American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2016 - 112

ConventionCoverage: Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico

Research Center Helping Oil Producers
SANTA FE, N.M.-The Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC) at the
New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology in Socorro would like to help operators produce more oil and gas more
efficiently. The Panhandle Import Reduction Initiative would like to ensure a
better market for those commodities.
The Independent Petroleum Association
of New Mexico heard presentations on
those two entities at its 2016 annual convention, Aug. 1-3 in Santa Fe. In a third
presentation, Executive Director Mary
Spruill updated participants on the activities of the National Energy Education
Development project over the past year.
During the business portion of the meeting, Mitch Krakauskas, land manager at
Strata Production Co. in Roswell, N.M.,
passed the leadership reins to 2016 IPANM
President Tom Mullins, engineering manager
at Synergy Operating in Farmington, N.M.
Serving alongside Mullins on IPANM's
Executive Committee for the coming year
will be Northwest Vice President John
Thomas, production and asset manager
for Robert L. Bayless Producer LLC in
Farmington; Southeast Vice President
Claire Chase, director of government relations for Mack Energy Corp. in Artesia,
N.M.; and Secretary-Treasurer Francisco

Olvera, a partner in Ritter & Company
in Roswell.
Four members were re-elected to
IPANM's Board of Directors: Ed Lauer
with Lucky Services in Midland, Tim Green
with Nearburg Producing Co. in Midland,
Ron Hillman with Armstrong Energy Corp.
in Roswell, and John Alexander with Dugan
Production Corp. in Farmington.
Outgoing President Krakauskas presented IPANM's 2016 Member of the
Year Award to Dan Girand with Mack
Energy in Roswell.
Krakauskas said Girand had served
on the IPANM board since 1991 and "is
quick to hop on a conference call or drop
everything and drive to Santa Fe when
we need someone to attend a meeting or
hearing."
"Dan always is on top of industry
issues in New Mexico and freely gives
his recommendations based on his years
of service and experience. He truly is a
great ambassador for our industry,"
Krakauskas added.
This was the second IPANM Member
of the Year Award for Girand, who also
earned that title in 1995. He served two
terms as IPANM president in 1993 and
'94, and was presented the association's
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Following his presentation at the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico's
annual meeting in Santa Fe, Robert Balch (center), director of the Petroleum Recovery
Research Center at the New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, chats with New
Mexico Tech President Stephen Wells (left) and David Catanach (right), director of the
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, who also addressed the meeting.

112 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Improved Oil Recovery
PRRC engages in theoretical and practical
research into recovering petroleum and
other energy resources, Director Robert
Balch advised IPANM. He noted its 10
active projects ranged in size from its Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration,
a 15-year, $90 million carbon capture and
enhanced oil recovery demonstration project
conducted in conjunction with the U.S.
Department of Energy, to a $30,000, oneyear contract with the state of New Mexico
to characterize produced waters.
Among the projects Balch discussed
were:
* Polymeric hollow fiber membranes
fabricated at PRRC are a nanotechnology
water filtration project that has proven
95 percent efficient at removing organics
and salt at less than 30 psi pressure and a
30-40 degree temperature difference.
* A 10-company consortium is evaluating the oil and gas resources underlying
the U.S. Department of Interior's New
Mexico Potash Order and the economic
impact of developing those resources.
* PRRC is utilizing well and production data, along with other geological
information, to high grade and predict
the areas of greatest oil production potential in the San Juan Basin's Mancos
Shale.
* Using core chips in a laboratory
simulation, PRRC was able to determine
that the cause of injectivity problems in
a Queen Sand waterflood was a preflood
acid treatment washing cement fines into
the formation. PRRC then was able to
identify a treatment option to mitigate
the problem.
* PRRC's Southwest Partnership is
demonstrating the benefits of sequestering
1 million tons of anthropogenic carbon
dioxide while improving oil recovery in
Texas' Farnsworth Field. "Fortunately,
the more effectively we store the CO2,
the more oil we produce," Balch revealed.
He concluded by expressing his belief
that "service to New Mexico producers
has to be an integral part of our mission."
Noting the challenges producers faced
from low oil and gas prices, Balch said,
"Hopefully, PRRC's specialized expertise
can be that added piece that enhances
your operations at little or no cost. If you
think of anything we can do, please let
us know."

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2016

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