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Gas, water, and oil production from the Wasatch Formation, Greater Natural Buttes Field, Uinta Basin, Utah

April 8, 2009

Gas, oil, and water production data were compiled from 38 wells with production commencing during the 1980s from the Wasatch Formation in the Greater Natural Buttes field, Uinta Basin, Utah. This study is one of a series of reports examining fluid production from tight gas reservoirs, which are characterized by low permeability, low porosity, and the presence of clay minerals in pore space. The general ranges of production rates after 2 years are 100-1,000 mscf/day for gas, 0.35-3.4 barrel per day for oil, and less than 1 barrel per day for water. The water:gas ratio ranges from 0.1 to10 barrel per million standard cubic feet, indicating that free water is produced along with water dissolved in gas in the reservoir. The oil:gas ratios are typical of a wet gas system. Neither gas nor water rates show dependence upon the number of perforations, although for low gas-flow rates there is some dependence upon the number of sandstone intervals that were perforated. Over a 5-year time span, gas and water may either increase or decrease in a given well, but the changes in production rate do not exhibit any dependence upon well proximity or well location.

Publication Year 2009
Title Gas, water, and oil production from the Wasatch Formation, Greater Natural Buttes Field, Uinta Basin, Utah
DOI 10.3133/ofr20091049
Authors Philip H. Nelson, Eric L. Hoffman
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Open-File Report
Series Number 2009-1049
Index ID ofr20091049
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Central Energy Resources Science Center