Naval Petroleum Reserve Research Articles

Translocation of the Endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox,Vulpes macrotis mutica:A Retrospective Assessment

Abstract. In 1988, a study of federally endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) was initiated to develop techniques for translocating kit foxes onto Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 (NPR-1) in California. Our objective is to review the translocation program and provide recommendations for future efforts. There were no problems trapping, translocating, and maintaining foxes in captivity. We released 12 foxes onto NPR-1 in 1989 and 28 foxes in 1990. Of the 12 foxes released in 1989, 10 died within 1 year. Of 28 foxes released in 1990, 1 was still alive, 24 were dead, and the fate of 3 was undetermined when the study was terminated on 30 April 1992. Annual survivorship of translocated foxes was 0.03, which was less than survivorship of free-ranging foxes (0.35). Survivorship was not influenced by year of release, sex or age of translocated animals, or terrain in which foxes were released. Predation was the main cause of death. Six foxes survived through 1 breeding season, and 3 of these 6 foxe...

Arctic Plants Feel the Heat

The article discusses research on the effects of climate change on the Arctic and sub-Arctic. It notes research accommodated by thousands of aerial photographs that were taken of the Naval Petroleum Reserve in northern Alaska during World War II. Climate change is said to be affecting the inhabitants of the Arctic. The article discusses the challenges of monitoring climate change based on changes in vegetation. The author discusses the use of the aforementioned aerial photographs to examine Arctic tundra characterized by short vegetation and permanently frozen subsoil.

Teapot Dome: Characterization of a CO2-enhanced oil recovery and storage site in Eastern Wyoming

Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 3 (NPR-3), better known as the Teapot Dome oil field, is the last United States federally owned and operated oil field. This gives us a unique opportunity for experiments to provide scientific and technical insight into CO2-enhanced oil recovery and other topics involving subsurface fluid behavior. Toward that end, a combination of federal, academic, and industrial support has produced outstanding characterizations of important oil- and brine-bearing reservoirs there. This effort provides an unparalleled opportunity for industry and others to use the site. Data sets include geological, geophysical, geochemical, geomechanical, and operational data across a wide range of geological boundary conditions. Importantly, these data, many in digital form, are available in the public domain because of NPR-3's federal status. Many institutions are already using parts of the Teapot Dome data set as the basis for a variety of geoscience, modeling, and other research efforts. Fifteen units, nine oil bearing and six brine bearing, have been studied to varying degrees. More than 1200 wells in the field are active or accessible, and more than 400 of these penetrate 11 formations located below the depth that corresponds to the supercritical point for CO2. Studies include siliciclastic and carbonate reservoirs; shale, carbonate, and anhydrite cap rocks; fractured and unfractured units; and overpressured and underpressured zones. Geophysical data include three-dimensional (3-D) seismic and vertical seismic profiles. Reservoir data include stratigraphic, sedimentological, petrologic, petrographic, porosity, and permeability data. These have served as the basis for preliminary 3-D flow simulations. Geomechanical data include fractures (natural and drilling induced), in-situ stress determination, pressure, and production history. Geochemical data include soil gas, noble gas, and hydrocarbon organic geochemistry. The conditions of these reservoirs directly or indirectly represent many reservoirs in the United States, Canada, and overseas.

Detailed compositional analysis of gas seepage at the National Carbon Storage Test Site, Teapot Dome, Wyoming, USA

A baseline determination of CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes and soil gas concentrations of CO 2 and CH 4 was made over the Teapot Dome oil field in the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 3 (NPR-3) in Wyoming, USA. This was done in anticipation of experimentation with CO 2 sequestration in the Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone underlying the field at a depth of 1680 m. The baseline data were collected during the winter, 2004 in order to minimize near-surface biological activity in the soil profile. The baseline data were used to select anomalous locations that may be the result of seeping thermogenic gas, along with background locations. Five 10-m holes were drilled, 3 of which had anomalous gas microseepage, and 2 were characterized as “background.” These were equipped for nested gas sampling at depths of 10-, 5-, 3-, 2-, and 1-m depths. Methane concentrations as high as 170,000 ppmv (17%) were found, along with high concentrations of C 2H 6, C 3H 8, n-C 4H 10, and i-C 4H 10. Much smaller concentrations of C 2H 4 and C 3H 6 were observed indicating the beginning of hydrocarbon oxidation in the anomalous holes. The anomalous 10-m holes also had high concentrations of isotopically enriched CO 2, indicating the oxidation of hydrocarbons. Concentrations of the gases decreased upward, as expected, indicating oxidation and transport into the atmosphere. The ancient source of the gases was confirmed by 14C determinations on CO 2, with radiocarbon ages approaching 38 ka within 5 m of the surface. Modeling was used to analyze the distribution of hydrocarbons in the anomalous and background 10-m holes. Diffusion alone was not sufficient to account for the hydrocarbon concentration distributions, however the data could be fit with the addition of a consumptive reaction. First-order rate constants for methanotrophic oxidation were obtained by inverse modeling. High rates of oxidation were found, particularly near the surface in the anomalous 10-m holes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the process in the attenuation of CH 4 microseepage. The results also demonstrate the importance of CH 4 measurements in the planning of a monitoring and verification program for geological CO 2 sequestration in sites with significant remaining hydrocarbons (i.e. spent oil reservoirs).

Implications of a freshwater radiocarbon reservoir correction for the timing of late Holocene settlement of the Elk Hills, Kern County, California

Uncertainties regarding the magnitude of freshwater radiocarbon reservoir effects can introduce random errors into dates on archaeological freshwater carbonates. As a result, many archaeologists avoid dating freshwater shells unless no other datable materials are available. The chronology of prehistoric occupation of the former Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 (NPR-1) at Elk Hills, Kern County, has been established with 50 radiocarbon dates on freshwater mussels ( Gonidea and Anodonta sp.). Characterization of any freshwater radiocarbon reservoir effect is crucial for the accurate interpretation of inferred settlement and subsistence changes on the Elk Hills. Paired charcoal and freshwater mussels sampled from closely associated contexts were dated to identify a freshwater reservoir effect. Paired Anodonta and Gonidea sp. shells were dated to investigate interspecific differences in fractionation. Results indicate that a 340 ± 20 14C yr correction should be applied to conventional 14C dates on freshwater carbonates in the Buena Vista Basin before calendar calibration. Evidence of interspecific differences is inconclusive. Dates recalibrated with the reservoir correction indicate that widespread occupation of the Elk Hills is correlated with increasing precipitation towards the end of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly and during the Little Ice Age, suggesting that slough resource exploitation may have been driven by regional population pressure rather than drought-related declines in aquatic productivity.

Baseline studies of surface gas exchange and soil-gas composition in preparation for CO2 sequestration research: Teapot Dome, Wyoming

A baseline determination of CO2 and CH4 fluxes and soil-gas concentrations of CO2 and CH4 was made over the Teapot Dome oil field in the Naval Petroleum Reserve 3 in Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. This was done in anticipation of the experimentation with CO2 sequestration in the Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone underlying the field at a depth of 5500 ft (1680 m). The measurements were made in January 2004 to capture the system with minimum biological activity in the soils, resulting in a minimum CO2 flux and a maximum CH4 flux. The CO2 fluxes were measured in the field with an infrared spectroscopic method. The CH4 fluxes were determined from gas-chromatographic measurements on discrete samples from under the flux chambers. The CO2 and CH4 were determined at 30-, 60-, and 100-cm (11-, 23-, and 39-in.) depths in soil gas by gas chromatography. A total of 40 locations had triplicate flux measurements using 1.00-m2 (10.763-ft2) chambers, and soil gas was sampled at single points at each of the 40 locations. Carbon dioxide fluxes averaged 227.1 mg CO2 m2 day1, a standard deviation of 186.9 mg m2 day1, and a range of 281.7 to 732.9 mg m2 day1, not including one location with subsurface infrastructure contamination. Methane fluxes averaged 0.137 mg CH4 m2 day1, standard deviation of 0.326 mg m2 day1, and a range of 0.481 to 1.14 mg m2 day1, not including the same contaminated location. Soil-gas CO2 concentrations increased with depth, averaging 618, 645, and 1010 ppmv at 30, 60, and 100 cm (11, 23, and 39 in.), respectively. Soil-gas CH4 concentrations averaged 0.128, 0.114, and 0.093 ppmv at 30, 60, and 100 cm (11, 23, and 39 in.), respectively. The decrease in CH4 with depth reflects a slow rate of methanotrophic oxidation, even during winter conditions. The 13C of the soil gas CO2 was also determined in the soil-gas samples and in the atmosphere. These data demonstrated that the increased CO2 with depth was derived from the biological oxidation of soil organic matter.

Air-Xe enrichments in Elk Hills oil field gases: role of water in migration and storage

Hydrocarbons from the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve (NPR#1), Bakersfield, CA, are enriched in heavy noble gases. The 132Xe/ 36Ar ratios are as high as ∼576 times the ratio in air and represent the largest relative Xe-enrichments ever observed in terrestrial fluids. The Xe isotopic composition is indistinguishable from air. We show that these samples cannot be explained by equilibration of oil with air saturated water and secondary enrichment via a Rayleigh distillation gas stripping process. Based on laboratory studies of others with potential petroleum source rocks, we believe the source of this enriched heavy noble gas component was adsorbed air initially trapped in/on the source rocks that was expelled and mixed with the hydrocarbons during expulsion and primary migration. Kr and Xe enrichments decrease with increasing 36Ar concentration. We propose a model in which an initial Kr–Xe-enriched hydrocarbon becomes diluted with noble gases extracted from air saturated groundwater during expulsion, migration, and storage. The model generates an integrated water/hydrocarbon ratio for the production fluid which indicates a minimal role for water in hydrocarbon expulsion and migration. The results are interpreted to provide time/geometrical constraints on the mechanisms by which hydrocarbons can migrate as a separate phase.

Abstract: Case Study of a Successful Low-Cost, Low-Pressure, Low-Volume Gas Injection Project in the Shallow Oil Zone, Naval Petroleum Reserve #1 (Elk Hills), Kern County, CA 

Abstract: Case Study of a Successful Low-Cost, Low-Pressure, Low-Volume Gas Injection Project in the Shallow Oil Zone, Naval Petroleum Reserve #1 (Elk Hills), Kern County, CA 

Abstract: The Use of Horizontal Drilling to Improve Production from a Tight P1iocene Reservoir, Westem Shallow Oil Zone: Elk Hills, U. S. Naval Petroleum Reserve #1, Kern County, California 

Abstract: The Use of Horizontal Drilling to Improve Production from a Tight P1iocene Reservoir, Westem Shallow Oil Zone: Elk Hills, U. S. Naval Petroleum Reserve #1, Kern County, California 

Abstract: Horizontal Drilling Program, Stevens A1-A2 Sands, Northwest Stevens Area, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, San Joaquin Basin, California 

Abstract: Horizontal Drilling Program, Stevens A1-A2 Sands, Northwest Stevens Area, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, San Joaquin Basin, California 

Abstract: Making Better Structure Maps by Combining Direct Mapping and Conformable Mapping Techniques: An Example from the United States Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, Elk Hills, CA 

Abstract: Making Better Structure Maps by Combining Direct Mapping and Conformable Mapping Techniques: An Example from the United States Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, Elk Hills, CA 

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline Controversy: Technology, Conservation, and the Frontier

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was the object of perhaps the most passionately fought conservation battle in the U.S. Although numerous authors documented the pipeline construction during its construction, there is, surprisingly, no previous scholarly treatment of this event written by an historian. Coates is an environmental historian who views the most interesting aspect of the controversy to be [open quote]its relationship to earlier engineering projects and technological innovations in Alaska and the debates that accompanied them.[close quotes] Thus, he describes how the conservationist and environmental ideas arose during numerous earlier major Alaskan projects and controversies, including the Alaska Highway (1938-41), Canol Pipeline (1943-45), exploration of Naval Petroleum Reserve Number Four (Pet 4, 1944-1953), DEWline (1953-57), oil development in the Kenai National Moose Range (1957-58), statehood (1958), the creation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (1960), Project Chariot (1958-63), and Rampart Dam (1959-67). The history starts with the acquisition of Alaska in 1867 and finishes about the time of the Valdez oil spill in 1989.

Light-Oil Steamdrive Pilot Test at NPR-1, Elk Hills, California

Summary A steamdrive pilot was run on a light-oil reservoir at the Naval PetroleumReserve No. 1 (NPR–1) in the Elk Hills oil field, Kern County, CA. From areservoir perspective, the steamdrive process behaved much as expected. Thefirst event to occur was the appearance of freshened water productionaccompanied by CO2 gas 3 months from startup of steam injection. The secondevent, an increase in crude gravity, appeared 3 months later, or 6 months intothe project. Finally, the third event was the arrival of the heat front at theproducing wells 13 months after startup. From a production perspective, CO2 in the freshened produced water caused wellbore scale damage and loss of well productivity. The steamdrive, however, mobilized residual oil, which mostly wascaptured outside the pilot pattern area. Acid stimulations to restore well productivity were done by injecting inhibitor in the steam feedwater and by designing acid cleanup treatments on the basis of results from laboratory tests.

History of Petroleum Development in Arctic Alaska

Long before recorded history, tar from oil seepages and oil shale that burned like wood were used for fuel by the Inuit (native people of Arctic Alaska). The first published descriptions of these oil seepages that identified Arctic Alaska as a petroliferous province appeared in 1909. In 1921, several applications for prospecting permits were filed by private groups under the old mining laws, but the permits were never issued. In 1923, President Harding set aside about half of the North Slope of Alaska, including most of the seepage areas, as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4. This was followed by three periods of federally sponsored exploration programs in the reserve and the adjoining areas during the periods 1923 to 1926, 1944 to 1952, and 1974 to 1982. Noncommercial oil and gas deposits were discovered in the reserve, the gas deposits at Barrow were developed for local use, and the feasibility of petroleum exploration and development in the Arctic was established. Industry exploration began in 1958 when the lands adjacent to the reserve were opened for lease. Prudhoe Bay, North America's largest oil field, was discovered in 1968. The history of petroleum development in Arctic Alaska provides an interesting study of themore » building of a geologic, geographic, and logistic base, of the lead time required for resource exploitation, of the interaction of government and industry, and of the expansion of the US resource base during a time of expanding ecologic awareness. Petroleum exploration in the Canadian Arctic region was stimulated by the activity across the border in Alaska.« less

Serological survey for selected diseases in the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica).

Blood from endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) inhabiting the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve, Kern County, and the Elkhorn Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California, was collected in 1981, 1982 and 1984 and sera were tested for antibodies against 10 selected pathogens. Proportions of kit fox sera containing antibodies against pathogens were: canine parvovirus, 100% in 1981-1982 and 67% in 1984; infectious canine hepatitis virus, 6% in 1981-1982 and 21% in 1984; canine distemper virus, none in 1981-1982 and 14% in 1984; Francisella tularensis, 8% in 1981-1982 and 31% in 1984; Brucella abortus, 8% in 1981-1982 and 3% in 1984; Brucella canis, 14% in 1981-1982 and none in 1984; Toxoplasma gondii, 6% in 1981-1982; Coccidioides immitis, 3% in 1981-1982; and Yersinia pestis and Leptospira interrogans serotypes canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjo, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona, none in 1981-1982. Although antibodies against selected pathogens were present, no clinical indications of disease were observed in these fox populations.

Arctic Energy Resources: Energy Research

Arctic Energy Resources is a volume of 26 papers recording the proceedings of the Comite' Arctique International Conference, held at the Veritas Centre, Oslo, Norway, September 22–24, 1982. This was the fourth of a series of meetings on the Arctic organized by the Comite', an organization established in the Principality of Monaco with the active support of H.S.H. Prince Rainer III. The fourth Conference was opened by H.R.H. Crown Prins Harald of Norway, a noble beginning for a noble objective.The North Polar Region has drawn world attention recently because of several large hydrocarbon and other mineral discoveries and because of major political and environmental actions in the North American Arctic. Since 1923 when Naval Petroleum Reserve number 4 (NPR‐4) was established, northern Alaska has been considered a major petroleum province. It was first explored systematically with modern techniques from 1943 to 1953. In 1958, Alaska became a state, and both federal and state lands in northern Alaska were available for private exploration. Building on the knowledge base provided by the Pet‐4 program and its spinoff research laboratory at Barrow, industry explored the area east of NPR‐4 and discovered the largest hydrocarbon accumulation (9.6 bbl crude oil and 26 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) gas) in North America at Prudhoe Bay. Concerns for environmental impacts, including oil spills, led to the passing of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969. In 1970, over 9 million acres were set aside, now known as the Arctic National Wildlife Range, and in 1971 the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 heightened the energy crisis and changed the economic basis for further exploration in the Arctic. The convergence of these events dramatically changed the balance of power and the pace of activity in the North American Arctic.

Aerial testing of a KrF laser-based fluorosensor

An airborne two-channel KrF laser fluorosensor was tested from a Convair 580-T over targets at the Nevada Test Site and at the Naval Petroleum Reserve and Santa Barbara Channel in California. The two spectral-channel system (295 and 395 nm) successfully detected a variety of pollutant-type materials on the ground, both at night and in full daylight.

Prudhoe Bay Field--Geophysical Case History: ABSTRACT

In June 1968, ARCO-Exxon completed the Prudhoe Bay State I well, discovering the largest oil accumulation in the United States. This discovery was the result of a 4-year seismic program which began in 1963. Prior to this time, and beginning in 1943, the U.S. Navy carried out a 10-year exploration program within Naval Petroleum Reserve 4. Small accumulations of oil and gas were discovered on NPR 4 during this period. Industry exploration started on the North Slope in 1958 with geologic field work. The first industry seismic work began in 1962. Initial emphasis was between the Colville and Canning Rivers on federal acreage within the foothills belt north of the Brooks Range. By 1963, each of the three predecessor companies of Atlantic Richfield (Atlantic Refining Co., Richf eld Oil Corp., and Sinclair Oil Corp.) were involved in separate geophysical exploration programs. North-south regional seismic lines and State of Alaska land availability resulted in shifting, in 1964, the exploration effort north to the Arctic coastal area. By this time both the Prudhoe Bay and Colville structures had been delineated. In December 1964, during the first state sale on the North Slope, Sinclair in partnership with British Petroleum (now Sohio-BP) leased the entire Colville structure. By mid-1965 additional seismic control had further defined the Prudhoe Bay structure. The critical state lease sale of July 1965 determined the eventual ownership of Prudhoe Bay field. It resulted in Richfield-Humble (now Exxon) buying the top tracts, with BP acquiring flank acreage. In Janua y 1967, ARCO-Humble acquired additional offshore tracts. Prior to the Prudhoe discovery well in January 1968, 10 wells had been drilled on the North Slope by industry without commercial success. End_of_Article - Last_Page 634------------

Petroleum Exploration of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA): ABSTRACT

Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 was designated as the End_Page 715------------------------------ National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska by the Naval Petroleum Reserves Act of 1976 and jurisdiction was transferred to the Secretary of the Interior. Beginning June 1, 1977, the U.S. Geological Survey was charged with the responsibility to (1) continue the petroleum exploration program, (2) expand production of natural gas at Barrow for local consumption, and (3) environmentally rehabilitate those parts of the reserve disturbed by previous exploration and construction activities. All of these activities are accomplished through a contract with Husky Oil NPR Operations, Inc.; the activities were previously supervised by the U.S. Navy in 1975 and were assumed in 1977 by the Department of the Interior. The U.S. Geological Survey provides technical and contract supervision and makes the final determination of the exploration strategy. Sixteen plays have been defined on the basis of geological and geophysical parameters to assess the petroleum potential and aid in management and land-use decisions. From 1974 to June 1, 1977, the Navy drilled seven test wells and completed 7,680 line mi (12,360 line km) of a planned 26-well and 10,000 line-mi (16,093 line km) seismic program. All test wells were drilled in northern NPRA along trend with Prudhoe Bay. At the W. T. Foran test well on the Arctic Coast, the Sadlerochit Formation (the principal reservoir at Prudhoe) had good porosity and permeability with residual oil. The other wells had minor shows of oil and/or gas. Twelve test wells were included in the program for fiscal years 1978 and 1979. Eight have been completed with shows of oil and gas; the J. W. Dalton well on the Arctic Coast produced a few barrels of heavy oil, but there were no commercial discoveries. A five-well exploration program is projected for fiscal year, 1980. One exploratory and two development gas wells were drilled at Barrow in 1978. The two producible wells in a new section of the Barrow gas district were tied into the pipeline system that delivers gas to the Barrow communities. End_of_Article - Last_Page 716------------

Barrow Gas Fields, North Slope, Alaska: ABSTRACT

The Barrow gas fields, located a few miles south of Point Barrow, Alaska, on a northern extension of the Arctic coastal plain, constitute the most northerly producing area in the United States. The South Barrow gas field was discovered in 1949 under the exploration program supervised by the U.S. Navy. The East Barrow field proved productive in 1977, shortly before Congress transferred Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 (NPR-4) to the Department of the Interior and renamed it the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA). The producing areas are regionally high near the intersection of two large structurally positive elements, the Barrow arch and the Meade arch. The section of sedimentary rocks above the metamorphic basement is thin in the producing fields, only about 760 m thick. The accumulations are structurally controlled and produce from a sandstone of Middle Jurassic age. The discovery wells were located on seismic anomalies that border a roughly circular disturbed zone, of highly faulted rocks with erratic dips, that has been called an astrobleme or a cryptovolcanic structure. Additional untested seismic structures appear to be present in the area. The older South Barrow field is the larger of the two fields, having original recoverable reserves of about 25 Bcf of gas. The newer East Barrow field has estimated recoverable reserves of about 12 Bcf of gas. The fields furnish fuel for facilities occupied by agencies of the federal government and the native village of Barrow. The costs of developing and producing the gas are high, but recent comparative studies have shown it to be the most economical fuel for the area. End_of_Article - Last_Page 737------------