Oil & Natural Gas Projects
Exploration and Production Technologies
Play Analysis and Digital Portfolio of Major Oil Reservoirs in the Permian
Basin: Application and Transfer of Advanced Geological and Engineering Technologies
for Incremental Production Opportunities
DE-FC26-02NT15131
Program
This project was in response to DOE's Preferred Upstream Management Practices
(PUMP) 2 solicitation (DE-PS26-01BC15300, June 2001) to combine "best practices"
and solutions coming from new technologies to active dissemination of information
to domestic producers.
Project Goal
To increase oil reserves and improve oil recovery in the Permian Basin (one
of the largest petroleum-producing basins in the U.S.) of west Texas and southeast
New Mexico. This project proposed new, cost-effective ways to locate and recover
oil from existing reservoirs. Tasks proposed to achieve this goal were:
- Develop an up-to-date portfolio of oil plays in the Permian Basin.
- Study key reservoirs from some of the largest or most active plays to incorporate
information on improved practices in reservoir development in the portfolio.
- Widely disseminate the play portfolio to the public.
- Investigate source rock, migration paths, reservoir rock characterization
and fluid properties necessary for successful drilling, completion and enhanced
oil recovery.
Performers
Bureau of Economic Geology
University of Texas
Austin, TX
New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM
Project Results
A play analysis digital portfolio of the oil reservoirs in the Permian Basin
has been developed.
Benefits
The Digital Portfolio updates and expands the information in the pioneering
volume Atlas of Major Texas Oil Reservoirs (Galloway and others, 1983), considered
by many the "bible" of Texas petroleum geology. The 1983 Atlas included
only reservoirs in the Texas part of the Permian Basin that produced more
than 10 MMbbl of oil. Increasing the Portfolio to include the New Mexico portion
of the basin and including reservoirs with production of 1 MMbbl will make
the data useful to a much broader audience. Placing all the data on a CD-ROM
makes it easy for independents to manipulate and incorporate information into
their work. The Permian Basin contains 29% of the estimated future oil reserve
growth for the U. S., which makes the 1,339 reservoirs identified in Texas
and New Mexico important targets for independent operators. Release of the
Play Analysis and Digital Portfolio of Major Oil Reservoirs in the Permian
Basin will assist independents to develop these reservoirs.
Background
The Permian Basin has produced oil for more than 80 years, and it is still
one of the largest petroleum-producing basins in the U.S. In 2002, it accounted
for 17% of the total U.S. oil production, and it contains an estimated 22%
of the U.S. proved oil reserves. Moreover, this region has the biggest potential
for additional oil production in the country, containing 29% of estimated
future oil reserve growth. Because of the substantial amount of oil remaining
in the basin, a new oil-play portfolio was developed.
Project Summary
- Analysis of all plays having cumulative production >1 MMbbl were included.
- Reservoir characterization studies of key reservoirs from three of the largest
or most active plays in the Permian Basin were conducted
- Kelly-Snyder (SACROC Unit) in the Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian Horseshoe
Atoll Carbonate play
- Fullerton in the Leonardian Restricted Platform Carbonate play
- Barnhart in the Ellenburger Dolomitized Ramp Carbonate play.
- Geologic heterogeneity in these reservoirs was investigated to better understand
production constraints that would apply to all reservoirs in that play.
- Technologies for further economically viable exploitation were investigated
for each play.
- Information on improved practices in reservoir development was incorporated
into the portfolio.
- Individual play maps within the portfolio are linked to a database listing
cumulative production and other reservoir information.
- The Permian Basin is a mature oil province and oil production has declined
over the past 30 years, but an estimated 17.6 MMbbl of recoverable reserves
remain.
- Peak production for the Permian Basin was 665 MMbbl/year in the early 1970s.
- By 2000 annual oil production had declined to 301.4 MMbbl.
- The 29 MMbbl of oil produced to date represents only 27% of OOIP.
- The Permian Basin Digital Portfolio is designed to encourage use of preferred
management practices in mature Permian Basin oil fields.
- Preferred management practices can have a substantial impact on domestic production
because of the large remaining oil resource.
The portfolio defines 32 oil plays in the Permian Basin and assigns all significant-sized
reservoirs that had cumulative production of >1 MMbbl through 2000 to a play.
Each of the 1,339 significant-sized reservoirs was mapped in a Geographic Information
System (GIS). The portfolio contains a summary description of each play, including
illustrations of key reservoir characteristics, reservoir data tables and development
practices. Summaries of successful reservoir-development practices used in these
plays will aid in future production in this mature basin, which will most likely
come from improved recovery from existing fields.
GIS maps of each play show play outlines and reservoir locations. Associated
reservoir information within linked data tables includes Texas Railroad Commission
reservoir number and district, official field and reservoir name, year reservoir
was discovered, depth to top of the reservoir, oil production in 2000, and cumulative
oil production through 2000. Play boundaries include areas where fields in that
play occur but are <1 MMbbl of cumulative production.
Cumulative Permian Basin production through 2000 from these significant-sized
reservoirs was 28.9 Bbbl. The top four plays in cumulative production are the
Northwest Shelf San Andres Platform Carbonate play (3.79 Bbbl), the Leonard
Restricted Platform Carbonate play (3.50 Bbbl), the Pennsylvanian and Lower
Permian Horseshoe Atoll Carbonate play (2.70 Bbbl), and the San Andres Platform
Carbonate play (2.15 Bbbl).
Current Status (August 2004)
The project was completed in May 2004 and the Digital Portfolio of Major Oil
Reservoirs in the Permian Basin is on line at www.beg.utexas.edu/resprog/permianbasin/playanalysis.htm
Workover rig on a Permian Basin oil well.
Major subdivisions and boundaries of the Permian Basin in west Texas and southeast
New Mexico.
Play map for the Northwest Shelf San Andres Platform Carbonate play, showing
location of reservoirs having >1 MMbbl cumulative production, the play
boundary, and geologic features.
Project Start: January 14, 2002
Project End: June 20, 2004
Anticipated DOE Contribution: $499,000
Performer Contribution: $501,000 (50.1% of total)
Contact Information
NETL - Daniel Ferguson (daniel.ferguson@netl.doe.gov
or 918-699-2047)
BEG U. of Texas - Shirley Dutton (shirley.dutton@beg.utexas.edu
or 512-471-0329)
Additional Information:
Annual Report: January 2002 - January 2003 [PDF-436KB]
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