Elk Hills Sandstone In Kern County, California
The Elk Hills sandstone is characterized by: average permeability 30-400 mD; average porosity 32-39%; productive depth 2800-3100 feet; Oil-cut 15%; API gravity of oil 17-28º, and average gas-oil-ratio of 800 scf/stb.
Elk Hills is an example of how two in-situ seismic stimulation tools located 3/4 of a mile from dewatering wells caused a dramatic shift in relative phase permeability towards oil as shown by Figure 1 for 6 dewatering wells. Dewatering wells are located near a water/oil contact and produce huge amounts of water to abate water encroachment into the oil producing wells. Figure 1 shows a composite response of the 6 wells' oil production increasing from 40 to 260 Bbls/D, a 500 percent increase and an oilcut increase from less than 1 percent to well over 4 percent. The plateau in oil production and oilcut shown by the latter part of the graph relates to the stimulation reaching a maximum effect and can only be increased by adding more tools to this area.
More...
The Elk Hills sandstone is characterized by: average permeability 30-400 mD; average porosity 32-39%; productive depth 2800-3100 feet; Oil-cut 15%; API gravity of oil 17-28º, and average gas-oil-ratio of 800 scf/stb.
Elk Hills is an example of how two in-situ seismic stimulation tools located 3/4 of a mile from dewatering wells caused a dramatic shift in relative phase permeability towards oil as shown by Figure 1 for 6 dewatering wells. Dewatering wells are located near a water/oil contact and produce huge amounts of water to abate water encroachment into the oil producing wells. Figure 1 shows a composite response of the 6 wells' oil production increasing from 40 to 260 Bbls/D, a 500 percent increase and an oilcut increase from less than 1 percent to well over 4 percent. The plateau in oil production and oilcut shown by the latter part of the graph relates to the stimulation reaching a maximum effect and can only be increased by adding more tools to this area.
More...