New Project to Help Develop Industry Standards for Sonic Stimulation

Technology Holds Promise for Boosting Oil Recovery

Tulsa, Oklahoma - Oil production in the United States is declining at an alarming rate. The remaining resources have high exploration and production costs and pose greater technical challenges. Some domestic oil wells are prematurely abandoned due to lacking technologies and economic instabilities.

Sonic stimulation - the use of sound waves sent out through reservoir rock to free trapped oil droplets - is an emerging technology that has been used in the last decade to enhance oil field production in the United States and overseas.

While results have been positive in some cases, most of these applications did not contain sufficient scientific rigor to form a solid theoretical basis. Stimulation experts have concluded that this lack of basic understanding has led to widely varied tools and mechanisms with inconsistent yet promising results.

To help establish a better scientific base of knowledge, the Department has selected Michigan Technological University (MTU) to conduct a project to calibrate and test sonic stimulation technologies.

This project is designed to provide the linkage between field and theory, and between laboratory experiments and field demonstrations.

In an effort to better understand existing sonic tools, researchers will first explore the penetration factors associated with multiple frequencies at and below the surface. An ideal test facility in the northern Michigan reef trend, operated by the University, will serve as the primary site for all field work.

The manufacturers of sonic stimulation tools are partnering with the University to conclusively establish performance factors. After successful testing and establishing calibration standards, the University will broaden the scope of the project to include other stakeholders interested in testing their sonic tools or processes in a well-defined, controlled environment.

This approach will lead to a unified set of accepted industry standards by which sonic stimulation technology can be applied. These standards are the basis required for improving tool design and optimizing field operations, and will allow theoretical and laboratory work and advances to move ahead with confidence.

This technology exemplifies the type of scientific breakthroughs and standards that are needed to increase the economic viability of our domestic oil resources.

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NPTO Program Contact:
Bernadette Ward, 918-699-2033: bward@npto.doe.gov

NPTO Project Technical Contact:
Rhonda Lindsey, 918-699-2037: Rhonda.Lindsey@npto.doe.gov