Air Drilling for Gas Sands--Marianne Field, Sweetwater County, Wyoming: ABSTRACT

Abstract

Marianne field is on the northeast flank of the Rock Springs uplift in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, just south of the town of Superior. The field is located where regional east dip averages 300 ft/mi (57 m/km). Numerous east-northeast-trending normal faults are present across the field with displacements ranging from 20 to 400 ft (6 to 120 m). Updip stratigraphic pinch-outs are responsible for gas accumulations in two separate Second Frontier sandstones with entrapment apparently not related to faulting. There are similar traps in various thin sandstone stringers in the Third Frontier and Muddy sandstones. In addition, a combination stratigraphic-fault trap for hydrocarbons appears to have been found in the Dakota and Lakota sandstones in one well; these horizons were aban oned for mechanical reasons before conclusive testing could be completed. All but one of the wells at Marianne field have been drilled either partially or completely with air. Consequently the potential to produce from various pay zones in nearly every well was determined prior to running production casing. This information generally cannot e obtained through drill stem testing in this area due to the formation damage from the drilling mud on the Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs. If an air-drilled gas reservoir was damaged later by drilling mud or cement, the potential was already known and it could be brought back through fracturing. The field consists of 6 gas wells and 5 dry holes. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1361------------