Progress of government-sponsored projects directed toward increasing gas production from the low-permeability gas sands of the western United States is summarized. Work by the USGS toward resource assessment in the four primary study areas continued. Bartlesville Energy Technology Center continued work on fracture conductivity, rock-fluid interaction, and log evaluation and interpretation techniques. Experimental and theoretical work on hydraulic fracturing mechanics and analysis of well test data continued at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Gathering of bottom-hole pressure data from the Miller No. 1 well and Sprague No. 1 well in the Wattenberg Field, Colorado continued. Fracturing fluid/rock interaction tests have been completed by Terra Tek for Gas Producing Enterprises, Inc., on sandstone horizons in the lower Mesaverde. The Mitchell Energy Corporation Muse-Duke No. 1 was flowed 4,000 MCFGD in April. Fishing operations on the Mobil PCU F31-13G well were unsuccessful. Six zones of the first horizontal experimental hole in the Sandia Laboratories interface test series were mined back to examine the behavior of the hydraulic fracture at the interface. Data collection by CER Corporation and TRW for GRI's Analysis of Tight Formations project continued.

This report summarizes progress of the government-sponsored projects directed toward increasing gas production from the low-permeability gas sands of the western United States. Bartlesville Energy Technology Center continued work on rock-fluid interaction and advanced logging techniques. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory continued experimental and theoretical work on hydraulic fracturing mechanics and analysis of well test data. Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory continued work on permeability and porosity determination of core samples and geological support studies. Sandia Laboratories continued work on their EGR Instrumentation and Diagnostic Program. Cyclic gas injection continued at Colorado Interstate Gas Company's Miller No. 1 and Sprague No. 1 wells. The DOE Well Test Facility is continuing to provide technical support to the Gas Research Institute/Rio Blanco Natural Gas MHF experiment. The Gas Producing Enterprises, Inc. Natural Buttes Unit wells continued to flow to sales. The Mitchell Energy Corporation Muse-Duke No. 1 was opened after a 28-day shut-in period. The hydraulic fracturing containment experiment continued for the Sandia-mineback program.

A summary is presented of the progress of government sponsored projects undertaken to increase gas production from low permeability gas sands of the western United States during May, 1978. Background information is given in the September 1977 Status Report, NVO/0655-100. The Department of Energy's (DOE) Nevada Operations Office (NVO), is finalizing a Request for Proposal (RFP) covering Technical and Administrative Support for the Project Manager for FY79. C. H. Atkinson, the Western Gas Sands Project (WGSP) Manager, was an observer of the third MHF treatment of Mobil Research and Development Corporation's well No. F-31-136. The fracture was performed on May 10, 1978. R. L. Mann of CER Corporation, met with Dr. Steve Holditch of Texas A and M University to discuss the utilization of the PDP 11/10 computer to be installed in the Mobile Well Test Facility. The USGS is continuing geological and geophysical studies in the four primary study areas. Two flights were made in preparation for low-level olique photography. The Bartlesville Energy Research Center (BERC) and participating National Laboratories, funded by DOE, are continuing their work in the area of research and development. The emphasis is on the development of new tools and instrumentation systems, rock mechanics, mathematical …