“The EERC is currently endeavoring to also work on flaring and the collection and use of associated gas, solid waste and water management. refined knowledge of fracture networks and conduct other activities to better define the reserves of the shale formations. Alongside Continental Resources Inc., the EERC is working to evaluate several key operational challenges that Bakken producers deal with on a daily basis. “We work closely with our partners, which, along with Continental Resources, include Marathon, Whiting, ConocoPhillips, SM Energy, Oasis Petroleum, PetroHunt, Hess, Nuverra, Hitachi Data Systems, and the North Dakota Industrial Commission, to identify and prioritize those challenges,” says Harju. “We then conduct field-based and/or laboratory-based research efforts to better understand the nature of those key challenges, with a goal of developing solutions that are economically and environmentally sustainable.” The EERC is currently endeavoring to also work on flaring and the collection and use of associated gas, solid waste and water management. The EERC’s optimization efforts are designed to be flexible and responsive to meet the evolving needs of the project partners and, as such, new topics may be added in the future. Hopping hurdles Projects of this scale and scope tend to face a variety of logistical challenges, particularly when they involve multi-partner, multi-year and multi-topic variables. However, the enthusiastic support from project stakeholders, coupled with the EERC’s track record, help to make clearing the potential hurdles an easier task. “The EERC has a long track record of designing, implementing, and managing these types of projects,” says Harju. “This experience has served us well in ensuring that the project got off the ground and continues to move forward in a smooth and timely fashion.” The results of this project are expected to provide the partners of the EERC and the citizens of North Dakota with scientifically robust knowledge that will ensure the resources of the Bakken and Three Forks system are developed in a cost-effective manner with minimal environmental impact. In addition, this project will strengthen the EERC’s technical expertise and its relationships with stakeholders in the Bakken. Although this project is currently confined to a three-year period of performance, the intention of the EERC is to continue on with the optimization efforts beyond the scheduled time frame. The EERC plans to proceed with commercial participation, building on its established and valued partnerships beyond the three-year window. Long-term sustainability Ultimately, establishing the size and nature of the oil resources of the Bakken and Three Forks systems, and then developing approaches to improve operational efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint, will lead to overall improvements in production efficiency in North Dakota. “Such results will directly benefit the state of North Dakota, the industry and royalty owners by supporting the maintenance of strong oil production rates and the revenues that go with it,” says Harju. “The reduction of the environmental footprint will improve the long-term sustainability of the Bakken and Three Forks play in North Dakota, which will, in the long run, benefit all of the citizens of North Dakota.” Get to Know Our Experts John Harju John A. Harju is the associate director for research at the EERC, where he oversees the activities of a team of scientists and engineers focused on research, development, demonstration and commercialization of energy and environmental technologies. Before joining the EERC, he was vice-president of Crystal Solutions, LLC, a firm involved in commercial exploration and production water management, regulatory permitting and compliance and environmental impact monitoring and analysis. Harju is a graduate of the Geology program at the University of North Dakota. He serves on the United States Department of Energy’s Unconventional Resources Technology Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the Secretary of Energy on the development and implementation of activities related to unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resources. 78 The Official Publication of the North Dakota Association of Oil & Gas Producing Counties
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