A Regional Study of Wilcox Reservoirs in the Deepwater Northern Gulf of Mexico
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University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2017 A Regional Study Of Wilcox Reservoirs In The Deepwater Northern Gulf Of Mexico Margaret Elizabeth Dice University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Petroleum Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Dice, Margaret Elizabeth, "A Regional Study Of Wilcox Reservoirs In The Deepwater Northern Gulf Of Mexico" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1019. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1019 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A REGIONAL STUDY OF WILCOX RESERVOIRS IN THE DEEPWATER NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering The University of Mississippi by MARGARET E. DICE May 2017 Copyright Margaret E. Dice 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The deepwater Wilcox trend covers more than 34,000 mi2, extending from the northwestern block, Alaminos Canyon, to Keathley Canyon, and to the north-central block, Walker Ridge. The Wilcox trend is widely studied in the oil and gas industry as it has significant proven hydrocarbons, but has considerable economic challenges due to the reservoir characteristics. The purpose of this study is to provide a regional study of the Wilcox reservoir economics and quality. Great White Field is the most successful Wilcox field located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and Jack and St. Malo are the most successful Wilcox fields located in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. This research conducts a detailed field study of Great White Field by gathering and interpreting well logs, core analysis, sequence stratigraphy, and interpretation of 3D seismic surveys, with generation of a cross section and structure, amplitude, and isopach maps, as well as, reserve calculations. These results are then compared to the literature on Jack and St. Malo Fields to provide an evaluation of regional reservoir characteristic variations. There is potential for economic gain in both areas, but well placement is critical to maximizing rock quality with the best locations being high on structure. ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my grandfather, Bruce Dice. He is the reason I chose geology for my career and he is the one who shaped me into the geologist I so proudly am today. Thank you for your support and the endless knowledge that you have shared with me. This thesis is also dedicated to my nephew, Charlie Dice. You are such a light to our family, and have been a great motivation to me. I am excited to watch the next Dice generation grow up and to see all of your future successes. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS BCF Billion Cubic Feet DHI Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator FSST Falling Stage Systems Tract GOR Gas Oil Ratio MBW Thousand Barrels of Water mD Millidarcies MMbo Million Barrels of Oil MMboe Million Barrels of Oil Equivalent OGIP Original Gas in Place OOIP Original Oil in Place Ppg Pounds per Gallon Psia Pounds per square inch, Absolute RTM Reverse Time Migration SEM Scanning Electron Microscope TCF Trillion Cubic Feet TST Transgressive Systems Tract TVD Total Vertical Depth TVT True Vertical Thickness iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank LLOG Exploration Company for not only providing the project idea, but also the data to complete this project. Katie Pasch has been an exceptional mentor to me, and has provided me with the knowledge and guidance to complete this research. John Doughtie and Joe Letco have shared resources and knowledge that have enabled me to complete this project. All of the employees at LLOG Exploration have shaped me into the geologist I am today. I would also like to thank WesternGeco for the access to the seismic data over Great White Field, and for allowing me the right to use one seismic line for the purpose of this research. I express my deepest appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Louis Zachos and my committee members, Drs. Brian Platt and Greg Easson. Dr. Zachos has taught me so much in my time at the university, his guidance and input is immeasurable. Thank you to Dr. Platt for always helping me on formatting, writing clearly and thoroughly, as well as teaching me about sequence stratigraphy among many other subjects. Thank you to Dr. Easson who has opened my thought process regarding my thesis topic and has always been helpful with questions that arose during this project. I would like to thank Cathy Grace; she has been my rock through my bachelors and masters degrees. I owe Cathy my sincere gratitude for all that she has done for me, and for her never-ending support. Dr. Dennis Powers should also be mentioned; he has fueled my fire and motivated me towards a successful career in geology. I would also like to thank the geology and geological engineering department faculty for all of their support and guidance. v I appreciate the assistance and conversations with Stuart Coleman and Mike Mahaffie. They have helped me in completing this project, from tiny edits to whole thought processes. This project would not be what it is, without either of them. In addition, I would like to thank my fellow geology students for their continued encouragement through this project and degree. You have made this part of my life enjoyable and I have been optimistic through these two years, thanks to you all. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family and those close to me for their personal support and reassurance through this process: my parents, Kevin and Elizabeth, my brother, Geoff, my sister in law, Marianne, my grandparents, Maud, Bill and Bruce, and my fiancé Matt Smidebush. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS .............................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 GEOLOGIC SETTING ......................................................................................................4 Gulf of Mexico Basin...............................................................................................4 Study Area ...............................................................................................................5 Wilcox Reservoir Characteristics ..........................................................................12 MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY ...........................................................................14 RESULTS ..........................................................................................................................20 Stratigraphic Cross Section ....................................................................................20 Sequence Stratigraphy ...........................................................................................24 Structure Map.........................................................................................................25 Amplitude Map ......................................................................................................25 Isopach Map and Reserves.....................................................................................30 Core Analysis .........................................................................................................34 vii DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................36 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................43 LIST OF REFERENCES ...................................................................................................46 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................51 VITA ..................................................................................................................................61 viii LIST OF TABLES 1. Table of Materials Used to Conduct this Research ..............................................14 ix LIST OF FIGURES 1. Location of the Study Area ......................................................................................3 2. Generalized Stratigraphic Column ...........................................................................7 3. Model of Kink Banded Folds ...................................................................................8 4. Depocenters for the Deepwater Wilcox .................................................................10 5. Salt Trap Styles ......................................................................................................12 6. Chronostratigraphic