Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Photograph of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Drill cuttings from geothermal and mineral exploration boreholes, by contrast with those from most petroleum wells, commonly are derived highly fractured and faulted, hydrothermally altered igneous and metamorphic rock sequences, and are likely to be severely contaminated. Characterization of a subsurface resource from cuttings thus requires not only especially careful sample collection, preparation, storage and examination, but also a thorough knowledge of drilling technology, local geology and the full range of potential borehole contaminants. Accurate identification of lithology from cuttings is critical for recognition and correlation of rock types likely to selectively host the desired commodity. However, many of the rocks encountered in geothermal and mineral exploration boreholes (such as gneisses and granitic rocks) can resemble one another closely as cuttings even though dissimilar in outcrop or core. In such cases, the actual rock type(s) in a cuttings sample generally can be determined by comparison with simulated cuttings of representative surface rocks, and with various geophysical and other well logs. Many other clues in cuttings, such as diagnostic metamorphic mineralogy, or sedimentary rounding and sorting, may help identify subsurface lithologies. Faults and fractures commonly are the dominant physical controls on geothermal and mineral resources. Faults occasionally can be recognized directly …

Previous economic studies of the recovery and utilization of methane from coalbeds using vertical wells were based on drainage in advance of mining where a single seam is drained with well spacing designed for rapid predrainage. This study extends the earlier work and shows that methane recovery costs can be reduced significantly by increasing well spacing and draining multiple coalbeds. A favorable return on investment can be realized in many geologic settings using this method. Sensitivity of recovery economics to certain development costs and parametric variations are also examined as are the economics of three methane utilization options.

Fluid production from, and hence the economic viability of, a geothermal field is related to the amount of clay minerals in the caprock and in the reservoir rocks. In both the East Mesa and Cerro Prieto fields in the Salton Trough of southern California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico, scanning electron micrography (SEM) has vividly documented the role of clay fabrics in deltaic quartz-sandstone reservoirs. For example, in East Mesa well 78-30 at 1630 m depth in a zone of quartz dissolution, the clay present in pores exhibits an irregular, crenulate, honeycomb fabric and has the following composition from energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX): Si 61%, Al 25%, Fe 20%, Na 6%, K 2%, and Mg 1%. Platy clusters of clay (kaolinite) in Cerro Prieto well T-366 at 2522 m in a 300/sup 0/C geothermal aquifer were analyzed as: Si 62%, Al 25%, Mg 6%, and Fe 1%. In other samples, illite takes the form of wispy fibers whose intertwined ends form bridges across pores. These clay fabrics appear to reduce permeability significantly by clogging the pore throats, even though dissolution porosity ranges from 25 to 35%. Nineteen wells have been studied to date.

Numbers and problems for geothermal wells expected to be drilled in the United States between 1981 and 2000 AD are forecasted. The 3800 wells forecasted for major electric power projects (totaling 6 GWe of capacity) are categorized by type (production, etc.), and by location (The Geysers, etc.). 6000 wells are forecasted for direct heat projects (totaling 0.02 Quads per year). Equations are developed for forecasting the number of wells, and data is presented. Drilling and completion problems in The Geysers, The Imperial Valley, Roosevelt Hot Springs, the Valles Caldera, northern Nevada, Klamath Falls, Reno, Alaska, and Pagosa Springs are discussed. Likely areas for near term direct heat projects are identified.

In order to evaluate the potential of the Devonian Shales as a source of natural gas, DOE/METC in Morgantown, West Virginia, has undertaken the Eastern Gas Shale Program (EGSP); not only to characterize and identify the resource, but also to enhance and improve the productivity of wells completed in the shale. One of the methods used to achieve improved productivity is hydraulic fracturing and, more specifically, foam fracturing. The efforts by DOE/METC included completion and stimulation of five New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) wells; located in western Allegany County and southwestern Cattaraugus County, New York. The five wells were drilled on high shcool and college properties during the months of June and July 1981. DOE/METC's contribution to the program funded the stimulation and completion of the wells. This work was done under the engineering and field supervision of Gruy Federal, Inc. as contractor to DOE. The completion work took place in the months of July and August 1981. This consisted of running a cement bond log in each well. All logs showed good bonding. This was followed by perforating the Marcellus Shale through the 4-1/2-inch casing. During the next phase, the formation was broken down with …

Good-quality geothermal reservoirs displaying secondary porosity exist on the upper Texas coast (Brazoria County), site of the Pleasant Bayou No. 1 and No. 2 wells, and are attributed to a moderately stable mineral assemblage, normal geothermal gradients, and low in situ pH. Major authigenic minerals are calcite, quartz, and kaolinite. Detrital feldspar has been extensively albitized at depth. Major diagenetic events overlapped, occurring in the general order-precipitation of calcite, formation of quartz overgrowths, albitization, leaching of calcite to form secondary porosity, and precipitation of kaolinite. Seventeen Brazoria County water analyses including two from the Pleasant Bayou No. 2 well were thermodynamically tested. Predictions based on equilibrium thermodynamics add new insight on mineral stabilities and are consistent with the paragenetic sequence developed from petrographic data. Early precipitation of calcite at shallow depths of burial is predicted. Low temperture and low in situ pH explain the general absence of chlorite. The use of solution-mineral equilibria as a predictor of reservoir quality is inconclusive, but well-defined clustering of waters indicates that identification of regional trends will probably be possible. Shallow waters may be the key to predicting reservoir quality at depth.

Weekly newspaper from Alto, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.

Problems in interpreting drill cuttings, as opposed to drill cores, and methods to solve these problems are outlined. The following are covered: identification of lithology; recognition of faults and fractures; interpretation of hydrothermal alteration; geochemistry; sample collection; sample preparple examination; and sample storage. (MHR)

This report describes part of the work done to fulfill a contract awarded to Gruy Federal, Inc., by the Department of Energy (DOE) on Feburary 12, 1979. The work includes pressure-coring and associated logging and testing programs to provide data on in-situ oil saturation, porosity and permeability distribution, and other data needed for resource characterization of fields and reservoirs in which CO/sub 2/ injection might have a high probability of success. This report details the second such project. Core porosities agreed well with computed log porosities. Core water saturation and computed log porosities agree fairly well from 3692 to 3712 feet, poorly from 3712 to 3820 feet and in a general way from 4035 to 4107 feet. Computer log analysis techniques incorporating the a, m, and n values obtained from Core Laboratories analysis did not improve the agreement of log versus core derived water saturations. However, both core and log analysis indicated the ninth zone had the highest residual hydrocarbon saturations and production data confirmed the validity of oil saturation determinations. Residual oil saturation, for the perforated and tested intervals were 259 STB/acre-ft for the interval from 4035 to 4055 feet, and 150 STB/acre-ft for the interval from 3692 to …

This paper summarizes the testing of five hot, geopressured aquifers in different geologic environments in Texas and Louisiana by Eaton Operating Company for the US Department of Energy. The results were encouraging. Natural gas-to-brine content ranged from 33.0 to 55.0 SCF/bbl. Gas production rates ranged from 93 to 600 MCFD. Sustained water production rates ranged from 1950 to 15,000 BWPD. Bottom-hole temperatures ranged from 260 to 327/sup 0/F. Reservoir pressures ranged from 6627 psia to 13,203 psia. A test near Beaumont resulted in discovery of oil and gas.

The thermal springs of Oregon range in composition from dilute NaHCO/sub 3/ waters to moderately saline CO/sub 2/-charged NaCl-NaHCO/sub 3/ waters. Most of the thermal springs are located in southeastern or southcentral Oregon, with a few in northeastern Oregon and near the contact of the Western Cascades with the High Cascades. Thermal springs in the central and northern parts of the Cascades generally issue moderately saline NaCl waters. Farther south in the Cascades, the thermal waters are high in CO/sub 2/ as well as chloride. Most thermal springs in northeastern Oregon issue dilute NaHCO/sub 3/ waters of high pH (>8.5). These waters are similar to the thermal waters which issue from the Idaho batholith, farther east. Most of the remaining thermal waters are Na mixed-anion waters. Based on the chemical geothermometers, Mickey Srpings, Hot Borax Lake, Alvord Hot Springs, Neal Hot Springs, Vale Hot Springs, Crump Well, Hunters (Lakeview) Hot Springs, and perhaps some of the springs in the Cascades are associated with the highest temperature systems (>150/sup 0/C).

Well specifications, drillers' logs, and temperature logs of geothermal test wells drilled at 7 sites near Mt. Hood, Oregon are presented.