Brazil and United Kingdom highlight Brazilian potential for natural gas research

Workshop at FAPESP identifies opportunities for cooperation to create Sustainable Gas Future initiative.

By Diego Freire

Agência FAPESP – In the coming years, the natural gas industry in Brazil is heading for strong growth, driven by a burgeoning demand for power and the prospect of a significant rise in domestic production both offshore and onshore. Research opportunities linked to this outlook were discussed by scientists and representatives of the industry at an event entitled “Scoping Workshop for Brazil-UK Sustainable Gas Future” that was held at FAPESP in São Paulo, Brazil, on February 25.

The event was hosted by FAPESP in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Britain’s leading public funding body of environmental science. The discussions will help FAPESP and NERC to formalize the Sustainable Gas Future initiative, which will support research in energy and gas performed by Brazilians in collaboration with institutions in the UK.

“Gas will account for a steadily growing share of Brazil’s energy mix, and we need to discuss and promote scientific collaboration to ensure that it’s used as a sustainable power source,” said Julio Romano Meneghini, who coordinated the workshop. Meneghini is a Full Professor of Applications and Principles in Mechanical Engineering at the University of São Paulo’s Engineering School (POLI-USP).

“In addition to domestic consumption, exports of liquefied gas will also increase the industry’s importance. However, despite all this potential, the market is still incipient, and many issues need to be scientifically addressed to assure its full and sustainable development. These issues were raised by the researchers who took part in the workshop and will guide the agreement between FAPESP and NERC,” Meneghini said.

Among the priorities discussed were carbon capture and storage, industry infrastructure, bioenergy and biogas, innovative technologies for natural gas production, and production chain sustainability.

For Chris Franklin, NERC’s head of earth sciences, the workshop discussions successfully addressed the goals of the initiative to be developed in partnership with FAPESP.

“NERC works with the UK’s other research councils to plan and develop research in the field of energy within a common strategic framework, linking researchers, industry and innovation to enhance energy efficiency worldwide while at the same time reducing carbon dioxide emissions both in the UK and abroad as well as guaranteeing energy security and accessibility,” Franklin said.

According to Franklin, the primary goal is to foster collaboration that will help to achieve a 15% increase in power from renewable energy sources by 2020 and an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“The Sustainable Gas Future initiative will develop methodologies of gas production and use as well as evaluating the role of gas in sustainable energy systems, offering alternative concepts of low-carbon sustainable energy systems, identifying sustainable technologies for the use of gas in these settings, and promoting interactions between gas and other energy sources in current and future technologies,” he said.

Environmental safety

The 2012 edition of the World Energy Outlook published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasted that the United States, which consumes more energy than any other country, could become self-sufficient in energy by 2035.

This turnaround for a country that currently imports approximately 20% of its energy needs will occur by virtue of the unconventional oil and gas revolution in the US, which is driven to a significant extent by oil shale, which is low-permeability sedimentary rock located at greater depths than the more permeable rock from which conventional oil and gas are extracted.

According to Colombo Celso Gaeta Tassinari, Vice Director of the University of São Paulo’s Energy & Environment Institute (IEE-USP) and a speaker at the workshop, unconventional gas can also be highly beneficial for Brazil; however, there are challenges to be overcome if it is to be properly developed.

“Extraction of this type of gas is much cheaper because it takes place onshore,” Tassinari said. “This lower cost makes it highly competitive, especially in light of its abundance. However, Brazil needs to know how to characterize this rock in terms of its petrophysical properties and how to estimate the organic matter content in all of the various sedimentary basins that contain oil shale throughout its territory. Action is also required to assure environmental safety in shale gas production. The research potential is therefore significant.”

Tassinari stressed grounds for concern about the possibility of soil contamination caused by the shale gas extraction process. Because of the low permeability of the rock, shale oil and gas are extracted via hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which involves drilling and injecting large amounts of water mixed with sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure to cause the shale rock to shatter and release gas into the wellbore.

“The wellbore is encased with layers of concrete and steel to prevent contamination. The water that is injected can be reused. However, it’s extremely important that preliminary environmental studies be conducted and that appropriate economic and environmental regulation be implemented so that this resource can be developed safely in Brazil,” Tassinari said.

In addition, the peculiarities of each sedimentary basin require specific study. “Brazilian universities are already doing research to estimate the amount of shale gas available in these basins for extraction and to make sure that the process is safe and secure. In particular, it’s essential to ensure that fracking is performed in suitable areas to prevent aquifer contamination. The potential for scientific research is very large indeed.”

Dorrik Stow, head of the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, stressed at the workshop the need for in-depth environmental studies before, during and after the process of fracking for shale gas.

“It’s crucially important to assess the environmental conditions in advance of fracking to extract this unconventional gas,” he said. “We must characterize any areas that might be contaminated by organic and inorganic products, create a system to monitor ground water in real time during exploration and production, and develop new techniques to avoid or minimize environmental impact.”

In 2013, Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP) held its first auction of rights to explore for natural gas in onshore shale deposits. Seventy-two blocks in five basins were awarded, but the rules for shale gas production at these sites have not yet been defined.

In addition to researchers from USP and Heriot-Watt University, the workshop was attended by researchers and other professionals affiliated with six UK institutions – Keele University, Cardiff University, the University of Aberdeen, Durham University, University College London, and the Sustainable Gas Institute of Imperial College London – as well as two other Brazilian institutions, namely, the Petroleum Research Center (CEPETRO) at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the Aeronautical Technological Institute (ITA).

Other attendees included representatives of consulting firms in the areas of energy and oil and gas, such as BG E&P Brasil, Datagro, and Petrobras.

The workshop was supported by the Newton Fund, an initiative designed to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging knowledge economies.

The presentations delivered at the workshop are available at www.fapesp.br/9240.