U.S. to fund innovations in deepwater enhanced oil recovery

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has issued a notice of intent (NOI) for funding of cost-shared research and development projects which would increase the potential for deepwater enhanced oil recovery of conventional resources.

The objective of the DOE’s funding opportunity announcement (FOA) was to advance promising low technology readiness level offshore operations and sensing technologies.

Such technologies are, but not limited to, those that the Department previously initiated with industry under its Ultra-Deepwater Offshore Program.

The DOE said that the potential projects, which will aim to increase the efficiency of operations and reduce cost and complexity, would be managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

It is anticipated that projects will be executed in two phases. Phase 1 will entail laboratory validation and prototype development.

Phase 2 will consist of field testing of an integrated full-scale prototype. Evidence of industry support and/or cost share will be required before Phase 2 to ensure the achievement of enhanced commercialization potential.

Technologies previously developed to low technology readiness levels were encouraged by the DOE to apply.

The FOA is anticipated to be issued in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2019. Prospective applicants to the FOA should begin developing partnerships, formulating ideas, and gathering data in anticipation of its issuance approximately one month from the date of this posting.