Industry Experts Offered Insights at Shale Gas Innovation Workshop

Nov. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Sponsored by Ben Franklin’s Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center (SGICC) and Penn State University’s Marcellus Center for Outreach (MCOR), the Shale Gas Innovation Workshop invited researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to hear from a distinguished panel of experts regarding the industry’s technical needs and challenges.

The session, which was moderated by Bill Hall, Director of the SGICC, began with a keynote address by Mr. Andrew Paterson, the Executive Vice-President of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, outlining the recent trends in the development of the shale gas industry.  He was followed by Mr. Uday Turaga, CEO of ADI Analytics, who presented the results of a study commissioned by the SGICC to define innovation requirements in the evolving development of shale gas as an energy source.  

Both Mr. Paterson and Mr. Turaga participated on the panel which also included:
•   Tom Moore, Chief Geologist, Exco Resources
•   Joe Frantz, VP Engineering, Range Resources
•   Pat Findle, Director, Gas Technology Institute
•   Colin McHattie, Industry Consultant

The event which was held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on Friday, November 18, 2011, was not only an opportunity for the attendees to learn more about the shale gas industry’s operational challenges and technology needs, but also created the ideal forum for 18 researchers to present their ideas in three tracks – upstream, right to operate, and monetization. Specific discussions included water treatment solutions that would allow the use of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in the fracturing process, the development of more sensitive ultrasonic non-destructive testing tools for down-hole, well bore, and pipeline inspections, the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, and the design of alternative proppants and fracturing fluids to improve drilling processes.

Bill Hall, Director of Ben Franklin’s SGICC commented, “This workshop was an important step forward in identifying new concepts, opportunities, and challenges in the shale gas industry.  The overall goal of the Ben Franklin program is to invest in the most promising ideas in order to further develop and commercialize solutions.”

# # #

About the SGICC
The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org) is designed to harness innovation and new technologies as a means to maximize the economic return to Pennsylvania’s citizens from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. The Center’s goal is to increase sustainable employment and wealth creation in Pennsylvania that has the potential to outlast the initial exploration, production and transportation of natural gas from the formations. The Center will also identify, support and commercialize technologies and early-stage businesses that enhance responsible stewardship of the environment while properly utilizing this transformative energy asset.