Prudhoe Bay western peripheral development using three-dimensional seismic

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6776576

Guderjahn, C G

The western periphery of the Prudhoe Bay field, known as the West End or Eileen area, is characterized by a relatively gentle southwestern regional dip cut by numerous normal faults with up to 500 ft of throw. These faults displace the Permian-Triassic reservoir sandstones against Jurassic shales. A detailed structural map was interpreted from three-dimensional seismic data acquired in 1984 and 1985. Three distinct and coherent trends of faulting are evident from the data: north-south, northwest-southeast, and east-west. These faults were aliased by the earlier two-dimensional data grid and could not be connected in a coherent manner consistent with suppositions of the stress directions. The added detail to the structural maps will allow development of narrow, oil-filled horst blocks and should prevent drilling of dry holes in narrow grabens as has occurred prior to the three-dimensional data acquisition. Seventy-two 80-ac wells and up to four horizontal gas injectors are planned for the area, with drilling commencing from new surface facilities in 1988. Upon the successful completion of a horizontal and an 88/sup 0/ highangle well from existing facilities, the utility and shortcomings of the data interpretations were illuminated. The high-angle well encountered only 40% of the prognosed oil column, which is believed to be a consequence of an unpredicted permafrost thickening. Thus, as with two-dimensional data, the uncertainty in the estimate of the velocity field is the dominant factor in estimating subsurface structure.

• OSTI ID: 6776576
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ARCTIC OCEAN
BAYS
BEAUFORT SEA
DATA ANALYSIS
EXPLOITATION
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MAPS
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
PALEOZOIC ERA
PERMAFROST
PERMIAN PERIOD
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PRUDHOE BAY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEAS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
SHALES
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TRIASSIC PERIOD