Intersecting natural fractures with a deviated wellbore: The saga of the slant hole completion test, northwestern Colorado

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7232685

Lorenz, J C ^[1]; Frohne, K H ^[2]

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1. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
2. USDOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center, WV (United States)

The US Department of Energy's Slant Hole Completion Test Well, SHCT-1, was drilled in 1990 into gas-bearing, lenticular and blanket-shaped sandstones of the Mesaverde Formation, northwestern Colorado. The reservoirs are over-pressured, with sub-microdarcy, in situ, matrix-rock permeabilities. However, a set of sub-parallel natural fractures increases the whole-reservoir permeabilities, measured by well tests, to several tens of microdarcies. The slant hole azimuth was therefore oriented to cut across the dominant fracture strike, in order to access the natural-fracture permeability and increase drainage into the wellbore.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 7232685
• Report Number(s): DOE/METC/C-92/7022; SAND-92-0930C; CONF-921085-1; ON: DE92013664
• Resource Relation: Conference: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists horizontal drilling symposium, Golden, CO (United States), 19-21 Oct 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
DRILLING
NATURAL GAS
ENHANCED RECOVERY
COLORADO
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
NATURAL GAS WELLS
PERMEABILITY
SANDSTONES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
NORTH AMERICA
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
WELLS
030300* - Natural Gas- Drilling
Production
& Processing