OIl & Gas Recovery Low-Impact Natural Gas and Oil (LINGO) Projects to Demonstrate New Paradigm for Operating in Sensitive Areas
• DOE Funded Project Revives Aging California Oil Field Technology developed under a U.S. Department of Energy-funded research project has breathed new life into one of America's largest mature producing oilfields
• Research to Help Unlock Nation's Largest Growing Source of Natural Gas   Two cost-shared R&D projects will target America's major source of natural gas: low-permeability or "tight" gas formations.
• New Document details potential natural gas demand for South Central and other areas of Alaska The document, "Alaska Natural Gas Needs and Market Assessment", details potential natural gas demand for South Central and other areas of Alaska directly associated with a potential spur pipeline connecting the proposed Alaska North Slope Gas Pipeline to the Cook Inlet pipeline infrastructure. Read More [PDF-3.71MB]
• Deep Trek Program Helps Producers Tap Deep Natural Gas Resources! The Deep Trek program has achieved major milestones in the development of "smart" tools that can withstand extreme temperatures, pressures and other harsh conditions in the search for, and production of, huge gas resources lying three to five miles below the earth's surface. (Read More)
• Revolutionary 'Smart' Drill Pipe Creates Downhole Internet! A U.S. Department of Energy-funded technology that establishes a "downhole Internet" for drilling oil and natural gas wells is now available for commercial use. (Read More)
• Innovative Computer Model Mimics Methane Hydrate Production Settings The TOUGH-Fx/Hydrate simulation program is helping researchers and industry better understand the future production potential of methane hydrate reservoirs. Since its public release in 2005, program licenses have been granted to oil and gas companies and other organizations in more than ten countries. Read More >
• DOE-Funded Project Revives Aging California Oilfield   Read More >
• Revolutionary Technology Could Significantly Increase Heavy Oil Production
  A revolutionary new DOE-funded oil production technology that promises lower costs, reduced environmental and safety risks, and increased production is being commercialized by research partner Completion Concepts Inc., Katy, TX.
• NETL's Microhole Program is Profiled in Special Report in Oil & Gas Journal Read Article!  PDF - 892K
• DOE Sponsored Methane Hydrate Research Cruise  in the Gulf of Mexico
  A special section of the National Methane Hydrate R&D Program website provides status reports, scientific updates, and pictures from the April/May 2005 expedition.
• 16th Oil Recovery Conference, April 6-7
  Hosted by the Tertiary Oil Recovery Project and the North Midcontinent Petroleum Technology Transfer Council. Topics include 3D Visualization of Geology, Geophysics and Petroleum Engineering; and updates on several NETL projects.