Cottageville (Mount Alto) gas field, Jackson County, West Virginia: a case study of Devonian shale gas production

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6053746

Nuckols, E B

Exploration and development of upper Devonian organic shales in the Cottageville gas field of western West Virginia began in the late 1920s. Continued development has led to the drilling of over 110 shale wells with accumulative production of more than 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Data indicate primary production from zones of organic shales in the lower part of the Huron Member of the Ohio Shale. Because of the extremely low porosity (3 to 4%) and permeability (less than 0.1 millidarcy) of these shales, gas production is considered to be through natural fracture systems. These fracture systems have been delineated through the study of oriented cores and the mapping of surface joints. Historically, production of gas has been through natural completion or by stimulation with gelled nitroglycerine. Varied success of this stimulation technique has recently led to more advanced types of stimulation (hydraulic and foam fracturing). Total production, natural gas-flow trends, final gas-flow trends, and structural breaks and trends have led to the delineation of the fractured-shale reservoir.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6053746
• Report Number(s): LA-8918-MS; ON: DE81032020
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030900* -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BLACK SHALES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENTRAL REGION
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
COLLOIDS
COMMINUTION
DATA
DEVONIAN PERIOD
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
FLUIDS
FOAMS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGY
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS FIELDS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SHALES
PALEOZOIC ERA
PRODUCTION
RESOURCES
STIMULATION
USA
WELL STIMULATION
WEST VIRGINIA