Geological Aspects of Petroleum Production

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Geological Aspects ot P e t r o l P r o d u c t i o n

By Stanley B*

LIBRARY 9C5LOISADO SCHOOL OP MINE© GOLDEN, COLORADO

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ProQuest N um ber: 10781343

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36929

A thesis submitted to the Faculty sud the Soard of trustees of the Colorado School of Hines In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Geological Engineering.

Signed

Stanley B. Shaeffer

Golden, Colorado April 29, 1940

36929

Geological Aspects of .Petroleum Production Introduction

1

Applications in Exploration

2

Influence of Geology on the Petroleum Industry

2

Accumulations- in Different types Reservoirs

3

Cl&saiflosbion of Oil Reserves

4

Aerial, Surface and Subsurface Mapping

6

Geology and Geophysics

7

Applications in Oil Field Development the Geologist and the Drilling Problem

9 9

General

9

Location

9

Water

10

Correlation and Coring

10

Casing Program

13

Caving

13

Records

14

the Geology Behind Squeeze Cementing

14

importance of Unitization to the Petrol­ eum Industry

15

She Problem of Well Spacing

IS

fhe Role of Geology in Acidizing Wells

25

The Geology Involved in Represcuring Oil Sands

33

Application of Geology to Water Flooding'of Oil Sands Geology Aids in Estimating Oil Reserves

40 48

fhe Future of Geology in the Petroleum Oil Industry Conclusion References

ACKIJOWLEDGEMEHT

Ihe author wishes to express his appreciation to Dr, F. M, Van fuyl for his untiring effort, criticisms fclnd corrections offered* helpful suggestions.

Also to 0* F* Barb for his

fhe pui*f#s0 of this thenIn. is to point' out th# of #10 ileMi of gooXony *&*& patrolcun engineering# . It oo-stprieeii & si&euoo&on of the develop** . mnM of geology at applied to th# oil iMusitry m& -covert

a presentation of. the modem scope of p&tv&lmm g&ology Inoludinf geephfsies# geoclieaisiry* mieropaleentoloif and petroleum engineerIns *& fa;r a# reservoir problems ore oonoorasi#

It also treats of its contributions

through all aitgee of the life of m- oil ®ell from the selection o f the location to the modern methods of re- • p r m m r ing and, water flooding#:

froti the eeeiioaia# legal and contestation

phases the prime- Impmtmmo of godogy in petroleum engineering is hnM n up*

sShm author1# suggestions m o

added, at various placet la. #2® itieeia- with, tte hopethat they nay be of lator-e-st and m e to t&# reader#

Affmommns m

m n m m i m

Inf'Meac# of Oeotogy on, th© istreieu® industry 2h the M story of petroleum geology m

a## m

§«diml chmgp in the poMee# of the oil empmXee which

'drilled mils tinier tlx# direction, of production » b m l .11 geology p m w t itself effective in finding oil*

¥he& the

deiited .for ipteloglefce inercased treMendouslf with 'the ^prem­ ise of ^freedom and greater. natural r#t?ar€t of aecviee in the trade***

begs» to build up §##legy -depart*

Kents' taking g^dtaafce student# in gcologf frewt imiwrei* ties and eellogea#

Shortly after this.* consulting- geol*

oglste ip^ang mp whose serfices were available on a ft# basis#

Ivontmlly the? gaologlc principles played an active part in the Isdwirf impsrtlng to it a scientific approach to tfcsr solution# of the many prdblessir «mooimtei?* #d*

.ffiSf d e o m a s e d dry hole average*# iw-rea«ed rtssrvts

by new © splotnblon xsethode, dovleed ®eaoe of obtaining M g & t r recovery rates per .well and per acre 'and oat unit

■coat# these geologic principles arc so Important there Is &&.' nh*0# In finding end pro orins o31 S;& wMch they » # not need*

#• Pratt, tfaliace B*# Geology in * e petroleum Indwatry* Bull* ta&r* Aeeoe# Fetrol# reo ,j

(July 1940} pp* 1209*1215#

Vol# >*, to*.7

■

Tkm geologic m p m tB o f petroleum production have e l m p t o m s M o r m b l y sine# the toftas-tag of the in* tec try*

Geo legists used to « p the probable structuref

tell toe drillar where end how fhr to drill msd handled m n f other problem®*

As eea he soon frees- to# atsaber of

tottaiaiaas.now dtptoyed for- eatt piss# in finding .end produo lag oil# the geologist had a gum siasd t&a-tc#- fho modern trends in wiioli apaeial&ata have boon dovei-oped h m o ' m d m m d this burden Mid now appXIeatime of geology have h e m mde-»

It is those new aspect# that .are 4te**

cussed la- this paper.

Aouu^uiatlom in Different

Reservoirs

ffeo fir at attotapts to- locate aoowmtotlofi# were m d e by geologists who believed they wore due en­ tirely# to natioXtosl fold lag#'

With- more accurst to- mop#

plug of geologic at roe turns particularly by plan# table «m€ alidade toe detail® of s true tors sad the distribution

of oil fields with respect to- tb« beaiM wore apparent fisim ever before# .Bubsurfmo# geology was rapidly t o # * *

ia§ «

as&at e e i m o # as a result of the ato&y of'core

samples by isen Who beeasse experts In sedlwe&tology#

'With

■this- .©to&y came the Hieery that .oil aacmulatlona wert due to Uftpegularltlea mid aissmtiimitl## of rosorvolr rooto as well s# to- folding or to a eosbia&tloa of folding an& mrictims- l a ‘the p© aervoira*

In toe later history of. the potrolmm Indus try It recognised the- existence of many typos of traps for toe -aecumulation of oil -and gas*

A committee of the

American Fetroleum institute1* has .proposed a complete elaeaifioatioa of the oil reservoirs*

ffels is given

below and the terminology 3a. referred to froa time to time to toe test to s M to-, clarification of certain

oeturreness of oil m d gee#

.Otousiftoatlos of' Oil Reservoir#

X*

Reservoir# defined by local dafaraafclen of strata* it*

Reservoirs etoaed by folding {cmtours d r w s os

■upper surface close local! y]

B#

1#

Reservoirs Is closed mafclellsea n i

domes*

2*

.Reservoirsto closed syne line# -andbasins*

Re servo to# developed by eambtaatlans 'of folding

and faulting* 0#

Reservoirs 'dovetoped fey fm iM n g *.

0*

Resavoirs developed fey cutting. of reservoir strata fey .Intrusions*

E*

X*

Intrusion# of salt..*

2#

Intrusion#of Igneous rock*

leeervolra developed In .fissures, joist#:, and

feu its#

#

Finoing and Producing oil| American Fetroieaai- Inirtltoto Fubl it# tins #. 1939 %

ReserveIr§ defined by irregular porosity of rook (mo deform feion of strata involved other lie & regional lilting)* A*,

loser voir# to sandstome sensed by leasing of sandatone or of the- porosity*

S*

Leasing porosity In limes ton# and dolomite or leasing of the bods themselves*

C*

Laos tog porous eoaea is Igneous and -metauorghle rooks*

0*

Reservoirs to truncated rooks and sosled rooks*. 1*’ Defined fey overlapping impervious rook*, t*

OXoeed fey seal of solid or viscous hydrocarbons #.

5*

Reservoirs defined fey combination of folding and.

irregular porosity* 4*

Reservoir- defined by co^toafcion of faulting and irregular porosity*

1% can plainly be seen that further re search to. the aodmulatlon of oil is neoees&ry ‘ feeo.suae one of

the best methods to find tog; #11 is to first know hosr it forms end where the- most logical places it will migrate to*

Oil pool# found in the past were sought for to areas where evidence of -deformation of to# subsurfsee or eupftie# strata was present*

At the present tiise it It

6

recognised ttmt

m n v m t oil m m m m s la sfcraitg**

r&phle traps result lag from #i#ngsii la porosity

in nil

beaming formationi and to trace ail on below \mmn^m?nl#low it 1* oftea.

eesesmted Hits .pi perromtsd to- flbteha- ppodtaebion* the’ apja^tm teNlength «»i # i « of o&elng ia eld in fips?; leg the tofcel- ©o$t ©f the- wtll.§ tfe# .#nsiisg le

'to ffio aim# of .

determined by the eiee--of the «ell

*mbj&lp&ted na# the rut# it e m b# prod&eed*

froraiioa

mad well tfaeiag are ©eae&tlal faotor# esbidb ssutfc- be 'tea* to obtain n» eeoaoatieai.

0/,/i1 q

ft* #.f

#Ji©pe m m M M m %

ale© i n f o r m .Vse of ©sffag' or

ibeeeissg ahele are likely to be encountered*

If thee*

ere kwest- the chanoes of loosing or frooming the drill pip# nr# leee-enad by tek$**g precaution© to ormion*

'

\Hsls

tEgOED-s

It I# very Important

tm the

geol^tat to a®# that #ar#fml reoor&e are kept of hot too hoi# temperatures $&& $&eeear#s> prodwttoa reeor&s- of ■ both- gas" &.od ©il* date ©a gee**©11 ratio.aad the amount’of water* ooramfee or otherwise prod&eed with the -©JUU

-fhis

laformtlon i© valuable in cal-emliiilon of eoblmfcloa of., reserves by eueb methods as the Material. Balance1**

the Otology Behted

Cement Ing

ih# .job of ©■cnd. o»lle# t

ft&$o a# ids attack the crevices and pore® dissolving the through the ferautiea* ■of leant resistance*

through small a® they travel

ff&tamlly.* they fellow the line® fh# acids m y encounter an i^pww**

iouo formation at which point they continue to work on through the limestone* .$udU poron* foramtlont might be

termed nono* of #lteitfed migration3 and account for Imteritai migration*

fhis in only true when there is a oontln©us

source of add® under eohsttab circulation and the ©o®^r&~ tivo solubility of ii* o^onfc part.® of the hod 'is' ttio i « * On® of the nost logical reeaons wfef conttuaeu# ■p m m itf

hoplzm tall^r instead of vertically i® the fact the Zisym of fount real®tan®# arc parallel to bh# bedding, pianos*,

fbls reasoning baa.boon proven to he correct a®

can be ehown by the fact tbet&undro&o of well# have b##a drilled to within a fit foot of encountering bottom wmter and no appreciable thews of water are found except whore

■mil# are

for long' period# of fei#e*

Tforfclo&l porosity .it not ooraoa In r#f«rvoirt but 1% is tmmd In

p im m m S it 1# boiiovod .to

bo. due- to fmctor#® and ainer funits* .in. oostparloot* to

;to# 'howioonbal porosity reservoirs toe vttoiesi porosity reservoir e