Permeability, Pore Pressure, and Leakoff-Type Distributions in Rocky Mountain Basins

Craig, D.; Eberhard, Mike; Odegard, Chad E.; Ramurthy, Muthukumarappan; Mullen, Rebekah

doi:10.2118/75717-ms

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…810 tests showed that 61% of the tests had pressuredependent leakoff, indicating the presence of natural fractures (Craig et al, 2005). Additional evidence of abundant natural fractures is provided by numerous image logs that have been obtained in the Piceance Basin in recent years (Koepsell et al, 2003).…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 94%

Testing the basin-centered gas accumulation model using fluid inclusion observations: Southern Piceance Basin, Colorado

Fall¹,

Eichhubl²,

Cumella³

et al. 2012

Bulletin

108

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The Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group in the Piceance Basin, Colorado, is considered a continuous basin-centered gas accumulation in which gas charge of the low-permeability sandstone occurs under high pore-fluid pressure in response to gas generation. High gas pressure favors formation of pervasive systems of opening-mode fractures. This view contrasts with that of other models of low-permeability gas reservoirs in which gas migrates by buoyant drive and accumulates in conventional traps, with fractures an incidental attribute of these reservoirs. We tested the aspects of the basin-centered gas accumulation model as it applies to the Piceance Basin by determining the timing of fracture growth and associated temperature, pressure, and fluid-composition conditions using microthermometry and Raman microspectrometry of fluid inclusions trapped in fracture cement that formed during fracture growth. Trapping temperatures of methane-saturated aqueous fluid inclusions record systematic temperature trends that increase from approximately 140 to 185°C and then decrease to approximately 158°C over time, which indicates fracture growth during maximum burial conditions. Calculated pore-fluid pressures for methanerich aqueous inclusions of 55 to 110 MPa (7977-15,954 psi) indicate fracture growth under near-lithostatic pressure conditions consistent with fracture growth during active gas maturation and charge. Lack of systematic pore-fluid-pressure trends

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Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 94%

Testing the basin-centered gas accumulation model using fluid inclusion observations: Southern Piceance Basin, Colorado

Fall¹,

Eichhubl²,

Cumella³

et al. 2012

Bulletin

108

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As a result many potential solutions have been attempted in the past including pure oil fracs, CO2 energized oil fracs, cross-linked water based fracs, poly-emulsion fracs and water based foam fracs. 27 More than 1,200 diagnostic fracture injection tests (DFIT) performed in the U.S. Rocky Mountain Area between 1998 and 2001 were evaluated consistently by Craig et al 28 for estimating permeability, pore pressure and leakoff type. Permeabilities ranged from less than 0.001 to more than 0.1 md.…”

Section: Drilling Completion and Stimulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Natural Fractures and Slot Porosity on Tight Gas Sands

Aguilera

2008

SPE Unconventional Reservoirs Conference

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Naturally fractured tight gas sands have come of age in the United States. They will also come of age in Canada within the next few years and in the rest of the world within the next few decades.This work discusses the role of natural fractures and slot porosity on tight gas sands as they relate to geoscience, drilling, completion, stimulations, petrophysics, well testing, and reservoir engineering.It is concluded that natural fractures and/or slot porosity play, and will continue to play, an important role in the successful and economic production of gas from tight sands. Research leading to innovating technologies that presumably will reduce capital and operating costs will play a key role in the development of this resource. Understanding the rocks and the regional variability of fracture distribution and diagenesis is the cornerstone of this research.

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Unconventional Well Profitability vs. Asset Profitability

Sedillos

Roundtree

Wright³

et al. 2010

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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The reserves growth in unconventional resources over the last three years has taken everyone by surprise and the ramifications are only now being fully realized by the marketplace and government. The role of shale basins in this growth has forever changed the skill expectations of oil industry professionals. This growth, primarily focused in North America today, will almost assuredly spread globally. The economics of unconventional resource plays are quite different from those of conventional plays. Even the business metrics of success are usually ranked differently (Roundtree et al, 2009). This paper examines the overall cost structure of unconventional plays (land, drilling, completion, and well operation) versus the potential return. Prudent application of front end exploration to enter a play under favorable land price conditions, pragmatic well construction and completion practices to control costs, and efficient development drilling programs to optimize the resource recovery factors must all be considered in overall resource play economics. We demonstrate how irrational pursuit of lower development costs can often be detrimental to overall play economics and ultimate resource recovery. Investor and governmental pressure may grow as these stakeholders segregate the operators who excel in achieving a balance of the different factors to sustainably produce better economic returns for their shareholders while extracting the maximum recoverable resource from the reservoirs in question. Stranded reserves will be seen ever more so as a measure of engineering malfeasance and not just sub-optimum economics.

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Permeability, Pore Pressure, and Leakoff-Type Distributions in Rocky Mountain Basins

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Testing the basin-centered gas accumulation model using fluid inclusion observations: Southern Piceance Basin, Colorado

Testing the basin-centered gas accumulation model using fluid inclusion observations: Southern Piceance Basin, Colorado

Role of Natural Fractures and Slot Porosity on Tight Gas Sands

Unconventional Well Profitability vs. Asset Profitability

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