Salem limestone oil and gas production in the Keenville field, Wayne County, Illinois
Oil has been produced from the Salem Limestone of Valmeyeran (middle Mississippian) age in Illinois since 1939. In 1972 the discovery of Salem oil at Zenith North field in Wayne County, Illinois, stimulated a resurgence of Salem exploration in the Illinois Basin. By the end of 1977, activity had resulted in 3 new field discoveries and 24 new pool discoveries in the Salem of Illinois. One of the most promising of these discoveries was in the Keenville field in T. 1 S., R. 5 E., Wayne County, Illinois. The discovery well was completed early in January 1977, and by the end of the year 40 wells had produced approximately 760,000 barrels of Salem oil. The oil is produced from a biocalcarenite (predominatly sand-sized fossils and fossil fragments), with highly variable porosity and permeability, which lies about midway between the top and bottom of the formation. No structural closure is evident on key marker beds above the Salem, but some closure is created by the tendency of the producing zone to occur increasingly lower in the section in an up-dip direction. Water-free oil production was obtained in many wells by setting pipe through the reservoir and perforating above the oil-water contact, as determined by examination of drill cuttings. The oil produced is accompanied by gas with a heating value of about 1500 Btu/ft/sup 3/. To date, most of the oil accumulations in the Salem have been found by drilling below shallower, producing zones on prominent structures. The presence of reservoirs within the Salem, such as the one at Keenville has been difficult to predict prior to drilling. The recent increase in the number of holes drilled to or through the Salem should add to our knowledge of its depositional and diagenetic history and help in further oil exploration.
- OSTI ID:
- 5268639
- Report Number(s):
- NP-25033
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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03 NATURAL GAS
ILLINOIS
GEOLOGY
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030200 - Natural Gas- Reserves
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020300 - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
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