Huff and Puff for profit

Journal Article · · Tenneco; (United States)

OSTI ID:5000162

Oil men long have had a problem with much of the oil that is known to exist in California in that it has an asphalt base, is thick and tar-like, and resists attempts to produce it. Most of this low-gravity or heavy crude, lies within shallow formations, usually less than 2,000 ft deep. Conventional methods of production have been only partially successful. In many of the fields, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley where Tenneco Oil has concentrated operations, it is estimated that only 5 to 10% of the total low gravity reserves has been produced. This is significant because most of these fields were discovered 50 yr ago. Tenneco Oil began its thermal program in California in 1965. It started with 2 wells that were then producing 1 bopd between them. Within a year, production had increased to 400 bbl daily from 70 wells, and now it exceeds 9,500 bpd from 649 wells, many of which have been drilled adjacent to existing wells to increase field output. The company elected to use a thermal method called steam injection. Often referred to as the ''huff and puff'' method because steam is injected into wells on a cyclic basis, it has become the most popular ''assist'' recovery technique in California. Automatic well testing units, each capable of watching over as many as 80 wells, are located on all of Tenneco's thermal recovery leases.

• OSTI ID: 5000162
• Journal Information: Tenneco; (United States), Journal Name: Tenneco; (United States) Vol. 3:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
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