DES PLAINES, Ill., Feb. 27 -- Gas Technology Institute, the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, and its partners have begun work to further examine the commercial viability of drilling for oil and natural gas using high-powered lasers. This project is a continuation of an earlier two-year study to determine whether applications of Star-Wars laser technology could be adapted to natural gas drilling. The study will focus on three fundamental research areas including laser cutting energy assessment, variable pulse laser effects and drilling in the presence of fluids. Project partners include the Colorado School of Mines; Argonne National Laboratory (Laser Applications Laboratory); and industry partners Petroleos de Venezuela SA and Halliburton Energy Services.