Abstract

As a result of the surge in oil prices pass $40/barrel in 2004, and $70/barrel in 2007, there is a severe shortage of trained geologists, engineers, and land management personnel. One of the primary areas where the new hire professionals are deficient in is knowledge of the role of CO₂ in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). In addition, those student who plan to follow career paths in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) profession are most likely unaware of the shift away from Carbon Capture and Storage in Brine Aquifers and toward Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) in the oil reservoirs, as reported by the DOE in the fall of 2011.

When presentations are made outside the Permian Basin discussing the roll of CO₂ in EOR in the basin, academic, Non Governmental Organizations/NGO’s (Environmental ) and governmental audiences appear to be completely unaware of the amount of CO₂ utilized daily, the resulting incremental production, the amount of CO₂ incidentally sequestered, and the 40 year history of Utilization of CO₂ in our reservoirs. This lack of understanding in academia is of critical importance because the petroleum industry needs young professionals who come to work with a basic understanding of CO₂ EOR.

Through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant from the Department of Energy, UTPB has begun to develop Modular Training packages for geology, engineering and land management students that will be available to any University interested in including them in their curriculum. These Modules include Permian Basin road logs tailored to highlight CO₂ activities and potential CO₂ Sequestration targets, basic Permian Basin geology, Production Engineering descriptions of major CO₂ projects in the basin, CO₂ Reservoir Engineering presentations about CO₂ EOR, and discussions of Land Management issues particular to CO₂ and Residual Oil Zones.