Technology

For Schlumberger Ltd., it’s no longer about what it can do in the oilfield, it’s what it wants to do, a feat increasingly accomplished through high-tech software.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) on Wednesday approved four grants totaling $3.9 million for separate research projects to advance the development of natural gas onboard fuel tanks and natural gas-powered engines with hybrid electric concepts for heavy-duty fleet vehicles.

Led by the recent announcement that Portland, OR-based NW Natural and a Seattle-based storage tank manufacturer are partnering on an effort to allow more compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles on the road, the Easter week provided a number of advancements in the CNG part of the natural gas vehicle (NGV) space. Some of the others were centered on advances for CNG in trucking.

With one of the nation’s most fossil fuel-intense state economies, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead is pushing a state/private sector initiative for a new testing center at the University of Wyoming to find ways to effectively store carbon dioxide (CO2) to develop markets for carbon and enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has joined the board of a fledgling Canadian company looking to break into the U.S energy market with a carbon capture technology it claims has the ability to boost enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in basins across the country.

Pinto Energy LLC is developing a small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility in Ashtabula, OH, to take advantage of low-cost natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales. Pinto Chairman Guy Dove toldNGI’s Shale Dailythe facility could be the first of its kind in the country and advancements in GTL technology are making it possible.

Technological innovations in the oil and gas industry have marked some remarkable discoveries over its 150-year history. Today, the innovations may be coming more quickly, but there’s still plenty to learn, energy stalwarts said Tuesday at the 25th Annual Rocky Mountain Energy Summit.

Domestic oil production may be showing signs of slowing down, but analysts with Raymond James & Associates Inc. don’t think it’s a trend.

The compressed natural gas (CNG) sector has seen no shortage of supporters, with continuing interest in new fleet orders, technology advancements in fuel tank design and governmental/utility initiatives, as witnessed at the recent Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Washington, DC.