Oklahoma Platform Research Articles

Characterization of a Shallow Horizontal Fracturing Treatment in Western Missouri

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 102342, "Characterization of a Shallow Horizontal Fracturing Treatment in Western Missouri," by L.K. Britt, SPE, NSI Technologies Inc.; S. Dunn- Norman, SPE, U. of Missouri-Rolla; M.B. Smith, SPE, NSI Technologies Inc.; E. Atekwana, U. of Missouri-Rolla; L. Slater, Rutgers U.; A. Gupta, SPE, and D. Numbere, SPE, U. of Missouri-Rolla; J.V. Fontana and J.H. Viellenave, Direct Geochemical; and J. Pelger, SPE, J-Environmental Inc., prepared for the 2006 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, 24–27 September. A research project, sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, was undertaken to demonstrate a development method for the heavy-oil reserves that exist at ultrashallow depth in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas. The principal objective was to demonstrate an economically viable method of producing the shallow heavy oil by use of a combination of microbial-enhanced oil-recovery treatments and horizontal fracturing in vertical wells. Introduction Heavy oil (8 to 25°API) exists in the shallow Pennsylvanian sands that occur over approximately 8,000 sq miles along the Kansas/Missouri border. The area covers portions of the northeast Oklahoma platform and the Cherokee and the Forest City basins. The Cherokee group is a sequence of alternating shales and sandstones with thin coal and limestone beds. The main productive units within the Cherokee group are the Bluejacket and Warner sandstones. The Warner sand has been drilled throughout Vernon County, Missouri, and several areas of known oil deposits have been defined. In the latter part of 2000, seven boreholes were continuously cored to a total depth (TD) of approximately 220 ft. All wells encountered heavy oil in both the Bluejacket and Warner sandstones. The Bluejacket sand occurred at approximately 130 to 135 ft with 8 to 12 ft of net pay, and the Warner sand occurred at approximately 160 to 170 ft with 15 to 30 ft of net pay. Warner-sand porosity ranged from 14 to 25%, and permeability in the Upper Warner ranged from 100 to 400 md. Five wells were drilled to produce the shallow heavy-oil deposits in the Warner sandstone, the Fauvergue Wells 1 through 5 (Fig. 1). The Cushard Wells 4 and 5 were cored wells in the project area. These wells were cored to TD and the cores analyzed as part of the project. Although it was believed that older wells drilled in the Warner sandstone had been fracture stimulated, no information regarding any historical fracture treatments, execution, or performance was available. Geomechanical Data Set The geomechanical data set includes profiles with depth of Young's modulus, in-situ stress, and fracture-fluid leakoff. Core from the Bluejacket and Warner sandstone formations and surrounding shales was available from the coreholes drilled, and static triaxial compression tests were conducted on samples to determine Young's modulus. Evaluation of the triaxial compression tests indicated that the Bluejacket and Warner sandstones have an average Young's modulus of 3.1×106 and 1.3×106 psi, respectively. The Rowe coal and the bounding shales have an average Young's modulus of 2.0×106 and 1.8×106 psi, respectively.

Heat flow and thermal history of the Anadarko Basin and the western Oklahoma Platform

The average geothermal gradient in the Anadarko Basin and the Oklahoma Platform estimated from 856 corrected bottom-hole temperatures (BHTs) is 21°C/km. Analysis of previously published thermal maturation data indicates that the Anadarko Basin has undergone from 1 to 3 km of erosion starting about 40 to 50 Ma. The average thermal gradient at the time of maximum burial was in the range of 22 to 25°C/km. There is no evidence that the thermal state of the Anadarko Basin has changed significantly since the late Paleozoic (250 Ma). To estimate heat flow in the Anadarko Basin and the Oklahoma Platform, we made 652 thermal conductivity measurements on drill cuttings from 9 oil and gas wells. All measurements were corrected for the effects of anisotropy, temperature, and porosity. Matrix conductivities perpendicular to bedding at 22°C range from 1.7 W m −1 K −1 for Permian age sandstone and shale, to 2.6 W m −1 K −1 for Devonian–Silurian age limestone and shale. In-situ thermal conductivities vary from 1.3 W m −1 K −1 to 1.9 W m −1 K −1. Estimated heat flow (±20%) ranges from 30 mW/m 2 to 42 mW/m 2, with a mean of 36 mW/m 2. We found no evidence for heat flow to increase significantly from the Anadarko Basin in the south to the Oklahoma Platform to the north. These results contradict a previous study which found heat flow increases from south to north, with heat flow in the Oklahoma Platform as much as 50% greater than heat flow in the Anadarko Basin. At the present time, we do not know if these differences are related to spatial variations or reflect methodological errors. If our results are averaged with those reported in previous work, mean heat flows in the Anadarko Basin and Oklahoma Platform are 39 mW/m 2 and 51 mW/m 2, respectively.

Abstract: Stratigraphic and Petrophysical Characterization of the Pennsylvanian Cottage Grove Sandstone (Osage-Layton Sand), Chanute Formation: East Newkirk Field, Northern Oklahoma Platform

Abstract: Stratigraphic and Petrophysical Characterization of the Pennsylvanian Cottage Grove Sandstone (Osage-Layton Sand), Chanute Formation: East Newkirk Field, Northern Oklahoma Platform

Heat flow and heat production in the Arkoma Basin and Oklahoma Platform, southeastern Oklahoma

Subsurface temperature and thermal gradients along a north‐south cross section through the Arkoma Basin and the Oklahoma Platform in southeastern Oklahoma were estimated from 345 bottom hole temperatures from 199 oil and gas wells. The average geothermal gradient in the southern part of the basin near the Ouachita Front is 20°C/km, exceeds 30°C/km in the middle part of the basin, and is 24°C/km on the Oklahoma Platform to the north. Drill cuttings obtained from 11 oil and gas wells were used for 843 thermal conductivity measurements. Thermal conductivity data, corrected to in situ conditions, were used to estimate heat flow. Estimated heat flow (±20%) in the deep part of the Arkoma Basin near the Ouachita Front is 35–40 mW/m2 and increases systematically northward to 60–65 mW/m2 on the Oklahoma Platform. Average heat production, estimated from gamma ray logs, is 2.3 ± 0.2 μW/m3 for basement rocks underlying the Arkoma Basin and 2.8 ± 0.1 μW/m3 for basement rocks in the Oklahoma Platform area. Numerical models show that heat refraction from the less conductive sedimentary rocks (∼1.6 W/m°K) of the Arkoma Basin to the more conductive crystalline rocks (∼3.0 W/m°K at 25°C) of the Oklahoma Platform and the Ouachita Mountains accounts for about 5–10 mW/m2 of the observed 20–30 mW/m2 decrease in heat flow from north to south. Changes in crustal heat production related to compositional changes and crustal thinning account for another 5–15 mW/m2 of the observed heat flow change. If the remaining 0–20 mW/m2 difference in heat flow is attributed to heat transport by topographically driven groundwater flow, the average basin‐scale permeability of the Arkoma Basin and the Oklahoma Platform can be no greater than 10−15 m2. Results of this study are not generally supportive of theories which invoke topographically driven regional groundwater flow from the Arkoma Basin in Late Pennsylvanian–Early Permian time (∼290 Ma) to explain the genesis of Mississippi Valley‐type lead‐zinc deposits, paleothermal anomalies, and regional diagenesis in the North American midcontinent.

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach for Reservoir Characterization in the Glenn Pool Field, Oklahoma: ABSTRACT

Abstract Glenn Pool, a mature marginal oil field, is located on the Northeastern Oklahoma Platform. It has been under production since the first discovery in 1905. Several reservoir treatments have been implemented in the last 50 years following the primary production. However, high reservoir complexity resulted in a large volume of oil to be left in place. Our research is focused on a 160-acre block (Self Unit) where a detailed multi-disciplinary (Geology, Geophysics, Petroleum Engineering) reservoir study was conducted. The purpose of the study is to improve the secondary recovery performance of the field through the use of proper reservoir description and better reservoir management. Prior to drilling a cooperative project well (Uplands Self #82) Self Unit was studied with conventional methods. Stratigraphic framework of the Glenn Sand reservoir has been established through a series of stratigraphic cross sections. Based on well log correlations the reservoir was divided into six discrete genetic intervals (DGI). Channel-fill, splay, channel-mouth bar, levee and interdistributary mudstone facies were recognized from well log profiles and core analysis. Attempts were made in simulating geology using simple kriging methods; results were not entirely satisfactory. Uplands Self #82 was drilled in late December, 1993. The project objectives for drilling the well were: 1) evaluate reservoir predictions; 2) collect data using conventional and advanced technologies. Facies architectural characterization before drilling was reasonably successful. Advanced technologies including microresistivity imaging log and crosswell tomography data were acquired as well as the conventional well log suites and core. Simulation of the DGI distribution was undertaken using truncated Gaussian simulation method. Simulation results strongly agree when comparing probability input distributions with the output distributions. Porosity distribution was simulated using the simulated annealing method, and permeability distribution was transformed from porosity using a conditional distribution approach. For a selected well location (Self #82) the comparison between simulated and core porosity/permeability is very good. Crosswell transmission and migrated reflection tomography images between Self #82 and three offset wells constrained lateral reservoir continuity. A reservoir management plan was developed from reservoir performance simulation, well test data, facies architecture and crosswell tomography.

Preliminary Statistical Analysis and Provenance Trends in Desmoinesian Sandstones from Central and Eastern Oklahoma: ABSTRACT

Desmoinesian sandstones from the northeast Oklahoma platform and from the Anadarko and McAlester basins record a complex interaction between mid-Pennsylvanian source-area tectonism and cyclic sedimentation patterns associated with transgressions and regressions. Framework grain summaries for 67 thin sections from sandstones of the Cherokee Group (Bartlesville, Red Fork, Skinner, and Prue) were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis to establish regional compositional trends for provenance analysis. R-mode cluster and correspondence analyses were used to determine the contributing effect (total variance) of key framework grains. Fragments of monocrystalline and polycrystalline quartz, chert, metamorphic rock, and limestone contribute most to the variation in the grain population. Q-mode cluster and correspondence analyses were used to identify three distinct petrofacies. Petrofacies I is rich in monocrystalline quartz (86 to 98%) and contains rare mica and rock fragments. Petrofacies II is also rich in monocrystalline quartz (66 to 86%) and contains as much as 15% metamorphic and sedimentary rock fragments. Petrofacies III is compositionally heterogeneous and contains fragments of polycrystalline and monocrystalline quartz, mica, chert, and metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Quantitative analyses indicate that Desmoinesian sandstones were derived from complex sedimentary and metamorphic source areas. Petrofacies I sandstones are restricted to the southwestern part of the Anadarkomore » basin and the northeast Oklahoma platform, whereas petrofacies II and III sandstones are distributed throughout the study area. The distribution of petrofacies within the region suggests a model of source-area interaction and cratonic sediment recycling.« less

Future Hydrocarbon Potential of Viola Limestone in Oklahoma: ABSTRACT

The Viola Limestone as a potential hydrocarbon source has been recognized for years in the literature, but only in the last couple of years has the industry actively pursued this target as a primary reservoir. The Viola is stratigraphically similar to the Hunton formation and produces from both fracture porosity and primary porosity zones. The Viola can be subdivided into three units with characteristics similar to the Bois d'Arc, Henryhouse-Haragan, and Chimneyhill members of the Hunton. Little formation water has been encountered and the higher prices for crude oil have made economic entire trends heretofore left undeveloped. Some of these trends are untested at any horizon, and others are thoroughly tested for the shallower zones, but virtually untested for Viola. The ost active End_Page 1497------------------------------ trend to develop has been along the north flank of the Marietta basin in southern Oklahoma. There has been great interest in the Viola on both sides of the Arbuckle Mountains, and in a new discovery along the complex mountain front province of the Anadarko basin. In addition, there are numerous OWWO attempts along the southern end of the Central Oklahoma platform Few wells in the Viola have the capability to produce without large frac treatments, and some require some special treatments for paraffin and other impurities. To date, no H2S has been encountered. The future of Viola development across large parts of Oklahoma is excellent with some very promising trends still untested. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1498------------

Iodine and Algae in Sedimentary Rocks Associated with Iodine-Rich Brines

Research Article| September 01, 1971 Iodine and Algae in Sedimentary Rocks Associated with Iodine-Rich Brines A. GENE COLLINS; A. GENE COLLINS Bartlesville Petroleum Research Center, Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74003 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. H BENNETT; J. H BENNETT Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri 65401 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar O. K MANUEL O. K MANUEL Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri 65401 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information A. GENE COLLINS Bartlesville Petroleum Research Center, Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74003 J. H BENNETT Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri 65401 O. K MANUEL Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri 65401 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 11 Mar 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1971, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1971) 82 (9): 2607–2610. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[2607:IAAISR]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 11 Mar 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation A. GENE COLLINS, J. H BENNETT, O. K MANUEL; Iodine and Algae in Sedimentary Rocks Associated with Iodine-Rich Brines. GSA Bulletin 1971;; 82 (9): 2607–2610. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[2607:IAAISR]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Neutron activation analyses of iodine and uranium in Paleozoic sedimentary rocks from the northern Oklahoma platform of the Anadarko basin show 0.9 to 12.3 ppm I and 0.07 to 8.7 ppm U. The samples were taken from strata in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, where anomalously high concentrations of iodine were found in associated subsurface brines. Micropaleontological examinations reveal algal strands in the more iodine-rich rocks. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Chemistry of some Anadarko Basin brines containing high concentrations of iodide

This study was made to determine the geochemical relationships between the subsurface fluids and some of the geologic strata in the Anadarko Basin. Samples of brines, cores, and petroleums from Pennsylvanian and Mississippian age sediments were obtained and analyzed. The brine samples obtained from Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age sediments in the northern Oklahoma Platform area of the Anadarko Basin contain the highest concentration of iodide ever recorded. The highest concentrations were found in the Pennsylvanian samples. The brines are a Na/1bCa/1bCl type. The brines probably have undergone diagenesis such as dolomitization, as indicated by the Mg/Br and Mg′/Br ratios and by plots of their concentrations of chloride cs. magnesium and calcium. The bromide concentrations of these brines indicate that they probably are relict. The Mg′/Mg ratios indicate that some of the brines were in equilibria with sandstones, some with dolomites, and some with limestones. Compared to sea water that was subjected to solar evaporation, most of these brines were enriched in concentrations of bromide, calcium, lithium, strontium; and iodide, and depleted in concentrations of magnesium and potassium. Most of the brines from Mississippian age sediments were enriched in boron concentrations, and most from Pennsylvanian age sediments were depleted in boron. The high concentrations of iodide in these brines was attributed to concentration by an abundant shallow water ancient fauna and flora and preservation by rapid sedimentation. Additional concentration of iodide in these brines occurred during sediment compaction and associated phenomena.

Iodide Abundance in Oilfield Brines in Oklahoma

Samples of subsurface water, oil, and rock from strata of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age in the Northern Oklahoma Platform area were analyzed. Several of the water samples contained iodide at more than 500 parts per million. Analyses of the brines and rock indicated that the iodide originated organically.

Mississippian Osage, Northwest Oklahoma Platform: ABSTRACT

The Sooner trend portion of the Northwest Oklahoma platform comprises a fractured limestone belt sub-paralleling the Anadarko basin hinge-line from West Edmond field through Enid townsite to Ringwood field. It ranges in width from 15-30 mi. and it is approximately 90 mi. long. Fracturing forces have been supplied by orogenies affecting the Nemaha ridge and Anadarko basin. Open fractures within the brittle cherty members of the thick Mississippian carbonate possess permeability ranging from sub-commercial to astronomically high. The reservoirs exist because of this widespread, effective permeability system. High initial potentials and fairly wide regional drainage support the common-source concept. Fracture density often determines reservoir value. It is difficult to predict fracture density in advance of drilling. Consequently, attractive areas are defined by End_Page 1562------------------------------ local drilling and by close observation of individual well productivity. Primary porosity is generally absent. Whole-core analysis reveals a fracture porosity average of 2% or less and an average net effective productive interval thickness range of 50-400 ft. Reserves are limited and estimates differ in direct proportion to the fracture density, gas/oil ratios, initial potentials, and total number of producing wells in an area. Commercial production can be obtained if the available facts are evaluated properly. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1563------------

Tectonic Framework of Oklahoma: ABSTRACT

Oklahoma can be divided into the following major tectonic units: The Oklahoma salient of the Ouachita Mountain orogen with the McAlester-Arkansas basin as foredeep. The Arbuckle Mountain-Criner Hills-Wichita orogenic system with the Anadarko basin as foredeep. The cratonic foreland of the two above systems consisting of the Oklahoma lobe of the Ozark End_Page 423------------------------------ dome, the Central Oklahoma platform, and the Northern Oklahoma platform with the buried Nemaha ridge marking the western boundary of the Central Oklahoma platform. A small marginal part of the Gulf Coast geosyncline. With the possible exception of the structures of the Ouachita Mountains with their foredeep and the deep Anadarko basin, most of the tectonic units of Oklahoma show structural features which by their direction or alignment rather strikingly reflect deformational trends of the basement complex established in pre-Cambrian time and rejuvenated in later diastrophic events. The first of these trends strikes northeast with variations from east-northeast to almost north-south (Ozark strike) and can be recognized in the following features: a. The tensional faulting of the Ozark region of Oklahoma. b. The alignment of the echelon fault belts of the Central Oklahoma platform. c. The faulting and general strike of the northern Nemaha ridge of Oklahoma. d. The northeast striking fault pattern of the Arbuckle-Wichita system, particularly evident in the eastern Arbuckle Mountains and in the pre-Cambrian of the Wichita Mountains. e. Transverse disturbances in the fold pattern of the Ouachita Mountains and the McAlester region. f. Geophysical anomalies west of the Nemaha ridge crossing the Anadarko basin. The second trend strikes normally west-northwest but varies from northwest to east-west (Arbuckle strike) and is most typically represented in the following structures: a. Major faults and folds of the Arbuckle-Criner Wichita system outlining the horst-graben block pattern of this tectonic unit. b. Numerous subsurface faults of the Central Oklahoma platform. c. Gentle folds in the Cretaceous of Southern Oklahoma. A third, less distinct trend of structures striking north-northwest (Anadarko strike) can be observed in: a. The pre-Cambrian of the Wichita Mountains. b. Fault and fold patterns of the Wichita-Criner system in the subsurface of central southern Oklahoma. c. The southeastern portion of the Anadarko basin with the flanking south end of the Nemaha ridge. The basement character and pre-Cambrian age of these trends can be best deducted from the dike, fault, and joint systems exposed in the pre-Cambrian cores of the Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains. The present state of knowledge of the mid-continental pre-Cambrian would not allow any precise conclusions as to the tectonic meaning of these trends in terms of pre-Cambrian structural history. In contrast to these basement controlled structures the tectonic character of the Ouachita Mountains represents a typical compressive orogen with thick geosynclinal sediments that tend to eliminate or obscure any basement influence by disharmonic folding or decollement. Asymmetric and tight folding as well as high-angle thrust faulting are the dominant features of this province. Observable low-angle thrusts are restricted and the orogen appears to be principally an autochthonous system. End_of_Article - Last_Page 424------------

Structural Relations on East Flank of Anadarko Basin, Cleveland and McClain Counties, Oklahoma

Information obtained from deep oil tests drilled in the past 5 years has disclosed that the Anadarko basin of western Oklahoma is separated from the central Oklahoma platform by a zone of buried large-scale faulting. The major displacement in Cleveland and McClain counties is a fault zone, herein named the McClain County fault zone, which extends through the two counties from north to south, approximately bisecting them. The total throw of the zone reaches a maximum of more than 2,300 feet. The fault is considered to be a zone of shearing due to differential vertical uplifts between the positive central Oklahoma platform on the east, and the negative Anadarko basin on the west. Numerous secondary faults are associated with the major fault zone. Structural differentiation of the two structural provinces was established at least by late Ordovician time, and may possibly date from the pre-Cambrian. However, the major movements were concentrated in two periods of diastrophism in pre-Des Moines Pennsylvanian time. Structural adjustments were in general continuous into Des Moines and later Pennsylvanian time; however, all faults pass upward into monoclinal folds in the lower part of the Deese group.