Frio sandstone reservoirs in the deep subsurface along the Texas Gulf Coast: their potential for production of geopressured geothermal energy

Abstract

Detailed geological, geophysical, and engineering studies conducted on the Frio Formation have delineated a geothermal test well site in the Austin Bayou Prospect which extends over an area of 60 square miles. A total of 800 to 900 feet of sandstone will occur between the depths of 13,500 and 16,500 feet. At leat 30 percent of the sand will have core permeabilities of 20 to 60 millidarcys. Temperature at the top of the sandstone section will be 300/sup 0/F. Water, produced at a rate of 20,000 to 40,000 barrels per day, will probably have to be disposed of by injection into shallower sandstone reservoirs. More than 10 billion barrels of water are in place in these sandstone reservoirs of the Austin Bayou Prospect; there should be approximately 400 billion cubic feet of methane in solution in this water. Only 10 percent of the water and methane (1 billion barrels of water and 40 billion cubic feet of methane) will be produced without reinjection of the waste water into the producing formation. Reservoir simulation studies indicate that 90 percent of the methane can be produced with reinjection. 106 figures.