Ultra-Deepwater (UDW) energy resources research through NETL’s Office of Research & Development (ORD) is focused on developing a scientific base for predicting and quantifying potential risks associated with exploration and production in extreme offshore environments. This includes:

•Evaluating performance and integrity of key offshore materials for which data in extreme environments are limited •Developing critical data for predicting in situ conditions required for assessing risk, borehole/drilling design, loss of control conditions in deepwater and ultra-deepwater settings •Developing a coordinated data and system for risk assessment to allow for independent, rapid-response and science-based predictions in support of oil spill prevention and response The above research areas require a combination of laboratory-based experimental and characterization studies, integration and interpretation of field-based datasets, and development and application of numerical simulators. The work is performed by an interdisciplinary team comprised of Federal, contractor, and academic scientists and engineers.