The Hugoton Project (HP) is an Industry, University and Govenmental funded consortium whose purpose is to develop technology and information to better understand the oil and gas resources of the Hugoton Embayment in Southwest Kansas.
Background
The Hugoton Embayment of southwest Kansas (Figure 1) is a premier resource of natural gas in the United States and the world. The Hugoton Field, which is only one of the numerous gas and oil fields in the Hugoton area, is the largest gas field in North America and one of the largest gas fields in the world. Since 1928, the gas fields of southwestern Kansas, including Hugoton, Panoma, Bradshaw and Byerly, have produced over 26 trillion cubic feet of gas. Hugoton production is a major source of gas and oil for the state and the nation. In 1997 gas production from the area was 689 billion cubic feet and represents 92% of total Kansas gas production. Oil production in 1997 was 8.3 million barrels. This is over 20% of the state's annual oil production. Both Hugoton gas and oil production have doubled over the last decade. This increased production is in sharp contrast to the steady production declines in the rest of the state and nation.
The value of the gas and oil produced in the 15 counties of southwest Kansas that comprise the Hugoton area exceeds 50% of the total value of gas and oil produced in the state. The significance of gas and oil production in the Hugoton area has been increasing, and the long-term producibility is the best in the state. Gas and oil production from the Hugoton area of southwest Kansas is important if not critical to the economic health of the region and the state. Any enhancement to production in the Hugoton area helps to maintain the infrastructure necessary for the state's petroleum industry. The initiative is designed to provide the knowledge and technical base required for intelligent stewardship, generation of new opportunities, and continue improvement in recovery strategies.
Even with this long history of substantial production, there is no publicly available field-wide study of how best to explore, produce, and regulate gas and oil in the Hugoton. Little is known at the field-scale of the fundamental geologic character of producing rocks, or the way that oil and gas moves or is trapped in those rocks. The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) along with the KU Energy Research Center are organizing a consortium of local producers, royalty owners, and other interested groups and individuals to undertake a comprehensive study of the oil and gas resources of the Hugoton area.
The Hugoton field is the largest natural gas field in North America and the second largest in the world. The Hugoton is only one of many gas fields in southwest Kansas (fig. 1) that have been important to Kansas since their development in the 1930's. The major gas fields of this area--Hugoton, Panoma, Bradshaw, Greenwood, and Byerly--have produced almost 27 trillion cubic feet of gas (enough gas to supply every household in Kansas for 364 years, based on gas consumption rates). The Hugoton and associated gas fields are part of a large, bowl—shaped structure that underlies most of southwest Kansas. This region is referred to as the Hugoton natural gas area.
The Hugoton natural gas area provides and oil to Kansas and the nation, generating significant revenues and providing jobs and income in at least 13 counties in southwest Kansas. Economically, the Hugoton area is Kansas's most important natural resource. It will continue to be an important resource for Kansas in the future, but it must be understood, managed, and developed in a way that will maximize its benefit to Kansans. This circular explains the history and geology of the Hugoton gas area, its importance to the state, and how foresight and stewardship will affect its future. For the purposes of this project, the Hugoton Embayment is defined by the 15 southwestern counties of Kansas (Finney, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearney, Lane, Meade, Morton, Scott, Seward, Stanton, Stevens and Wichita)