Lost hills rediscovered

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1975 · Orange Disc; (United States)

OSTI ID:5116000

Lost Hills oil field presents an interesting study in these days of energy crises when attention focuses on the world's major oil areas and when the news reports dwell on great discoveries in the North Sea or on the North Slope. The old Lost Hills field does not make the headlines, but it has taken on new importance in light of today's events. Geologists described Lost Hills as ''an asymmetric antiline varying in age from Pleistocene in the Tulare Tar to Upper Miocene in the McClure.'' The number of wells that Gulf is now operating in the field is approaching 500. Average daily production is about 5 bbl per well, i.e., the production from Lost Hills has been given stripper status. One of the techniques used at Lost Hills to stimulate production is steam injection. Since much of the crude produced in the field is viscous, by heating the oil in the ground, pumping energy in the form of steam into the formation, it is possible to make the oil more fluid and increase the rate of flow. A number of other methods have been tried and researched with varying degrees of success at Lost Hills to stimulate the recovery of larger volumes of oil. Among these have been fire flooding, steam drive, high volume water drive, high volume frac, and an enlarged well bore.

• OSTI ID: 5116000
• Journal Information: Orange Disc; (United States), Journal Name: Orange Disc; (United States) Vol. 21:9; ISSN ORADA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CALIFORNIA
CENOZOIC ERA
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FEDERAL REGION IX
FLUID INJECTION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
OIL FIELDS
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PRODUCTION
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RECOVERY
RESOURCES
STEAM INJECTION
STIMULATION
TERTIARY PERIOD
THERMAL RECOVERY
USA
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS