New Oil and Gas Projects to Enhance Energy Security, Reduce Greenhouse gas

[The Straight Story]

New Oil and Gas Projects to Enhance Energy Security, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

WASHINGTON, DC -- Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced the selection of 35 new cost-shared projects that promise to strengthen our nation’s energy security and reduce greenhouse emissions. In announcing the awards, Secretary Abraham lauded the wide-ranging projects as “an investment in our future that will benefit the Nation for years to come.” The total award value of the new projects is more than $39 million.

“President Bush’s National Energy Policy calls attention to the continuing need to strengthen our energy security, modernize energy infrastructure, and accelerate the protection and improvement of the environment,” Secretary Abraham said. “It also calls for promoting enhanced oil and gas recovery, and improving oil- and gas-exploration technology to increase domestic energy supplies. The new projects meet all of these important national goals.”

Awards were made in four research areas:

1.
Two projects will develop drilling technology for high-speed downhole motors.
2.
Thirteen projects will improve advanced diagnostics and imaging technology.
3.
Fourteen projects will advance reservoir efficiency processes.
4.
Six projects will help ensure the delivery reliability for natural gas.

Several of the projects have an additional benefit. By focusing attention on the increased use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, they may allow more CO2 to be injected into geologic formations. Not only could more oil be produced, but in this win-win scenario, the greenhouse gas CO2 would be prevented from entering the atmosphere.

The projects extend from two to five years, and will be managed for the Energy Department by the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.

A. Drilling Technology for High-Speed Downhole Motors

Projects to develop high-speed downhole motors suitable for drilling with high-speed drill bits in harsh downhole environments are the focus of this research area. High-speed drilling can potentially reduce costs and minimize the environmental impact of developing oil wells. While the development of high-speed drill bits is progressing steadily, a suitable downhole motor is needed to fully develop the capabilities of the high-speed bits.

Two projects were selected in this focus area to accelerate novel motor design and testing:

1. APS Technology Inc. (Cromwell, Conn.) will design and test an efficient, reliable gearing system coupled with a conventional positive-displacement mud motor to produce rotary speeds up to 10,000 rpm, matching the requirements of new drill bits under development. By changing the gear ratio, the motor may be adapted to a variety of bits and drilling requirements. The use of high-speed motor and bit combinations could greatly increase drilling speed, and reduce the cost of developing wells. The use of smaller diameters and coiled tubing drilling in conjunction with these systems could further reduce costs.

(Project duration: 2 years; Total award value: $998,851)

2. Impact Technologies LLC (Tulsa, Okla.) and the University of Missouri at Rolla will perform a technical feasibility study of an advanced, high-speed electric motor in an inverted configuration, and will demonstrate the suitability of the design for ultra-high-speed drilling. The design will allow very high internal pressures and the use of difficult fluid mixtures. It will also allow wired instruments to measure formation and drilling parameters immediately behind the lead bit while drilling. Other advantages include high performance over a wide range of operating conditions, versatility, and controllability. Stacked and/or multiple motors can also be used in the bottomhole assembly, and these can rotate in opposite directions for balanced torque on the reduced-size drillstring.

(Project duration: 2 years; Total award value: $221,322)

Complete listing of all projects and more here:

http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=16960&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE

[Dear Maggie]

1. Why not gas & oil from ANWAR - Alaska?

Lots of 'projects' for Texas ... for California

Why not drilling for oil in ANWAR?

Why not gas (which is in aboundance in Alaska) from Alaska?

I would vote YES, for such projects

[Dear Maggie]

4. Set back because of Exxon Valdez oil spill

National Geographic had a good article this year:

Exxon Valdez Spill, 15 Years Later: Damage Lingers

Stefan Lovgren
for National Geographic News
March 22, 2004

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0318_040318_exxonvaldez.html

workers & chemicals of oil spill cleanup -
What to do 'next time?'
Does something need to change? Were EVOS workers harmed?
http://www.ragereport.com/phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4753

New Book addresses some issues

[Muzzle Tough]

5. There is much misnderstanding on both sides of that issue.

Without corporate welfare from the federal government, it would not be profitable to drill at ANWR. That alone is reason enough to not do the drilling.

In addition, the estimated oil supplies at ANWR would only last us for about 6 months.

That being said, the environmental reasons given for not drilling at ANWR are largely based on myth. The actual areas where they want to drill at ANWR are flat tundra covered in ice that gets as cold as -40 degrees Celcius, not the rolling hills covered in flowers and birds that the anti-drilling people often show in photographs.

Furthermoire, this nonsense about oil drilling being bad for the caribou is a myth. 30 years ago, the anti-drillng people said that drilling at Prudhoe Bay would kill the caribou. But the drilling happened anyway. Since then, the number of caribou there have increased from 5,000 to 27,000. This is because the developed areas give the caribou a refuge from various carniverous insects. One of them is the nostril fly, which lays its eggs inside the beathing passages of the caribou. When the larvae hatch, they cause the caribou to suffocate and die. Secondly, a swarm of mosquitoes can kill a baby caribou. And third, the warble fly lays its eggs in the caribou's flesh, and when the larvae hatch, they eat the cariou while it's alive, which kills the caribou. Also, the caribou like to rub their bodies against the warm oil piplines. Most self described "environmentalists" are actually completely ignorant of these things. Real biologists, however, know about this.

Here are a couple great pictures of the thriving caribou populations at Prudhoe Bay:





Surverys of the indiginous people who live closest to ANWR show that they are very highly in favor of oil drilling there, because it would give them much needed jobs and tax revenue.

That being said, I am completely opposed to drilling at ANWR, simply because of my major opposition to corporate welfare.

Now, if oil oil companies want to have a go at drilling without any federal subsidies, then let them go ahead. But I guarantee you that the oil companies would NEVER drill under those circumstances.

[Viking12]

8. Indeed there is. Particularly from the oil industry website you link.

Here what the USFWS service has to say (although I suspect you'll claim they're not "real" biologists to support your faulty analogy):


"Although the population of caribou (Central Arctic herd) in the vicinity of North Slope oil fields increased in the early years of oil field development, the herd has declined since 1992. The Porcupine Caribou is expected to decrease in the face of 1002 Area development. There are fundamental differences between the calving areas of these two herds. In the case of the Central Arctic herd, there is a greater amount of alternative calving area available for displaced cows to move to because the mountains are much farther from the ocean. The 1002 Area is only one-fifth the size of the area used by the Central Arctic caribou herd, but six times as many caribou use the 1002 Area. In the Arctic Refuge, where the mountains are close to the coast, few alternative areas would be available for displaced cows. Therefore, development in the 1002 Area would result in:

* reduction in the amount and quality of preferred forage available during and after calving,
* restricted access to important coastal insect-relief habitats,
* exposure of the herd to higher predation, and
* alteration of an ancient migratory pattern, the effects of which we can not predict.

A reduction in annual calf survival of as little as 5% would be sufficient to cause a decline in the Porcupine caribou population."

[umass1993]

9. 3rd party biologists

should study what exists carfully. And the public should know precisely what the effects of places at Prudhoe Bay are.

Right now, ignorance works in favor of Exxon etc., because people KNOW that they need gasoline, but they don't know the negative effects of drilling.

This tactic is known as FUD: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. It is well known within the PR industry.


The question is: how far are we willing to go to feed our oil habit?

This question will be asked again and again this century. It is THE question of the century.

[Dear Maggie]

2. Jet Contrails? Military experiment?

Know anything about this? I've sure noticed more of it in the skies

I vote NO on contrail experiments over my head

How about over yours?

Do you know anything about ... what's in contrails?
http://www.ragereport.com/phpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4896

[Dear Maggie]

6. More Contrails info

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=2219008&mesg_id=2227497

Some believe our country is being sprayed with "chemtrails," via planes that fly in atypical patterns. Researchers such as William Thomas say that the physical characteristics of chemtrails have a different composition than the usual condensation of contrails that are emitted by jets. Above are several images sent in by listeners, who have labeled their photos as "chemtrails."

Contrails & Weather Science Daily recently reported: "NASA scientists have found that cirrus clouds, formed by contrails from aircraft engine exhaust, are capable of increasing average surface temperatures enough to account for a warming trend in the United States that occurred between 1975 and 1994."

Photo: Contrails over the southeast U.S. on an average day


Investigating Chemtrails Recap

Canadian journalist William Thomas (willthomas.net) returned to update the chemtrail situation. Chemtrails have plumes that are wider than ordinary contrails and instead of quickly dissipating as contrails do, they spread out across the sky and can last for hours, he said. Thomas' research indicates that chemtrail spraying has expanded across North America, as well as other spots around the globe.

He believes the project is carried out by military jets, which spray out microscopic "sunlight reflective particles" such as barium, aluminum, and quartz as part of a "climate modification experiment." These particles may be bringing down viruses from the upper atmosphere that are making people ill, he suggested.

Project HAARP
(which Thomas reported has been sold to the British company B.A.E.) may be connected to chemtrail experimentation, he said. Thomas also detailed how two brothers in Victoria, British Columbia were able to cease chemtrail spraying over their area, by complaining to the International Airport that large aircraft were flying too close together and were a safety hazard. Chemtrails911.com, a website based in Santa Cruz, is one of the better online sources for information on the chemtrail phenomenon, he added.

Source: http://www.coasttocoastam.com
and look under contrails to see what a scientist has found out about the chemicals that get dispensed through the upper atmosphere

[Dear Maggie]

7. Mr. "M' comments

I know that after all domestic flights were halted for a few days right after 9-11, the average temperatures went up by as much as 5º. So, those contrails affect our weather more than what is stated.

Chemtrails are a hot topic for debate. Those contrails at 35,000 to 60,000 ft can be up there for much of a whole day and help create cirrus clouds, etc. The trouble is that any chemicals released at those altitudes take a very long time, and sometimes get caught in the jetstream at 100 mph, more or less and may wind up over Europe within hours.

I've speculated that some low-molecular weight organics may be released that high up to measure how much sunlight can be reflected and/or refracted by this. Reason is for moderating global warming due to sunlight. Not really too scientific considering that the sun goes through 11 year cycles and 300 year cycles of increasing, then waning activity which will affect our weather.

Dittos on the underwater volcanos in central Pacific. They too can add to global warmth on cyclic basis.

For instance, glycerine is often added to water to make it more "bubbly" or more reflective for photography, or for dancehalls when they want the "Lawrence Welk" effect.
If you recall his old shows. Bubbles last much longer with glycerine added.

[Dear Maggie]

3. Project ... HAARP

Project HAARP (which Thomas reported has been sold to the British company B.A.E.) may be connected to chemtrail experimentation, he said. Thomas also detailed how two brothers in Victoria, British Columbia were able to cease chemtrail spraying over their area, by complaining to the International Airport that large aircraft were flying too close together and were a safety hazard. Chemtrails911.com, a website based in Santa Cruz, is one of the better online sources for information on the chemtrail phenomenon, he added.

I know a lady who lived about 60 miles from an experimental station. She was severely affected by their high frequencies. Most people weren't as far as I know.