The 2014 CCST Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The 2014 CCST Report California Council on Science and Technology Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Pacific Institute August 28, 2014 Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information California Council on Science and Technology Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Pacific Institute August 28, 2014 Acknowledgments This report has been prepared for the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) with funding from the United States Bureau of Land Management. Copyright Copyright 2014 by the California Council on Science and Technology ISBN number: 978-1-930117-93-8 Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information About CCST CCST is a non-profit organization established in 1988 at the request of the California State Government and sponsored by the major public and private postsecondary institutions of California and affiliate federal laboratories in conjunction with leading private-sector firms. CCST’s mission is to improve science and technology policy and application in California by proposing programs, conducting analyses, and recommending public policies and initiatives that will maintain California’s technological leadership and a vigorous economy. Note The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has made every reasonable effort to assure the accuracy of the information in this publication. However, the contents of this publication are subject to changes, omissions, and errors, and CCST does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies that may occur. For questions or comments on this publication contact: California Council on Science and Technology 1130 K Street, Suite 280 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-492-0996 [email protected] www.ccst.us Layout by a Graphic Advantage! 3901 Carter Street #2, Riverside, CA 92501 www.agraphicadvantage.com Table of Contents Table of Contents Acronym List ....................................................................................................................15 Introduction .....................................................................................................................17 1 Major Findings and Conclusions ..........................................................................25 2 Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies ............................................................45 2.1 The Purpose of Stimulation Technologies ............................................................46 2.2 Well Drilling and Construction .............................................................................50 2.2.1 Vertical Wells .......................................................................................................50 2.2.2 Directional Drilling and Horizontal Wells ............................................................56 2.3 Hydraulic Fracturing ............................................................................................58 2.3.1 Hydraulic Fracture Geomechanics, Fracture Geometry, and the Role of Natural Fractures and Faults .......................................................59 2.3.2 Hydraulic Fracture Fluids and Their Effects on Fracture Geometry ......................61 2.3.3 Proppants .............................................................................................................67 2.3.4 Acid Fracturing ....................................................................................................68 2.3.5 Completions and Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing ...............................................69 2.3.6 Fracturing Fluid Flowback ...................................................................................71 2.3.7 Hydraulic Fracturing Process: Examples from the Bakken and Eagle Ford Plays .................................................72 2.4 Matrix Acidizing ...................................................................................................75 2.4.1 Sandstone Acidizing .............................................................................................76 2.5 Main Findings ......................................................................................................79 2.6 References ............................................................................................................80 3 Historic and Current Application of Well Stimulation Technology in California ......................................................................................87 1 Table of Contents 3.1 Horizontal Wells ..................................................................................................88 3.1.1 Historical Horizontal Well Utilization ..................................................................88 3.1.2 Recent Horizontal Well Installation .....................................................................91 3.2 Hydraulic Fracturing ............................................................................................91 3.2.1 Historical Use of Hydraulic Fracturing .................................................................91 3.2.2 Current Use of Hydraulic Fracturing ....................................................................96 3.2.3 Fluid Volume ......................................................................................................101 3.2.4 Fluid Type ..........................................................................................................109 3.3 Acid Fracturing ..................................................................................................110 3.4 Matrix Acidizing .................................................................................................111 3.4.1 Historic Use of Matrix Acidizing .........................................................................111 3.4.2 Current Use of Matrix Acidizing .........................................................................112 3.4.3 Fluid Volume ......................................................................................................112 3.4.4 Fluid Type ..........................................................................................................113 3.5 Conclusions ........................................................................................................113 3.6 Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................115 3.7 References ..........................................................................................................115 4 Prospective Application of Well Stimulation Technologies in California ..................................................................................119 4.1 Overview of Significant Findings ........................................................................119 4.2 Introduction to Oil Deposits ...............................................................................120 4.3 Sedimentary Basins in California .......................................................................124 4.3.1 Structural Controls .............................................................................................125 2 Table of Contents 4.3.2 Diagenetic Controls ............................................................................................127 4.4 Primary Oil Source Rocks in California ..............................................................128 4.4.1 Monterey Formation ..........................................................................................128 4.4.2 Vaqueros Formation ...........................................................................................136 4.4.3 Tumey and Kreyenhagen Formations .................................................................136 4.4.4 Moreno Formation .............................................................................................136 4.4.5 Comparison of the Monterey Formation with the Bakken Formation .................137 4.5 Oil-producing Sedimentary Basins in California .................................................142 4.5.1 Los Angeles Basin ...............................................................................................143 4.5.2 San Joaquin Basin ..............................................................................................145 4.5.3 Santa Maria Basin ..............................................................................................151 4.5.4 Ventura Basin .....................................................................................................152 4.5.5 Cuyama Basin ....................................................................................................154 4.5.6 Salinas Basin ......................................................................................................157 4.5.7 General Observations of Neogene Sedimentary Basins in California ..................158 4.6 Results of Exploratory Drilling of Deep Shales in California...............................158 4.7 Review of the US EIA 2011 Estimate of Monterey Source Rock Oil ...................162 4.8 Prognosis ............................................................................................................164 4.9 Summary ............................................................................................................167 4.10 Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................168 4.11 References ..........................................................................................................169
Recommended publications
  • The Oil Fields of the Los Angeles Basin Westside to Downtown
    The Oil Fields of the Los Angeles Basin Westside to Downtown 5 4 8 1 3 6 9 2 10 7 The area extending from the 405 freeway to downtown is the most urbanized oil field in the nation. The region, spanning 13 miles, overlies a chain of 11 oil fields, where more than two million barrels of oil are extracted annually, from wells that are hidden within the urban fabric. It is here that the industry has evolved some of the most unusual characteristics of blending into a changing land, a sort of industrial disappearing act. 1 Sawtelle Oil Field Sawtelle Oil Field is accessed through just one surface site, located next to the 405 freeway, on the grounds of the Veterans surface seeps, such as those at the La Brea Tar Pits, led to its early development, in 1903. At its production peak in 1908, it Administration campus on the west side of Los Angeles. 178,000 barrels of oil were produced here in 2008, through 18 active produced 4.5 million barrels of oil. Its output is now small (just over 50,000 barrels per year), and instead of being covered in wells on site, some as deep as two miles down. The Brietburn Energy Company, a company that specializes in working the hundreds of derricks, is accessed nearly invisibly through a multiple, directional well location, behind a fence, on the west side urban fields of Los Angeles, purchased the site in 2007. of the Beverly Center mall. 2 Cheviot Hills Oil Field 6 South Salt Lake Oil Field The oil in the Cheviot Hills Field is accessed through well sites located on two separate golf courses, the Rancho Park Golf This is a small field south of the Salt Lake Field, with no active wells on top of it.
    [Show full text]
  • PACIFIC PETROLEUM CEOLOCIST NEWSLETTER of the Pacific Section American Association of Petroleum Geologists JANUARY 1997 NO.7
    Page 1 1997 No.7 PACIFIC PETROLEUM CEOLOCIST NEWSLETTER of the Pacific Section American Association of Petroleum Geologists JANUARY 1997 NO.7 IAMESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT I In my last two columns I acquainted you with two and Texas. We appreciate his long and continued in­ thirds of the Pacific Section Executive Committee and volvement in the Pacific Section. the work they are doing for our professional society. The remainder of the Executive Committee will be the JackWest (Epoch) is a past President of the Pacific Sec­ grist for this column. tion (1988-89). In addition to working on convention committees, he recently was ourliaison to the National Vic Church (Consultant) has been active in the local AAPG Advisory Council and is currently the represen­ and National AAPG since long before I met him. His tative on the Executive Committee for the California interest in the preservation of cores caused him to be in Well Sample Repository. on the planning and opening of the California Well Sample Repository at Cal State Bakersfield. He has As you hopefully have noticed in reading mylast three championed the cause of core preservation at the Na­ columns, there are many geologists in the Pacific Sec­ tional AAPG level as well and keptus apprised oftheir tion AAPG who feel it is worth while to spendsome of efforts. Hehas most recently been the chair ofthe Hon­ their time keeping ourprofessional society intact. These ors and Awards Committee for the Pacific Section, a people are some of the hardest working andmost gen­ position he resigned as I was writing this column.
    [Show full text]
  • February 2020 Editorial in the Late 1970S My Parents Decided to Retire
    February 2020 Editorial In the late 1970s my parents decided to retire in Hornsea, East Yorkshire. It is a small coastal town with medieval roots and really a very pleasant place to live. I suspect that they would be quite staggered to know that it is now one of the most important energy centres in the whole country. Within a few years of them arriving there, huge caverns with a capacity of 235 million cubic metres were excavated in salt strata about 2 km below ground level; their purpose, to store North Sea gas. But that was just the start. Developed offshore is the world’s largest wind farm with a generating capacity of 1,386 Megawatts, and even that is set to be exceeded by planned developments. If that wasn’t enough then recent drilling in the area has revealed what may prove to be the largest on shore oil and gas discovery in the United Kingdom. Initial estimates are that the capacity is 283 million barrels of oil and 266 billion cubic feet of gas, although not all of that is recoverable. As my grandmother used to say – you never know what’s round the corner. So why is there oil and gas in the North Sea? A little bit of recent history first. The existence of oil and gas bearing rocks in countries around the North Sea had been known for quite a long time. If you have ever been to Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset, you will know of its evil smelling reputation. The Kimmeridge Oil Field is northwest of Kimmeridge Bay.
    [Show full text]
  • Cause of the 1985 Ross Store Explosion and Other Gas Ventings
    CAUSE OF THE 1985 ROSS STORE The setting of the accident- an old-world Levantine market place a few miles from Hollywood; the famed tarry grave­ EXPLOSION AND OTHER GAS yard of the sabre-toothed tigers; pillars of frre dancing in the VENTINGS, FAIRFAX DISTRICT, darkened streets - these biblical images attracted attention LOS ANGELES of the press, the bar, and local politicians. And yet, three months later when a hastily convened panel of experts an­ nounced that the event was caused by digestive rumblings of an ancient and invisible swamp the whole thing had been mostly forgotten, the explanation accepted as yet another pro­ Douglas H. Hamilton duction of Los Angeles' quirky environment. Outside of a Principal Geologist lawsuit that was settled quietly in 1990, the possibility that Earth Sciences Associates. Inc. the accident was caused by the knowing agency of Los An­ 701 Welch Road geles' lesser known industry or that the official report of the Palo Alto. California 94304 experts, rather than being a serious statement of the scientific community, was a heavily edited script with a happily blame­ less ending, was not made !r~'1own to the public, as we shall Richard L. Meehan proceed to do here. Consulting Civil Engineer 70 I Welch Road Palo Alto. California 94304 THE SETTING - TAR PITS AND OIL FIELDS IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT The vicinity of the gas ventings lies within a sloping plain between the easternmost Santa Monica Mountains and the INTRODUCTION isolated topographic high of the Baldwin Hills (Fig. I). The Late in the afternoon of March 24, 1985, methane gas that area drains via Ballona Creek.
    [Show full text]
  • Lithologic Characteristics of Pliocene Rocks Cored at Elk Hills, Kern County, California
    Lithologic Characteristics of Pliocene Rocks Cored at Elk Hills, Kern County, California GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1332-D Lithologic Characteristics of Pliocene Rocks Cored at Elk Hills, Kern County, California By WILLIAM M. BERRYMAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1332-D A complete sequence of Pliocene rocks cored in Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 well324-19R is established as a reference section for subsurface Pliocene rocks in the Elk Hills oil field UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1973 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 73-600064 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington, D. C. 20402 Stock Number 2401-00317 CONTENTS Page Abstract...................................................................................................................... Dl Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Purpose of report ............................................................................................ 2 Drilling summary ............................................................................................ 4 Methods of investigation ................................................................................ 4 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ 5 Stratigraphy
    [Show full text]
  • High Resolution Mapping of Methane Emissions from Marine and Terrestrial Sources Using a Cluster-Tuned Matched Filter Technique and Imaging Spectrometry
    Remote Sensing of Environment 134 (2013) 305–318 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Remote Sensing of Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rse High resolution mapping of methane emissions from marine and terrestrial sources using a Cluster-Tuned Matched Filter technique and imaging spectrometry Andrew K. Thorpe a,⁎, Dar A. Roberts a, Eliza S. Bradley a, Christopher C. Funk b, Philip E. Dennison c, Ira Leifer d a Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States b U.S. Geological Survey and Climate Hazards Group, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States c Department of Geography and Center for Natural and Technological Hazards, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States d Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States article info abstract Article history: In this study, a Cluster-Tuned Matched Filter (CTMF) technique was applied to data acquired by the Airborne Received 7 September 2012 Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) over marine and terrestrial locations known to emit methane Received in revised form 17 March 2013 (CH4). At the Coal Oil Point marine seep field, prominent CH4 anomalies were consistent with advection from Accepted 19 March 2013 known areas of active seepage. For a region with natural CH and oil seepage located west of downtown Los Available online xxxx 4 Angeles, significant CH4 anomalies were identified for known sources at the La Brea Tar Pits and in close proximity to probable sources, including an office complex documented as venting CH continuously and hydrocarbon Keywords: 4 Methane storage tanks on the Inglewood Oil Field.
    [Show full text]
  • ~~L~F ~ J, R Mcquiston
    11/21/2013 02:10 3234545792 MCQUISTON 3 PAGE EH/02 • rifcQUrSTON ASSOCI A.TES 6212 Yucca 81, Los Angeles. CA 90028-5223 (323) 464-6792 FAX same consultants 1"0 technical managemcru November 20" 2013 CF13-I3S1-S1 ITEM 3 PUB. SAFETY 11113113 J. White STATEMENT of J.B. McQUISTON OP. SEISMIC SAnTY of BUILDINGS Honorable Chairman and Members of the Committee: I am a graduate ·of Caltech and a State-licensed Engineer for ova 50 years. J have seismology experience. Los Angeles County is covered with seismic faults. many of which could generate seisms of Richter 7 or larger- Caltech and the Southern California Earthquake Center have published articles on faults affecting public safety i~lLos Angeles, predicting massive dumuge, causing deaths; Ioss of rescue services, and bankruptcy ofCilie<:;, I . It is vital for Los Angeles to requ,I.R hDDlnl notices to be mountcd on buildings not certififtl to withsblnd scisms ncar known faul"- Northern California IS way ahead of Los Angeles Inposting the notices. I 2- Typically, a large fault doesn't rupture instantaneously for its whole length. The fault's breaks in sequence produce periodic-waves over time. Those waves excite buildings back-and-forth, as we all know. If the naturol-frequency of tb.1II! building mak:be!J the periodit--w9ve frefJoency. the pendulum-sway will be magnified and continne swaying until tile buildi'ng members dd"onn or rupture. The dead-weight ofthe building causes it to collapse. Slender bBiJdings are the least--cllpableof nmajDin~ safe. Enclosed is an .iJlu.stration of:a Les Angeles buiJdinlg, bnjlt to code, which may collapse from a st:ism originannJ; inf~u--a,,",ay Park field, CA- Imagine what could happen from a scism originating in Arcadia! 3- Buildings Me shaken by the ground beneath them.
    [Show full text]
  • West Hollywood General Plan Safety Background Report
    West Hollywood General Plan Safety Background Report Providing a safe living environment is a fundamental goal and one of the most important challenges cities face today. Anticipating, planning for, and guarding against threats to public safety and welfare represent a critical function of government. This background report addresses the major public safety issues relevant to West Hollywood. The City of West Hollywood is located in a region exposed to environmental hazards that have the potential to cause natural disasters, including earthquakes and associated seismic hazards and wildland fires that could sweep down from the hills to the north. Additionally, the threat of terrorism and other homeland security issues has pushed safety issues and preparedness into the public consciousness. Residents and businesses look to the City to protect the community from threats to public safety. People recognize that a low crime rate, fire prevention, and reliable emergency response services contribute to the attractiveness of West Hollywood. While the City has no control over natural disasters, it can, and has, set forth policies to minimize exposure to these hazards. By identifying threats to safety, the City can better guard against disasters and develop effective response plans. Toward this end, the following issues are examined as relevant to the General Plan update effort: Flood and inundation Urban and wildland fires Emergency response Terrorism/National Security Emergency Seismic hazards and non-seismic geologic hazards are addressed in
    [Show full text]
  • Emission of Methane and Heavier Alkanes from the La Brea Tar Pits
    PUBLICATIONS Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres RESEARCH ARTICLE Emission of Methane and Heavier Alkanes From 10.1002/2017JD027675 the La Brea Tar Pits Seepage Area, Los Angeles Key Points: G. Etiope1 , L. A. Doezema2 , and C. Pacheco2 • Considerable methane emission from the La Brea park in Los Angeles 1Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma 2, Roma, Italy, and Faculty of Environmental Science and • Molecular alteration during seepage 2 must be considered in atmospheric Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola Marymount University, hydrocarbon emission modeling Los Angeles, CA, USA • A fault seems to act as a main pathway of gas migration from the Salt Lake oil reservoir to the surface Abstract Natural hydrocarbon (oil and gas) seeps are widespread in Los Angeles, California, due to gas migration, along faults, from numerous subsurface petroleum fields. These seeps may represent important Supporting Information: natural contributors of methane (CH4) and heavier alkanes (C2-C4) to the atmosphere, in addition to • Supporting Information S1 anthropogenic fossil fuel and biogenic sources. We measured the CH4 flux by closed-chamber method from the La Brea Tar Pits park (0.1 km2), one of the largest seepage sites in Los Angeles. The gas seepage occurs Correspondence to: throughout the park, not only from visible oil-asphalt seeps but also diffusely from the soil, affecting grass G. Etiope, À1 [email protected] physiology. About 500 kg CH4 d is emitted from the park, especially along a belt of enhanced degassing that corresponds to the 6th Street Fault. Additional emissions are from bubble plumes in the lake within À the park (order of 102–103 kg d 1) and at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Curson Avenue Citation: > À1 fl Etiope, G., Doezema, L.
    [Show full text]
  • OIL and GAS PRODUCTION History in California
    OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION History in California OIL California oil was always a valued commodity. When the Spanish explorers landed in California in the 1500s, they found Indians gathering asphaltum (very thick oil) from natural seeps. The asphaltum was used for many purposes, including waterproof- ing baskets, making wooden canoes, called “tomols,” fastening arrowheads to shafts, and decorating objects—usually with shells affixed to the asphaltum. The explorers, in turn, used asphaltum to seal seams in their ships. Later settlers also used the thick asphaltum in many ways, including sealing the roofs of their houses. As pioneers continued to arrive and settle, the number of oil seeps they discovered in California naturally increased. In Northern California, people were interested in the oil seeps in Humboldt, Colusa, Santa Clara, and San Mateo Counties, and in the asphaltum seeps and bituminous residues in A natural tar seep in Ventura County. Seeps are ephemeral, Mendocino, Marin, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, and transitory features appearing and disappearing through the Santa Cruz Counties. Oil from a Humboldt County years on no apparent schedule. Over 500 onshore seeps are seep was sold in 1855, four years before Colonel documented in the division publication Onshore Oil and Gas Seeps in California. Additional information is on the Drake drilled America’s first oil well in Pennsylva- Internet at http://seeps.wr.usgs.gov/ nia.4 In Southern California, large seeps in Ventura, Santa a number of California settlers probably collected oil Barbara, Kern, and Los Angeles Counties received from seeps and distilled it into lamp oil. The first the most attention.
    [Show full text]
  • October 1994 U.S. Department of Energy Naval Petroleum
    DOEEA-(0962) BLM EA # CA-016-93-140 BLM R/W SEWNO. CA 31330 JOINT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND ROUTINE OPERATION OF A 12-KILOVOLT (KV) OVERHEAD POWERLINE RIGHT-OF-WAY, AND FORMAL AUTHORIZATION FOR A 10-INCH AND 8-INCH FRESH WATER PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY, NAVAL PETROLEUM RESERVE NO. 1, KERN COUNTY, CALFORNIA OCTOBER 1994 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NAVAL PETROLEUM RESERVES IN CALIFORNIA U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT CALIENTE RESOURCE AREA . DISCLAIMER This report was .prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. .i DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. TABLEOF CONTENTS TABLEOFCONTENTS ............................................... i LISTOFFIGURES ................................................. ii INTRODUCTION ................................................... 1 1. 0 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION .................... 4 2.0 ALTEFOJATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION .................
    [Show full text]
  • UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Fractured Politics: The Evolution of Oil and Gas Well Stimulation Regulation in California Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jz0q3zj Author Dorr, Adam John Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Fractured Politics: The Evolution of Oil and Gas Well Stimulation Regulation in California A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning by Adam John Dorr 2017 © Copyright by Adam John Dorr 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Fractured Politics: The Evolution of Oil and Gas Well Stimulation Regulation in California by Adam John Dorr Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor Susanna B. Hecht, Chair California has been an oil and gas state throughout its history. In the latter half of 19th Century and first half of the 20th Century, hydrocarbon extraction helped define both Californian prosperity and the early promise of the West. Many decades later, the Energy Act of 2005 helped to revitalize domestic oil and gas production by exempting a suite of new “enhanced recovery techniques” for well stimulation, commonly referred to as “fracking”, under major federal environmental regulations. This dissertation research engages the subsoil political ecology of California’s petroleum sector in order to explain how well stimulation regulation evolved in California following the rapid deployment of fracking technology across the country that ii triggered a decade of “Shale Revolution” beginning in 2006. Well stimulation in California represents a case study of the intensely politicized and contested evolution of extractive regimes and their environmental governance at subnational scales in the wake of disruptive technological change.
    [Show full text]