evaluationofoilreservoircharacteristicstoassessnorth（11页）.docVIP

Evaluation of Oil Reservoir Characteristics to Assess North Dakota Carbon Dioxide Miscible Flooding Potential By: Ralph L. Nelms, Westport Oil and Gas Company Randolph B. Burke, North Dakota Geological Survey 12th Williston Basin Horizontal Well and Petroleum Conference May 2-4, 2004 Minot, North Dakota _________________________________________________________________ Abstract The reservoir characteristics of 97 North Dakota oil reservoirs were evaluated. Eighty-four of the reservoirs were unitized for water flooding before January 2004 whereas 13 other non-unitized fields with substantial oil reserves were included in the study. This study divided the potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) recoverable oil reserves into three categories: Probable, Possible, and Unfavorable. North Dakota has Probable CO2 miscible oil reserves of 171 million barrels of oil (MMbo) with an additional Possible CO2 miscible oil reserves of 106 MMbo. An Excel database was created summarizing the key reservoir characteristics of a majority of these 97 North Dakota oil reservoirs to assess CO2 miscible flooding potential. The Excel database created by the authors is partially based upon the Unit Excel database on the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s web site, but expands it by adding reservoir data. Reservoirs with projected CO2 oil recovery exceeding 2 MMbo are believed to be the most likely candidates for future development in North Dakota. A review of the standardized CO2 reservoir screening methodology is presented. The authors applied a simple empirical screening methodology to assess the best North Dakota fields and reservoirs for application of CO2 flooding. The majority of the future potential for CO2 miscible flooding in North Dakota is in carbonate oil reservoirs. A brief summary of the results from successful carbonate CO2 miscible flooding projects in West Texas is presented. A comparison is made between North Dakota reservoir characteristics and those of the ongoin