Improved recovery demonstration for Williston Basin carbonates. Final report
The purpose of this project was to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, and methods for improved completion efficiency. The investigations and demonstrations were focussed on Red River and Ratcliffe reservoirs in the Williston Basin within portions of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Both of these formations have been successfully explored with conventional 2-dimensional (2D) seismic. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) seismic was investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterizations were integrated with geological and engineering studies. The project tested lateral completion techniques, including high-pressure jetting lance technology and short-radius lateral drilling to enhance completion efficiency. Lateral completions should improve economics for both primary and secondary oil where low permeability is a problem and higher-density drilling of vertical infill wells is limited by drilling cost. New vertical wells were drilled to test bypassed oil in ares that were identified by 3D seismic. These new wells are expected to recover as much or greater oil than was produced by nearby old wells. The project tested water injection through vertical and horizontal wells in reservoirs where application of waterflooding has been limited. A horizontal well was drilled for testing water injection. Injection rates were tested at three times that of a vertical well. This demonstration well shows that water injection with horizontal completions can improve injection rates for economic waterflooding. This report is divided into two sections, part 1 covers the Red River and part 2 covers the Ratcliffe. Each part summarizes integrated reservoir characterizations and outlines methods for targeting by-passed oil reserves in the respective formation and locality.
- Research Organization:
- Luff Exploration Co., Denver, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC22-94BC14984
- OSTI ID:
- 290885
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/BC/14984-16; ON: DE98000489; BR: AC1005000; AC1010000; TRN: AHC29901%%90
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jul 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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