Hydrocarbon Resources Program

Guiding the optimal recovery of hydrocarbons while simultaneously minimizing environmental impacts

The Hydrocarbon Resources Program focuses on developing the understanding of the basic concepts and methodologies governing the coupled processes and associated phenomena involved in resource development and production. EESA scientists work to develop improved understanding of the basic concepts and processes governing multiphase non-isothermal flow in subsurface porous/fractured media during hydrocarbon production under challenging conditions.

Key to this work is understanding the associated coupled hydrological, thermal, geomechanical, geophysical, chemical, and biological processes. EESA translates this fundamental knowledge into production methods and strategies that industry could adopt to optimize production and minimize environmental impacts. Our primary focus is on unconventional resources including tight/shale gas, shale oil, and gas from methane hydrate. Efficient, clean production of hydrocarbon resources is critical, as these resources are expected to provide a majority of the nation’s energy supply for the foreseeable future.

Support for the Hydrocarbon Research Program comes from the DOE’s Fossil Energy and Hydrate Research Programs, international research organizations such as the Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, and from national and international energy companies.

See our Hydrocarbon Resources Program website.

Recent science & program advances

Continuous development and improvement of simulators that include gas hydrate-related processes and tight oil-and-gas-specific physics, chemistry, and geomechanics (TOUGH: Suite of Simulators for Nonisothermal Multiphase Flow and Transport in Fractured Porous Media)
Developed a repeatable method for investigation of enhanced oil recovery processes in shale
Developed a fundamental understanding of water behavior and water blocking in gas shales
Developing a method to strengthen ductile shales to allow propping
Simulated gas production from a thin, large gas hydrate bearing reservoir in the Gulf of Mexico
Simulated gas production from hydrate-bearing reservoirs for nearly all field tests globally to guide the field tests
Developed a sub-voxel measurement technique for geomechanical measurements of hydrate-bearing sands
Developed workflow for pairing GEOS codes (Lawrence Livermore National Lab) and TOUGH codes (Berkeley Lab) with multi-scale observations to better understand the stimulation and production of the Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site in the Permian Basin

Relevant Projects

Shale

Numerical and Laboratory Investigations for Maximization of Production from Tight/Shale Oil Reservoirs
Controlling Sustainability of Hydraulic Fracture Permeability in Ductile Shales
A New Framework for Microscopic to Reservoir-Scale Simulation of Hydraulic Fracturing and Production: Testing with Comprehensive Data from HFTS and Other Hydraulic Fracturing Field Test Sites
Understanding Water Partitioning Between Shale Matrix and Fractures to Improve Water Use and Gas Production
Eagle Ford Shale Laboratory (EFSL)

Hydrate

Behavior of Sediments Containing Methane Hydrate, Water, and Gas Subjected to Gradients and Changing Conditions
Advanced Simulation and Experiments of Strongly Coupled Geomechanics and Flow for Gas Hydrate Deposits: Validation and Field Application
Berkeley Lab–Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources Collaboration: Investigation of the Gas Production Potential of Hydrate Deposits in the Korean East Sea
An International Code Comparison Study on Coupled Thermal, Hydrologic, and Geomechanical Processes of Natural Gas Hydrate-Bearing Sediments
Numerical Studies for the Characterization of Recoverable Resources from Methane Hydrate Deposits