Enhancing Oil and Gas Recovery

ORAU; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 37,000 - 71,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Educational stipend

Job summary

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) invites qualified undergraduates and graduates to join its ORISE-hosted internship program in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants will engage in energy research projects and work under NETL mentors within a lab environment.

The role emphasizes hands-on study of enhanced oil and gas recovery, collaboration with NETL researchers, and opportunities to contribute to publications and presentations as part of the internship experience.

Qualifications

• Open to undergraduate students, recent Bachelor's graduates or recent Master's graduates.
• Mentored participation within NETL ORISE program.
• Participation hosted at NETL Pittsburgh, PA.

Responsibilities

• Review the literature on current enhanced oil and gas recovery efforts.
• Investigate oil recovery with select surfactants in unconventional shale under high pressure/high temperature conditions.
• Apply laboratory results to reservoir simulation tools to scale results to the field.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

The National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL's) record of success has been built on understanding the future of energy and the technologies required to make that future possible. We’ve long touted our success in developing the technologies that took on acid rain in the 1970s and mercury in the early 2000s.

Program Goals

The Professional Internship Program is designed to introduce undergraduate students and recent Bachelor's graduates to the challenges of conducting energy research, and enable graduate students and recent Master's graduates to further build off their studies and experience as they join the scientific community. Participants interact daily with assigned mentors who guide research and project activities during the internship, while they become integral members of project teams.

The program goals include providing the opportunity to participants to:

• Develop skills and knowledge in their field of study
• Engagewith new areas of basic and applied research
• Transition classroom theory into hands‑on experience
• Network with world‑class scientists
• Exchange ideas and skills with the Laboratory community
• Use state‑of‑the‑art equipment
• Contribute to answers for today's pressing scientific questions
• Collaborate with the broader scientific and technical communities

Project Details

Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), this posting seeks a student researcher,recent Bachelor's graduate, or recent Master's graduateto engage in projects with the Research Innovation Center (RIC) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in the area ofenhancing oil and gas production under the mentorship of Angela Goodman and Greg Lackey. This project will be hosted at the NETL Pittsburgh, PA campus.

In this appointment, the participant will collaborate in research efforts related to enhancing oil and gas recovery in unconventional formations. The current research objective is to collaborate on investigating how to more effectively access the tight shale matrix to increase production and how do laboratory‑based observations extend to predictions for reservoir‑scale production. The goal of the overarching project is to improve oil recovery after primary recovery by further injection of water and/or nonaqueous fluids such as rich natural gas and carbon dioxide with or without additives such as surfactants. The project is focused on improving oil recovery and promoting affordable, reliable, and secure energy.

The selected participant will conduct research in collaborationwith NETL researchers and will(1) review the literature on current enhanced oil and gas recovery efforts; (2) investigate oil recovery with select surfactants in unconventional shale with high‑pressure, high‑temperature measurements, record wetting changes, and quantify the amount of oil extracted and (3) to apply laboratory results in reservoir simulation tools to scale results to the field.

Stipend:

Participants receive a biweeklystipend based on their educational level. Stipend payments are taxable as an educational benefit.Stipends for full‑time participation are:

• $814.50 per week for undergraduate students
• $1267 per week for recent Bachelor's graduates
• $1550 per week for graduate students and recent Master's graduates

Program Requirements:

To document the effectiveness of the program, participants are required to submit a pre‑appointment and post‑appointment survey, as well as a reflection on their appointment experience when they renew or end their appointment. The reflection should summarize their project(s), additional activities, and overall experience. Details are provided as the appointment end date approaches.

Participants may also have the opportunity to contribute to manuscripts, journal articles, book chapters, conference presentations, posters, patents, and other publications as a part of their appointment. Such achievements should also be reported to ORISE; additional details are provided after an offer has been accepted.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory system, is owned and operated by the DOE. NETL supports the DOE mission to advance the energy security of the United States.This is an educational opportunity offered by NETL and administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Participants in the program are not considered employees of NETL, DOE, the program administrator, or any other office or agency.