Energy Resources Initiative
Who we are
Dan Soeder, Director
Daniel J. Soeder is the inaugural Energy Resources
Initiative director at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SD
Mines). He holds BS and MS degrees in
geology, and brings 25 years of experience to SD Mines as a government research
scientist, hydrologist and geologist with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, WV, and the U.S.
Geological Survey in the Mid-Atlantic region in Baltimore, MD and at Yucca
Mountain, NV. He has an additional
decade of experience with shale and other unconventional gas resource
investigations at the Gas Technology Institute in Chicago, IL. His research encompasses shale gas, tight
oil, water resources, groundwater contamination, nuclear waste isolation, and the
geological sequestration of carbon dioxide.
Contact: Dan.Soeder@sdsmt.edu;
605-394-2802
Recent
publications:
Soeder,
Daniel J., 2017, Unconventional: The Development of Natural Gas from the
Marcellus Shale: GSA Special Paper 527, Geological Society of America
Books, Boulder, Colorado, 143 pages.
Harris, A. E., Hopkinson, L. and Soeder, D.J., 2016, Developing
monitoring plans to detect spills related to natural gas production: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment;
188 : 647; DOI 10.1007/s10661-016-5641-4
Levine, J.S., Fukai, I., Soeder, D.J., Bromhal G., Dilmore, R., Guthrie, G., Rodosta, T.,
Sanguinito, S., Frailey, S., Gorecki, C., Peck, W., and Goodman, A., 2016, U.S.
DOE NETL methodology for estimating the prospective CO2 storage resource of
shales at the national and regional scale: International
Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, V. 51, August 2016, P. 81–94.
Zhang, L. and Soeder, D. J., 2015, Modeling of methane migration in shallow
aquifers from shale gas well drilling: Groundwater.
doi: 10.1111/gwat.12361
Soeder,
D.J., 2015, Adventures in Groundwater Monitoring: Why has it been so
difficult to obtain groundwater data near shale gas wells? Environmental Geosciences, V. 22, no. 04 (December 2015), p.
139–148.
Soeder,
D.J., Sawyer, J.F., Freye, A. and Singh, S., 2015, Assessment of
Hydrocarbon Potential in the Niobrara Formation, Rosebud Sioux Reservation,
South Dakota, URTeC DOI 10.15530/urtec-2015-2153622; Proceedings of
Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 20-22
July 2015, 13 p.
Soeder, D.
J., Sharma, S., Pekney, N., Hopkinson, L., Dilmore, R., Kutchko, B.,
Stewart, B., Carter, K., Hakala, A., and
Capo, R., 2014, An approach for assessing engineering risk from shale gas wells
in the United States, International
Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 126, p. 4-19; Special Issue: Unconventional
Natural Gas and the Environment, D. J. Soeder and M. A. Engle, eds., 170 p.
Soeder,
D.J., Enomoto, C.B., and Chermak, J.A., 2014, The Devonian Marcellus
Shale and Millboro Shale, in Bailey, C.M., and Coiner, L.V., eds., Elevating
Geoscience in the Southeastern United States: New Ideas about Old
Terranes—Field Guides for the GSA Southeastern Section Meeting, Blacksburg,
Virginia, 2014: Geological Society of
America Field Guide 35, p. 129–160, doi:10.1130/2014.0035(05).
Scyller Borglum, Research Assistant
Scyller J.
Borglum is a Ph.D. Candidate in geological engineering at SD Mines. She holds a BA degree in business, and a BS
and MS in petroleum engineering. She has two years of oilfield work experience along
the Rocky Mountain Front and in North Dakota. She also has experience working in
the private sector in the rock mechanics lab at RESPEC as well as the
government-owned and operated lab at the National Energy Technology Laboratory
in Morgantown, WV. Her research
interests include the geomechanics of tight rocks under hydraulic fracturing
conditions, and potential effects this may have on petrophysical properties.
Contact: Scyller.Borglum@mines.sdsmt.edu
Recent
publications:
Borglum,
S. J., and Stetler, L. D., 2016, “Shale Poroelastic Behavior
Determination by a Novel Tensile Strength Test,” SPE Russian Petroleum Technology
Conference and Exhibition, Moscow, Russia, 24-26 Oct 2016; SPE 182024
Borglum,
S. J., Reichhardt, D. K. and Todd, B. J., 2014, "Understanding Elm
Coulee Bakken Production Variability with Discrete Fracture Networks,"
Discrete Fracture Network Engineering Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 19-22
Oct 2014.
Schrader, S., Danielson, C., and Borglum, S., 2014, “Investigating the Connections Between Oil and
Gas Industry Affiliation and Climate Change Concerns”: pp. 47-55 in Drake, J., Kontar, Y., and Rife, G., New
Trends in Earth-Science Outreach and Engagement, Switzerland, Springer
International Publishing, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-01821-8, 244 p.
Borglum,
S., and Todd, B., 2012, “An Investigation of Ancient Geological
Events and Localized Fracturing on Current Bakken Production Trends” SPE
Eastern Regional Meeting, Lexington Kentucky, USA, 3-5 Oct 2012; SPE 161331
Borglum,
S., 2011, Determining the Occurrence of Diagenesis in Proppants
Commonly Used with in situ Hydraulic Fracturing: National Conference For
Undergraduate Research, Proceedings
History
and mission
The Energy Resources Initiative (ERI) was created at SD
Mines as a multidisciplinary effort to advance knowledge and better serve the
upstream and downstream oil and gas industry. SD Mines is centrally located in
an energy-rich area of the country within 300 miles of the highly oil and gas-productive
Williston, Denver and Powder River basins, and in recent years nearly 20
percent of SD Mines graduates have pursued careers in the oil and gas industry.
SD Mines announced plans for the ERI in 2014, when the South
Dakota Board of Regents approved a Petroleum Systems minor. Fundraising efforts have since resulted in
over $3 million in commitments from industry and alumni supporters. The Energy
Resources Initiative builds upon the university’s existing faculty research
expertise in enhanced recovery of hydrocarbons from fine-grained reservoirs,
water resources research, and materials development. The State of South Dakota
previously funded the university’s Shale Research Initiative, another element
of the energy effort, in which faculty and students collaborated with RESPEC researchers
to investigate the geomechanical and hydrological properties, mineralogy and
composition of various shale units to further the scientific and engineering
applications of shale and other fine-grained rocks.
The mission of the ERI is threefold: 1) to provide the oil
and gas industry, especially mid-size operators in the Rocky Mountains, with
relevant scientific and engineering research to help address resource
assessments, materials engineering, recovery efficiency, and environmental
problems related to the development of oil and gas, 2) engage SD Mines students
in this research to provide exposure to fossil fuel and other energy resources
as a potential career field while gaining experience solving practical problems
of interest to potential future employers, and 3) expand SD Mines energy
research beyond the region into national and international projects, and also
into related areas, such as high and low temperature geothermal energy,
radioactive waste isolation, energy storage, carbon dioxide sequestration, and
environmental monitoring.
Vision and goals
Oil and gas production is essentially an empirical activity,
where successful operators know what works, but they often don’t know why it
works. Many of the midsize companies
operating in Rocky Mountain basins cannot support a research staff to study
such issues. This is where scientific
and engineering research at an institution like SD Mines can make a difference,
by investigating the underlying principles to better understand problems. Learning how and why oil and gas can be
produced efficiently from one particular resource may provide knowledge that can
be applied to other resources.
Engaging students to participate with faculty members in
hands-on projects to solve some of these research issues provides the students
with an opportunity to better understand the practical, day-to-day concerns
faced by industry. Such work on “real
world” problems gives students experience that enables them to become more
marketable as potential job candidates.
Increased communication on energy-related topics within and
across departments on campus is another goal of ERI. Many professors in different disciplines are
working independently on energy projects in areas where collaboration would
significantly strengthen the results.
For example, a chemical engineer investigating a natural gas-to-liquids
conversion technology could potentially find applications in a production area
like the Bakken, where gas is being flared off because there are no pipelines
to take it. By collaborating with
petroleum engineers, such a connection could allow a former waste stream
(flared methane) to be turned into a marketable product (methanol) that can be
removed by truck without the need for a pipeline. The ERI also seeks to improve interaction with
the greater scientific community outside of the university, and with the
public.
Expanding the Energy Resource Initiative at SD Mines into
national and international projects supports the vision of the university to
consider the entire world as a laboratory, and go wherever the situation
demands to collect data or observations.
Indeed, in the areas of shale gas and tight oil, development of these
resources worldwide is of high international interest. Many countries are hesitating until North
American researchers achieve a deeper understanding of the environmental
impacts of drilling and hydraulic fracturing activities. Field laboratories where a broad range of
monitoring technologies can be applied to shale wells are a critical component
of this research. New technologies to
improve the recovery efficiencies of tight oil and shale gas are also being
eagerly awaited by the rest of the world.
Outside of oil and gas, related areas of geological energy
research include high and low temperature geothermal energy, radioactive waste
isolation, energy storage, and carbon dioxide sequestration. These tend to be longer-term programs with
research that may not pay off for decades.
Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the shale gas research begun
in the early 1980s did not lead to significant shale gas production until after
the turn of the millennium. To be
successful, the ERI needs both short-term and long-term vision.
Programs
EDUCATION - two tracks
are offered:
--
Undergraduate Minor in Petroleum Systems
We offer an 18-credit program including 3 core courses:
(Drilling and Production Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, and a Petroleum Field
Course) with 9 credits of electives in chemical, civil, mechanical, and
geological engineering and geology. The minor is available to students majoring
in any subject on campus. ( Learn More)
--
Graduate Certificate in Petroleum Systems
We offer a 12-credit program of graduate-level course work
in the geosciences in which both SD Mines graduate students and outside
professionals can enroll. ( Learn More)
RESEARCH
Much of the expertise to make the Energy Resources
Initiative successful is already in place at SD Mines. Faculty across campus
are pursuing relevant research projects in the following areas:
Oil and Gas
- Enhanced Recovery of Hydrocarbons from
Fine-Grained Reservoirs
- Mechanical coupling of fine-grained media and
pore fluids
- Hydraulic fracturing simulations for predictive
models of rheological characteristics
- Identification of unconventional petroleum
resources
- Transport pathways of nutrients and microbes in
organic substrates; effects of stimulation on fluid transport and
bio-availability of organics
- An assessment of hydrocarbon potential in the
Niobrara Formation at the Rosebud Reservation to investigate the feasibility of
developing shallow, stranded natural gas for local use.
Water
Resources
- Water resource sustainability, recycling, and
management.
- Treatment and disposal of produced water and
well fluids.
- Potential use of South Dakota geothermal
resources for local heating of greenhouses with beneficial use of recovered
water.
Materials
Development
- Mineral processing for additives to drilling and
circulation materials
- Synthesis, fabrication, and testing of polymer
and composite materials for drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and production
applications
- Development and processing of advanced alloys
and alloy coatings for abrasive and corrosive environments
- Advanced characterization of materials,
including cements and ceramics
In Development
A few key components
and events to advance our progress:
AS OF JULY 2017:
Initial equipment for a state-of-the-art Petrophysical
Engineering Research Laboratory (PERL) is awaiting a decision on a funding
match application with the SD Board of Regents.
Undergraduate scholarship support is available to attract
and retain students in the petroleum systems minor. Women, minorities and other under-represented
groups are especially encouraged to apply.
The annual petroleum geology field camp is scheduled for
July 10-26, 2017. Students will
experience classic geology at Teapot Dome and Alcova Reservoir, and visit
active drilling rigs, hydraulic fracturing operations, and midstream processing
facilities in the Williston Basin in North Dakota.
A field trip is planned over Native American Day weekend
October 7-9 to introduce members of the Women In Science and Engineering (WISE)
organization at SD Mines to the Bakken Shale production in North Dakota.
Stipends for graduate students are available depending on
department priorities and external funding.
SD Mines is partnering with the Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara
Nation to develop an environmental research site in the Bakken Shale in
North Dakota. The proposed design for
this facility will be presented in a paper at the Energy7 Conference in
Manchester, UK in August 2017.
Results from the Niobrara stranded gas development project
on the Rosebud Reservation will be presented at the AAPG ICE meeting in London,
UK in October 2017.
The ERI at SD Mines is leading the development of a project to
investigate the assessment, production and utilization of local geologic energy
resources for isolated, small communities in South Dakota, many of whom are
currently dependent on energy supplies being brought in from great distances.
Dan Soeder and Scyller Borglum have been invited
by Elsevier Publishing to co-author a textbook on unconventional oil and gas
resources. The preliminary title is
“Shale gas, tight oil, and the fossil energy revolution.”
