A study of the Chapman zone in the Richfield field, Orange County, California, indicates that the quantity of oil recovered by present methods will be only asmall portion of the oil originally in place. Since the volume of residual oilis believed to be of large magnitude, an experimental water-flooding operationhas been initiated in order to determine whether water-flooding offers promiseas an economical method of recovering some of this residual oil. A singleinjection well was drilled between old producing wells, and a water-treatingplant using alum flocculation and chlorination was designed and built. Waterhas been injected into the input well for six months at rates in excess of 100bbl. per day. Production from one of the neighboring wells has increasedmaterially, the oil production having risen from. 7 to 30 bbl. and the waterfrom I to 40 bbl. per day. While definite conclusions regarding the economic success of water-flooding inthe Chapman zone are not justified at this time, it has been demonstrated thatwater can be injected into the zone on a sustained basis and that this waterwill displace appreciable quantities of oil from the sand. Introduction As a result of an investigation of subsurface conditions in the Chapman zone ofthe Richfield field, it was concluded that ultimate oil recovery from this zonewould probably be low and that natural water encroachment was so localized asto be of little importance from a recovery stand-point. Furthermore, it wasfound that in many portions of the zone the wells were approaching anunprofitable level of production. When these data were presented to themanagement of the Union Oil Co., their reaction was that an attempt should bemade to develop methods of recovering at least a portion of the large quantityof oil remaining in this zone. After some investigation, it was decided that water-flooding offered the mostlikely means of accomplishing this end, but reservoir conditions in the Chapmanzone differ so widely from those encountered in any of the flooding projectsdescribed in the literature that it was difficult to evaluate the probabilityof success. Despite encouraging results from laboratory tests, it was not evencertain that water would displace an appreciable volume of oil from the Chapmansand under reservoir conditions. Therefore, it was decided to initiate asmall-scale project, for two purposes: first, to determine whether water woulddisplace oil from the Chapman sand and, second, to obtain information andexperience for future operations? if water-flooding appeared to be a promisingmethod of secondary recovery. T.P. 1816
Summary This paper summarizes reservoir and recovery data for 12 of the more important gas injection pressure maintenance projects in California. These projects were initiated during the period from 1940 to 1960 and the reservoirs are now approaching depletion. A brief description of each project is included. Introduction In the period between 1940 and 1960 a number of gas injection projects were initiated in California oil pools for the purpose-of maintaining reservoir pressure. Since most of these reservoirs are nearing the end of their productive life under the current methods of operations, it seems an appropriate time to review the performance of these projects. The remaining producible oil reserves are so small relative to past production that substantial uncertainties production that substantial uncertainties in estimates of future production will have little effect on the estimated ultimate recovery. The study has been confined to immiscible gas displacement projects. There have been a few attempted miscible gas displacement and gas cap cycling projects, but there have not been enough to furnish a body of credible comparative data. The criteria which have been considered in selecting the projects to be reviewed can be summarized as follows:The entire reservoir was either unitized or under the control of a single company so that an adequate reservoir management program could be carried out without the interference of competitive operations.The total volume of gas injected was considered to be sufficient relative to reservoir size to have a substantial effect on performance. Data considered to be adequate for the purpose of this study were obtained on 12 projects which are listed in the attached Table 1. The data were obtained from the operators of the projects, published technical papers, projects, published technical papers, unpublished engineering reports in our files, and statistics compiled by the Conservation Committee of California Oil Producers. In only two cases were the published data adequate for the purposes of this study, so a representative review would have been impossible without the cooperation of the companies operating the other projects. I would like to express my appreciation for the data and assistance given me by the following companies: ARCO Oil and Gas Co. Chevron USA Inc. Sun Exploration and Production Co. Texaco USA Inc. Unocal Corp. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Adell Gibson, without whom this project would never have been completed. P. 213
Publication Rights Reserved This paper is to be presented at the 32nd AIME Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, February 24–28, 1963, and is considered the property of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to publish is hereby restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words, with no illustrations, unless the paper is specifically released to the press by the Editor of the Journal of Petroleum Technology or the Executive Secretary. Such abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in Journal of Petroleum Technology or Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal is granted on request, providing proper credit is given that publication and the original presentation of the paper. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines with the paper. Abstract Exploration for oil and gas started in 1899 when gas in substantial volumes was encountered in a water well near Roma in Queensland. At the time of the Moonie discovery in Dec., 1961, some $100,000,000 had been expended in the search wit rather meager results. In this paper a brief summary of previous exploration in Australia is given, together with an outline of the political and social environment. The Moonie Field, which appears to be Australia's first commercial oil field, and the exploration operations leading to its discovery are described. Introduction The name Australia is applied both to a continent and to a nation. The two are not identical since the Island of Tasmania, south of the continent, is one of the states of the Commonwealth, and the Territory of Papua in Eastern New Guinea, to the north, is also part of the Australian nation. The continent is approximately the same size as the continental United States, excluding Alaska, as indicated in Fig. 1, but the population of Australia is only ten million as compared with our 180 million. There are many similarities between Australia and the U.S. as we like to think of it. Australia is still in some degree a frontier country, and the people have many of the attitudes that are developed in a nation where open land is available at low cost. Australians are probably the friendliest and most hospitable people on earth. They also seem to possess an unfailing sense of humor and, possibly for this reason, they are a highly practical people who believe in getting what they want, even though they are told by theorists that it is bad for them. While they still have strong sentimental and economic ties with Great Britain, Australians also seem very friendly to the U. S. and Americans. This friendship for Americans is partly the result of the similarity in outlook, but an even more important factor is a feeling of gratitude for our help during the war. One of the tallest structures in Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a monument to the U. S. as an expression of this sentiment. I do not need to emphasize that gratitude in international affairs is an extremely rare phenomenon today. In form, the government of Australia is somewhat similar to that of the U.S. It is a federation of six states with a written constitution in which the powers not granted to the Commonwealth are reserved to the States. This is quite different from the situation, for instance, in Canada where the powers not granted to the Provinces are reserved to the Federal Government. Despite the resemblance to the U.S., however, the Australian parliamentary system is substantially the same as the British.
In order to explore the possibility of predicting reservoir performance fromlaboratory data, behavior of a hypothetical low-permeability reservoir has beenestimated by applying data and methods currently available in the literature. Amethod of calculating decline in productivity index is discussed, andrecoveries by internal gas drive, external gas drive and water drive areestimated. Introduction During the life of a producing oil property an operator is faced with manyperplexing problems. Any attempt to determine proper well spacing, optimum rateof production, or the desirability of pressure maintenance requires theevaluation not only of a host of economic and practical operating factors butalso of the future performance of the reservoir. Although in some caseseconomic or operating considerations may be of primary importance in planning adevelopment or production program, the anticipated effect on ultimate recoveryis more likely to be the decisive factor. The soundest basis for evaluating reservoir performance is past experience withoil fields, but pertinent data are difficult to obtain or apply underconditions normally encountered in California fields. Many of these fields arecharacterized by thick sections of alternating sands and shales complicated byfaulting and rapidly changing lithologic conditions. Further complications areintroduced by haphazard development and production practices resulting fromcompetitive conditions, changing demand for oil, and insufficient knowledge ofstructural conditions during early development. Even in the rare cases wheredevelopment has been systematic and adequate, production policy has usuallybeen controlled by economic and competitive factors rather than a desire toobtain information for use in future operations. In other words, comparablereservoirs in which development and production practices have beensystematically varied are seldom found. In the light of these conditions, conclusions based on experiences usually lackthe certainty required for decisions involving large sums of money. Some othermethod of attacking these problems is needed to supplement and orient fieldexperience. Progress in laboratory investigations of the flow of oil, gas, andwater through sands has been so rapid in recent years that these data mayfurnish such a supplementary approach in the near future. In order to explorethis possibility the author has attempted to predict the behavior of one typeof reservoir by applying published data and methods. Basic Data and Assumptions Calculations outlined in this paper are dependant upon a detailed knowledge ofthe properties of oil, gas, and water present in the reservoir and the portionof the total pore space originally filled by each. T.P. 1664
This paper was prepared for the 44th Annual California Regional Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in San Francisco, Calif., April 4–5, 1974. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal provided agreement to give proper credit is made. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Some time ago I was indiscreet enough to make some comments about the proposed "Guidelines" in the hearing of Sam Sarem. Once you make an error like that, it doesn't take Sam long to nail you. So I find myself up here making a speech just because of what seemed at the time to be a minor indiscretion. My qualifications, such as they are, for participating in this discussion are largely the result of having been around longer than most anybody. I have been working in the oil industry for forty years, many of them as an employee of a large corporation. I have worked in research, engineering, operations, and management. For the past ten years, I have been a consulting engineer. As nearly as I can see, the main difference between consulting and working for a big corporation is that a consultant seems to have a lot more bosses and their patience is shorter. In any discussion of Guidelines to Professional Employment, two questions Professional Employment, two questions are fundamental:What is the purpose of formulating Guidelines?If the purpose is a worthwhileone, do we need formal Guidelines to accomplish it? After all, we have been getting along without formal Guidelines for a long time, and since we are all subject to plenty of rules, regulations, guidelines, etc. already, we should hesitate to establish new ones unless they are absolutely necessary. Let us not kid ourselves. In the real world, guidelines historically become rules and rules eventually become laws. If there is not some way of bringing pressure on the recalcitrant employer, why have guidelines?
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.