ca. 2008
with technical staff at WellDog, recognized that transition from sorbed phase to gas phase causes expulsion of liquid from reservoir matrix, thus explaining excessive water production of CBM wells in the Powder River Basin. The same mechanism probably causes expulsion of liquid petroleum from oil shales.
ca. 2010
substantially improved the methodology for estimation of parameters used in stochastic modeling of gas resources for stratigraphic sequences containing multiple coalseams over a substantial stratigraphic interval, including developing predictive empirical relationships among parameters.
ca. 2011
developed a substantially improved methodology for calculation of gas resources to be used in heterogeneous reservoirs comprising both coal and carbonaceous shale, including both free gas and sorbed gas in a single resource equation.
ca. 1975
with staff of U.S. Bureau of Mines, conceived, designed, and built a hermetically sealed ball mill for comminution of coal samples to quickly release residual gas.
ca. 1989
discovered that some of the Cretaceous Fruitland coal in the San Juan Basin was oil-prone, and generated substantial proportion of oil during coalification, which substantially influenced its reservoir characteristics, including suppression of methane sorption capacity due to “plugging” of microporosity.
ca. 1990
designed and contructed laboratory equipment for measuring microstrain in an unconfined sample at high pressure, in response to sorption of methane and carbon dioxide, to assess the quantitative effect of matrix shrinkage on coal seam permeability
ca. 1990
with Tang Yalan, discovered and documented via optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy the existence of secondary porosity in coal, which formed in response to coalification; developed methodology for comparison of images in optical microscope and SEM (Secondary porosity has recently been identified as a critical variable in the transmission of gas through shales at high rank.)
ca. 1991
designed and constructed laboratory equipment for successfully measuring sorption of methane and carbon dioxide using an electromicrobalance.
ca. 1991
under contract to Shell, discovered that unusual linear isotherm shape of sample of Antrim shale was likely due to solvation rather than adsorption, suggesting that there are two mechanisms of sorption in coal and shale, which act in combination to produce a net total sorption capacity
ca. 1991
recognized that carbonaceous shales will contribute substantially to in place gas resources in CBM reservoir systems, and developed a methodology for its estimation
ca. 1994
for PetroCanada, discovered that elevated gas yields from samples of Cretaceous Mannville coals was likely due to the presence of a free gas phase.
ca. 1995
with Whitney Telle, under contract to River Gas, through log and sample analysis, discovered that unexpectedly high productivity of CBM wells in the Black Warrior Basin was likely due to contributions from carbonaceous shales and thin coals associated with the main coal seam, resulting in a 30{5f5f0a671acf0b508101152deea4afb81c8dccec707e26097793c0a640d6907c} increase in predicted gas-in-place, and producible reserves.
ca. 1998
with Philip Malone, developed a mathematical extrapolation to predict the quantity of “residual gas” remaining at the termination of gas desorption test.
ca. 2002
designed a modification to canister design and test procedure for Gas Content Test, that enabled quick, efficient purge of canister head space with helium, allowing estimation of sample bulk density prior to termination of measurements.
ca. 2002
designed a method for collecting a small, uncontaminated sample of gas from canister head space for chromatographic analysis, without requiring positive canister pressure, and without substantially influencing gas volume measurements.
ca. 2003
developed a procedure based on geophysical log analysis for classification of petrofacies into categories based on organic matter content, and calculating an integrated total gas resource that includes all organic matter-bearing lithologies.
ca. 2006
developed novel methodology for calculation of gas resources over large areas at a range of depths, based upon empirical relationships among variables, and using grid multiplication.
ca. 2008
with technical staff at WellDog, recognized that the initiation desorption, and therefore the initiation of “lost gas” in core recovery occurs at the “critical desorption pressure” (a.k.a. “bubble point pressure”) at a particular depth below the surface.
ca. 2008
with technical staff at WellDog, recognized that transition from sorbed phase to gas phase causes expulsion of liquid from reservoir matrix, thus explaining excessive water production of CBM wells in the Powder River Basin. The same mechanism probably causes expulsion of liquid petroleum from oil shales.
ca. 2010
substantially improved the methodology for estimation of parameters used in stochastic modeling of gas resources for stratigraphic sequences containing multiple coalseams over a substantial stratigraphic interval, including developing predictive empirical relationships among parameters.
ca. 2011
developed a substantially improved methodology for calculation of gas resources to be used in heterogeneous reservoirs comprising both coal and carbonaceous shale, including both free gas and sorbed gas in a single resource equation.
ca. 1975
with staff of U.S. Bureau of Mines, conceived, designed, and built a hermetically sealed ball mill for comminution of coal samples to quickly release residual gas.
ca. 1989
discovered that some of the Cretaceous Fruitland coal in the San Juan Basin was oil-prone, and generated substantial proportion of oil during coalification, which substantially influenced its reservoir characteristics, including suppression of methane sorption capacity due to “plugging” of microporosity.
ca. 1990
designed and contructed laboratory equipment for measuring microstrain in an unconfined sample at high pressure, in response to sorption of methane and carbon dioxide, to assess the quantitative effect of matrix shrinkage on coal seam permeability
