From the ASEE aggregator. Hopeful that BC can capitalize on the findings of this research…
The Casper (WY) Star-Tribune (12/19, Storrow) reports on the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources Improved Oil and Gas Recovery program, which unites “four faculty members from the chemistry, geology, chemical engineering and chemical and petroleum engineering departments” in the search for ways to increase oil and gas production. One of those faculty members, associate professor Vladimir Alvarado, said the goal is to foster collaboration among energy specialists by helping them communicate better. The Star-Tribune writes that, currently, “Techniques like fracking and horizontal drilling usually help recover between 4 to 12 percent of the oil and gas” thought to be in shale formations. Alvarado said the “real R&D question” is how the industry can improve on this, and he thinks they will be able to transfer what they learn about relatively simple shale gas production to shale oil, thus keeping research costs down. The piece notes that ExxonMobil gave $2.5 million to the program earlier this year, which was followed by a matching contribution from the state.