GRI Program for Tight Gas Sands Research

Abstract

ABSTRACT In mid-1981, the Gas Research Institute (GRI) drafted comprehensive programs for research directed toward increasing the national supply of natural gas from unconventional sources. Low-permeabi1ity (tight) gas sands are one of these sources. GRI's pre-draft planning for the tight gas sands program was for a duration of about one year and included workshops with advisors from the natural gas industry. The resulting program plan for tight gas sands research is oriented to industry participation and field testing. Research results are freely distributed to a wide variety of users. The tight gas sands program is initiating in 1982; planning updates by GRI are on an annual cycle. GRI is proceeding with six projects for tight gas sands research, involving analyses for producing natural gas from tight blanket sands that are presently considered as non-commercial. The program plan is comprised of a sequence of projects relating to resource identification, formation evaluation, fluids and proppants investigations, fracture design, reservoir modeling, and staged field tests with technology transfer. Accelerated research work is scheduled for 1983, with emphasis on field evaluations beginning in 1984. This paper describes the philosophy, objective, and content of the GRI program plan, which is currently scheduled through 1988. Accomplishment of the program is expected to provide for significant advances in tight gas sands research. GRI is a nonprofit scientific organization which contracts applicable research work to others for benefit to the natural gas industry and to natural gas consumers.