The Tate Field Conference features a day of speakers on Saturday and two days of field trips. Saturday evening includes a dinner and Keynote Speaker.

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The full value chain sweet spot in the Mowry Shale: A cross-disciplinary research initiative at the University of Wyoming

Abstract

The School of Energy Resources (SER) at the University of Wyoming (UW) is focused on the advancement of energy-driven economic development for the state of Wyoming. As part of that mission, SER leads UW talent and resources for interdisciplinary research and outreach in many facets of the energy industry. Through its Centers of Excellence, SER seeks to bridge the gap between industry and academia and ensure deployment of technology and policy solutions across the energy spectrum. An example of this research is an SER-led initiative on the Mowry Shale Petroleum System in the Powder River Basin, the vast potential of which remains relatively unexploited. This is due to several challenges that include, among other things, the depth of the formation, geomechanical complexity affecting drilling and stimulation, and the lack of Mowry-specific economic models for forecasting. To assist industry partners in Wyoming in unlocking the value of this resource SER initiated this research in 2023, through a state-funded program that consists of thirteen research projects with more than 35 faculty, research scientists, and graduate students who are building broad expertise by working across six departments.

This presentation will summarize the research results to date in four key areas that encompass a large part of the value chain for oil and gas production and economic development: Reservoir Characterization and Definition (RCD), Drilling and Completions (D&C), Production and Fluid Flow (PFF), and Economics and Forecasting (E&F).

               The RCD group has developed laboratory and petrophysical tools to better characterize the formation and increase the sparse dataset using machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML-AI) tools. In D&C, we are testing drilling fluid compatibility with Mowry bentonites, while modeling and testing the interfaces between bentonites and the shale reservoir rock. The PFF group focuses on measuring permeability changes during drawdown and uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to test models of pore and fracture networks to optimize fluid flow. The E&F team has developed novel forecasting economic models and decline curve analyses specific to Mowry production potential.

We aspire to build a “sweet spot” definition of the Mowry shale that contains not just geological opportunity, but identifies where that combines with drilling, completions, production, and economics to ensure success for the Wyoming oil and gas industry. The next crucial step in the program is to begin closer engagements with industry partners to confirm we are working on appropriately applied problems that can deliver both short- and long-term benefits to  Wyoming’s energy industry.

Bio

Dr. Fischer recently joined the Center for Economic Development in the School of Energy Resources as the Oil & Gas Program Manager after a 12-year career at Chevron in Houston, TX. As a member of the Chevron Technology Center, he worked as a senior research scientist and petrophysicist with a focus on  core-to-log integration and the petrophysics of unconventional reservoirs. He has studied and analyzed rocks and logs from unconventional plays worldwide and led major research projects on pore structure characterization and how variability in rock properties alters wireline log responses.

Prior to joining Chevron, he worked at Miami University on electron microscopy of clay-bacteria interactions, a continuation of his graduate work at Penn State on the crystallographic evolution of oxide minerals in near-surface environments. He also conducted undergraduate research at the University of Arizona on the carbon isotope disequilibrium in cave air and soils.

Meet at 10:00a at the Southside Travel Center in Thermopolis.  The in-canyon presentation will begin at noon and the guest speaker will be Todd Sullivan, P.G., WYDOT. Trilobite hunting at Boysen Dam starts at 1:30p.

Presenter: Todd A. Sullivan

Job Title: Project Geologist WyDot

Wyoming Department of Transportation Geology Program

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-3340

Tel: 307-777-4783

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Todd Sullivan is a Project Geologist at WYDOT Geology where he specializes in designing foundations and mitigating landslides and rock fall throughout the state. With 25 years of experience, Mr. Sullivan has been involved with landslide and groundwater monitoring using inclinometers, shape arrays, piezometers and data loggers. Todd was instrumental in setting up new monitoring equipment at the “Big Fill” on Teton Pass, where he installed equipment to remotely access data through the “cloud”. He has an extensive background in logging drill holes, characterizing site geology, providing construction support and serving as a construction inspector.

Prior to WYDOT employment, Mr. Sullivan worked as a hydrogeologist for R.L. Stollar and Associates in Denver, which specialized in groundwater remediation and hazardous waste mitigation at several large superfund sites in Colorado, Nebraska and California.

Todd was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1960. He was raised by an electrical contractor and stay at home mom in Ralston, Nebraska where he graduated from Ralston High School in 1977. He worked in the construction trades for several years and began taking continuing education classes at CSU in 1981. Mr. Sullivan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology in 1987. Todd is married and has one daughter. He lives with his wife in Waverly Colorado. His hobbies include woodcraft, playing bluegrass, hiking, camping, and of course, rock collecting.

14th Annual Gene R. George Memorial Golf Tournament

The WGA's annual Pioneer Picnic honors 50- and 60-year members of the Wyoming Geological Association.