During the summer semester of 2014 University of Utah MS Petroleum Engineering students visited 14 engineering operations and facilities. The goal was first hand exposure to oil and gas operations in Utah and Wyoming. Following the visit to Fidelity Exploration’s drilling rig in the Cane Creek shale [link], students toured Resolute Energy’s enhanced oil recovery operation (EOR) in the Paradox Basin’s Aneth Field. 
Much like Fidelity’s Cane Creek play, the Aneth field is known for its complex geology and liquids-rich production. Aneth is classified as a giant field that was discovered in 1956 and had an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of original oil in place (OOIP). Aneth has been on waterflood since 1961 and began CO2 EOR in the McElmo Creek Unit in 1985. Resolute Energy made acquisitions in 2004 and 2006 and began consolidating operations to enhance production. This included expanded CO2 flooding, workovers and infrastructure upgrades. To date, approximately 75% of Resolute’s production is from CO2 EOR areas. Students were able to meet with Resolute’s lead reservoir engineer for the Aneth field, who described the enhanced sweep efficiency that CO2 EOR provides within the reservoir, as well as a detailed description of the CO2 infrastructure used on-site by Resolute. By using a water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection scheme, Resolute is able to improve the miscible flow of reservoir fluids and enhance production. Resolute’s production is heavily liquids-rich, with about 99% of their production coming as crude oil. The Aneth asset contains 391 producing wells, 60 of which are horizontal, 122 water injection wells and 211 CO2 injection wells. Resolute Energy demonstrates how long-operating fields can be managed to provide consistent production with proper enhanced recovery programs. 
Over the course of the field study, students encountered a diverse range of petroleum-related operations. These encompassed E&P operations, midstream and downstream facilities, as well as end-use applications. Students also met with service providers and recruiters. The Department of Chemical Engineering was fortunate to work with many of Utah and Wyoming’s key energy companies; including ConocoPhillips, XTO, Savage Energy Services, Fidelity, Resolute, Wolverine, PacifiCorp, Utah Geologic Survey, Tesoro, Newfield, Crescent Point, Red Leaf, U.S. Oil Sands, Halliburton, Questar, and ExxonMobil. Each organization’s willingness to showcase their work and their facilities offered our students a unique opportunity to understand the full life-cycle of hydrocarbon commodities and highlighted potential career paths.
