Projects

The MCERS research projects include a wide spectrum of projects involving theory, laboratory experiments, and field applications. A consortium on Unconventional Reservoir Engineering Projects (UREP) is the only consortium in MCERS at this time; however, the Center conducts research for Unconventional Oil and Gas Institute (UNGI) involving micro-scale fluid flow modeling and improved oil recovery in unconventional shale reservoirs. Another activity involves numerical modeling research under Energy Modeling Group (EMG).

 

The UREP Consortium’s current research includes:

  1. Fundamentals of Fluid-Flow in Unconventional Reservoirs,
  2. Unconventional Reservoir Modeling,
  3. Drainage Area and Well-Spacing Issues, and
  4. Data Analysis and Performance Prediction. The research program of the UREP Consortium consists of two-year phase segments. Each phase has specific goals and deliverables set based on the needs of the industry and the outcome of the previous phases. Currently, the UREP is in Phase 1.

 

Energy Modeling Group (EMG) current projects include:

  1. CO2-EOR and sequestration modeling,
  2. Unconventional reservoir dynamics and simulation (such as tight and shales gas reservoir simulation),
  3. Simulation of coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in reservoirs,
  4. Geothermal reservoir simulation, and
  5. Coupled process models for hydraulic fracturing and production from porous and fractured reservoirs. EMG seeks collaboration with universities, national laboratories, and industries, in particular, national and international petroleum companies, in developing and applying advanced reservoir simulation systems.

 

In addition to UREP and EMG projects, other sponsored research projects include:

  1. Capillary pressure and relative permeability measurement in liquid-rich shale reservoirs.
  2. Low-salinity brine and CO2 experiments in tight carbonate reservoirs.
  3. CO2 and lean-gas injection in Eagle Ford formation.
  4. Integrated reservoir characterization and well modeling in Niobrara (RCP).
  5. Integrated reservoir characterization and modeling in Niobrara and Codell (RCP).
  6. Well production analysis for enhanced oil recovery in Delhi field (RCP).
  7. Productivity improvement of surfactant-polymer EOR.
  8. Microscale osmotic flow and compositional modeling in shale reservoirs.
  9. Compositional modeling of flow in liquid-rich shale formations for well testing and EOR.
  10. Lattice Boltzmann modeling of tight shale samples.
  11. Pore scale numerical modeling to determine flow channeling and fluid trapping in tight.
  12. Effect of pore pressure on reservoir microseismic response.
  13. New algorithms for dual-porosity reservoirs and CO2 trapping in carbonate reservoirs.