The overall objective of this project is to demonstrate that development program based on advanced reservoir management methods can significantly improve oil recovery. The demonstration plan includes developing a control area using standard reservoir management techniques and comparing the performance of the control area with an area developed using advanced reservoir management methods. specific goals to attain the objective are (1) to demonstrate that development drilling program and pressure maintenance program, based on advanced reservoir management methods , can significantly improve oil recovery compared with existing technology applications, and (2) to transfer the advanced methodologies to oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin and elsewhere in the US oil and gas industry. This is the second quarterly progress report on the project. Results obtained to date are summarized.

The quadrangle includes portions of the Colorado Plateau and southern Rocky Mountains Physiographic Provinces. The entire area of the Gunnison Uplift and parts of the Uncompahgre and Sawatch Uplifts are included. A part of the Piceance Basin and a segment of the Rio Grande Rift Valley are also included. A basement complex of Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks is exposed in the core of the Gunnison and Sawatch Uplifts in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Jurassic and Cretaceous age sedimentary rocks lie directly on the Precambrian basement in most places. They lie on Paleozoic rocks at the west edge of the Sawatch Uplift in the north-central part of the quadrangle. Triassic beds are mapped only in the canyon of the Uncompahgre River near the southwest corner of the quadrangle. A suite of Tertiary volcanics and some sedimentary rocks occupy extensive areas. Plutonic rocks of Tertiary and laramide age occupy only a small part of the quadrangle. The literature consulted included information on about 100 separate occurrences of radioactive minerals and/or anomalous radioactivity within the quadrangle. Many fracture and stratigraphically controlled forms are reported. Most of these occurrences are clustered in three areas: Cochetopa Creek, Cebolla Creek, and Marshall Pass. Important uranium …

Proposed carbon management technologies include geologic sequestration of CO{sub 2}. A possible, but untested, strategy is to inject CO{sub 2} into organic-rich shales of Devonian age. Devonian black shales underlie approximately two-thirds of Kentucky and are generally thicker and deeper in the Illinois and Appalachian Basin portions of Kentucky. The Devonian black shales serve as both the source and trap for large quantities of natural gas; total gas in place for the shales in Kentucky is estimated to be between 63 and 112 trillion cubic feet. Most of this natural gas is adsorbed on clay and kerogen surfaces, analogous to the way methane is stored in coal beds. In coals, it has been demonstrated that CO{sub 2} is preferentially adsorbed, displacing methane at a ratio of two to one. Black shales may similarly desorb methane in the presence of CO{sub 2}. If black shales similarly desorb methane in the presence of CO{sub 2}, the shales may be an excellent sink for CO{sub 2} with the added benefit of serving to enhance natural gas production. The concept that black, organic-rich Devonian shales could serve as a significant geologic sink for CO{sub 2} is the subject this research. To accomplish this investigation, …

CO{sub 2} emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels have been linked to global climate change. Proposed carbon management technologies include geologic sequestration of CO{sub 2}. A possible, but untested, sequestration strategy is to inject CO{sub 2} into organic-rich shales. Devonian black shales underlie approximately two-thirds of Kentucky and are thicker and deeper in the Illinois and Appalachian Basin portions of Kentucky than in central Kentucky. The Devonian black shales serve as both the source and trap for large quantities of natural gas; total gas in place for the shales in Kentucky is estimated to be between 63 and 112 trillion cubic feet. Most of this natural gas is adsorbed on clay and kerogen surfaces, analogous to methane storage in coal beds. In coals, it has been demonstrated that CO{sub 2} is preferentially adsorbed, displacing methane. Black shales may similarly desorb methane in the presence of CO{sub 2}. The concept that black, organic-rich Devonian shales could serve as a significant geologic sink for CO{sub 2} is the subject of current research. To accomplish this investigation, drill cuttings and cores were selected from the Kentucky Geological Survey Well Sample and Core Library. Methane and carbon dioxide adsorption analyses are being performed …

Devonian gas shales underlie approximately two-thirds of Kentucky. In the shale, natural gas is adsorbed on clay and kerogen surfaces. This is analogous to methane storage in coal beds, where CO{sub 2} is preferentially adsorbed, displacing methane. Black shales may similarly desorb methane in the presence of CO{sub 2}. Drill cuttings from the Kentucky Geological Survey Well Sample and Core Library were sampled to determine CO{sub 2} and CH{sub 4} adsorption isotherms. Sidewall core samples were acquired to investigate CO{sub 2} displacement of methane. An elemental capture spectroscopy log was acquired to investigate possible correlations between adsorption capacity and mineralogy. Average random vitrinite reflectance data range from 0.78 to 1.59 (upper oil to wet gas and condensate hydrocarbon maturity range). Total organic content determined from acid-washed samples ranges from 0.69 to 14 percent. CO{sub 2} adsorption capacities at 400 psi range from a low of 14 scf/ton in less organic-rich zones to more than 136 scf/ton. There is a direct correlation between measured total organic carbon content and the adsorptive capacity of the shale; CO{sub 2} adsorption capacity increases with increasing organic carbon content. Initial estimates based on these data indicate a sequestration capacity of 5.3 billion tons of CO{sub …

Monthly newsletter discussing news and activities related to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, articles about weather and atmospheric phenomena, and other related topics.

Monthly newsletter discussing news and activities related to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, articles about weather and atmospheric phenomena, and other related topics.

Monthly newsletter discussing news and activities related to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, articles about weather and atmospheric phenomena, and other related topics.

This baseline risk assessment at the former uranium mill tailings site near Shiprock, New Mexico, evaluates the potential impact to public health or the environment resulting from ground water contamination at the former uranium mill processing site. The tailings and other contaminated material at this site were placed in an on-site disposal cell in 1986 through the US Department of Energy (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. Currently, the UMTRA Project is evaluating ground water contamination. This risk assessment is the first document specific to this site for the Ground Water Project. There are no domestic or drinking water wells in the contaminated ground water of the two distinct ground water units: the contaminated ground water in the San Juan River floodplain alluvium below the site and the contaminated ground water in the terrace alluvium area where the disposal cell is located. Because no one is drinking the affected ground water, there are currently no health or environmental risks directly associated with the contaminated ground water. However, there is a potential for humans, domestic animals, and wildlife to the exposed to surface expressions of ground water in the seeps and pools in the area of the San Juan …

This report evaluates potential impacts to public health or the environment resulting from groundwater contamination at the former uranium mill processing site. The tailings and other contaminated material at this site are being placed in an off-site disposal cell by the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. Currently, the UMTRA Project is evaluating groundwater contamination. This is the second risk assessment of groundwater contamination at this site. The first risk assessment was performed primarily to evaluate existing domestic wells to determine the potential for immediate human health and environmental impacts. This risk assessment evaluates the most contaminated groundwater that flows beneath the processing site towards the Gunnison River. The monitor wells that have consistently shown the highest concentration of most contaminants are used in this risk assessment. This risk assessment will be used in conjunction with additional activities and documents to assist in determining what remedial action is needed for contaminated groundwater at the site after the tailings are relocated. This risk assessment follows an approach outlined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The first step is to evaluate groundwater data collected from monitor wells at the site. Evaluation of these data showed …

As part of a small scale sequestration test (about 1500 tonsof CO2) in a saline aquifer, time-lapse borehole seismic surveys wereconducted to aid in characterization of subsurface CO2 distribution andmaterial property changes induced by the injected CO2. A VSP surveydemonstrated a large increase (about 75 percent) in seismic reflectivitydue to CO2 injection and allowed estimation of the spatial extent of CO2induced changes. A crosswell survey imaged a large seismic velocitydecrease (up to 500 m/s) within the injection interval and provided ahigh resolution image of this velocity change which maps the subsurfacedistribution of CO2 between two wells. Numerical modeling of the seismicresponse uses the crosswell measurements to show that this small CO2volume causes a large response in the seismic reflectivity. This resultdemonstrates that seismic detection of small CO2 volumes in salineaquifers is feasible and realistic.

Assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential of reclaimed minesoils (RMS) is important for preserving environmental quality and increasing agronomic yields. The mechanism of physical SOC sequestration is achieved by encapsulation of SOM in spaces within macro and microaggregates. The experimental sites, owned and maintained by American Electrical Power, were characterized by distinct age chronosequences of reclaimed minesoils and were located in Guernsey, Morgan, Noble, and Muskingum Counties of Ohio. These sites were reclaimed both with and without topsoil application, and were under continuous grass or forest cover. In this report results are presented from the sites reclaimed in 2003 (R03-G), in 1973 (R73-F), in 1969 (R69-G), in 1962 (R62-G and R62-F) and in 1957 (R57-F). Three sites are under continuous grass cover and the three under forest cover since reclamation. Three bulk soil samples were collected from each site from three landscape positions (upper; middle, and lower) for 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths. The samples were air dried and using wet sieving technique were fractionated into macro (> 2mm), meso (2-0.25 mm) and microaggregate (0.25-0.053 mm). These fractions were weighted separately and water stable aggregation (WSA) and geometric mean (GMD) and mean weight (MWD) diameters of aggregates were …

This report is divided into 5 sections: Ru[sub 4]/Fe complexes of tetra(4[prime]-methyl-2,2[prime]-bipyridine)porphyrin--catalytic epoxidation of olefins; water oxidation catalysis by doubly linked [mu]-oxo ruthenium complexes; polymer films formed by oxidation of transition metal electrodes into solutions of bisbipyridinealkane ligands; polymer films containing [CpMo([mu]-S)][sub 2]S[sub 2]CHR dinuclear clusters;and conducting polymer films for catalyst incorporation.

This report is divided into 5 sections: Ru{sub 4}/Fe complexes of tetra(4{prime}-methyl-2,2{prime}-bipyridine)porphyrin--catalytic epoxidation of olefins; water oxidation catalysis by doubly linked {mu}-oxo ruthenium complexes; polymer films formed by oxidation of transition metal electrodes into solutions of bisbipyridinealkane ligands; polymer films containing [CpMo({mu}-S)]{sub 2}S{sub 2}CHR dinuclear clusters;and conducting polymer films for catalyst incorporation.

Fact sheet describing Clean Cities, a DOE program that deploys alternative and advanced fuels and vehicles to displace petroleum in the transportation sector. It includes the contact information for its 86 active coalitions.

Fact sheet describing Clean Cities, a DOE program that deploys alternative and advanced fuels and vehicles to displace petroleum in the transportation sector. It includes the contact information for its 86 active coalitions.

The risk to human health from fragments of depleted uranium (DU) at Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) was estimated using two types of ecosystem pathway models. A steady-state, model of the JPG area was developed to examine the effects of DU in soils, water, and vegetation on deer that were hunted and consumed by humans. The RESRAD code was also used to estimate the effects of farming the impact area and consuming the products derived from the farm. The steady-state model showed that minimal doses to humans are expected from consumption of deer that inhabit the impact area. Median values for doses to humans range from about 1 mrem ({plus_minus}2.4) to 0.04 mrem ({plus_minus}0.13) and translate to less than 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} detriments (excess cancers) in the population. Monte Carlo simulation of the steady-state model was used to derive the probability distributions from which the median values were drawn. Sensitivity analyses of the steady-state model showed that the amount of DU in airborne dust and, therefore, the amount of DU on the vegetation surface, controlled the amount of DU ingested by deer and by humans. Human doses from the RESRAD estimates ranged from less than 1 mrem/y to about 6.5 …

Tubing and rods of the S.P. Pedro-Nepple No.1 well were pulled and the well was prepared for running of Schlumberger's Cased Hole Formation Resistivity Tool (CHFR) in selected intervals. The CHFR tool was successfully run and data was captured. The CHFR formation resistivity readings were compared to original open hole resistivity measurements. Separation between the original and CHFR resistivity curves indicate both swept and un-swept sand intervals. Both watered out sand intervals and those with higher remaining oil saturation have been identified. Due to the nature of these turbidite sands being stratigraphically continuous, both the swept and unswept layers have been correlated across to one of the four nearby offset shallow wells. As a result of the cased hole logging, one well was selected for a workover to recomplete and test suspected oil saturated shallow sand intervals. Well S.P. Pedro-Nepple No.2 was plugged back with cement excluding the previously existing production interval, squeeze cemented behind casing, selectively perforated in the shallower ''Bell'' zone and placed on production to develop potential new oil reserves and increase overall well productivity. Prior workover production averaged 3.0 BOPD for the previous six-months from the original ''Meyer'' completion interval. Post workover well production was increased …

Assignment of the vibrational modes Of Os{sub 2}(CO){sub 8}(CHCH{sub 3}) and Os(CO){sub 4}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4)} has given fingerprint vibrational spectra for the following species when chemisorbed on metal catalyst surfaces: ethylidene and ethylene bound in a metallacyclopropane mode. The formation and fragmentation of diosmacyclobutanes have been shown to involve slippage of the outgoing olefin onto a single osmium, and associative exchange of the olefin from that site. The incorporation of vinylcyclopropane without rearrangement has confirmed the absence of a diradical intermediate. The anomalous stability of the diosmacyclobutane derived from trans-2-butene has proven due to greater destabilization (by the substituent methyls) of the slipped intermediate than of the ground state. Reaction of an osmacyclobutane with 1,3- or 1,2-dienes (allenes) gives 1,2 rather than 1,4 addition to the diosmium unit. Treatment of Os(CO){sub 4}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4}) with triflic acid results in the formation of Os(CO){sub 4}(C{sub 2}H{sub 5})OTf. The authors have found that the reaction of an aryl iodine(III) reagent with propargyl stannanes or silanes results in o-iodo propargyl arenes.

Work on developing energy resources, utilization concepts, and storage methods is summarized and divided into three sections. The first, Geothermal Energy Development Planning, contains reports on the progress of those geothermal-related tasks where effort was concentrated during the quarter. The tasks include an ongoing Atlantic Coastal Plain Geothermal Energy Market Survey, the Delmarva Geothermal Development Prospectus, Evaluation of Federal Strategies for Hydrothermal Developments, and comments on limited tasks performed in support of the major tasks. The second section, Operational Research, Hydroelectric Power Development, includes reports on a method for quantifying institutional constraints and on institutional and regulatory restraints in New Jersey. The third section, Energy Conservation and Storage Techniques, contains a report on flywheel development.

This report documents the CY 1975 environmental monitoring program of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL). Data are presented for concentrations of radioactivity measured in air, ground and surface waters, sediments, soils, and foodstuffs, and are compared with relevant U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration guides and/or data from other reporting periods. Levels of external penetrating radiation measured in the LASL environs are given. The average whole-body radiation dose to residents of Los Alamos County resulting from LASL operations is calculated. Chemical qualities of surface and ground waters in the LASL environs have been determined and compared to applicable standards. Results of related environmental studies are summarized.

The unsaturated zone (UZ) in Miocene-age welded tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is under consideration as a potential site for the construction of a high-level radioactive waste repository. Secondary calcite and silica minerals deposited on fractures and in cavities in the UZ tuffs are texturally, isotopically, and geochemically consistent with UZ deposition from meteoric water infiltrating at the surface and percolating through the UZ along fractures. Nonetheless, two-phase fluid inclusions with small and consistent vapor to liquid (V:L) ratios that yield consistent temperatures within samples and which range from about 35 to about 80 C between samples have led some to attribute these deposits to formation from upwelling hydrothermal waters. Geochronologic studies have shown that calcite and silica minerals began forming at least 10 Ma and continued to form into the Holocene. If their deposition were really from upwelling water flooding the UZ, it would draw into question the suitability of the site as a waste repository.

West Carney Field produces from Hunton Formation. All the wells produce oil, water and gas. The main objective of this study is to understand the unique behavior observed in the field. This behavior includes: (1) Decrease in WOR over time; (2) Decrease in GOR at initial stages; (3) High decline rates of oil and gas; and (4) strong hydrodynamic connectivity between wells. This report specifically addresses two issues relevant to our understanding of the West Carney reservoir. By using core and log data as well as fluorescence information, we demonstrate that our hypothesis of how the reservoir is formed is consistent with these observations. Namely, oil migrated in water wet reservoir, over time, oil changed the wettability of some part of the reservoir, oil eventually leaked to upper formations prompting re-introduction of water into reservoir. Because of change in wettability, different pore size distributions responded differently to water influx. This hypothesis is consistent with fluorescence and porosity data, as we explain it in this quarterly report. The second issue deals with how to best calculate connected oil volume in the reservoir. The log data does not necessarily provide us with relevant information regarding oil in place. However, we have developed …

West Carney field--one of the newest fields discovered in Oklahoma--exhibits many unique production characteristics. These characteristics include: (1) decreasing water-oil ratio; (2) decreasing gas-oil ratio followed by an increase; (3) poor prediction capability of the reserves based on the log data; and (4) low geological connectivity but high hydrodynamic connectivity. The purpose of this investigation is to understand the principal mechanisms affecting the production, and propose methods by which we can extend the phenomenon to other fields with similar characteristics. In our experimental investigation section, we present the data on methane injection using huff-n-puff process. It appears that additional oil can be recovered using methane as a solvent. Additional experiments will be needed to confirm our analysis. Our engineering analysis has laid out detailed indicators to make the de-watering successful. Using those indicators, we are currently investigating potential in fill well locations in West Carney field. Our technology transfer activities continued this quarter with two presentations and one workshop.