RMOTC Partner Receives Award for Technology Tested at Teapot

　　

　　CASPER, Wyo., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) partner, Willowstick Technologies LLC, is being honored for excellence in technology transfer by the mid-continent region of the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC). Willowstick's award-winning technology, called AquaTrack, offers the oil and gas industry an accurate, cost-effective understanding of the effects of water flood and steam injection activities by efficiently mapping groundwater concentrations.

"We are proud of the testing facilities RMOTC provides to industry that help bring new ideas to the marketplace," said Clarke Turner, RMOTC director. "We are excited to see Willowstick's technology honored and showcased with this well-deserved and prestigious award."

Willowstick approached RMOTC in October 2004 with the concept of demonstrating its AquaTrack technology at Teapot Dome. The following summer, Willowstick conducted an electromagnetic groundwater survey within the Shannon Sandstone member of the Steele Shale Formation at Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 3 (NPR-3). The survey successfully demonstrated the technology's ability to map and delineate relative formation water concentrations and flow paths associated with water injection activities at NPR-3. Understanding the flow patterns of injected water or steam within a reservoir can provide the information necessary to optimize and better manage secondary oil recovery efforts and can result in reduced operations costs.

"We are flattered to have received this recognition, which is a reflection of many hours of hard work and technology development on the part of our fine staff," said Paul Rollins, Willowstick vice president of business development. "We are also grateful to RMOTC for its cooperation and support of our technology."

AquaTrack technology provides critical information in a broad range of industries including dam safety, environmental protection, and business operations in the mining and oil and gas industries.

Willowstick will be formally honored at the upcoming FLC Mid-Continent and Far West fall meetings Sept. 12 in San Diego, Calif. The award will also be submitted for a national award along with the winners in the five other regions of the FLC.

RMOTC is a Department of Energy field test site for emerging and developing technologies to address critical energy issues. The field test site is a 10,000-acre operating oil field offering a full complement of associated facilities and equipment on site. There are approximately 700 well bores with 600 producing wells ranging in depth from 500 to 5,000 feet.

Source: Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center