Joined: Mar 04, 2005 Posts: 2576 Location: New Zealand
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Production
Unconventional Natural Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Dramatically Increase US Production
Quote:
Natural gas distributed throughout the Marcellus black shale in northern Appalachia could conservatively boost proven U.S. reserves by trillions of cubic feet if gas production companies employ horizontal drilling techniques, according to a Penn State and State University of New York, Fredonia, team.
"The value of this science could increment the net worth of U.S. energy resources by a trillion dollars, plus or minus billions," says Terry Engelder, professor of geosciences, at Penn State.
Engelder, working with Gary Lash, professor of geoscience, SUNY Fredonia, has conservatively estimated that the Marcellus shale contains 168 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in place and optimistically suggests that the amounts could be as high as 516 trillion cubic feet.
The U.S. currently produces roughly 30 trillion cubic feet of gas a year, and these numbers are dropping. According to Engelder, the technology exists to recover 50 trillion cubic feet of gas from the Marcellus, thus keeping the U.S. production up. If this recovery is realized, the Marcellus reservoir would be considered a Super Giant gas field.
Engelder, who has studied this area of the U.S. for most of his career and began looking into fractures under a National Science Foundation grant 25 years ago, has identified and mapped natural fractures in the Marcellus shale. He and Lash will present some of their recent work at the 2008 American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Convention and Exhibition this spring.
sciencedaily _________________ Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells.
Fatih Birol's motto: leave oil before it leaves us.
Joined: Mar 19, 2005 Posts: 797 Location: Bridge City
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
hopefully my state will be the first to see the benefits of this. _________________ "if god doesn't exist, it is necessary that we invent him" - Voltaire
In a report published mid-January two geologists have suggested that a rock unit known as the Marcellus shale that extends from southern New York state through western Pennsylvania into eastern Ohio and West Virginia may contain anywhere from 168 trillion cubic feet to 516 tcf of natural gas. That could translate to a “super giant” gas field with at least 50 tcf of technically recoverable gas, the geologists, Terry Engelder, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University and Gary Lash, professor of geosciences at the State University of New York (Fredonia), have said.
The 50 tcf estimate is based on about 10 percent of the 516 tcf gas-in-place number, Engelder told Petroleum News Jan. 21.
“Believe you me, that 500 tcf … number is conservative,” Engelder said.
In comparison, the U.S. Geological Survey puts known, technically recoverable natural gas reserves in northern Alaska at 35.5 tcf, 24.5 of which are in the Prudhoe Bay field, and total undiscovered, technically recoverable gas onshore and offshore Alaska’s North Slope at more than 200 tcf, for a grand total of 235.5 tcf of conventional natural gas in the northern part of the state.
From an article in Buffalo Business First, here's a map showing where the Marcellus Shale is located. It's not just Pennsylvania:
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:02 am Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
Shale gas requires 'stimulation' to make it recoverable. This usually means fracturing the seams and holding them open to allow the gas to move. This requires a very large amount of water.
Shale gas has been known for decades. It has been economically unfeasible to recover.
Normally Devonian shale gas wells are stimulated by artificial fracturing with explosives or hydraulic pumping. While some shale wells may outperform some conventional gas wells on a cumulative production basis, their slow flow rates result in a slow rate of return on invested capital.
If gas prices increase enough and they can fight the local communities for water rights, they will extract it. If. _________________ Civilization is a personal choice.
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:37 am Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
^
Since most of the area containing the Marcellus shale receives 35-50 inches of precipitation per year, I don't think water availability is a problem (sans an occasional drought).
Unconventional gas sources, while more expensive and technically demanding to extract, have a flip side: They are more abundant and occur in larger formations, thus reducing risk.
Traditionally, conventional natural gas production has centered on sandstone and carbonate rock formations. Increasingly, however, the nation has turned to low-permeability, tight sandstones, gas shales and coal bed methane formations to increase our nation's natural gas reserves.
With our strong technical and operating expertise related to shale formations, we are well positioned to deliver on our nation's growing need for natural gas.
Our DTE Gas Resources subsidiary operates more than 150 wells in the Fort Worth basin. Located in north central Texas, the Barnett shale formation has emerged as one of the largest and most active gas fields in North America.
Conventional vs. Unconventional Gas Production
From an investment standpoint, conventional natural gas exploration holds more risk. Gas reservoirs are typically smaller and/or more difficult to locate.
On the other hand, unconventional gas reservoirs can exist over a large area penetrated by older conventional wells, reducing the exploration risk. Horizontal drilling techniques may enhance and extend production of unconventional natural gas.
Unconventional reservoirs exist in a self contained environment where the productive formation may act as source, reservoir and seal. After test wells prove the economic viability of a given area, unconventional resources can be developed on a large scale.
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:07 am Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
SchroedingersCat wrote:
Shale gas has been known for decades. It has been economically unfeasible to recover.
Incidentally, this is not true anymore (your article was from 1995). Here is a graph showing production from the Barnett Shale in Texas, which is currently the largest-producing gas shale in the US. If it were uneconomical to recover, then why has production soared?
Texas Barnett Shale Gas Production
(1993 through 2006) Source
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
In 1993 US withdraws were about 2 tcf per month. In 2007 they still are. Prices have more than tripled in that time. Higher prices mean more money for more wells. Even with all the drilling we are still at 2 tcf per month.
My point is that this is not a new find and there are geologic, economic and social issues that will limit how quickly production can be developed. It's great that we have these resources and that they generally don't produce at a high rate. A small, steady supply. _________________ Civilization is a personal choice.
Joined: Mar 04, 2005 Posts: 2576 Location: New Zealand
Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:25 am Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
Chesapeake Energy to Drill in "Marcellus Shale" (VIDEO)
Quote:
Underneath New York and Pennsylvania is an untapped reservoir of natural gas that could swell U.S. reserves. It's called the Marcellus Shale and energy companies are looking to get in on the action.
Researchers at Penn State University and SUNY Fredonia say the Marcellus Shale could contain as much as 50 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. Right now the U.S. produces less than half of that.
The shale covers 54,000 square miles, including the Northern and Southern tiers.
The folks at Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy, which has a field office in Big Flats, are interested in drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Spokesman Matt Sheppard says it's an exciting prospect.
weny _________________ Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells.
Fatih Birol's motto: leave oil before it leaves us.
"The most exciting new play in the U.S. right now is the Marcellus section of the Devonian shale in the east," commented Dinges. "Cabot has a substantial holding of acreage with Marcellus potential and an ongoing program gathering multiple data points."
The Company continues its extensive leasing program in six targeted areas in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, targeting the Marcellus shale. To date, well over 100,000 net acres have been leased. In addition, two vertical wells have been drilled in one area with limited tests from a thick Marcellus section at rates between 800 Mcf and 1,000 Mcf per day. This rate exceeds most of reported industry rates from vertical Marcellus completions. With information from these wells, Cabot has initiated its 20 well development program for 2008 in the area. The third well (vertical) will spud by month-end with the fourth well (horizontal) to spud in March. Pipeline applications and infrastructure support work has begun with expected first production in the third quarter.
"The reason we are excited about this play is the fact that the Marcellus regional shale could contain several hundred TCF of gas in place. This shale is sparsely drilled, both vertically and geographically, it is normal to over-pressured in contrast to the shallower pays in the basin, and it appears to be extensively fractured. Also, the rocks are at the optimum maturation level, with the rock mechanical properties appropriate for maximum stimulation effectiveness. Cabot holds a very large acreage position, both existing and new, with Marcellus potential," said Dinges.
Dinges added, "In addition to our leasing, we have begun an effort on our existing leasehold that has proven Marcellus under several hundred thousand of Cabot's acreage in West Virginia." The Company has deepened several wells to the Marcellus and determined that slick water stimulation is more effective than nitrogen fracs in the higher pressured Marcellus section. Most recently Cabot drilled three vertical wells on its West Virginia acreage and applied slick water fracs to the Marcellus with encouraging flow test rates between 1.2 and 1.8 Mmcf per day. Cabot has recently spud its first horizontal Marcellus test in West Virginia.
"As we continue gathering this encouraging information we are evaluating different options of capital allocation to enhance our program," stated Dinges.
Atlas sees 4-6 tcf from Marcellus shale
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 21 -- Philadelphia operator Atlas Energy Resources LLC said it has determined that it could ultimately recover 4 to 6 tcf of natural gas from the Devonian Marcellus shale on its properties mostly in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Atlas Energy controls 483,000 acres in Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia and is aggressively adding land.
After reviewing the length of its hydraulic fracs, the company said it believes it will be able to develop the formation with vertical wells on 40-acre spacing. That would give it 4,000 to 6,000 potential locations in southwestern Pennsylvania, where it is concentrating on 224,000 acres and where it has drilled all but one of its Marcellus wells.
Almost all of the southwestern Pennsylvania acreage has ample pipeline capacity that is controlled by the company's affiliate, Atlas Pipeline Partners LP.
Joined: Sep 29, 2004 Posts: 2330 Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject: Re: Gas Reservoir In Pennsylvania Poised To Incr US Producti
Ironic in that southwest PA is where it all started (the oil business that is.) _________________ "That's the problem with mercy, kid... It just ain't professional" - Fast Eddie, The Color of Money
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