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J. W. Robinson and K. W. Shanley, 2004, Jonah Field: Case Study of a Tight-Gas Fluvial Reservoir: AAPG Studies in Geology 52 and Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 2004 Guidebook.

Copyright copy2004. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Fluvial Reservoir Description for a Giant, Low-permeability Gas Field: Jonah Field, Green River Basin, Wyoming, U.S.A.

Keith W. Shanley1

BP America/Upstream Technology Group

1Present address: Consultant, Littleton, Colorado, U.S.A.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This chapter is based on a proprietary, in-house project performed for Amoco Production Company and its successor, BP America. Like all technology-unit projects, this work would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of the business units responsible for the Jonah asset. Within the business unit, Paul Boissevain, Chris Christensen, Dennis Cox, Gerald Craig, Lesley Evans, Bill Hanson, Roger Harris, Ira Pasternack, and Rick Ross were instrumental in supporting this project. Within the Upstream Technology Group, Allen Skorpen, Todd Stephenson, and Mike Bowman provided invaluable support for this project. John Robinson, formerly of McMurry Energy, has provided invaluable insights to Jonah field, the Green River basin in general, and to thoughts on alluvial architecture. Peter McCabe of the U.S. Geological Survey provided insights into alluvial architecture.

The manuscript was reviewed by Frank Ethridge at Colorado State University and Peter McCabe at the U.S. Geological Survey. Both reviewers provided thoughtful comments that resulted in substantial improvements to the chapter. I deeply appreciate both the time and effort expended by Frank and Peter. Finally, a debt of gratitude is owed to Bob and Sue Cluff of The Discovery Group, Denver, Colorado. Bob and Sue have participated in numerous discussions about Jonah field over the last few years that have shaped my own thoughts. More recently, they have generously allowed me the use of their office, support and computer systems, etc. during completion of the manuscript. Without their help, this manuscript would not have been completed.

ABSTRACT

The Lance Formation at Jonah field comprises a thick succession, locally more than 3500 ft (1100 m), of low-permeability, fine-grained alluvial sandstones. These alluvial sandstones were deposited by modest rivers in a rapidly subsiding basin in the northern portion of the Greater Green River basin of southwest Wyoming. Stacking of these alluvial sand bodies has produced an extremely heterogeneous reservoir in which reservoir sand bodies are from 9 to 15 ft thick (3 to 5 m) and approximately 200–700 ft wide (60–210 m P50 values). Because of the low net/gross of the overall Lance Formation (10–35% overall, 40–80% locally) and the comparatively small sand bodies, it is most likely that wells drilled on 40-ac (0.16-km2) density (1320 ft [402 m] closest spacing between wells) will result in more than 75% reservoir additions and less than 25% rate acceleration. It is also quite likely that wells drilled on increased density, less than 40 ac (0.16 km2), will result in significant reserve additions as well.

Because the Lance Formation at Jonah field is dominated by intercalated, relatively thin alluvial sand bodies and alluvial-plain deposits, much of the reservoir-bearing interval is at or below seismic tuning. As a result, despite the presence of a high-quality, three-dimensional seismic survey, the reservoir cannot be consistently imaged or described from seismic data. In this chapter, a description of the reservoir at Jonah field is developed based on a sedimentological description of the available cores and the integration of well-log data. These data are then used to develop quantitative estimates of the sizes of fluvial systems that resulted in the sand bodies found in Jonah field as well as estimates of the lateral extents of the sand bodies themselves. Traditional techniques for estimating sand body geometry are compared with a probabilistic approach based on numerous analog sand body studies. For subsurface decision making, a probabilistic approach more accurately captures the range of likely outcomes than the more traditional approach of attempting to derive single-point estimates of fluvial dimensions.

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