ABSTRACT

Economics and possibility of underground gas storage, i.e., natural gas, helium, etc. has been a subject of vast investigations in recent years. Unless adequate savings can be obtained by storing any gas underground, as opposed to transporting it directly to the Market, the problem would indeed be academic. Large savings in capital expenditures for pipeline and associated equipment can be achieved by proper development and use of underground storage facilities.

Coats (4) has shown that many companies in the United States as well as in Europe, have been highly successful in storing gas in large quantities underground.

In his particular study extensive varieties of Logs were available, from which different reservoir parameters were determined. The Log data were used to construct various needed maps for each zone. The average porosity and water saturation maps were used primarily to verify the areal extent and thereby the volume of each producing horizon. The residual gas saturation of about 5 percent was calculated. The five reservoirs under consideration for gas storage were considered to be volumetric, and storage pressures were assumed to be at 80 percent of the formation fracture pressure. Bottom hole flowing pressures were studied as a further means of verifying reservoir limits.

Four of the five horizons studied are of high storage quality. The Viola Limestone was the only questionable layer for storage purposes. With minimum storage pressures of 1000 psig this field is recommended for gas storage.