|
Advanced
Energy Consortium Will Develop Micro and NanoSensors to
Boost Energy Production
Other Topics:
Nanoparticle Materials
Rice University
January 15th, 2008
Houston, TX -- The Richard E. Smalley Institute for
Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University, which
has extensive nanotechnology expertise, will be a
collaborative technical partner.
Geoscientists believe that more oil and gas can be extracted
by improving their understanding of the chemical and
physical characteristics of existing oil and gas reservoirs.
Using current technology, typically 60 percent of oil
remains underground after primary, secondary and in some
cases even tertiary recovery methods. |
|
The consortium's primary goal is to develop intelligent
subsurface micro and nanosensors that can be injected into
oil and gas reservoirs to help characterize the space in
three dimensions and improve the recovery of existing and
new hydrocarbon resources. By leveraging existing surface
infrastructure, the technology will minimize environmental
impact.
Members of the privately funded consortium include BP
America Inc., Baker Hughes Incorporated, ConocoPhillips,
Halliburton Energy Services Inc., Marathon Oil Corp.,
Occidental Oil and Gas, and Schlumberger. The Bureau of
Economic Geology will manage the Houston-based AEC on behalf
of the funding members.
The AEC will solicit leading universities and researchers
worldwide for competitive project proposals and the most
promising will be funded.
"The petroleum industry realizes there are exciting
possibilities for the application of nanotechnologies that
will provide a more comprehensive picture of existing oil
and gas reserves. The consortium provides a vehicle for this
critical pre-competitive research and sends a great message
to young people that the industry is investing substantially
and for the long term," said Scott W. Tinker, Director of
the Bureau of Economic Geology.
Tinker and Jay Kipper, also of the Bureau of Economic
Geology, are serving as the AEC's managing directors.
"We look forward to working with the world's leading energy
companies and oil field service firms and with Rice
University as a technical partner to make this research
program a success," Tinker said. "The AEC intends to kick
off a series of forums starting in early 2008, bringing
leading nanotechnology experts together with oil and gas
exploration and production technologists. The goal is to
develop a technology roadmap which will serve to more
specifically target and further narrow the focus of the
subsequent project solicitations."
Intelligent sensors could range from hundreds of micrometers
down to hundreds of nanometers. (For reference, the human
hair is about 100,000 nanometers wide.) These functional
units would collect data about the physical characteristics
of hydrocarbon reservoirs.
About Rice University
Located in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked
one of America's best teaching and research universities. It
is distinguished by its: size—2,850 undergraduates and 1,950
graduate students; selectivity—10 applicants for each place
in the freshman class; resources—an undergraduate
student-to-faculty ratio of 6-to-1, and the fifth largest
endowment per student among American universities;
residential college system, which builds communities that
are both close-knit and diverse; and collaborative culture,
which crosses disciplines, integrates teaching and research,
and intermingles undergraduate and graduate work. Rice's
wooded campus is located in the nation's fourth largest city
and on America's South Coast. |
