Reserves in western basins: Part 1, Greater Green River basin

Technical Report · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10104782· OSTI ID:10104782

This study characterizes an extremely large gas resource located in low permeability, overpressured sandstone reservoirs located below 8,000 feet drill depth in the Greater Green River basin, Wyoming. Total in place resource is estimated at 1,968 Tcf. Via application of geologic, engineering and economic criteria, the portion of this resource potentially recoverable as reserves is estimated. Those volumes estimated include probable, possible and potential categories and total 33 Tcf as a mean estimate of recoverable gas for all plays considered in the basin. Five plays (formations) were included in this study and each was separately analyzed in terms of its overpressured, tight gas resource, established productive characteristics and future reserves potential based on a constant $2/Mcf wellhead gas price scenario. A scheme has been developed to break the overall resource estimate down into components that can be considered as differing technical and economic challenges that must be overcome in order to exploit such resources: in other words, to convert those resources to economically recoverable reserves. Total recoverable reserves estimates of 33 Tcf do not include the existing production from overpressured tight reservoirs in the basin. These have estimated ultimate recovery of approximately 1.6 Tcf, or a per well average recovery of 2.3 Bcf. Due to the fact that considerable pay thicknesses can be present, wells can be economic despite limited drainage areas. It is typical for significant bypassed gas to be present at inter-well locations because drainage areas are commonly less than regulatory well spacing requirements.

• Research Organization: Scotia Group, Inc., Dallas, TX (United States); USDOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center, WV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-91MC28130
• OSTI ID: 10104782
• Report Number(s): DOE/MC/28130--3534; ON: DE94000060; BR: AB0510000/AB0510100
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030200
ECONOMICS
ENGINEERING
GEOLOGY
GREEN RIVER FORMATION
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NUMERICAL DATA
RESERVES, GEOLOGY, AND EXPLORATION
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
SANDSTONES
WYOMING