Core Characterization of Bakken Shale from the Bedwell 33-52-1-1H Well, Sheridan County, Montana

Technical Report · Wed Nov 03 04:00:00 EDT 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1829080· OSTI ID:1829080

Cimadomo, Daniella ^[1]; Moore, Johnathan E. ^[1]; Paronish, Thomas J. ^[1]; Schmitt, Rhiannon ^[2]; Sanguinito, Sean ^[1]; Crandall, Dustin ^[1]; Dotson, Ben ^[3]

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1. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)
2. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Morgantown, WV (United States)
3. Southwestern Energy, Spring, TX (United States)

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize core of the Bedwell 33-52-1-1H well (API 25-091-21920), a wildcat field in Sheridan County, Montana. The primary impetus of this work is to provide a unique dataset to researchers at universities, national laboratories, geological surveys, and other locations for additional analyses. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/bedwell-33-52-1-1h-well. The equipment and techniques used to characterize the full core were non-destructive, enabling future examinations and analyses to be performed on these cores. However, none of the equipment used was suitable for direct visualization of the pore space in fine-grained structures such as those found in shales; fractures, discontinuities, and millimeter scale features were readily detectable with the methods tested. Imaging with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on the entire core. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), P-wave, and magnetic susceptibility measurements from the MSCL were useful in identifying zones of interest for more detailed analysis. A selection of samples (Table 1) were cored, sliced, and powdered for additional characterization analyses. These analyses did involve destructive subsampling of the full core at discrete sections, and the results are presented here in the context of the larger core description. Selected sections of the core were removed from the full core for detailed analyses using the following destructive techniques: bulk inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), isolation of carbon and sulfur, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and higher resolution CT scan with NETL’s micro-CT scanning systems. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of methods used provides a multi-scale analysis of the core; the resulting macro and micro descriptions are relevant to many subsurface energy related examinations traditionally performed at NETL.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
• DOE Contract Number: 89243318CFE000003
• OSTI ID: 1829080
• Report Number(s): DOE/NETL-2021/2659
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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