Kansas Geological Survey, Open File Report 97-14
Kansas Geological Survey, Open File Report 97-14
Oil production in the United States has steadily declined, while
consumption and imports are steadily increasing. In September of 1985
the nation produced over 10,636,000 barrels of oil per day
(http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/pet_frame.html).
For the first 11 months of 1996, production dropped to 8,604,000
barrels per day. Imports have risen from 4,286,000 barrels of oil per
day in 1985 (28% of demand) to 8,400,000 barrels of oil per day in
1996
(http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/pet_frame.html).
By the end of 1996, import to demand ratio will probably exceed 50%.
To help mitigate the decline in U.S. oil production, the United
States Department of Energy (USDOE) has initiated programs that
enable and encourage development of innovative technologies, and
promote the transfer and application of technologies to petroleum
operators of all sizes, but especially independent operators.
Independent operators now dominate the domestic petroleum industry.
Through these methods, the USDOE intends that significant additional
production that otherwise would be produced.
One of the most effective methods to gain additional production
from known reserves, to add new reserves and to prevent the premature
abandonment of wells is to provide oil and gas producers with the
access to up-to-date information and technology. The critical
information and technology can vary among fields, reservoirs and
operators. As an example, a key for one type of reservoir might be
sophisticated, inexpensive ways to identify unswept compartments; and
for another field type the key might be optional and optimal
techniques for additional workover, completion, and production
practices that have been successful in analog fields.
Short of conducting a full-scale reservoir analysis of each producing field, an efficient and effective method of communicating this type of key information to operators is by example. For each reservoir type in a producing region, a thoroughly studied and documented analog can illustrate which geologic and engineering procedures
are likely to be most successful in increasing ultimate recovery. An analog example provides operators with sufficient information and technology to apply their own producing properties, and increase production and ultimate recovery by copying, modifying and applying proven methods. One way to accomplish the goal of disseminating information by analog is to provide a geological and engineering based, state-of-the-art, petroleum atlas that contains not only historical data and descriptions, but technologically advanced syntheses and analyses of "why reservoirs produce" and "how ultimate production may be increased."