A WORKFLOW TO DISPLAY REVOCHEM DATA IN GEOLOGICAL MAPPING SOFTWARE

Oil production from Utah’s Uinta Basin has grown dramatically in the past 5 years to over 140,000 bbls/d in 2023 and is projected to reach 160,000 bbls/d by the end of 2024. A major factor contributing to this increase has been the implementation of cube development by XCL Resources and other operators. Cube development, in which 8-12 wells are drilled, completed, and brought online concurrently in a drilling spacing unit (DSU), increases the capital and drainage efficiency of unconventional resource exploitation.

One of the major challenges of cube development is determining the well spacing pattern that will yield the highest return on investment. This is particularly important in stacked plays such as the Uinta due to the introduction of vertical interactions between wells drilled in different formations. Optimal spacing is determined through a combination of empirical testing and analytical methods such as microseismic, fiber optic studies, and produced oil geochemistry. One technique that has proven particularly useful in the Uinta Basin is RevoChem’s Production Allocation (PA) which is an advanced geochemical and statistical methodology that allows for detailed analysis of a well’s vertical drainage height and zonal contribution as referenced to a cuttings or core baseline.

XCL has developed a workflow to further increase the utility of these data by importing them into the Kingdom geological software package. By creating pseudowells, depth-shifting the PA data to a reliable formation top, and converting it to an LAS format, we can quickly and easily display cross-sections showing the drainage height of wells. An overview of the method will be presented along with 2 case studies that demonstrate the value of this workflow. In the first study, we show how a subtle targeting change in the Wasatch 5 Lower member of the Wasatch Formation led to decreased vertical interaction with overlying Uteland Butte wells. In the second, we show how efficient access to PA data provided support for an exploration well in a new zone of the Wasatch, leading to a successful and economic test.