CASE HISTORY—DESERT SPRINGS GAS FIELD SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYOMING

Geophysics ◽  
1961 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 673-681
Author(s):  
John H. Earl ◽  
John N. Dahm

Desert Springs Area is located in central Sweetwater County, Wyoming, on the west flank of the Red Desert Basin, with the Rock Springs uplift to the west and the Wamsutter arch to the south. The producing reservoirs are in the Upper Cretaceous Lewis and Almond formations, with the Almond being the uppermost formation of the Mesaverde Group in the area. Petty Geophysical Engineering Company was contracted to conduct a seismic survey over the area. Work was initiated on April 3, 1956 and completed July 24, 1956. Fault evidence was noted in the area, based on discontinuity of seismic events and change of reflection characteristics. On the basis of this fault evidence, El Paso Natural Gas Company drilled the Desert Springs No. 1 well which potentialed for 7.7 million cubic feet of gas per day. This led to additional drilling; and, as of January 1959, eight wells have found production at an average depth of 6,100 ft, having potentials from 7.7 million cubic ft of gas per day with some distillate. A detailed study of stratigraphy, lithology, and sedimentation, along with a detailed review of the seismic data utilizing the velocity survey in Desert Springs No. 1 well, was undertaken. The final analysis revealed that the phenomena originally mapped as a fault is in reality a series of facies changes. Three main stratigraphic type traps: offshore bar, lateral facies change, and wedge‐out below an unconformity; are believed to be present in this area, thus making an integrated and coordinated exploration program between the geologists and the geophysicist necessary if we expect to find additional oil and gas reservoirs of this nature.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1172-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Ning ◽  
Ze He ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
Miying Yin ◽  
Yaci Liu ◽  
...  

Propane-oxidizing bacteria in surface soils are often used to indicate the position of oil and gas reservoirs. As a potential replacement for the laborious traditional culture-dependent counting method, we applied real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction detection as a quick and accurate technology for quantification of propane-oxidizing bacteria. The propane monooxygenase gene was set as the target and the assay is based on SYBR Green I dye. The detection range was from 9.75 × 108 to 9.75 × 101 gene copies/µl, with the lowest detected concentration of 9.75 copies/µl. All coefficient of variation values of the threshold cycle in the reproducibility test were better than 1%. The technique showed good sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. We also quantified the propane-oxidizing bacteria in soils from three vertical 250 cm profiles collected from an oil field, a gas field, and a nonoil gas field using the established technique. The results indicated that the presence of propane monooxygenase A genes in soils can indicate an oil or gas reservoir. Therefore, this technique can satisfy the requirements for microbial exploration of oil and gas.


1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
H. T. Pecanek ◽  
I. M. Paton

The Tirrawarra Oil and Gas Field, discovered in 1970 in the South Australian portion of the Cooper Basin, is the largest onshore Permian oil field in Australia. Development began in 1981 as part of the $1400 million Cooper Basin Liquids ProjectThe field is contained within a broad anticline bisected by a north-south sealing normal fault. This fault divides the Tirrawarra oil reservoir into the Western and Main oil fields. Thirty-four wells have been drilled, intersecting ten Patchawarra Formation sandstone gas reservoirs and the Tirrawarra Sandstone oil reservoir. Development drilling discovered three further sandstone gas reservoirs in the Toolachee Formation.The development plan was based on a seven-spot pattern to allow for enhanced oil recovery by miscible gas drive. The target rates were 5400 barrels of oil (860 kilolitres) per day with 13 million ft3 (0.37 million m3) per day of associated gas and 70 million ft3 (2 million m') per day of wet, non-associated gas. Evaluation of early production tests showed rapid decline. The 100 ft (30 m) thick, low-permeability Tirrawarra oil reservoir was interpreted as an ideal reservoir for fracture treatment and as a result all oil wells have been successfully stimulated, with significant improvement in well production rates.The oil is highly volatile but miscibility with carbon dioxide has been proven possible by laboratory tests, even though the reservoir temperature is 285°F (140°C). Pilot gas injection will assess the feasibility of a larger-scale field-wide pressure maintenance scheme using miscible gas. Riot gas injection wells will use Tirrawarra Field Patchawarra Formation separator gas to defer higher infrastructure costs associated with the alternative option of piping carbon dioxide from Moomba, the nearest source.


1983 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
B. L. Smith

The Merrimelia oil and gas field, 40 km north of Moomba in SA, is located on the central dome of the Gidgealpa-Merrimelia-Innamincka Trend within the Cooper/Eromanga Basins.Geophysical studies have been instrumental in the investigation of the field since the discovery of commercial Permo-Triassic gas at Merrimelia- 5 in 1970 based on the results of the Merrimelia Seismic Survey. Subsequent seismic recorded during the 1980 Karawinnie Survey resulted in the location of Merrimelia-6 which, in 1981, discovered commercial oil in the Jurassic Namur Member and Hutton Sandstone, and Triassic gas, previously unknown.To allow accurate mapping of the field's oil reserves, a detailed half kilometre grid was recorded during the 1981 Namooka Seismic Survey. The programme comprised 110 km of 24-fold Vibro- seis coverage. Interpretation of the seismic and well data has resulted in recognition of a complex stratigraphic component superimposed on the Merrimelia structural high. Considerable detailed seismic work has contributed to a better understanding of the seismic reflection sequence and hence improved geophysical prognoses.Seismic studies of the Merrimelia field are continuing as further discoveries, most recently oil in the Triassic at Merrimelia-12 and gas in the Tirrawarra Sandstone at Merrimelia-13, are made in the field area.


Author(s):  
Yandong Zhou ◽  
Facheng Wang

Fixed platform have been widely employed in the offshore oil and gas reservoirs development. Pile foundation reliability is critical for these platforms where drilling, production and other functions are integrated. The lifting operation for the long pile, being a key step in the jacket installation, has been considered for further developments. With deep water developments, the sizes and weights of long piles are reasonably bigger. The corresponding process and equipment employed are subsequently altered, which brings challenges to developing a cost-effective, easy-operable approach for lifting operation. In this paper, the technology for the offshore long pile upending lifting operation including pile feature, installation methodology, lifting rigging and analysis model, covering water depths ranging from shallow to near deep water zone (60–300 m water depth) has been suggested. In addition, the applicability of the adoptable novel approaches has been discussed considering the practical project experience.


2021 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-30
Author(s):  
D. A. Kobylinskiy ◽  

The work is devoted to the development of geochemical criteria for determining the nature of saturation for deep-adsorbed gases in the core. As the object of investigation used the core material selected in the fields in the Nadym-Pyrskoy oil and gas field. In each sample, 72 components were determined, namely, hydrocarbons of different material groups: normal, branched, polycyclic, and aromatic compounds from butane to dodecane. With respect to the quantitative distribution and correlation among the components, qualitative geochemical indicators of sediment productivity have been developed. The saturation character established by the criteria of deep-adsorbed gases was confirmed by the test results. In this regard, this research method significantly increases the effectiveness of diagnostics of prospective deposits, the application of which is relevant in the territory of the West Siberian oil and gas basin, especially when studying deep-submerged deposits of complex geological structure.


Geosites ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Thomas Chidsey ◽  
Paul Anderson

In contrast to the beautiful array of colorful layers and spectacular cliffs of the Triassic and Jurassic (251 to 148 million years ago [Ma]) sections in the San Rafael Swell of east-central Utah, most of the Upper Cretaceous (96 to 86 Ma) Mancos Shale produces a drab, barren landscape. However, lying within the Mancos, the Ferron Sandstone, is the most studied unit in the San Rafael Swell. The Ferron has world-class outcrops of rock layers deposited near the shorelines of a sinking, fluvial- (stream) dominated delta system. Along the west flank of the San Rafael Swell, the 80-mile-long (130 km) Ferron outcrop belt of cliffs and side canyons (e.g., the Coal Cliffs, Molen Reef, and Limestone Cliffs [not actually limestone, just misnamed]) provides a three-dimensional view of vertical and lateral changes in the Ferron’s rock layers (facies and sequence stratigraphy), and, as such, is an excellent model for fluvial-deltaic oil and gas reservoirs worldwide (e.g., Chidsey and others, 2004).


Author(s):  
Jinkai Wang ◽  
Kai Zhao ◽  
Zhaoxun Yan ◽  
Yuxiang Fu ◽  
Jun Xie

For 3D geological modelling of oil and gas reservoirs, well pattern density is directly related to the number of samples involved in the calculation, which determines the variation function of stochastic modelling and has great impacts on the results of reservoir modelling. This paper focuses on the relationship between well pattern density and the variogram of stochastic modelling, selects the large Sulige gas field with many well pattern types as the research object, and establishes a variogram database of stochastic models for different well pattern densities. First, the well pattern in the study area is divided into three different types (well patterns A, B, and C) according to well and row space. Several different small blocks (model samples) are selected from each type of well pattern to establish the model, and their reasonable variogram values (major range, minor range and vertical range) are obtained. Then, the variogram values of all model samples with similar well pattern densities are analysed and counted, and the variogram database corresponding to each type of well pattern is established. Finally, the statistical results are applied to the modelling process of other blocks with similar well pattern density to test their accuracy. The results show that the reservoir model established by using the variation function provided in this paper agrees well with the actual geological conditions and that the random model has a high degree of convergence. This database has high adaptability, and the model established is reliable.


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