Petroleum Research
Petroleum Research Education and Entrepreneurship Center (PREEC)
The PREEC was formed in 2009 to meet the challenge of economic development of the enormous energy potential of the Williston Basin.
The PREEC's mission is to:
- Improve our understanding of the geology, geophysics, and petroleum engineering characteristics of the Williston Basin.
- Improve our understanding of the in-situ stress fields in the Williston Basin.
- Develop optimal techniques for drilling and fracturing in the Bakken Formation.
- Develop enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques for the entire Williston Basin.
- Develop techniques for CO2 sequestration in the Williston Basin.
- Develop engineering enhanced geothermal systems (EEGS) using oil field waters to generate electrical power.
- Address environmental and policy issues of petroleum exploration and production.
PREEC also provides training to UND students and industry professionals to meet the challenges of these seven focus areas and in the special techniques that apply to oil production in the Williston Basin.
PREEC Projects
- Characterization of the diagenesis of the middle member of the Bakken Formation
- Enhanced oil recovery by surfactant imbibition
- Geomechanical study of Bakken formation
- Thermal history and thermal maturity analysis of source rocks in the Williston basin
- Water treatment technology for brackish supply, frac water, and produced waters for oil fields
- Integrated underground coal gasification (UCG) with CO2 enhanced oil recovery