[Federal Register: November 5, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 214)]
[Notices]
[Page 62567-62569]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05no03-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Energy Technology Laboratory; Notice of Availability of
a Financial Assistance Solicitation
AGENCY: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a financial assistance solicitation.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intent to issue Financial
Assistance Solicitation No. DE-PS26-04NT15450-0 entitled, ``Oil
Exploration and Production Program Solicitation.'' The primary mission
of the Department of Energy (DOE)--National Oil Program, implemented
through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)'s National
Petroleum Technology Office (NPTO) in Tulsa, OK, is to conduct oil
related research and development activities. The purpose is to expand
the knowledge base through which industry can bring additional oil
reserves and new technology options into the marketplace in a cost-
effective and environmentally acceptable manner. The goal of this Oil
Exploration and
[[Page 62568]]
Production Program Solicitation is to support research that supplements
and complements but does not duplicate or displace private and other
public research and development efforts. The objective of the
solicitation is to select midterm type research projects that will
focus on cost effectively improving current technologies.
DATES: The solicitation will be available on the ``Industry Interactive
Procurement System'' (IIPS) webpage located at http://e-center.doe.gov
on or about October 30, 2003. Applicants can obtain access to the
solicitation from the address above or through DOE/NETL's Web site at
http://www.netl.doe.gov/business.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Juliana L. Heynes, MS 921-107, U.S.
Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, P.O. Box
10940, MS 921-107, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, E-mail Address: heynes@netl.doe.gov, Telephone Number: 412-386-4872.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The goals of the Department of Energy's
Fossil Energy Oil Program are derived from the National need for
increased oil production as a part of the national security,
requirements for Federal lands stewardship and increased protection of
the environment. The core research program of NETL continues to support
these goals through carefully selected projects from similar program
solicitations. Approximately two-thirds of all the oil discovered in
the United States remains in the ground. This effort will provide
further development of technologies to recover the remaining reserves
in the domestic arena. Technological advances can also be applied by
companies in foreign reserves, increasing global supplies as well. The
program supports the National Energy Policy goals to increase domestic
oil exploration through continued partnership with public and private
entities and to promote enhanced oil recovery from existing wells
through new technology. By providing support to the development of
improved and new technologies in three specific areas, the results
should improve oil recovery and increase hydrocarbon reserves. This
will augment the domestic oil supply. Applications submitted to any
Area of Interest or technical topic must contain a minimum of 20% cost
share. Approximately twelve million dollars ($12,000,000) is expected
to be available for new awards under this announcement. It is
anticipated that six million dollars ($6,000,000) will be available
during Fiscal Year 2004. (Note: The limit on participation by an M&O
contractor for an individual project under this solicitation cannot
exceed 25% of the total project cost).
This solicitation has three separate Areas of Interest:
Area 1--Drilling Technology for High Speed Downhole Motors
Area 1 is limited to one technical topic. Applications in Area 1
will be for projects designed to develop high-speed downhole motors
suitable for drilling with high speed bits in the harsh downhole
drilling environment. The Oil Program has a drilling program that is
currently focused mainly on microhole drilling and applications.
However, the area of high speed bit development is progressing steadily
and it was recognized that a suitable downhole motor will be necessary
to fully develop the capabilities of the high speed bits in multiple
applications. Current long-term research efforts are looking for
solutions to drilling in deep wells and hard rock. High speed drilling
holds the potential to reduce drilling costs and produce a smaller
environmental footprint. The need for a downhole motor to operate with
these bits will be required in the near future. It is anticipated these
bits and motors will be employed in directional, slimhole and coiled
tubing drilled wells. The drilling program will look to enhance this
developing area of research.
Area 2--Advanced Diagnostics and Imaging Technology
Area 2 is comprised of three separate technical topics: (A)
Subsurface Imaging; (B) Regional Study and Basin Analysis; and ( C )
Reservoir Characterization and Management.
The Advanced Diagnostics and Imaging Systems (ADIS) Program is an
integral part of the DOE/FE mission and strategy. ADIS is directed
toward cross-cutting interdisciplinary research to develop advanced and
innovative technologies applied to the incremental recovery of the
estimated 160 billion barrels of existing and undiscovered technically
recoverable oil from onshore and offshore waters of the United States
(USGS, 1995, MMS, 1996).
Uncertainty concerning the physical and chemical nature of oil
reservoirs is one of the most severe technological barriers to
increasing the economic oil recovery from existing and undiscovered
fields. Oil reservoirs are composed of a wide variety of architectural
heterogeneities (i.e., rock facies geometry, diagenetic alterations,
fracturing, stratigraphic and structural setting). Porosity, relative
permeability, pore and pore throat morphology, capillary forces,
miscibility and saturation variations (oil-gas brine plus other
displacing fluid/gas compositions, rock-fluid, fluid-gas and fluid-
fluid interactions) also contribute to technical recovery barriers.
Several of these variables often change between like reservoirs within
a single geologic play and change due to temporal and spatial dynamic
alterations that occur within a reservoir throughout the exploitation
and recovery processes.
The ADIS section of this solicitation supports research designed to
quantify the interrelationship of the reservoir rock architecture,
fluid-rock, fluid-gas, and fluid-fluid interactions that impact oil
productibility from petroleum reservoirs. Research efforts should
target geologic formations and associated oil reservoirs within United
States basins. Multidisciplinary teaming and active involvement by oil
producers and /or service companies, with interests in the application
of research results for more efficient recovery of larger volumes of
oil from fields within the geologic formations and basin studied, is
strongly encouraged. Results of these research and technology
developments shall be aggressively transferred to the public and
private industry thus allowing for informed decisions related to cost-
effective reservoir management and exploitation of like oil reservoirs
within the productive formations studied.
Area 3--Reservoir Efficiency Processes
Area 3 is comprised of six separate technical topics: (A) Chemical
Flooding; (B) Microbial Flooding; ( C ) Heavy Oil Recovery; (D) Novel
Processes; (E) Reservoir Simulation; and (F) Gas Flooding.
Fossil fuels will likely remain the principal energy sources for
most of the world, including the United States, well into the middle of
the century. The program shall expand the knowledge base which, with
industry, can bring efficient, economically competitive, and
environmentally acceptable new fossil energy resources and technology
options into the marketplace and improve the United States national
security by reducing dependence on imported oil. As an integral part of
the Fossil Energy mission and strategy, Production Research is directed
toward the development of advanced and innovative technologies for
recovering oil from large, currently unrecoverable petroleum resources.
As an integral part of the Fossil Energy mission and strategy, the
extraction research of oil is directed toward the development of
advanced and innovative technologies for recovering oil from large,
currently unrecoverable, petroleum resources.
[[Page 62569]]
Primary and secondary recovery operations have been utilized for many
years to extract oil from reservoirs.
With continually diminishing United States crude production and
increasing dependency on foreign supplies, there is a need to develop
oil production from these domestic oil resources. Advanced Recovery
Concepts will play a significant role in the exploitation of these
domestic resources. New techniques to overcome the problems associated
with advanced recovery are needed in order to meet the energy demands
of the immediate future. The importance of increasing the petroleum
reserves of the United States through the production of oil left in
petroleum reservoirs after conventional recovery techniques are used is
well known and well documented.
Once released, the solicitation will be available for downloading
from the IIPS Internet page. At this Internet site you will also be
able to register with IIPS, enabling you to submit an application. If
you need technical assistance in registering or for any other IIPS
function, call the IIPS Help Desk at (800) 683-0751 or E-mail the Help Desk personnel at IIPS_HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov. The solicitation
will only be made available in IIPS, no hard (paper) copies of the
solicitation and related documents will be made available. Telephone
requests, written requests, E-mail requests, or facsimile requests for
a copy of the solicitation package will not be accepted and/or honored.
Applications must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the
instructions and forms contained in the solicitation. The actual
solicitation document will allow for requests for explanation and/or
interpretation.
Issued in Pittsburgh, PA on October 28, 2003.
Dale A. Siciliano,
Director, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 03-27827 Filed 11-4-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P