GeoSierra LLC - a Cascade Company
GeoSierra is a privately held corporation, involved in technological innovation in the earth sciences focused on providing more sustainable solutions for issues relating to the Earth, Energy and Environment. GeoSierra is based in Atlanta, GA, USA and London, England. For a brief background on the history of GeoSierra and its founding President - see Background. Expertise is directed with particular emphasis to more efficient, and environmental sustainable solutions.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Service provider
- Industry Type:
- Environmental Management
- Market Focus:
- Internationally (various countries)
This company also provides solutions for other industrial applications.
Please, visit the following links for more info:
About Us
Our subsurface in situ ERG system, Electric Resistive heating with Gravity drainage, for enhanced heavy oil and bitumen recovery is a viable in situ alternate to surface mining of oil sands. Minimal site disturbance, no tailings, no water usage, reduced carbon footprint, significant less Capex, and an enormous reduction in environmental impact. The technology is also targeting the no man's land, i.e. too deep to mine and too shallow for SAGD. View the ERG Video. An additional advantage of the in situ ERG recovery system is its use of off-peak electricity from the grid, and its utilization of excess renewable energy when available.
Earthquake Mitigation:- To view our in situ liquefaction tool and our earthquake defense systems utilizing our electro-osmosis and Azi-Frac™ technologies, go to Seismic or view the Alaskan Way Viaduct or view Tokyo Bay or view the earthquake videos on YouTube or g+.
History and Development:
GeoSierra's PRB Design/Build and Inclusion Propagation Technologies
The genesis of GeoSierra's patents, specialized equipment, and expertise for its 'trenchless construction' of deep PRBs was the discovery in 1992 that it was possible to induce and control the direction (orientation pathway) of a vertical fracture in certain soils. From this discovery the idea was conceived to perfect the process of controlled vertical hydraulic fracturing with the objective of then being able to apply the process as a key technology component for installation of PRB walls in the subsurface. An extensive series of hydraulic fracturing experiments in soils and weakly cemented sediments was then completed by conducting over 250 tests in a variety of soil conditions. These tests and experiments were excavated to verify the extent, orientation and thickness of the resulting vertical hydraulic fractures.
These experiments proved the eariler discovery that by creating an artificial fracture at the required azimuth in the soil, controlled vertical hydraulic fracturing of the soil could be maintained and fracture coalescence between multiple injections could be assured, thus providing the subsurface pathway for the formation of an iron PRB wall. It was the discovery in 1992 that ultimately led to the four patents being awarded to GeoSierra from 1999 through 2002 with respect to its proprietary technologies design, real-time imaging and for installation of iron PRBs.
Since then the technology has been further developed for enhanced oil and gas recovery leading to some twenty patents being awarded in Argentina, AGS, Bolivia, China, Canada, Columbia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Federated States, and the USA. The comparison of offset conventional wells and split casing stimulated wells in the Milk River tight gas reservoir demonstrated the science behind inclusion propagation in ductile formations at depth.
Our Focus: Enhanced Oil Recovery
Tight Ductile Conventional Reservoirs - turbidite reservoirs (low permeability, ductile formations), light oil, poor recovery of ~5% due to the inability of conventional hydraulic fracturing to enhance production. GeoSierra's stimulation technology will raise recovery to >35%.
Enhanced Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) - reduced Steam Oil Ratio (SOR) of >50%, i.e. >50% reduction in energy use, capital requirements, carbon footprint and water usage. Unimpaired performance even in poor geology.
Electric Resistive Heating with Gravity Drainage (ERG) - As an alternative to surface open pit mining of oil sands. No tailings, no water usage, reduced carbon footprint, and an enormous reduced environmental impact. Compared to conventional in situ SAGD, >80% reduction in capital, reduced energy use, reduced carbon footprint and zero water usage. Recovery from stranded reserves that are too shallow, too close to outcrop, poor quality or lack of caprock or too deep for SAGD.
Carbon Energy Storage - geological carbon dioxide storage in legacy oil and gas fields, combined with a closed cycle peak electrical energy storage system and enhanced oil recovery by gravity drainage from the legacy fields. Efficient storage of renewable energy for later peak demand use.
Renewable Energy
Geothermal Energy in Hot Ductile Formations - hot ductile formations can be stimulated with GeoSierra's Azi-Frac technology using non-invasive fluids without any potential for induced seismicity. The system is a closed cycle carbon dioxide thermal energy extraction process to provide a 24/7 electrical generation energy source close to existing infrastructure.
Our Expertise
You may have heard of our expertise in the following areas:
- Stimulation of Ductile Formations - using non-invasive fluids for enhanced oil and gas recovery, geological carbon energy storage and geothermal energy
- Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery - using steam or electric resistive heating
- Arctic Offshore - sea ice impacts on structures, vessels, subsea completions and pipelines
- Soil and Groundwater Remediation - subsurface permeable reactive barriers, in situ thermal destruction of contaminants
- Software - simulation of geomaterials and geofluids for petroleum, energy and environmental applications from pore to basin scale
Stimulation of Ductile Formations: Enhanced oil and gas recovery of tight ductile reservoir formations. Multiple azimuth inclusions installed by well stimulation technology requiring frac initiation to enable successful hydraulic fracturing of ductile formations using non-invasive fluids. GeoSierra's geomechanics knowledge base provides design requirements for the stimulation solution based on formation geomechanical properties. GeoSierra's experience, expertise and knowledge base of formation properties enables GeoSierra to provide stimulation design and execution guidance. Without this experience and knowledge base an operator is blind on how to design and execute a hydraulic fracturing stimulation in a ductile formation.
Attempting to hydraulically fracture a ductile formation conventionally through perforations, typically results in a fracture not being initiated, and either results in the formation of a cavity expansion in a weak formation, or a short horizontal inclusion, contrary to the prevailing stress state, in a stronger formation. Conventional hydraulic fracturing of these ductile formations does not excite the least energy dissipating mechanism, and often results in zero enhancement of well productivity.
GeoSierra has special stimulation casing systems and downhole stimulation tools, and using non-invasive fluids can place a vertical planar inclusion in these ductile formations from either a vertical or horizontal well. Retrofit stimulation systems for existing wells will be available in mid 2015. This technology is not depth limited.
Subsurface Barriers: GeoSierra has pioneered the installation of trenchless subsurface permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) for groundwater remediation and has installed miles of PRBs at >20 sites throughout the USA. The same technology is used to create a subsurface impermeable barrier, as a freeze wall, or impermeable by grout injection or the injection of a special swellable proppant. The imperable barrier can provide containment of hazardous wastes or as a fluid loss barrier for thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using steam, such as in SAGD (Stream Assisted Gravity Drainage) operations. Visit our USA environmental PRB sublicensee at www.geosierraenv.com for information and costing of a PRB in the USA. Active resistivity monitoring during real time as the PRB installation proceeds, ensures the PRB is constructed as designed. To view how we construct subsurface PRBs see our Video or view ourCase_Studies. For a list of volatile organic compounds destroyed by a zero valent iron PRB and metals precipitated amd immobilized see VOCs_Metals.
