KU's Center for Research Awarded PUMP-1 Grant for
Central Kansas Horizontal Drilling Research
The Department of Energy has awarded The University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., a Preferred Upstream Management Practices grant (PUMP-1) for "Field Demonstrations of Horizontal Infill Drilling Using Cost-Effective Integrated Reservoir Modeling -- Mississippian Carbonates, Central Kansas". The Department of Energy will provide estimated federal funding of $406,000 for the 24-month project, with cost sharing of $407,000 from the University of Kansas and their partners on this project.
The University of Kansas' Tertiary Oil Recovery Project, the Kansas Geological Survey, Mull Drilling Company, Inc., and Maurer Engineering, Inc., will combine integrated reservoir modeling with horizontal infill drilling to increase production efficiency in Central Kansas Mississippian carbonate reservoirs. These reservoirs currently provide nearly 43% of Kansas annual production, but they are generally operated by small independents with limited resources for research and development, and the low average recovery factors of 13 to 15% are resulting in high abandonment rates, threatening a potential five-billion barrel loss of reserves.
Fractured and compartmentalized reservoirs with limited drainage radius for vertical wells and high water cuts from an aquifer in contact with the wellbores through fractures sharply decrease the efficiency of waterflooding. However, studies have shown that the reservoirs are suitable for horizontal drilling. This project will demonstrate a number of preferred management practices with emphasis on the use of horizontal wells. Other practices to be investigated include inexpensive screening of recovery assets, integrated characterization of sites, fracture modeling from core and log data, PC-based modeling and simulation, and post-drilling monitoring to optimize well production.
The University anticipates that demonstrating these preferred management practices to select, characterize, model, design, and drill a successful horizontal infill well in the Mississippian reservoir will develop a learning curve and build confidence among independent operators of the mid-continent to use cost-effective horizontal infill applications and modeling techniques in these mature reservoirs. The technologies will be transferred to operators through Internet access, and through publications, seminars, workshops, presentations at technical meetings, and one-on-one meetings with