Initial Focus
Eagle Ford Play in Texas and Mexico
Rationale
Unconventional oil and gas shale resources are transforming the global energy outlook with the largest impact being in the United States, and specifically Texas. The case for an initial focus on the Eagle Ford unconventional resources play is clear. The Eagle Ford play is the single most significant economic development to date in the State of Texas having already generated a 60 billion dollar impact on the local south Texas economy, 116,000+ jobs and an investment that ranks the Eagle Ford activity as the largest oil and gas development in the world, based on capital invested (30 billion in 2013).
As a land-grant institution and one of two flagship universities in the state, Texas A&M must step up to its contributions to the most significant economic development and game-changer in recent Texas history.
Objectives
- Design and execute an interdisciplinary project that integrates strengths in Geosciences, Petroleum Engineering, others to maximize resource production
- Will distinguish the Berg-Hughes Center
- Creates new concepts and tools for petroleum systems analysis
- Supports faculty and students
Project Design
- Time duration of 4-5 years – capable of a full cycle of Ph.D. students and post-doc hires
- Long term “stretch” goals with mid-term deliverables
- Integrates surface, subsurface, laboratory and modeling
- Accesses modern subsurface data
- Guided and supported by industry; with TAMU seed funding contribution of $400,000
High Order Research Areas
- Characterization of source and reservoir presence and quality
- Reservoir mechanical behavior
- Hydrocarbons movement through the rock to the wellbore
- Optimization of life-of-well production
- Ultimate recovery from source rocks
- Water resources and alternative fracking fluids
