RPSEA

AFTER OIL: Research key to energy woes

noemail@rpsea.org — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Sugar Land firm fosters technology

By MARK MURPHY

Oct. 26, 2008, 1:36AM

High energy prices and geopolitical issues are causing Americans to take another look at producing more of our energy supplies right here at home. Concerns about climate-change mitigation are also taking center stage in national policy debates. A prime beneficiary of this renewed focus is domestic natural gas.

The U.S. has abundant natural gas resources — some estimates are that at current rates of consumption, we have almost 100 years of supply. Much of this domestic resource is "unconventional" and includes shale, tight sands and coalbed methane gas. In fact, the Energy Information Administration with the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that in a short period of time, almost half of all U.S. domestic natural gas production will be from unconventional resources. These energy supplies are however technically challenged and require new technologies to affordably supply American energy consumers.

This is where Sugar Land comes in. It is home to a small not-for-profit research management organization the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America or "RPSEA."

RPSEA is committed to helping the U.S. meet its energy needs through the development of new technologies. RPSEA supports research in, among other things, the development of unconventional gas resources.

RPSEA has 140 members from across the country representing the entire energy supply research value chain — from 26 research universities, to six national laboratories, to small and large producers, to environmental organizations and advocacy groups, to venture capital firms. These members and a thousand other energy experts have established research priorities that support a research portfolio to enable the development of domestic natural gas supplies through new technologies. In addition, research to ensure that new supplies will be found and produced in environmentally sound ways is a fundamental program component, reflected in all aspects of the work RPSEA supports.

RPSEA, as the primary steward of this $500 million federal research program, plays another key role in the nation's energy future. By providing critical research funds to U.S. universities, RPSEA is supporting the nation's intellectual infrastructure. It provides funding for innovative, cutting-edge energy research by graduate students in Texas, in my home state of New Mexico and across the country. In fact, 23 out of 41 of RPSEA's project selections for research have gone to universities, including the University of Houston, Rice, Texas A&M and the University of Texas. Nine other research awards from RPSEA have gone to national laboratories, state geological surveys or non-profit research institutions, creating a unique research pipeline to move new technologies through the value chain and into the market place.

Any great idea comes with detractors. The uninformed have called this valuable program a "giveaway to big oil." This knee-jerk characterization is disproved by the statistics. Eighty percent of RPSEA's research awards are going to universities, not for profits, national labs or state geologic surveys and others are small technology development firms. In fact, none of RPSEA's prime research funding recipients is from "big oil.

It's incumbent on energy and policy leaders however to educate the skeptics about the need for affordable, domestic energy supplies and the ways and means to ensure that we have them. From the RPSEA perspective the calculus is simple: more research means more supply. More supply means lower prices for consumers, not higher profits for big oil.

In view of the unenlightened, ideological or uneducated perspective of sometimes powerful critics, the support from key members of Congress for this research effort has been especially courageous. Congressman Nick Lampson, who represents Sugar Land, the city that RPSEA calls home, has taken a leadership role in supporting the program in the House of Representatives and has prevailed on the Speaker of the House time and again to support the program.

Other members of the Texas congressional delegation, Ralph Hall a Republican and the author of the legislation that created the program and Chet Edwards, another Democrat, have also been instrumental in both the development and implementation of this critical research program.

Natural gas is all the rage right now. But many of us in industry, academia and in the halls of Congress knew all along that natural gas was a critical source of domestic energy and a key component for climate risk mitigation; we just need research and new technologies to find and produce it. We should applaud the researchers as well as our policy makers for their foresight and support. Leadership is critical to success; RPSEA, Sugar Land, Lampson, Hall, Edwards and others are working to ensure the nation's energy future. Let's give them a hand.

Murphy is chairman of the board of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, based in Sugar Land.

27-Oct-08 3:00 PM

2009 Offshore Technology Conference Selects RPSEA as an Invited Organization

noemail@rpsea.org — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:30:00 GMT

The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America’s (RPSEA) role at the 2009 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC.09) is one of honor and gratitude. OTC selected RPSEA as an Invited Organization, a recognition based on outstanding contributions to the offshore industry.

The OTC Program Committee submits a recommendation to its Board of Directors for its selection of the Invited Organization, and the Board votes on the recommendations. Each year, the Board may invite one or more technical organizations (Invited Organization) to develop special programming to provide a focused supplement to the OTC program. The technology presented by the Invited Organization will normally complement and extend the technology traditionally presented by one or more of the Sponsoring Organizations.

RPSEA will organize a 2.5-hour session during the OTC.09 program and will receive an honorarium for its participation. The three most recent Invited Organizations were the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) in 2008, French Oil and Gas Suppliers and Services Council (GEP) in 2007 and The Energy Institute (U.K.) in 2006.

Founded in 1969, OTC is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection and is held annually at Reliant Park in Houston. OTC ranks among the largest 200 trade shows held annually in the United States. Attendance consistently exceeds 50,000, and more than 2,000 companies participate in the exhibition. For more information, visit www.otcnet.org.

RPSEA is a 501(c)3 non-profit consortium with 140 members that include industry, government, non-government organizations, academia, national laboratories, and independent research organizations. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States. For more information on RPSEA, visit www.rpsea.org, or contact Danette Mozisek at 281.690.5513 or dmozisek@rpsea.org.

20-Oct-08 11:30 AM

Call for Papers for 2009 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

noemail@rpsea.org — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:00:00 GMT

RPSEA Board Member and Environmental Advisory Group Chair Dr. Rich Haut will chair the 2009 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition HSE Committee in New Orleans October 4-7, 2009. While this may a year from now, the abstracts for the conference are due January 26, 2009. RPSEA encourages all interested members to submit abstracts by this date.

Oil currently supplies more than 40% of our total energy demands and more than 99% of the fuel we use for cars and trucks. Petroleum products and natural gas are projected to account for almost 65% of domestic energy consumption in 2025 with U.S. natural gas consumption expected to grow from 22 trillion cubic feet in 2003 to almost 31 tcf in 2025. Twenty years ago (1988), nearly 75% of federal lands were available for private lease to oil and gas exploration companies. Since then, the share has fallen to 17 %.

According to 1999 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Minerals Management Service (MMS) figures, the injury and illness rate was 6.3% for the entire U.S. private sector (6.3 injuries or illnesses per year per 100 full-time workers) while only 2.3 percent for the offshore industry. Over the past three decades, MMS has established an enviable environmental and safety record. We have seen the oil-spill rate continue to drop from decade to decade resulting in a 67% decrease over this 30-year period. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, between 1985 and 2000, 6.3 billion barrels of oil were produced in federal offshore waters with less than 0.001% spilled – a 99.999% record for clean operations. The most recent MMS and Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that the offshore industry’s injury and illness rate was almost 50% less than the petroleum industry as a whole.

The petroleum industry has an admirable health, safety and environmental (HSE) record. The industry consistently holds out safety as the top concern. Yet, this number one priority is not reflected in the number of papers submitted for presentation at the annual Society of Petroleum Engineers conference. Out of the 1,285 abstracts submitted for the 2008 conference, only 2.3% (30) were related to HSE.

The industry needs access to environmentally sensitive areas in order to meet the future U.S. energy demands. Getting the word out about the industry’s HSE track record could help educate stakeholders on industry’s concern about balancing energy and environmental resources in a safe manner. As we go about our daily work, we can identify case studies, processes and procedures that would make excellent HSE-related papers. Please consider how you can help get the word out about the industry’s great HSE track record.

To submit your abstract by January 26, 2009, please click here: http://www.spe.org/spe-app/jsp/siteFunctionality/callForPapers.jsp.

3-Oct-08 9:00 AM

RPSEA's 2009 Draft Annual Plan Completed and Submitted to NETL

noemail@rpsea.org — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:00:00 GMT

RPSEA completed its 2009 Draft Annual Plan (DAP) this summer and submitted it to the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. The next step in the process is to attend the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Meetings, which review the DAP.

The federal advisory committees, Ultra-Deepwater Advisory Committee (UDAC) and Unconventional Resources Technology Advisory Committee (URTAC), met to review the DAP in September in Alexandria, Va. The committees will reconvene at the Crowne Plaza Houston North Greenspoint Hotel in Houston on October 15, 2008 (UDAC) and October 16, 2008 (URTAC) to hear and discuss the subcommittee reports and to determine their final recommendations. A final teleconference meeting will be held on October 23, 2008 to review and finalize their recommendations report and to adjourn work on the 2009 Annual Plan.

The Department's UDAC was established to advise on the development and implementation of programs related to ultra-deepwater natural gas and other petroleum resources and review and comment on the program's annual plan.

The Department's URTAC was established to advise on the development and implementation of programs related to onshore unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resources and review and comment on the program's annual plan.

Click here to view the Draft 2009 Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program.

The UDAC and URTAC are open meetings to the public. RSPEA encourages all members to attend these meetings for more insight into the 2009 DAP and FACA process.

Draft 2009 Annual Plan [PDF-1.47MB]

2008 Annual Plan [PDF-15.6MB]

Click her for NETL's website: http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/EPAct2005/Index.html.

29-Sep-08 2:00 PM

U.S. Secretary of Energy Approves RPSEA’s 2008 Annual Plan

noemail@rpsea.org — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

RPSEA’s 2008 Annual Plan has been approved by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, which sets the stage for RPSEA to move forward with its 2008 project solicitations.

Click here to view the Federal Register notice: www.rpsea.org/attachments/contentmanagers/63/FedRegNotice2008AnnualPlan.pdf.

Click here to view in full RPSEA’s 2008 Annual Plan: www.rpsea.org/attachments/contentmanagers/63/2008AnnualPlan.pdf.

The RPSEA team is working diligently preparing request for proposals for the 2008 Annual Plan. General solicitation details are contained in the plan itself, and 2008 Ultra-Deepwater Program abstracts can be found on the website. Stay tuned for more details…

3-Sep-08 3:00 PM

RPSEA Announces Additional Projects for the Ultra-Deepwater Program

noemail@rpsea.org — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

New Department of Energy and Privately Funded Research Will Help Meet U.S. Energy Demand and Lower Costs for Consumers

SUGAR LAND, Texas (July 28, 2008) -The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) announced today that an additional nine proposals have been selected for negotiations leading to an award under the Ultra-Deepwater Program (UDW). This program is focused on increasing the supply of natural gas and other petroleum resources in the U.S. in an environmentally responsible way.

“The 2007 Ultra-Deepwater Program is designed to bring the resources of America’s leading universities, research institutions and technology innovators to bear on reducing costs, increasing efficiency, improving safety, and minimizing environmental impacts of domestic production,” said RPSEA President C. Michael Ming. “Accelerating the time to first production and building the intellectual capability in the research community for these strategically important resources is vital to meet the nation’s energy needs.”

The selected projects will address the specific technology and architecture needs required in water depths greater than 1,500 meters. These substantial but challenging resources require a complex and integrated systems approach, where the time from first discovery to first production can range from six to nine years, and individual well costs can exceed $100 million.

While awards under the RPSEA Ultra-Deepwater Program are open to any U.S.-based organization, most projects involve a team consisting of researchers along with producers or service companies that are in a position to evaluate and apply new technology. Each proposal must provide a minimum of 20% cost share, with up to 50% for field demonstration projects.

The selected projects are listed below:

Wax Control
Project Leader: University of Utah
Additional Project Participants: SINTEF Petroleum Research; BP; StatoilHydro; University of Tulsa

Ultra-High Conductivity Umbilical’s
Project Leader: Technip USA
Additional Project Participants: Duco, Inc.; NanoRidge Materials, Inc.; Rice University

Composite Riser for Ultra-Deepwater High Pressure Wells
Project Leader: Lincoln Composites, Inc.
Additional Project Participant: Stress Engineering Services, Inc.

Improved Recovery: Phase I
Project Leader: Knowledge Reservoir, LLC
Additional Project Participants: Louisiana State University; Anadarko Petroleum Corporation; Schlumberger Limited; Core Laboratories; CMG

Geophysical Modeling for Studying Acquisition and Processing Methods in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico
Project Leader: SEAM Corporation, subsidiary of SEG
Additional Project Participants: 3DGeo Development, Inc.; Anadarko Petroleum Corporation; BHP Billiton; CGGV Veritas Services (USA); Chevron Corporation; ConocoPhillips Company; Devon Energy Corporation; EMGS ASA; Eni S.p.A; ExxonMobil Upstream Research; Geotrace Technologies; Hess Corporation; ION; Landmark Graphics Corporation; Maersk Oil America; Marathon Oil Corporation; Petrobras America, Inc.; PGS Americas; Repsol Services, Inc.; Rock Solid Images, Inc.; StatoilHydro; TOTAL Exploration Production USA; WesternGeco; Nexen Petroleum USA, Inc.

Effect of Global Warming in Hurricane Activity
Project Leader: National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Additional Project Participant: Georgia Institute of Technology

Subsea Systems Engineering Integration
Project Leader: GE Global Research
Additional Project Participant: GE/VetcoGray

Ultra-Deepwater Dry Tree System for Drilling and Production in Gulf of Mexico
Project Leaders: Floa TEC, LLC
Additional Project Participants: Seadrill Americas, Inc.; GE/VetcoGray; 2H Offshore

Ultra-Deepwater Dry Tree System for Drilling and Production in Gulf of Mexico
Project Leaders: Houston Offshore Engineering, LLC
Additional Project Participants: Keppel Fels; Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd.

Funding for the projects is provided through the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with funding from lease bonus and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands. RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer the program. RPSEA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium with more than 130 members, including 25 of the nation's premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States.

For more information on RPSEA and the UDW Program, visit www.rpsea.org.

28-Jul-08 11:00 AM

RPSEA Announces Projects for the Ultra-Deepwater Program

noemail@rpsea.org — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

New Department of Energy and Privately Funded Research Will Help Meet U.S. Energy Demand and Lower Costs for Consumers

SUGAR LAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) announced today that eight proposals have been selected for negotiations leading to an award under the Ultra-Deepwater (UDW) Program. This program is focused on increasing the supply of natural gas and other petroleum resources in the U.S. in an environmentally responsible way.

The selected projects will address the specific technology and architecture needs required in water depths greater than 1,500 meters. These substantial but challenging resources require a complex and integrated systems approach where the time from first discovery to first production can range from 6 to 9 years and individual well costs can exceed 100 million dollars.

Deep Sea Hybrid Power Systems

Project Leader: Houston Advanced Research Center

Additional Project Participants: DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, Yardney Lithion, Shell, Chevron, General Electric

Flow Phenomena in Jumpers - Relation to Hydrate Plugging Risk Graduate Student Design Project

Project Leader: The University of Tulsa

Additional Project Participants: Chevron

Hydrate Characterization & Dissociation Strategies Graduate Student Design Project

Project Leader: The University of Tulsa

Additional Project Participants: BP America

Design Investigation of Extreme High Pressure, High Temperature, (XHPHT), Subsurface Safety Valves (SSSV) Graduate Student Design Project

Project Leader: William Marsh Rice University

Robotic Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) Sensor for Monitoring and Inspection of Deepwater Risers Graduate Student Design Project

Project Leader: William Marsh Rice University

Additional Project Participants: itRobotics

Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurements

Project Leader: Letton-Hall Group, LLP

Additional Project Participants: Oceaneering International, Inc., Multiphase Systems Integration, Welker Engineering, Lake Charles Instruments, axept, Southwest Research Institute, Intertek, Chevron, Shell, Total, ConocoPhillips, BHP, StatoilHydro, Petrobras, BP, ENI, Anadarko, Devon, Schlumberger, Weatherford

Fatigue Performance of High Strength Riser Materials Subjected to Sour Environments

Project Leader: Southwest Research Institute

Grand Challenge - Extreme Reach Development

Project Leader: Tejas Research & Engineering

Additional Project Participants: Smart Drilling and Completion, Inc., Total E&P, Chevron

Funding for the projects is provided through the "Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program," authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with funding from lease bonus and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands. RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer the program. RPSEA is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit consortium with over 130 members, including 25 of the nation's premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States.

BusinessWire direct link to article.

7-May-08 7:00 AM