NETL oil and gas experts shared information about their work to improve the production, processing, transportation and storage of our nation’s abundant oil and natural gas resources this week at the 2019 Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Houston, Texas.

The Gastech conference is one of the world’s largest energy conferences and features an extensive range of strategic and technical sessions focused on use of gas and LNG in the global energy mix. The exhibition brings together more than 35,000 industry professionals from across 30 industry sectors and includes 700 global exhibitors. 

NETL’s Jared Ciferno, technology manager for the Lab’s onshore oil and gas, hydrates and midstream research, presented information about the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) work to discover ways to improve the effectiveness of shale gas well completions and increase recovery efforts through field experiments. A second presentation focused on the DOE’s work to develop tools, methods and technologies to cost-effectively enhance the safety and efficiency of the nation’s natural gas production, storage and transmission infrastructure.  

“NETL conducts its research projects in collaboration with natural gas producers, academic researchers, technology developers and others,” Ciferno said. “Communicating our progress and breakthroughs is critical to ensuring the successful deployment of the resulting technologies that can benefit our nation’s energy security and economic strength.”

The technologies featured in the presentations are only a few examples of NETL’s leadership in oil and natural gas technology development. NETL has vast experience in advancing technologies to improve hydrocarbon recovery efficiency, reduce the operational risks of production, improve the performance of our nation’s pipeline infrastructure, and characterize resources in emerging basins and plays.

Recent successes include a patented invention for rapid kick detection, which results in safer drilling operation and significant cost savings for both consumers and operators; groundbreaking insight into the mysteries of methane hydrate formation and behavior through first-ever pore-scale observations in natural conditions; leading-edge research at the Marcellus Shale Energy Environmental Laboratory to provide a complete understanding of the impacts of oil and gas development and environmental effects; and stratigraphic tests to investigate the resource potential of natural gas hydrates within the Prudhoe Bay Unit on the Alaska North Slope. 

The annual Gastech event represents an important opportunity to network and share information by bringing together upstream, midstream and downstream gas, energy and LNG professionals. Gastech hosts entities that play active roles in the global energy value chain, including national and international oil companies, integrated energy companies, global utilities, EPC contractors, shipbuilders, pipeline companies, manufacturers, technology providers and service companies.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support home-grown energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at three NETL research sites – Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.