GATHER INFORMATION ON THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS IN PRODUCTION WELLS WITHIN THE GAS HYDRATES STABILITY ZONES The U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Technology Center (DOE/FETC), announces that it intends to award a purchase order on a sole-source basis to the Colorado School of Mines located in Golden, Colorado to perform the following: To gather information on the potential problems in production wells within the gas hydrates stability zones and the use of inhibitors to eliminate or reduce those problems. The study will evaluate future opportunities in production engineering, and the potential for hydrate formation within the wellbore. The problem could be solved in many ways, but which is the most useful over time, which is the least expensive, and may be a direct solution to the problem. The immediate research is to define the potential use of inhibitors and to determine which or what combination of inhibitors may best be used to resolve the situation. DOE's interest is to become a member of a consortium in the gathering and distribution of information relative to this production issue. E-MAIL: mohn@fetc.doe.gov, mohn@fetc.doe.gov.

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