"Shale Oil Plays Blog"

So...This Shale Oil Plays Blog discusses about new oil discoveries in shale oil and gas, providing maps and additional information.  One of the recent post (U.S. Shale Plays Not Just About Natural Gas But Oil As Well) talks about how some of the shale formations in the United States are not just capable of producing gas (biogenic) but are mature enough to produce oil. 

The article discusses that most of the shale formation contain kerogen and some bitumen (oil).  Kerogen is simply a solid material that is insoluble organic matter which is a diagenetic alteration product of organic material laid down with sediments.  Bitumen is the fraction of the organic matter in sedimentary rocks which is soluble in organic solvents.  One of the diagrams below shows the three types of kerogen and different types of petroleum.  The other one shows you relativily the amount of bitumen in a shale rock. 

Therefore, to convert the the kerogen to bitumen it must be heated up or thermally matured.  The petroleum industry is starting to find certain shale plays (such as the Eagle Ford) which contain a higher amount of bitumen than kerogen due to being at a deeper depth and mature level.  

But, you also have to think about being over mature?  If the formation is too deep, it could possibly pass the oil window and fall into a gas generation window.  The Van Krevelen Diagram below shows the maturation paths of the three different types of kerogen. The diagram shows the path ways through Diagenesis-Catagenesis-Metagenesis of the three types of kerogen.  (The diagrams were provided by Dr. Curtis, Colorado School of Mines)

With an understanding of oil generation, companies can target more oil prone shale formations while the price of oil is high. 

Volatile Natural Gas Market...(follow up)

To follow up with a comment on a previous post about the volatility in the natural gas market, the Wall Street Journal published are article called Big Oil Bangs the Drum for Natural Gas.  This article discusses how companies have done a good job providing natural gas reserves for the future of energy, but they also point out the fact that the boom in production has created a "global gas glut", possibly lasting until 2020, keeping the prices at a low.  And therefore if the United States produces such a large supply of natural gas, exporting might be a good idea?

Looking at the environmental benefits of natural gas, the world should take advantage of the low prices and high supply, creating a shift in energy consumption.  Coal is cheap and abundant but natural gas is cleaner.  Unlike oil though, there has to be an infrastructure in place to transport gas, pipelines must be installed. So what are the dis-advantages to use natural gas more?

From a business perspective, the market for natural gas can be very risky right now in the short run.  The potential for a quality long term investment would be a good idea. The future for natural gas looks good.

As stated in the article, "In its 2030 energy forecast last month, ExxonMobil predicted a shift toward natural gas by businesses and governments precisely because it is so reliable and affordable."

Bring the Gulf Back to Life

Since the BP oil spill is a hot topic in class recently and up for discussion the rest of the semester, drilling in the gulf is still at a halt due to the offshore accident.  A lot of people do not realize that the gulf is a major asset to our domestic oil and job market in the petroleum industry.  The moratorium has been lifted to start drilling in the gulf, but the issuing of new permits has not started.  Therefore, drilling companies are only able to finish any existing projects and most companies are just sitting still (some have even sent there drill ships and rigs to other countries).  The video below is with ATP CEO, who discusses the status of drilling in the gulf and the return to normalcy. 

The BP oil spill was a tragic event and specifically to the offshore regions of the petroleum industry.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the near future to offshore drilling. A large number of conventional plays in today's world are being drilled in offshore and shelf environments.  If the U.S. continues to restrict the permitting of drilling in the deeper sea horizons, there might be a large influx in price and supply of oil.

Self Evaluation

For the first evaluation period, I have posted just above the minimum number of post (9) and have commented on multiple other blogs (10-12).  I have also responded to many comments on my blog within a reasonable time.  For never blogging before, I feel that my blogs has started to move away from the deficit model to more interaction from the audience with questions and changing of writing style.  I have used multi-media tools (photos and videos) to build my posts with visual aids.  I have also always linked my posts to publish articles related to the material if necessary.  I use recent events and ideas to attract and engage an audience who want to stay up to date with the technology and science about shale oil and gas. My posts are written at a manageable length and the information is organized for my audience.  One thing that I need to work on is the frequency of my posts, making sure I am posting throughout the week.  If I have to give myself a grade it would be around a "B" right now. 

Oh no...China is in the back yard!

Recently Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Chinese oil giant (CNOOC Limited) have partnered up to work the Niobrara shale formation in our back yard.  Breing prospected and drilled, the Niobrara shale (located on the eastern side of Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western Nebraska) provides one of the hottest plays in Colorado right now; multiple companies and institutions conduct research and are exploring potentials in the Niobrara shale formation.

China is a one of the power houses of the world, and they are continuing to buy resources around the world to support themselves, including precious mineral deposits, REE deposits, base metal deposits, and oil and gas prospects.  This creates a scary situation.  China will be controlling some of our own major resources within the United States.  What are we going to do?

To read more about this partnership on the Niobrara play take a look at this article by Wyoming Business Report - Cheasapeake energy, China team up for Niobrara play.

FRAC THAT ROCK

Below is an informational video on what exactly hydraulic fracturing is in a horizontal well....

Hydraulic fracturing of well now allows exploration and production companies to enhance the reservoir.  Hydraulic fracturing allows exploration companies to go after targets such as tight sands, shales, and other unconventional reservoirs and make them economically viable.  In some well bores, they are doing multiple stage fractures, sometimes up to 30 or more fractures in one horizontal well!  This is a great technological advancement to the petroleum industry, and the petroleum industry will need to continue advancing their methods to extract and supply the world with petroleum products (oil and gas). 

So what will be next? Has anyone heard of any new ideas/technologies in drilling, enhancing reservoirs, or recovery in unconventional plays?

US...Natural Gas Exporters?

In a recent article from Business Insider (Oil has joined the Past...NG is the Future!), they discuss about the changing of the market in the near future from Oil to Natural Gas.  The article talks about how Russia's natural gas cartel is over, and European nations are investigating there own geology and resources to provide domestic gas. 

Is this possible? Can the US actually support themselves in the natural gas market and become an exporter of natural gas? With basin centered gas accumulations, shale gas, and coal bed methane deposits all within the US boarder, this might be possible.  Technology now allows us to drill multiple horizontal legs from a vertical well, extending up to about two miles and having around 30 fracture stages, stimulating the reservoir.  This allows the well to more efficiently drain the reservoir and extends the life of the well production. Below is a picture show the shale gas plays that the US are prospecting and already drilling. 

As you can see, some of the fields have an estimated reserves potential and some don't.  Some of the fields are still being examined geologically for the potential gas reserves.  But, just from this picture, this is evidence that the US can potentially provide enough gas to support itself (with the help of conventional, BCG, and CBM). 

Natural gas is not going to completely replace oil, but it can substitute for certain situations, such as the ones that were discussed in the article.  Right now gas is around $4/Mcf and oil is around $95/bbl; the energy ratio of gas to oil is about 16 times.  So if you do the math, most companies today are prospecting more for oil than gas because there is a larger profit to be made.  What will it take for more companies to pursue and drill for natural gas within the US?

Blog Self-Interview

What is the purpose of this blog?

The purpose of this blog is to help me learn how to effectively and improve my science communication skills. Also, this blog is to educate myself and the readers about an idea that is a rising interest in the world today.

 

Who is the imagined audience(s) of this blog?

The imagined audiences for this blog are students and people who have an interest or study in future energy and petroleum. I want to engage an audience who speculates about the energy crisis and continues to wonder about future energy sources.  

Have my posts matched up with my purpose/audience?  What/who might I be overlooking in defining my purpose/audience this way?

My posts have matched up with my audience, but I might be overlooking those who are interest in other energy sources, showing them how oil shale is another option to support the demand for oil in the future.  Also I might be overlooking people who don't have any interest in the topic; therefore, I need to draw them in with better leads and titles. 

What can I do to encourage more reader participation with my blog?

I can ask more questions that will engage the reader to answer and debate about the topic.  Also, my writing style needs to be more active and with better titles and leads.

How can I expand my audience in this class?  Outside of this class?

I can expand my audience in this class by connecting ideas between their blogs and creating interesting topics to discuss about.  Outside this class, I can also connect ideas to other blogs and try to build a reputation with comments on other's to comment on my.

How would I characterize the tone of my blog?

I characterize the tone of my blog as an individual with a positive attitude towards shale oil and gas, but one that realizes there are many negatives and costs to be involved in the future.

What do I hope to get out of writing this blog?

I hope to educate myself with the topic more, become a better writer, learn how to frame an issue towards an audience, and leave with the knowledge of better practiced science communication.

What would I like others to get out of it?

I would like others to also educate themselves with the topic, and I would like them to take the ideas from my blog and continue to educate themselves about the topic through other research. I hope others will be interested in the topic after being involved in the blog.

 

What are the strengths of my blog/my blogging?

The strengths of my blog are the educational aspects and the visual content.

What are the weaknesses?

The weaknesses are the audience's engagement back and the ability to really grasp my readers.

Have I used a deficit model in my writing, or something else?  How would I know?

I have used a deficit model in my writing; I know this because some of my post are strictly information that I have thrown at my reader without any interaction back. 

How have I characterized (implicitly or explicitly) science, engineering, and/or technology in my blog? 
I have characterized most of my blog explicitly about the science, engineering, and/or technology in my blog.

How have I characterized myself?
I have characterized myself as someone who is studying shale oil and gas but does not have all the answers to the topic; yet, I have many questions/concerns with the topic.

End of Oil

Peak oil production is a highly debatable topic.  Marion King Hubbert created the idea of peak oil production on a global level and was nearly right on.  The video below is a short debate about oil production and peak oil.

Studying geology and having gone to multiple talks about different research topics and lectures, relating to the reading,  I have found myself in many formal 'talks'.  There has only been a couple "talks" that the speaker has questioned the audience throughout the whole lecture, not just asked a few questions.  As a student, informal dialogue or lectures can be very beneficial because for one you are more involved and you are processing thoughts the entire time.  But, at the same time, the information that is shared between students may not be validated or accurate. 

The video above shows how a small debate and new communication techniques can influence a topic to the listener.  I feel that if you were at this debate about peak oil and you were able to engage in the topics, you would learn and acquire more information than if just the speaker gave you a lecture on peak oil.  I have actually attended a lecture on peak oil, and I hardly remember anything because I was most likely day dreaming a bit.  With new media tools and new methods of engaging the audience to make it "fun" and "exciting", I believe more students and people would really grasp the concepts and knowledge being expressed.

By the way, if you want to watch a crazy arithmetic lecture by a seasoned professor at CU take a look at the link below and watch the videos...it might give you a little bit of a scare about energy consumption.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY

The Energy Solution?

So what is going to be the energy solution for the future?  Is it going to be offshore drilling? How about oil shale? Shell Petroleum company runs a test plant for in-situ recovery for oil shale in western Colorado; there has been some success but the costs are extreme. What will it take for oil shale to fall into production and politics help push the idea forward?  Check out this video by Fox News below...

The idea of 100 million bbl of oil from one acre is pretty good (At what thickness and quality of shale though?).  But, they really don't talk about the environment impacts, and the amount of water needed for the recovery process.  What is going to be worth more - a bbl of water or a bbl of oil?

I find it amusing how the news caster tries to show an example of oil shale burning with a torch and does not even where a glove. Shale oil can definitely help our dependence on foreign oil; but, it is going to take all variances of production to support our growing demand for oil.

Does anyone know if the moratorium is still active on production of shale oil?  I know that drilling for shale gas has slowed down a lot in western Colorado due to low prices and also more companies are directing their focus to the DJ Basin. 

Tell Ertl Oil Shale Repository reopened

"The Tell Ertl Oil Shale Repository, located in Arthur Lakes Library, Colorado School of Mines, is now accessible and open for research use! The open hours of the Tell Ertl Oil Shale Repository are Mondays and Tuesdays, 2:00pm to 4:00pm, but tours and repository use at alternative times can also be reserved with the COSTAR Librarian, Julie Carmen.  Please contact her at; jcarmen@mines.edu.  The repository houses over 23 special collections about the oil shale industry and include technical materials of architectural drawings, engineering drawings, maps of oil shale reserves, specialty journals, government and contractor reports, original research, charts, and data compilations.  Non-technical materials include photographs, manuscripts, personal papers of key oil shale players, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia." (Julie Carmen)

I did not even know that we had an Oil Shale Repository before.  This is a great resource provided by our school if you want to know more about the industry and the research that is going into it.  I will definitely have to go check this out...