This report is a summary of drilling and testing activities in the four primary study areas of the WGSP: Greater Green River Basin, Northern Great Plains Province, Uinta Basin, and Piceance Basin. (DLC)

This report summarizes November, 1979, progress of the government-sponsored projects directed toward increasing gas production from the low-permeability gas sands of the western United States. Coring was completed in the Pacific Transmission Supply Company No. 3-10A Federal well in the Greater Green River Basin, and in the Mapco Rio Blanco Unit No. 11-17F well, Uinta Basin. Projects of the National Laboratories and Energy Technology Centers progressed on schedule in November. Interruptions and shutdowns still plagued the Colorado Interstate Gas Company Miller No. 1 and Sprague No. 1 wells. Gas Producing Enterprises, Inc. Natural Buttes Unit wells continued to flow to sales. All testing has been completed at Mitchell Energy Corporation Muse-Duke No. 1 well.

This quarterly basin activities report is a summation of three months drilling and testing activities in the Greater Green River Basin, Northern Great Plains Province, Piceance Basin, and Uinta Basin. Detailed information is given for each study area for the first quarter of 1979.

This report is a summation of three months drilling and testing activities in the four primary study areas of the WGSP: Greater Green River Basin, Northern Great Plains Province, Piceance Basin, and Uinta Basin. The core and the drilling programs are part of the resource assessment. (DLC)

Progress of government-sponsored projects directed toward increasing gas production from the low-permeability gas sands of the western United States is summarized. A Technology Implementation Plan (TIP) meeting was held at the CER office in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 16--19 to initiate the implementation phase of the Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR) working group activities. A WGSP Logging Program meeting was conducted on October 24, 1978, at CER offices to define the problems associated with logs in tight gas sands. CER personnel and the project manager attended a two-day course on the fundamentals of core and reservoir analysis in Denver, Colorado, and met with USGS personnel to discuss USGS work on the WGSP. A meeting was held to discuss a contract for coring a Twin Arrow well on the Douglas Creek Arch, Colorado. CER Corporation personnel attended the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting held in Toronto, Canada, October 23--27 and a Gas Stimulation Workshop at Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 11 and 12 to discuss recent mineback experiments conducted at the Nevada Test Site. Fiscal year 1979 projects initiated by USGS and the Energy Technology Centers and National Laboratories are progressing as scheduled. Mobil Research and Development Corporation fractured …

The status of government sponsored projects undertaken to increase gas production from low-permeability gas sands of the western United States during August 1978 is summarized. Background information is given in the September 1977 Status Report, NVO/0655-100. One of the largest massive Hydraulic Fracture (MHF) treatment to date was performed on Gas Producing Enterprises Well No. CIGE 2-29. C.H. Atkinson, Western Gas Sands Project (WGSP) Manager and D.C. Bleakly, CER Corporation were observers. Oriented coring operations on the Mitchell Energy well, Muse-Duke No. 1 were observed by Atkinson and Bleakly near Mexia, Texas. The Fourth Annual Department of Energy Symposium on Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery and Improved Drilling Methods was held on August 29-31, 1978 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The USGS continued geological and geophysical studies in the four primary study areas. Low-level oblique photography of Tertiary and Cretaceous rocks exposed in the Rock Springs Uplift area was completed, and core from the J.C. Paine well in Montana was sampled for petrograhic analysis. Bartlesville Energy Technology Center continued work on the improved pressure coring system and anticipates completion of the project by September 30, 1978. Preliminary work began on the Parametric Analysis of MHF Test Data, an Engineering Study of Western …

Mesaverde Group sandstone units in 13 closely-spaced wells in the central and southern Piceance Basin of Colorado were correlated utilizing wireline log response quantitatively and qualitatively. Based on these correlations, the environmental subdivisions of the Mesaverde Group were characterized as follows. Paralic (upper mixed-marine) zone, occurring in the uppermost Mesaverde, includes thick sandstone units which are interpreted to be regionally continuous. Fluvial zone, containing point-bars 20 to 30+ ft thick, is interpreted to be correlatable to a maximum of 6800 ft. Paludal zone, which has insufficient data to adequately characterize the sand units. However, 63 percent of the units are correlatable across at least 139 ft. An approximation of the dimensional characteristics of Mesaverde sandstone units has potential applications in designing hydraulic fracturing treatments and estimating gas reserves more accurately. 16 figures, 2 tables

This report summarizes the progress of government sponsored projects undertaken to increase gas production from low-permeability gas sands of the western United States during June, 1978. Background information is given in the September 1977 Status Report, NVO/0655-100. USGS is continuing geological and geophysical studies to characterize the resource base in the four primary study areas. Field work is under way at the following locations: Western Green River Basin, Sand Wash Basin, Central Montana, Southern Piceance Basin, and Uinta Basin near Price, Utah. The DOE funded National Laboratories are continuing their work directed toward the development of mathematical models, new tools and instrumentation systems, data analysis, and rock mechanics. Active field tests and demonstrations continue in the Piceance and Uinta Basins. CIGE Well No. 2 was fractured on June 22, 1978 with 170,500 lb sand and 203,000 gal of gel. 42 figures, 3 tables.