Targeting reserve growth opportunities in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin: transferring secondary gas recovery technology to the offshore environment - Book 1

The Bureau of Economic Geology's Offshore Secondary Gas Recovery project is a multi-fiscal-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, whose goal is to identify additional natural gas resources in a major field in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin through multidisciplinary field and reservoir characterization study. Phases 1 and 2 of the project work plan (Project Preparation and Data Gathering and Loading, respectively) are nearly complete and scheduled to be completed by the end of October 1999. Phase 3 of the plan (Data Analysis) is well underway, and a list of preliminary leads is currently being compiled to convey to our industry partner. Reservoir tops have been spotted to facilitate production evaluation and recompletion opportunity. Key regional sequence surfaces have been identified in well logs and seismic, and mapping is being completed in the seismic dataset. Some of these surfaces have provided horizons to initiate a continuity processing of the seismic data volume for mapping depositional architecture. Well log interpretation of stacking patterns and systems tracts is well underway. Correlation surfaces have been compiled, and cross sections have been generated and interpreted for depositional elements. These data are being integrated with seismic data via Landmark® software. The project is on track within its projected timeframe, and additional personnel are being added as per the technical analysis plan. The key objective in the next fiscal year is to do the bulk of the technical analysis, focusing on generating a prioritized portfolio of infill and exploration prospects. Direct hydrocarbon indicator (DHI) modeling and analysis, continuity and impedance analysis, a general attribute interpretation of the seismic data, continued log-facies and parasequence interpretation, fault-seal analysis, and rigorous petrophysical analysis of well data are critical components of this objective.