Overview

This project is focused on advancing the use of NETL’s data-driven methods and models to inform and support evaluation of reservoir and techno-economic suitability for reuse potential in the Gulf of Mexico’s (GoM’s) deepwater (DW) and ultra-deepwater (UDW). This will promote infrastructure reuse and demonstrate identification of optimal reservoirs for CO2 and beneficiation for renewable applications. In addition, this project will develop and validate this integrated workflow for case study locations to demonstrate how these big-data driven models can be used by regulators, industry, and researchers to identify DW/UDW opportunities, reducing new infrastructure and improving ultimate recoveries from existing wells/reservoirs.

Approach

Year 1 will focus on identifying a case study location (CS1) to use for testing, validation, and demonstration of a data-driven workflow that integrates reservoir, infrastructure, techno-economic information to determine offshore reuse potential. Additional focus will be on acquiring appropriate knowledge resources and data, in addition to public and proprietary sources, needed for CS1. A workflow for integrating reservoir, infrastructure, and techno-economic information to aid in evaluating DW/UDW beneficial potential will be developed. A geologic assessment for case study will be performed, incorporating subsurface property prediction and reservoir characterization. Major accomplishments will include: Case study demonstrating workflow to identify DW and UDW candidates, along with a ranking of infrastructure to support reuse potential.

Year 2 efforts will continue on CS1, as well as work to demonstrate and validate the model workflow to support effective subsurface analysis, characterize geohazard risk, and inform infrastructure reuse. Two additional case study areas, CS2 and CS3, will be selected. This year will also incorporate the Offshore Task 6 OGA model to CS1 as part of the techno-economic evaluations in relation to geohazard evaluations.

In Year 3, CS2 and CS3 will be demonstrated, validated, and assessed for economic feasibility, based off the workflow and approaches used on CS1. A techno-economic assessment will also be conducted. Results of each case study, in addition to the comprehensive data catalog and techno-economic database, will be published via NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX®). A technical report and/or manuscript will be prepared that details the validated, integrated workflow used on each case study and demonstrates how NETL offshore ML/AI models were used to assess potential and economic feasibility.