RPSEA I
Abstract: For a long period of time, the oil in place in reservoirs beneath the oil/water contacts was professed to be due to capillary “smearing” and surface tension in rock/water and oil phases. The widely accepted terminology was transition zones.
Project Name: Commercial Exploitation and the Origin of Residual Oil Zones: Developing a Case History in the Permian Basin of New Mexico and West Texas
Program Name: 2008 Research Program of the Research Program to Secure Energy for America’s (RPSEA) Small Producer Program
Project Number: 08123-19
Start Date: July 8, 2009
End Date: March 30, 2012
Prime Contractor: The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Participants: Melzer Consulting (co-principal investigator), The Applied Petroleum Technology Academy; Chevron Corporation, ARCADIS-US, University of Houston, and Legado Resources
Contacts: UT Permian Basin – Dr. R. C.Trentham, Ofc: 432- 552-2432; email: trentham_r@utpb.edu Melzer Consulting – L. Stephen Melzer, Ofc 432-682-7664,
RPSEA contact: Charlotte Schroeder (cschroeder@rpsea.org or 281-690-5506)
The goal of this project was to develop a more thorough understanding of Residual Oil Zones (ROZs) in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico and to demonstrate the ability to model a lateral natural waterflooding sweep process. It is hoped… more
The approach to this project entailed collection and synthesis of massive amounts of data, including log, core, and well data as well as reports and observations… more
Accomplishments:
This project is complete, and notable accomplishments include:
Identification of data sources, Collection of fluid and rock property data, Quality control of data,
- Development of a hydrodynamic model and evaluation of utility of model for ROZ characterization… more
Publications and Reports:
Final Research Report: Identifying and Developing Technology for Enabling Small Producers to Pursue the Residual Oil Zone (ROZ) Fairways of the Permian Basin, San Andres, RPSEA Small Producers Grant Final Report, http://www.rpsea.org/0812319/ more
SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS:
Certain data available from the variety of oil and gas well records provide evidence of the presence of residual oil zones. An important but only partial list includes: the presence of sour oil/gas, sulfur water, sulfur deposits, and bow shape porosity profiles from wireline logs, depressed water salinities and resistivity log character. more
Past studies by On-going industry EOR projects are critical to demonstrate the commercial nature of the study addressing a better understanding the ROZ science. more
Final Report:
Identifying and Developing Technology for EnablingSmall Producers to Pursue the Residual Oil Zone (ROZ) Fairways of the Permian Basin, San Andres. more
