ENERGY

Oil and natural gas production remains a crucial component of the Kansas economy, and is a focus of research and service conducted at the KGS. At the same time, the KGS is studying and reporting on alternative forms of energy, such as coalbed methane.

GEMINI (Geo-Engineering Modeling through Internet Informatics)
This interactive, integrated web site (www.kgs.ku.edu/Gemini/index.html) is designed to construct real-time geo-engineering reservoir models. Information assembled from the web site or uploaded by the client (one person or a team) will be analyzed with an extensive suite of web-accessed analytical software using intelligent interfaces and tutorial support to accomplish project development. Projects can range from regional to local and span problems from complex to simple.

Site map for Gemini web page.

Log Analysis of Subsurface Geology via the World Wide Web
The KGS web site gives access to a large and expanding database of digital logs that contain an extraordinary amount of geological information from the Kansas subsurface, provided that users are conversant with petrophysical log interpretation and analysis. In this project, traditional methods of log-analysis training are migrated to a web host, as a distance-learning module that integrates descriptive linked flat html pages with interactive Java applets to give hands-on experience in the geological interpretation of wireline logs.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) miscible flooding demonstration.

Improved Oil and Gas Recovery
Kansas’ reservoirs have produced approximately 6 billion barrels of oil and continue to produce over 30 million barrels per year. Extremely large amounts of water (produced along with the oil), low recovery factors, and restricted access to advanced technology place continued production of this valuable natural resource at or near economic limits. Kansas fields now require a third phase of development—improved oil recovery. Improved oil-recovery techniques such as carbon dioxide (CO2) miscible flooding, horizontal drilling, and controlled hydraulic fracturing require cost-effective advanced technologies. KGS projects in this area introduce Kansas producers to potentially useful advanced technologies and demonstrate these technologies in actual oil-field operations. In addition, advanced technology is tailored specifically to the scale of operations appropriate to Kansas producers. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, a $5.4 million CO2 miscible-flood demonstration project in Russell County represents the first use of CO2 for improved oil recovery in Kansas; the goal is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the process in a major Kansas reservoir. The CO2 project also attempts to integrate electric generation, agriculture, ethanol production, improved oil recovery, and carbon sequestration as a linked energy system. Associated with this pilot study has been a detailed characterization of key reservoir properties. Other demonstration projects are focused on horizontal infill drilling and using numerical simulation to optimize fracture treatments.

Possible CO2 flood pattern, Russell County, Kansas.

Integrated Reservoir Systems and Basin Analysis
The majority of Kansas oil and gas production is operated by small independent producers that do not have resources to develop and test advanced technologies (90% of the 3,000 Kansas producers have fewer than 20 employees). Access to new technology is important for sustained production and increased financial viability and the overall economic health of the state. Integrated reservoir characterization and simulation is a new approach that cuts across the disciplines of geology, geophysics, and engineering to develop a complete picture of fluid movement in a flow-unit, reservoir, or basin. The concentration is on application of large quantities of quantitative data (e.g., core and log petrophysics or well-test information) to build detailed maps and 3-D volumes that can be input into reservoir simulators or models of basin-scale fluid movement. Specific projects focus on the Hugoton natural gas area, specific fields (such as Minneola, Schaben, Wellington West), 3-D seismic, coalbed-methane assessment, software packages (such as Pfeffer at www.kgs.ku.edu/PRS/software/pfeffer1.html, and studies of outcrops that are analogous to oil-producing reservoir rocks.

Coal and Coalbed Methane
Coalbed methane is a form of natural gas that can be produced from many Kansas coal beds. Studies in coal resources and coalbed-methane potential continued during 2001 with partial funding from the U.S. Geological Survey. These efforts included stratigraphic studies of coals in the Cherokee and Forest City basins in eastern Kansas. A strong emphasis during the year was on the coalbed-methane potential in these basins. Considerable interest developed recently concerning the economic potential of this commodity in Kansas. Numerous inquiries were handled concerning information about coal and coalbed methane. At this time, significant economic coalbed-methane development is occurring in eastern Kansas. In addition, high-resolution seismic-reflection is being applied to several key characteristics of coalbed-methane reserves (thickness of the coal seam and overburden; lateral extent of the gas-bearing coal; and geologic structures, such as faults, fractures, or cleats).

Drilling equipment at coalbed methane site.

Regional Stratigraphic Cross Sections of Kansas
Approximately 140,000 wells have been drilled in Kansas, and most of them have wireline logs that are excellent sources of information about subsurface geology. The KGS is preparing a series of computer-generated cross sections showing the subsurface geology from the ground surface to the Precambrian basement along critical corridors across Kansas.

CORRELATOR v. 2.0
Stratigraphic cross sections constructed by computer use CORRELATOR software, a collection of FORTRAN programs developed at the KGS. The software is “research-level” functional, but graphical elements must be added manually on the cross section for an acceptable publication. Currently, extensions are being added to display stratigraphic columns with lithologic symbols.

Seismic Signature of Shallow Gas Deposits in Eastern Kansas
Reservoir-analog studies using high-resolution seismic reflection, outcrop analysis, and rock core in Montgomery County have produced a variety of new insights and understanding of deeper oil-producing units in Kansas. Research funded by Exxon to examine a 5-mile north/ south transect along the Montgomery/Elk County line that intersects an incised valley included a high-resolution seismic-reflection image of the upper 1,000 feet.

List of 2002 Publications—Energy References

Kansas Geological Survey

Online May 20, 2003