Philip Freeman is an Operations Research Analyst with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Philip obtained his B.S. in Engineering at Cornell University in 1986. He is an Operations Research Analyst at the Eastern Energy Resources Science Center in Reston, Virginia. His experience in resource assessment work spans oil and gas, coal, reserve growth, and carbon dioxide storage resources. He has worked on teams tasked to develop probabilistic resource assessment methodologies. His contributions to economic analysis includes developing business development models, constructing geographic analysis and estimating annual production functions. He has experience combining large datasets of well, reservoir and field data for physical characterization of rock and/or fluid properties and using GIS for analysis or presentation.
Professional Experience
1999 to present: Operations Research Analyst, U.S. Geological Survey, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Reston, VA
1997 to 1999: Cartographic Technician, U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Energy Resources Team, Reston, VA
Education and Certifications
B.S. Engineering. Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, Cornell University, 1986
Science and Products
Economics of Energy Transitions
Economics, Energy Resources, and Future Energy Supply
Economics of Global Marginal Hydrocarbon and Non-traditional Resources
Economics of U.S. Oil and Gas Resources
Compilation of Geospatial Data (GIS) for the Mineral Industries and Related Infrastructure of Select Countries in Southwest Asia
National assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources - data release
Compilation of Geospatial Data (GIS) for the Mineral Industries and Related Infrastructure of Africa
Input Files and Code for: Machine learning can accurately assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major geochemical parameters
Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the United States: Estimates 2005-14 - Data Release
A residual oil zone (ROZ) assessment methodology with application to the central basin platform (Permian Basin, USA) for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and long-term geologic CO2 storage
Reconnaissance survey for potential energy storage and carbon dioxide storage resources of petroleum reservoirs in western Europe
Visualization of petroleum exploration maturity for six petroleum provinces outside the United States and Canada
Geologic energy storage
Analysis of the United States documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas well dataset
National assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Summary
National assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Results
Decision analysis and CO2–Enhanced oil recovery development strategies
Machine learning can assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major ion geochemistry
Comparison of machine learning approaches used to identify the drivers of Bakken oil well productivity
Well predictive performance of play-wide and Subarea Random Forest models for Bakken productivity
Methodology for estimating the prospective CO2 storage resource of residual oil zones at the national and regional scale
Science and Products
- Science
Economics of Energy Transitions
This task conducts research to characterize or evaluate the economics of developing technologies or markets in geologic resources. Such research can analyze the relative risks, costs, and benefits from the utilization and not just the extraction of underground resource. Economic analysis builds upon the geologic resource assessment work by other tasks in the Utilization of Carbon and other Energy...Economics, Energy Resources, and Future Energy Supply
The members of this project have prepared a number of analyses that constitute the economic components of energy resource assessments. They have also proposed enhancements to geologic assessment data and methods that make results of assessments immediately amenable to economic analysis. In addition, they apply theoretically sound valuation methodologies to assess the commercial value of currently...Economics of Global Marginal Hydrocarbon and Non-traditional Resources
During the last decade many producing countries have reassigned conventional oil and gas development rights to their national oil companies (NOCs). In fact the 13 largest energy companies, when measured by oil and gas reserves, are controlled by sovereign governments. The result is that the NOC’s will control a significant share of future oil and gas production. The international oil companies...Economics of U.S. Oil and Gas Resources
The U.S. Geological Survey prepares geologic assessments of undiscovered and undeveloped (identified) oil and gas resources (see National Oil and Gas Assessment website). In addition to our USGS oil and gas geologic assessments, economic research gives policymakers and analysts in the private sector additional information by scaling economic variables. Economic attributes must include the costs of... - Data
Compilation of Geospatial Data (GIS) for the Mineral Industries and Related Infrastructure of Select Countries in Southwest Asia
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled a geodatabase containing mineral-related geospatial data for 10 countries of interest in Southwest Asia (area of study): Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, and Thailand. The data can be used in analyses of the extractive fuel and nonfuel mineral industries and related economic and physical infrastructureNational assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources - data release
In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources available if current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies were applied in amenable oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters area of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estimates of the magnitude of CO2 sCompilation of Geospatial Data (GIS) for the Mineral Industries and Related Infrastructure of Africa
This geodatabase reflects the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) ongoing commitment to its mission of understanding the nature and distribution of global mineral commodity supply chains by updating and publishing the georeferenced locations of mineral commodity production and processing facilities, mineral exploration and development sites, and mineral commodity exporting ports in Africa. The geodataInput Files and Code for: Machine learning can accurately assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major geochemical parameters
As more hydrocarbon production from hydraulic fracturing and other methods produce large volumes of water, innovative methods must be explored for treatment and reuse of these waters. However, understanding the general water chemistry of these fluids is essential to providing the best treatment options optimized for each producing area. Machine learning algorithms can often be applied to datasetsFederal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the United States: Estimates 2005-14 - Data Release
This dataset includes ten years of emissions and sequestration estimates (2005-2014) in two separate tables, 1) the combustion and extraction of fossil fuels on Federal lands and 2) processes from the ecosystems on those Federal lands. The fossil fuel related estimates include the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), and the ecosystems estimates include on - Publications
Filter Total Items: 65
A residual oil zone (ROZ) assessment methodology with application to the central basin platform (Permian Basin, USA) for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and long-term geologic CO2 storage
Residual oil zones (ROZ) form due to various geologic conditions and are located below the oil/water contact (OWC) of main pay zones (MPZ). Since ROZs usually contain immobile oil, they have not typically been considered commercially attractive for development by conventional primary recovery methods used in the initial phases of oil production. However, during the last decade some operators of thAuthorsC. Özgen Karacan, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Philip A. Freeman, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Peter D. WarwickReconnaissance survey for potential energy storage and carbon dioxide storage resources of petroleum reservoirs in western Europe
Energy producers and utilities use oil and gas reservoirs for gas storage to meet peak seasonal demand or to supplement intermittent energy production. These reservoirs are also suitable for the long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. This study reports on a reconnaissance analysis of the potential magnitude of storage resources in 9424 known oil and gas reservoirs from 24 couAuthorsEmil D. Attanasi, Philip A. FreemanVisualization of petroleum exploration maturity for six petroleum provinces outside the United States and Canada
Outside the United States and Canada, most of the world’s supplies of oil and natural gas are recovered from conventional (or discrete) oil and gas accumulations. This type of hydrocarbon accumulation remains a target for exploration. In this report, exploration and discovery data are used to visually assist in describing the exploration maturity of selected petroleum provinces with respect to conAuthorsEmil D. Attanasi, Philip A. FreemanGeologic energy storage
Introduction As the United States transitions away from fossil fuels, its economy will rely on more renewable energy. Because current renewable energy sources sometimes produce variable power supplies, it is important to store energy for use when power supply drops below power demand. Battery storage is one method to store power. However, geologic (underground) energy storage may be able to retainAuthorsMarc L. Buursink, Steven T. Anderson, Sean T. Brennan, Erick R. Burns, Philip A. Freeman, Joao S. Gallotti, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Eric A. Morrissey, Michelle R. Plampin, Peter D. WarwickAnalysis of the United States documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas well dataset
In coordination with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and in response to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produced a documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas well dataset (called the DOW dataset hereafter) that contains the location and status of these wells nationwide as of 2022. The DOW dataset includes 117,672 wells across 27 states. The dataAuthorsMatthew D. Merrill, Claire A. Grove, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Philip A. FreemanNational assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Summary
IntroductionIn 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources that might be produced by using current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies in amenable conventional oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters areas of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Steven M. Cahan, Colin A. Doolan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Jenna L. Shelton, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. VarelaNational assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Results
In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources available if current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies were applied to amenable oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters areas of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estimates of the mass of CO2 thatAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Steven M. Cahan, Colin A. Doolan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Jenna L. Shelton, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. VarelaDecision analysis and CO2–Enhanced oil recovery development strategies
This paper analyzes the relationship between actual reservoir conditions and predicted measures of performance of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2–EOR) programs. It then shows how CO2–EOR operators might maximize the value of their projects by approaching implementation using a “flexible selective” pattern development strategy, where the CO2–EOR program patterns are selectively developedAuthorsE. D. Attanasi, Philip A. FreemanMachine learning can assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major ion geochemistry
Understanding the geochemistry of waters produced during petroleum extraction is essential to informing the best treatment and reuse options, which can potentially be optimized for a given geologic basin. Here, we used the US Geological Survey’s National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (PWGD) to determine if major ion chemistry could be used to classify accurately a produced water sample to aAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Aaron M. Jubb, Samuel Saxe, Emil D. Attanasi, Alexei Milkov, Mark A Engle, Philip A. Freeman, Christopher Shaffer, Madalyn S. BlondesComparison of machine learning approaches used to identify the drivers of Bakken oil well productivity
Geologists and petroleum engineers have struggled to identify the mechanisms that drive productivity in horizontal hydraulically fractured oil wells. The machine learning algorithms of Random Forest (RF), gradient boosting trees (GBT) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) were applied to a dataset containing 7311 horizontal hydraulically fractured wells drilled into the middle member of the BakkAuthorsEmil D. Attanasi, Philip A. Freeman, Timothy CoburnWell predictive performance of play-wide and Subarea Random Forest models for Bakken productivity
In recent years, geologists and petroleum engineers have struggled to clearly identify the mechanisms that drive productivity in horizontal, hydraulically-fractured oil wells producing from the middle member of the Bakken formation. This paper fills a gap in the literature by showing how this play’s heterogeneity affects factors that drive well productivity. It is important because understanding tAuthorsEmil D. Attanasi, Philip A. Freeman, Tim CoburnMethodology for estimating the prospective CO2 storage resource of residual oil zones at the national and regional scale
Residual oil zones (ROZs) are increasingly gaining interest as potential reservoirs for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage. Here, we present a national- and regional-scale methodology for estimating prospective CO2 storage resources in residual oil zones. This methodology uses a volumetric equation that accounts for CO2 storage as a free phase in pore space and as a dissolved phase in oil and does not aAuthorsSean Sanguinito, Harpreet Singh, Evgeniy M. Myshakin, Angela L. Goodman, Robert M. Dilmore, Timothy C. Grant, David Morgan, Grant Bromhal, Peter D. Warwick, Sean T. Brennan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Charles Gorecki, Wesley Peck, Matthew Burton-Kelly, Neil Dotzenrod, Scott Frailey, Rajesh Pawar