A Case History of the Postle Area-Computer Production Control and Reservoir Simulation

Abstract

The Postle Area Computer Control Operation (PACCO) handles 95 oil wells, 45 water injection wells, and 10 water supply wells about 300 miles from the control computer. After a year's operation, the system showed itself to be highly satisfactory and effective, and pleasing to everyone - whether in operations, engineering, accounting. or management. Introduction Oil reserves were discovered in 1958 in the Pennsylvanian Age sands in the Postle Area of Texas County, Okla., by Republic Natural Gas Co. Step-out wildcats and development drilling established additional production and by 1960 five separate fields were identified. Subsequent development has gradually coalesced these fields to form a major producing area called the Postle Area, located near the center of the Oklahoma Panhandle (Fig. 1). This area now includes 38,000 productive acres and produces approximately 27,000 bbl of oil per day and 35 MMcf of gas per day from 332 producing wells. Five pressure maintenance units are in operation and are currently injecting 70,000 BWPD. Two additional pressure maintenance units are being formed. A computer production control and data acquisition system operates 95 oil wells, 45 water injection wells, 10 water supply wells, five central tank batteries, two production test satellites and four water injection stations in four of the five units. The control computer is located in Oklahoma City, approximately 300 airline miles southeast of the producing properties. Reservoir simulator model studies were used to monitor project performance, design a pressure maintenance program, and change the operational guidelines for a second project. They are expected to result in a 15 percent increase in ultimate oil recovery. The use of computers, of the digital reservoir simulator model, and of the computer production control and data acquisition system has afforded optimum project management of reservoir performance and operations. In 1962, when development was approximately 20 percent complete, Mobil Oil Corp. acquired the Republic Natural Gas Co.'s acreage, which is a significant portion of the oil-productive acreage in the Postle Area. The following is a discussion of the ensuing exploitation of the five major Pennsylvanian Age oil-bearing sands underlying the Postle Area and the computer production control and data acquisition system as it was applied in the Postle Area. Geology The Postle Area is located in the southern portion of the Hugoton Embayment of the Anadarko basin in Texas County, Okla. The Pennsylvanian Age sands in this area underlie a portion of the Permian Age Hugoton gas field. Editor's note: This paper is a combined version of the original manuscripts of "A Review of Postle Area - Development, Unitization, Pressure Maintenance and Computer Applications," by R.A. Irwin, C.W. Tucker, and H.E. Schwartz, Jr.; and "Computer Production Control and Data Acquisition as Applied in Postle Area," by H.E. Schwartz, Jr.