INL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Science

Fossil Energy Technologies

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Capabilities

These capabilities are combined with numerous (~40)

other scientific and engineering skills to support over fifty

current fossil energy research

and subsurface science

projects at INL. The main

thrusts of our Fossil Energy

Department are: Exploration

and Production, Reservoir and

Environmental Technologies,

Oil & Gas Sensors and

Controls, Natural Gas, Oil/

Gas and Coal Processing, and

Hydrogen for National

Energy missions.

Our Exploration and Production group conducts

research to provide solutions

to industry-identified problems related to oil and gas

exploration, production and

transportation. Projects

include research on locating

geo-pressured hydrocarbon

reservoirs, locating and

characterizing methane

hydrates deposits (reservoir

modeling, geophysical

logging tools, and thermogenic/biogenic sources of

methane hydrates) and

transportation of hydrocarbon

indicators in the Four Corners

region.

Our Reservoir and Environmental Technologies group

conducts research that

characterizes oil, gas, and coal

reservoirs, how they can be

efficiently produced and how

the depleted reservoirs can be

used for sequestration purposes. For example, we

evaluate possible health risks

related to naturally occurring

radioactive materials

(NORM) that are commonly

encountered in oil production

facilities. We are developing

technologies to treat such

environmental problems as

accumulations of benzene,

toluene, ethylene and xylene

(BTEX) in the vadose zone.

Simple low-cost bioreactors

are being developed for

treating produced water and

gas in oil field and offshore

platform environments for

removal of sulfides. Several

projects to physically or

biologically capture CO2

 from

flue gas and then to sequester

the CO2 in geological repositories are underway. Projects

to evaluate the environmental

impact of water produced

from coal bed methane have

also started.

Our Oil & Gas Sensors and

Control group conducts

research to provide solutions

to a number of industryidentified problems that relate

to downhole instrumentation.

Projects include research on a

downhole seismic source for

look-ahead prediction, a high

void fraction multiphase

meter, large downhole seismic

sensor arrays, oil and gas

production sensors and

controls, and single well

seismic imaging. Research

projects seek to transfer oil

and gas technology to the

characterization and treatment

of sub-surface science

environmental contamination

problems.

Our Natural Gas group

focuses on liquefied natural

gas (LNG) and compressed

natural gas (CNG) as alternatives to conventional gasoline

and diesel fuels for powering

heavy-duty and light-duty

vehicles. The major current

thrust is to develop and

demonstrate technologies to

reduce the capital and operating costs associated with

producing LNG by a factor of

10, while simultaneously

doing gas clean-up and

reducing capital and operating

costs associated with C/LNG

The Fossil Energy Department applies scientific and engineering principles to convert

raw hydrocarbon materials to refined energy products while minimizing economic,

safety and environmental impacts. The group consists of scientists and engineers

trained in petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, geophysics and chemical engineering. It has a solid reputation in scientific and industrial communities due to its nationally and internationally recognized staff—including INL Fellows, R&D 100 award winners,

adjunct university faculty and committee chairs and members of national and international

journals and scientific organizations. Many staff have extensive industrial experience.
INL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

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05-GA50193-17

fueling stations — by a factor

of 10. The group is focused

on developing and installing

the infrastructure (pipes,

fueling stations, vehicles) to

use C/LNG in urban “Clean

Cities” and in regional

national parks.

Our Oil & Gas, and Coal

Processing group conducts

studies and experimental

evaluations of new technologies to improve the efficiency,

economics, and environmental acceptability of the

conversion of oil, gas, and

coal to refined hydrocarbon

products and electrical power.

Because of the decreasing

quality of crude oil being

produced worldwide, we

explore novel approaches for

treating petroleum to enable

refineries to process these

lower-grade materials, with

reduced energy costs and

environmental liabilities. We

also research gas to liquids

processes to produce environmentally clean liquid fuels. A

major thrust in this area is to

transfer an excess DOE coal

plant to industry where it will

simultaneously produce

electricity and serve as a test

bed for clean coal technologies.

Our Hydrogen group conducts research to develop and

commercialize technologies

related to production, infrastructure, and use of hydrogen

fuel. Current projects include

reforming diesel fuel to make

hydrogen, reforming natural

gas to make hydrogen, using

nuclear power to reform water

into hydrogen, studying

development of new carriers

for hydrogen use, and augmentation of engines—

including fuel cells—to use

hydrogen.

Fossil Energy is a group that

links many of INL’s core

competencies and capabilities

into a crosscutting multidisciplinary team to solve

energy and energy infrastructure related problems. The

Department is actively

evaluating potential areas

including — supporting the

development of technologies

to drill for oil and gas in the

ultra-deep waters of the Gulf

of Mexico. And, the development of technologies associated with Vision 21 and Clean

Coal Power Initiative programs, support for expanded

access to federal lands in the

western U.S. for the exploration and production of oil and

gas and technologies to

efficiently capture stranded

gas for transport to end-users.

The following categories of

research associations illustrate

the variety of activities our

group conducts and performs,

including:

Upstream Exploration and

Production

Enhanced oil recovery, CO2

capture technologies, coal bed

methane, methane hydrate

characterization and production

Oil, Gas and Coal

Processing

Coal plant transfer, clean coal

gas clean up, clean coal power

systems demonstrations, gas

(hydrogen and oxygen)

separations, catalyst regeneration, bio-uplifting of oil,

biomass gasification

Reservoir and

For more information

Environmental Technologies

Geological CO2 sequestration,

probabilistic risk assessment

Oil and Gas Sensors and

Controls

Advanced seismic sources

and sensors for oil and gas,

seismic sensors for environmental contamination, seismic

imaging systems

Hydrogen

Reforming of hydrocarbons,

reforming of water, alternate

storage solutions, fuel cells. Bruce Reynolds

Manager

Fossil Energy Department

208-526-1992

Bruce.Reynolds@inl.gov

INL is a U.S. Department of

Energy national laboratory

operated by Battelle Energy

Alliance