Request Expert

The emergence of "unconventional reservoirs" as the principal focus of present-day fossil fuels exploration has blurred the boundaries between what were at one time distinct resource categories, based upon specific production technologies. The unifying theme of this group of topics is that they apply broadly to the occurrence of fossil energy resources in any form, focusing particularly on their underlying geology.

The term "fossil fuel", appearing in this group, refers to any naturally occurring, carbon-based organic substances representing the altered remains of once-living organisms, whatever their physical state or mode of occurrence might be at present present . This category is intended to encompass resources that may not fall neatly into any single category. For example, "carbonaceous material energy production" is intended to include the recovery of bitumen from tar sands, which as been accomplished both by mining/retorting methods as well as in situ technologies such as SAGD (steam assisted gravity drainage).

Expert's approach to fossil energy resources has been to consider these materials in a comprehensive, integrated fashion, without imposing terminology and classifications that may not be pertinent to present day circumstances. The goal is to understand their origin, mode of occurrence, physical characteristics, and properties.

This set of topics focuses specifically on coal as a category of fossil hydrocarbon resource(s). Expert's experience and expertise in coal geology, and coal composition is very broad, dating back to his very first job as a professional geologist at the Unites States Bureau of Mines, in Pittsburgh. Expert's graduate studies at Penn State focused to a large degree on coal geology, as well as many other related aspects of geology. This is an unqualified area of expertise where he has earned world-wide respect.

Historically, the term "coal" has been applied to describing fossil carbon resources occurring in stratigraphic layers that are amenable to extraction by various methods of "digging". From a geological perspective, however, the term "coal" does not imply a particular extraction technology, but describes a rock comprised primarily (meaning more than 50%) of carbonacous materials representing the remains of once-living organisms. The term "coal" has been defined as including mineral matter and moisture as constituents, and makes no restrictions regarding the chemical composition of the carbonaceous fraction. There is nothing in widely used definitions of coal that would exclude petroleum-like substances as legitimate constituents, assuming they occur within the stratigraphic boundaries of the coal seam.

Based on modern analytical methods, we now know that although coal has been "loosely" described as a "solid", we cannot take the term "solid" in a technically rigorous sense. Coal may actually include a substantial fraction of constituents that would occur in liquid or gaseous state, were they not an integral part of the coal microfabric.

The composition of coal changes during and after the mining process, particularly through the loss of volatile components. At all points, however--before, during, and after the mining process--the resource is referred to simply as "coal", with no restrictions placed on the composition or physical state of its constituents.

The terms "gas" or "natural gas", refer to fossil energy resources that occur in the gaseous state at surface conditions of temperature and pressure, irrespective of their actual physical state in the reservoir. A substantial, and increasing proportion of natural gas resources occur in non-gaseous state underground, being physically bonded, or "sorbed", in association with condensed (i.e. liquid or solid) forms of organic matter (e.g. coal, solid bitumen, kerogen, or oil). The term "sorbed gas reservoir" is intended to describe this category of gas resources, which includes coalbed methane (CBM) as well as a significant proportion of shale gas resources. Significantly, sorbed gas may provide the driving mechanism for production of liquid hydrocarbons and condensates from shales as well.

This set of topics pertains specifically to hydrocarbon resources produced and handled as a gas at the surface, but which occur in condensed state in the reservoir. An understanding of these resources requires an understanding of the physical chemical processes associated with their production. Notably, there is a phase change associated with the transformation from sorbed state to gaseous state. This set of topics is particularly oriented toward the understanding of the underlying reservoir mechanisms and physical chemistry of sorbed gas reservoir systems.

Expert's expertise in sorbed gas reservoirs dates back to 1974 at the United States Bureau of Mines, and has been the major focus of his professional career since then.

The common theme for this group of topics is "conventional petroleum resources".

Expert's professional career has focused principally on so-called "unconventional resources", especially unconventional gas. Working in the petroleum industry, however, has provided a broad exposure to conventional petroleum resources, particularly in regards to the manner in which they contrast with unconventional resources. This has yielded a general familiarity and broad expertise in the topics listed, but primarily in the context specified.


The theme of this group of topics pertains to how energy resources are classified in terms of their various economic categories, and legal categories. Included here is direct experience conducting resources estimates done in accordance with the Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS) classification system. This includes a familiarity with statistical methods (stochastic modeling) as well as deterministic methods, applied both to coalbed methane and shale gas. Expert has also conducted resource assessments relating specifically to minable coal resources.

While having had less experience in conventional hydrocarbon resource and reserves estimates, Expert is meticulous and thorough enough to critically review, and discover errors and inconsistencies in accredited reserve and resource reports prepared by respected 3rd party experts, including Netherland and Sewell and DeGolyer and MacNaughton.

For further discussion of these topics, particularly expert witness testimony relating to CBM ownership, please see heading #11 (Consulting Examples).

Directional drilling, together with hydraulic stimulation, have unlocked the productive potential of shale reservoirs that were, up until very recently, deemed to be non-economic in regards to their production potential.

While not a specialist in directional drilling or fracking, Expert has worked in and around these technologies for much of his professional career. He sat on his first "frac job" in around 1976, as part of an R&D well drilled to test the productive potential of anthracite coals in east-central Pennsylvania.

At CDX Gas, he participated in the implementation of an innovative new directional drilling design involving the drilling of a vertical cavitation well intersected by a horizontal well, which branched off into multi-laterals past the point of intersection. This techology placed CDX on a rapid growth curve in forming joint venture partnerships in North America and around the world.