Technical Topic 1: Sensors Controls; SUBTOPIC 1B: NOVELSENSORS FOR DEEP RESOURCES (DOE'S DEEP TREK PROGRAM)

The summary for the Technical Topic 1: Sensors Controls; SUBTOPIC 1B: NOVELSENSORS FOR DEEP RESOURCES (DOE'S DEEP TREK PROGRAM) grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Technical Topic 1: Sensors Controls; SUBTOPIC 1B: NOVELSENSORS FOR DEEP RESOURCES (DOE'S DEEP TREK PROGRAM): To date, less than 1 percent of all wells drilled in the U.S. have penetrated below 15,000 feet, yet their production accounts for nearly 7 percent of the domestic production, and is expected to grow to 12% by 2010 (NPC, 2003). Development of deep reservoirs is currently restricted to only the most promising prospects. The primary barrier limiting recovery from deep formations is that drilling systems cannot withstand the extreme conditions encountered when drilling deep, resulting in an exponential increase in drilling costs (as much as 50% of drilling cost is encountered in the last 10% of the well). The limits of conventional drilling and well construction technology are often exceeded when drilling wells to 20,000 feet. Extremely high temperatures (>400oF), exceptionally high pressures (>15,000 psi), exceedingly hard rock, and highly corrosive gases all combine to create a very hostile environment for well drilling and completion. DOE's Deep Trek program (http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/oilgas/drilling/index.html) was initiated in 2001 with a goal of developing an integrated deep drilling and deep imaging system that will enable industry to economically recover an additional 100 Tcf of natural gas through 2020. Several projects and technologies have been funded over the past five years, but additional needs remain to be addressed. The objective of this subtopic is to develop novel sensor systems that include but are not limited to the determination of pressure, position, temperature and flow. These sensors shall fit under DOE's Deep Trek Program, which focuses on developing advanced technologies that will operate in very deep (>20,000 feet) high temperature (>400 F), high pressure (>15,000 psi), hard rock, corrosive environments. The proposed technologies shall be compatible with, and compliment, currently applied or emerging technologies developed under DOE's drilling programs or other industry programs to allow for integrated demonstrations.