News:: Research Collaboration with Shell

On Tuesday, Sept 13, 2011, UT Austin signed a research partnership agreement with Shell to develop new technologies to improve unconventional oil and gas recovery. The partnership, named Shell-UT Unconventional Research or SUTUR, will conduct research over the next five years on critical challenges in advanced characterization, fracturing technology, and enhanced recovery processes for shale gas and oil, heavy oil, and other unconventional resource plays. Research funding will be awarded through a competitive proposal process that will include faculty from UT PGE, the Jackson School of Geosciences, and Bureau of Economic Geology, among other engineering and science disciplines. UT PGE department chair Dr. Tad Patzek led the development of the partnership, which will bring at least $7.5 million in new research funding to the university, much of which is anticipated to directly impact unconventional oil and gas research in CPGE over the next five years.