I published a paper in a scientific journal.
It’s not so much an Esquire ”75 things to do before your die” sort of thing, like saving a life. But I’m still pretty proud of it.
It’s peer reviewed. It’s in the March 2012 issue of Marine and Petroleum Geology, an eminent international scientific journal for oil and gas technical people. If I was allowed I would send you a copy, but it costs $42, so you will have to buy your own at this link.
It is on the subject of how business models need to change to economically exploit non-conventional oil and gas projects. Also conversely how technical methodologies need to adjust to support the new business model. I first presented these concepts in 2009 but you won’t be surprised to find I think they remain relevant.
The concept of gas manufacturing was first coined to try to explain the new business model and incorrectly implies technical risks don’t matter anymore. I was first to speak, write and now publish on what I think is the better analogy of mining. This addresses the economy of scale differences and helps direct the required technical approaches to support it.
People are not so surprised that I can simplify complicated technical issues for the layman. As the President of a company searching for innovative and early stage energy ideas it’s a prerequisite for my job. People are more often surprised that I am self-taught and actively participate in technical meetings.
I have been invited to a multitude of conferences on non-conventional resources to present my ideas. An editor for Marine and Petroleum Geology heard my presentation in Kiev, Ukraine and asked me to turn it in to a paper. He felt the message to technical professionals on how their role needed to adapt was an important one.
Without formal technical training I was complimented by the invitation. So I agreed. It turns out peer review is a little tougher – to say the least – than I first imagined and the experience added to my self-education and my confidence in the scientific process.
The point of this blog, beyond blatant self-promotion, is to introduce you to Marine and Petroleum Geology. The journal just published a scientific study on hydraulic fracturing at this link. It studies rogue fractures. As a published expert, let me simplify it for you. It means the chance of hydraulic fracturing at safe depths contaminating aquifers is like the chance the moon landings were staged: possible but in the words of the researchers highly unlikely.
