Mission Statement

In December of 2005 The University of Utah announced the formation of the Utah Heavy Oil Program organized to address issues surrounding the vast resources contained in unconventional oil, including heavy oil, oil sands (tar sands) and oil shale. The Program's mission is to provide research support to federal and state constituents for addressing the wide-ranging issues surrounding the creation of an industry for oil shale, oil sands and heavy oil production in the United States. The research sponsored by the Program will focus on short-term projects to clarify issues and seek solutions to challenges for managing and utilizing these natural resources. These issues encompass technical challenges such as materials processing, fuel extraction, and fuel processing as well as societal issues such as environmental impacts, water consumption, land use, law and economics. The Program's research will be broad and interdisciplinary in nature and will involve researchers from many departments and colleges at the University of Utah. The Program will seek extramural funding to support key research projects beyond the University. The Utah Heavy Oil Program will be lead by a directorate and an advisory board. The program Directorate will prepare regular reports on current issues, impediments and challenges for a oil shale, oil sands and heavy-oil industries. From these reports the Directorate and the Advisory Board will identify annual research initiatives and request proposals for selection and funding. It is expected that the inaugural issues, impediments and challenges report will be available by second quarter 2006. Solicitation of research projects will shortly follow that report, with funding for the initial round of research projects to be in place by the fall of 2006. In 2006, the Program shall update the 1987 technical and economic assessment of domestic heavy oil resources that was prepared by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Such an update should include all of North America and cover all unconventional oil, including heavy oil, tar sands (oil sands), and oil shale.

 

Directorate

Director: Philip J. Smith, professor and chair, Department of Chemical Engineering

Members of Directorate:

  • Milind Deo, director of the Petroleum Research Center (PERC) and professor of Chemical Engineering
  • Robert B. Keiter, director of the Wallace Stegner Center and the Wallace Stegner Professor of Law
  • Michael Lemmon, Wasatch Advisors Professor of Finance in the David Eccles School of Business
  • Raymond A. Levey, director of the Energy & Geoscience Institute (EGI) and research professor in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

 

Advisory Board

An Advisory Board is being established from constituents (energy industry representatives, geotechnical services representatives, state and federal government, environmental groups, and academic experts) who will help direct the research activities of the Heavy Oil Program.