Unconventional Energy Resources: 2011 Review

This report contains nine unconventional energy resource commodity summaries prepared by committees of the Energy Minerals Division (EMD) of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Unconventional energy resources, as used in this report, are those energy resources that do not occur in discrete oil or gas reservoirs held in structural or stratigraphic traps in sedimentary basins. These resources include coal, coalbed methane, gas hydrates, tight gas sands, gas shale and shale oil, geothermal resources, oil sands, oil shale, and uranium resources. Current U.S. and global research and development activities are summarized for each unconventional energy commodity in the topical sections of this report. Coal and uranium are expected to supply a significant portion of the world’s energy mix in coming years. Coalbed methane continues to supply about 9% of the U.S. gas production and exploration is expanding in other countries. Recently, natural gas produced from shale and low-permeability (tight) sandstone has made a significant contribution to the energy supply of the United States and is an increasing target for exploration around the world. In addition, oil from shale and heavy oil from sandstone are a new exploration focus in many areas (including the Green River area of Wyoming and northern Alberta). In recent years, research in the areas of geothermal energy sources and gas hydrates has continued to advance. Reviews of the current research and the stages of development of these unconventional energy resources are described in the various sections of this report.     

Unconventional Energy Resources: 2017 Review

Natural Resources Research - This review presents six summaries for energy resource commodities including coal and unconventional resources, and an analysis of energy economics and technology for...     

Unconventional Energy Resources and Geospatial Information: 2006 Review

This article contains a brief summary of some of the 2006 annual committee reports presented to the Energy Minerals Division (EMD) of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. The purpose of the reports is to advise EMD leadership and members of the current status of research and developments of energy resources (other than conventional oil and natural gas that typically occur in sandstone and carbonate rocks), energy economics, and geospatial information. This summary presented here by the EMD is a service to the general geologic community. Included in this summary are reviews of the current research and activities related to coal, coalbed methane, gas hydrates, gas shales, geospatial information technology related to energy resources, geothermal resources, oil sands, and uranium resources.

Development of an Improved Methodology to Assess Potential Unconventional Gas Resources

Considering the important role played today by unconventional gas resources in North America and their enormous potential for the future around the world, it is vital to both policy makers and industry that the volumes of these resources and the impact of technology on these resources be assessed. To provide for optimal decision making regarding energy policy, research funding, and resource development, it is necessary to reliably quantify the uncertainty in these resource assessments. Since the 1970s, studies to assess potential unconventional gas resources have been conducted by various private and governmental agencies, the most rigorous of which was by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS employed a cell-based, probabilistic methodology which used analytical equations to calculate distributions of the resources assessed. USGS assessments have generally produced distributions for potential unconventional gas resources that, in our judgment, are unrealistically narrow for what are essentially undiscovered, untested resources. In this article, we present an improved methodology to assess potential unconventional gas resources. Our methodology is a stochastic approach that includes Monte Carlo simulation and correlation between input variables. Application of the improved methodology to the Uinta–Piceance province of Utah and Colorado with USGS data validates the means and standard deviations of resource distributions produced by the USGS methodology, but reveals that these distributions are not right skewed, as expected for a natural resource. Our investigation indicates that the unrealistic shape and width of the gas resource distributions are caused by the use of narrow triangular input parameter distributions. The stochastic methodology proposed here is more versatile and robust than the USGS analytic methodology. Adoption of the methodology, along with a careful examination and revision of input distributions, should allow a more realistic assessment of the uncertainty surrounding potential unconventional gas resources.     

Proppant Crushing Mechanisms Under Reservoir Conditions: Insights into Long-Term Integrity of Unconventional Energy Production

Proppant crushing, a major proppant failure mechanism, occurs in geothermal energy and oil/gas stimulation production stages when the level of net stress exerted on the proppant exceeds the actual crush resistance of the material. Loss of effective reservoir conductivity due to proppant crushing can result in significant loss in productivity, and so it is crucial to understand the realistic proppant mechanical performances under deep reservoir conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of proppant crushing at the micro- to macro-levels by analyzing single proppant breakage, as well as re-arrangement and breakage mechanisms of proppant packs under in situ fracture environments. The choice of an appropriate proppant type based on the fracture treatment plays a key role in effective geothermal and oil/gas recovery. In addition, injection of proppants with better characteristics (higher sphericity, lower size, better gradation and lower granular porosity) can significantly influence the reduction of the extent of proppant crushing. Moreover, this study compares the performances and responses of different types of proppants upon proppant interaction with geothermal and oil/gas reservoir environments. Furthermore, this paper discusses various proppant types and their enhanced characteristics, which can be utilized as controlling measures for proppant crushing during unconventional energy extraction.

     

Kansas Energy Sources: A Geological Review

Kansas produces both conventional energy (oil, gas, and coal) and nonconventional (coalbed gas, wind, hydropower, nuclear, geothermal, solar, and biofuels) and ranks the 22nd in state energy production in the U.S. Nonrenewable conventional petroleum is the most important energy source with nonrenewable, nonconventional coalbed methane gas becoming increasingly important. Many stratigraphic units produce oil and/or gas somewhere in the state with the exception of the Salina Basin in north-central Kansas. Coalbed methane is produced from shallow wells drilled into the thin coal units in southeastern Kansas. At present, only two surface coal mines are active in southeastern Kansas. Although Kansas has been a major exporter of energy in the past (it ranked first in oil production in 1916), now, it is an energy importer.     

波浪能、海上风能资源开发前景展望

在能源危机日益严峻的当今世界,人类将目光聚焦新能源,尤其是资源丰富的海洋能．本研究对波浪能、海上风能资源的评估方法及开发利用现状展开讨论,介绍了海浪发电装置的类别、国内外先进的海浪发电装置,同时展望了海浪发电、海上风力发电、风力海浪联合发电等措施的前景,为缓解能源危机,促进人类的可持续发展提供参考．     

An Integrated Approach for Rapid Delineation of K-Rich Syenites Suitable as Unconventional Potash Resources

Natural Resources Research - Potassium (K)-rich igneous rocks include a variety of silica-undersaturated and alkaline rocks, which distinguished by their elevated K2O contents. These rocks have...     

全球锂资源综合评述

发展高效清洁能源是解决能源和环境问题的有效途径,交通电力化和能源储存使全球对锂产品的需求持续快速增加,导致全球对锂资源越来越关注。然而,不同文献报道和不同信息来源的全球锂资源量差别较大,我们在对各种最新报道和公开的信息进行系统分析的基础上,对全球锂资源进行了综合评述。全球卤水锂和矿石锂资源总量为3 190～5 190万吨(以金属锂计),卤水锂和矿石锂分别约占62.6%和37.4%,全球70%以上的卤水锂资源在智利、阿根廷、玻利维亚锂三角地区。以卤水为原料生产锂盐能耗低、成本低,对卤水锂资源会越来越关注,卤水提锂将成为未来锂资源提取的重要方向。     

山区风能资源与开发

山区风能资源丰富,观测资料匮乏;山区风能资源分布复杂,监测难度大,评价要求高.山区风电开发的不利条件主要有:地形多样,地质复杂,风场分布离散,位置偏僻,交通不便,气候复杂,建设要求高等;有利条件主要有:山区风能资源丰富、季节分布合理、开发利用价值高,国家政策支持、风电效率不断提高、企业积极性高,风电开发耕地占用少、移民少、环境影响小等.以此为基础,提出了加强风能资源监测,开展精细化的风能资源分布规律研究,研制适合山区特点的风力发电机,科学规划、分步实施和加强山区风电开发各个环节的科学研究等主要措施.     

土地资源优化配置研究进展与展望

通过对国内外土地资源优化配置研究的全面梳理,系统概括其发展历程和阶段,总结了土地资源优化配置的概念、内容、特性、衡量标准以及模型等方面的主要进展,评价了当前研究中的热点问题,并有针对性地展望了今后一定时期内土地资源优化配置研究的发展趋势,提出了今后研究的主要方向.     

Planning For The Development Of Site-Specific Resources: The Example Of Geothermal Energy*

Low temperature geothermal energy requires that precedence for development be given land use characteristics in communities of proposed utilization. A procedure which uses Scottsdale, Arizona as the model involves overlaying maps of user energy density, parcel ownership, parcel size, parcel vacancy, and zoning. An analysis of existing geochemical and geological data and cost/benefit followed and allowed further refinement. Adopting this procedure elsewhere would accelerate direct usage of geothermal energy.     

旅游业能源消耗与碳排放研究进展及启示

随着旅游业的快速发展,旅游业能源消耗和碳排放已成为影响全球气候变化的重要因素之一。在概述国内外旅游业能源消耗和碳排放研究历程的基础上,对区域旅游业、旅游交通、旅游住宿、旅游活动、旅游景区的能耗和碳排放测度、旅游业对全球气候变化的缓解与适应等方面的国内外相关文献进行了系统的梳理和分析。结果显示:国外研究相对综合和深入,对旅游业能耗与碳排放的结构及其定量测算与情景分析方面进行了系统分析,形成了基于"测定—减排—补偿"体系化的节能减排措施。国内研究起步较晚,需在旅游业能耗和碳排放重点领域的定量测度、情景分析和动态预测、深化研究内容等方面更加深入,为我国旅游业节能减排、低碳发展提供科学依据。     

辽宁沿海地区风能资源状况及开发潜力初步分析

主要采用风电场的实测风资料,初步分析了辽宁沿海地区的风能资源特征及开发潜力。结果表明:辽宁沿海岸一带为风能资源丰富区和较丰富区,辽东湾沿岸风资源较黄海北部沿岸更为优越,风资源条件上具有更大的开发潜力;海岸到内陆风速迅速减少,离海岸稍远的陆上以辽东半岛顶部和辽河平原地区风速较大;沿岸50m高处风能资源较10m高处多1倍以上,年有效风力时数超过70%,表明辽宁沿海地区具有大规模开发利用风能资源的潜力,适合建大型风电场,且风电场离海岸越近越好。     

试论全球化背景下的非传统安全

非传统安全是近几年频频出现的热点问题。它是在全球化背景下显现的,尤以2001年的“9·11”事件和2003年的非典型肺炎(SARS)为其典型代表。非传统安全越来越受到各国政府和学者们的重视,但它却系不同于过去我们所认识的传统安全,在形成机理、内涵、特点及与其他安全观之间的关系至今还没有得到共识,处于理论的不成熟阶段。因此,文章就以上几点进行了初步的论述。     

黑龙江省能源资源开发的经济效应分析

在分析黑龙江省经济发展的周期波动与能源资源开发增长在时间序列上的耦合关系的基础上,引入资源“诅咒系数”理论来测定资源开发对区域经济发展的诅咒现象出现时间、发展走向、不同年份诅咒强度,并通过诅咒的传导机制研究剖析诅咒效应长期作用的原因。结果表明:黑龙江省资源开发与经济发展轨迹之间存在着良好的耦合关系,资源开发长期上看对经济发展存在着严重的诅咒效应;近年来资源开发的诅咒程度虽然呈持续下降态势,但诅咒的延迟性致使诅咒效应仍阻碍着黑龙江省经济的发展并还会持续较长一段时间。诅咒效应形成与财政开支不断增大,能源开发投入导致科技、教育财政支出大幅度减少存在着密切的关联,也与资源对经济发展路径锁定性密切相关。     

广东省风能资源分布的数值模拟

以风能资源数值模拟评估系统（WERAS）为基础,对其中的MM5模式模拟方案进行改进（即利用格点分析张弛逼近的方法完成3 h间隔的地面观测资料的四维同化处理,以减小原WERAS系统的模拟误差）,对广东省2009-06-01―2010-05-31的逐时风能资源进行高时空分辨率的数值模拟评估。模拟结果表明：广东省风能资源较丰富的地方主要分布在沿海地区和粤北、粤西海拔较高的山区,70 m高度上年平均风速达到6.0 m/s以上,年平均风功率密度达到300 W/m2以上;冬半年的风能资源优于夏半年;风能主要由出现频率相对较低的大风速过程产生。模拟结果所揭示的广东省风能资源时空分布特征与本地的气候特征和地形地表特征相符合,70 m高度风速模拟误差在10%左右,风功率密度模拟误差在30%左右。     

Review of Research on Characteristic Tourism Resources Exploitation in Sichuan Province

With the rapid development of tourism in China’s Sichuan Province, research on the development of tourism resources in Sichuan has drawn increasing attention from the academic community. This article briefly reviews three aspects of the literature on the development of tourism resources in Sichuan: a survey and evaluation of Sichuan tourism resources, the development of tourism resources that are characteristic of Sichuan, and the development of tourism resources in Sichuan. The current situation of the development of Sichuan’s tourism resources was considered and seven factors were evaluated: tourism in ancient towns, tourism in ethnic areas, folk tourism, eco-tourism, rural tourism, red tourism and earthquake tourism. The article also addresses the development of tourism resources in Sichuan. Most existing studies of the development of tourism resources in Sichuan are based on applied research; they are deficient in both scope and depth, and cannot serve as a basis for the development of theory. Few studies have focused on market demand for tourism, the establishment of management mechanisms or the development of regional cooperation. In the future, tourism theories like space theory for space competition, RMP analysis theory, cultural ecology theory, and other tourism theories should be closely integrated with the development of tourism resources in Sichuan. Whether the subject matter is sustainable development, market demand, management mechanism construction, regional collaborative development or other concerns, this will allow more systematic, in-depth studies that produce improved results that are both pertinent and realistic.