Papers by Peter Tertzakian
Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, Mar 9, 2012
As populations and economies continue to grow globally, energy demand will grow proportionally. E... more As populations and economies continue to grow globally, energy demand will grow proportionally. Extensive work by Tertzakian (2007, 2009) has shown crude-oil supplies may not keep pace with this increased demand. The shortfall must be met by other energy sources. Only two current energy sources have the global capacity to, by themselves, address increased energy demand in a timely manner. These are natural gas and coal. Traditionally, the major use of crude oil has been for processing into transportation fuels, with lesser amounts being used for petrochemicals and home heating. Natural gas and coal have been used primarily for electrical generation and heating. A pivotal transition will likely occur in which natural gas and coal begin to see increased use as transportation fuels. A battle for market share between primary fuels will likely ensue. The objective of this paper is to present data comparing the environmental impact of using methane vs. coal. A compelling case for the use of natural gas as the future "green fuel" emerges. SWOT Analysis A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was undertaken to gain a more complete understanding of the current Canadian natural-gas market. Strengths Western Canadian Natural-Gas Potential. Recent discoveries in the Horn River basin and the Montney play are expected to approximtely triple British Columbia natural-gas production from ≈2.8 B/D currently to ≈7.6 B/D within approximately the next 10 years. The natural-gas resource base in British Columbia is expected to be on the scale of other major liquefi ed-natural-gas (LNG)-producing nations (e.g., Indonesia and Australia). All of the major Canadian exploration companies, together with several of the super majors and some independents, are developing natural gas in the Montney and Horn River shale plays (Figs. 1 and 2). This added resource has been unlocked primarily through use of horizontal drilling combined with multistage-fracturing treatments. This has allowed these nanodarcy-permeability formations to be produced at economic rates. Improvements in the efficiency of technologies used to conduct the fracturing treatments now routinely allow for eight to 10 major fracturing treatments to be placed in 2 to 3 days using 24-hour operations (Fig. 3). Multiple transverse fractures are created along a horizontal lateral wellbore to provide the necessary exposed rock surface area (kh) for economic drainage rates (Fig. 4). Tertzakian captures the potential that shale gas provides in his book The End of Energy Obesity (Tertzakian 2009): "To meet growing appetites around the world and address the need to shift to a healthier energy diet with the greatest leverage possible, we need to identify a fuel that is low carb, plentiful, scalable, and affordable. As fate would have it, we are fortunate that such a fuel is emerging and is already being added to our diet in greater proportion, especially in North America. Actually, it's an old fuel, but we are finding new ways to accessing and using it. We used to call it 'nature's gas'."
The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare
On August 18, 2022, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS)-Vancou... more On August 18, 2022, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS)-Vancouver hosted a Digital Roundtable titled Canada's Energy Security in the Context of Global Instability. This event was conducted by Peter Tertzakian, Deputy Director of the ARC Energy Research Institute. Mr. Tertzakian’s presentation was followed by a moderated question-and-answer period in which the audience was able to deepen their understanding of the topic. The discussion centred around the dependency that societies have on energy, how countries have managed to cover their energy demands, and its effects on the geopolitical landscape.
Journal of Petroleum Technology, 2006
Canadian Unconventional Resources and International Petroleum Conference, 2010
As populations and economies continue to grow globally, energy demand will grow proportionally. E... more As populations and economies continue to grow globally, energy demand will grow proportionally. Extensive work by Peter Tertzakian (2006, 2009) has shown crude oil supplies may not keep pace with this increased demand. The shortfall must be met by other energy sources. Only two current energy sources have the global capacity to, by themselves, address increased energy demand in a timely manner. These are natural gas and coal. Traditionally, the major use of crude oil has been for processing into transportation fuels, with lesser amounts being used for petro-chemicals and home heating. Natural gas and coal have been used primarily for electrical generation and heating. A pivotal transition will likely occur in which natural gas and coal begin to see increased use as transportation fuels. A battle for market share between primary fuels will likely ensue. The objective of this paper is to present data comparing the environmental impact of using methane vs. coal. A compelling case for t...
Management Science, 1997
The paper proposes methods to measure the performance of research and development in new product ... more The paper proposes methods to measure the performance of research and development in new product development. We frame these measures in the context of evolving product families in the technology-based firm. Our goal is to more clearly understand the dynamics of platform renewal and derivative product generation and their consequences for long-term success. We explore the utility of the proposed methods with data gathered from a large measurement systems manufacturer. We find that the methods and measures can help management assess the technological and market leverage achieved from the firm's present and past product platforms. This provides a foundation for transforming single-product, single-period planning processes into a multi-product, multi-period form that embraces the product family and the renewal of product architecture. The research also shows the need to integrate data from engineering, manufacturing, and sales organizations to produce information for managing the g...
Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, 2011
Choice Reviews Online, 2006
1. Lighting the Last Whale Lamp 2.Victory on a Wave of Oil 3.Pressure Build Up 4.The Coming Oil B... more 1. Lighting the Last Whale Lamp 2.Victory on a Wave of Oil 3.Pressure Build Up 4.The Coming Oil Breakpoint 5.The Next Great Rebalancing Act 6.Alternatives to Alternative Energy 7.A Golden Age of Energy Opportunity
Uploads
Papers by Peter Tertzakian