DE-FC26-00NT41025

Goal: The goal is to enhance the ability of the domestic production industry to keep stripper wells producing at economic production rates in an environmentally safe manner, maximizing the recovery of domestic hydrocarbon resources.

Objective: The objective is to develop and manage an industry-driven consortium that provides a cost-efficient vehicle for developing, transferring, and deploying new technologies into the private sector that focus on improving the production performance of domestic natural gas and oil stripper wells.

Performer:
The Pennsylvania State University (Energy Institute) – Project management

Accomplishments:

• Established a consortium governing structure, constitution and bylaws,
• Established areas of research focus (reservoir remediation and characterization, well bore cleanup, and surface systems optimization) and rules for proposal submission and selection, and
• Solicited projects from members, evaluated projects and selected projects for funding during three project selection periods in spring of 2001, 2002 and 2003.

SWC is industry-driven and active industrial participation and leadership is key to making the consortium a success. The SWC has a constitution and bylaws and each SWC member appoints one representative to a Technical Advisory Committee. The Technical Advisory Committee is responsible for steering the technical direction of the consortium and is responsible for electing a seven-member Executive Council. The Executive Council is responsible for selecting from solicited proposals, the research projects to be funded.

Research is conducted in three broad areas identified as key challenges to stripper well productivity: reservoir remediation, wellbore clean-up, and surface system optimization. Research outside of these three areas may be considered pending approval of the program sponsors. Specific research projects are developed by the membership using a standardized proposal template. Proposal submission is limited to full members of the consortium and collaboration among full members is encouraged. Projects are funded on an annual basis. Project participants must contribute at least 30 percent of the cost of each project in the form of cash or in-kind support.

Of the current total of 60 members more than 80 percent are companies within the domestic industry, split roughly between producers and service/supply companies. Four academic institutions are members and six associations.

The SWC held its first project selection meeting on April 9-10, 2001 in State College, Pennsylvania. Twenty-three proposers seeking first year funding from the consortium made presentations. A total of 11 projects were selected for full funding and 2 projects were selected for partial funding. The total research value of the selected projects was over $1.6 million, with the Stripper Well Consortium contributing $921,000. A second meeting held in the spring of 2002 committed $1.33 million to a total of 14 projects. In May 2003 the SWC reviewed a total of 27 proposals and committed $1.1 million to co-fund 13 proposals. A complete listing and abstracts for all of the funded projects, as well as other SWC information, are available online at www.energy.psu.edu/swc/. Of the 14 projects selected in 2002, four were either extensions or complements to projects from the previous year. Likewise, in 2003, three of the funded projects built upon previous work.

Each year, the SWC holds two open technology transfer workshops were the results of the research are presented to the industry. The SWC also publishes a newsletter on its website and highlights specific projects in other DOE publications.

Current Status and Remaining Tasks: DOE will continue to fund the SWC for an additional 5 years under a new contract, DE-FC26-04NT42098.

Project Start: November 30, 2000
Project End: December 31, 2004

Anticipated DOE Contribution: $3,632,831
Performer Contribution: $883,208

Contact Information:
NETL – Gary Covatch (gary.covatch@netl.doe.gov or 304-285-4589)
PSU – Joel Morrison (jlm9@psu.edu or 814-865-4802)