Depositional Heterogeneity and Fluid Flow Modeling of the Oil Shale Interval of the Upper Green River Formation, Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah
Principal Investigators: Royhan Gani and Milind Deo
Project Summary: With declining conventional oil resources of the world and a concomitant rise in the crude oil price, our attention is increasingly focused on the economical use of the vast resource of unconventional fossil fuels. The largest documented deposits of oil shale in the world are in the Green River Formation of the western United States (conservative estimate of 800 billion barrels recoverable). Nevertheless, the sedimentological characterization of the oil-shale bearing strata of the Green River Formation is poorly documented compared to conventional petroleum resources in the U.S.
This study is focused on the upper Green River Formation in the eastern Uinta Basin (Utah), which has accumulated one of the richest and thickest oil shale deposits. Based on about 100 well logs and 1000 feet of core, we have completed a detailed depositional and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the upper Green River Formation to identify the nature and extent of reservoir heterogeneity. We have built a three-dimensional fluid flow model of a representative oil shale interval with the aim of understanding the impact of reservoir heterogeneity on a variety of production processes. In this project, a tight integration between reservoir characterization, reservoir simulation, and oil production methods is being achieved. This is one of the first and unique scientific approaches to investigate the production potential of oil shale resources of the Green River Formation in the State of Utah.
Figures:
Figure 1: Cross-section of the zone modeled and Fischer Assay yields at corresponding depths.
Figure 2: Pyrolysis scheme employed in heating the shale and recovering the oil. .
Figure 3: Comparison of the experimental and simulated results of an in-situ combustion process. The University of Utah thermal simulator, which will be used to simulate the impact of fractures in oil shale recovery in the Green River formation, was validated using this exercise.
:
Huang, G.-K. and Deo, M. D.,"Evaluation of Different In Situ Recovery Strategies," 26th Oil Shale Symposium, Colorado School of Mines, October 16-18, 2006, Golden, CO.
Mandalaparti, P., Huang, G.-K. and Deo, M. D., “Environmental Impact of In Situ Oil Shale Processing,” Colorado School of Mines, October 15-19, 2007, Golden, CO.
Huang, G.-K., Deo, M. D., and Gani, G., “Production of Oil Shale from the Green River Formation in Utah,” American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting, November 4-9, 2007, Salt Lake City, UT.