April 2018 Outcrop

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 67 • No. 4 • April 2018

2018 Summit Sponsors Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

NORTH RANCH RESOURCES

OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

910 16th Street • Suite 1214 • Denver, CO 80202 • 303-573-8621 The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology and allied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific research and to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.

2018 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Terri Olson tmolson8550@gmail.com

Sophie Berglund sberglund@raisaenergy.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER

Tom Sperr tsperr@bayless-cos.com

Robin Swank robin.swank@gmail.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER-ELECT

David Katz davidkatz76@gmail.com

Eryn Bergin eryn.bergin@aec-denver.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Heather LaReau heatherthegeologist@gmail.com

Anna Phelps aphelps@sm-energy.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Tracy Lombardi tracy.lombardi@inflectionenergy.com

Jim Emme jim_emme@yahoo.com

RMAG STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Barbara Kuzmic bkuzmic@rmag.org MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS MANAGER

Hannah Rogers hrogers@rmag.org

PROJECTS SPECIALIST

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org LEAD EDITOR

Cheryl Fountain cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu ASSOCIATE EDITORS

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rates and sizes can be found on page 39. Advertising rates apply to either black and white or color ads. Submit color ads in RGB color to be compatible with web format. Borders are recommended for advertisements that comprise less than one half page. Digital files must be PC compatible submitted in png, jpg, tif, pdf or eps formats at a minimum of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, please call the RMAG office at 303-573-8621.

Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details.

DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication.

Kira Timm kira.k.timm@gmail.com Ron Parker ron@bhigeo.com Holly Sell holly.sell@yahoo.com DESIGN/LAYOUT

Nate Silva nate@nate-silva.com

WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS

RMAG Office: 303-573-8621 | Fax: 808-389-4090 | staff@rmag.org or www.rmag.org The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

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Outcrop | April 2018 OUTCROP

A t

t h e

D e n v e r

P l a c e

999 Eighteenth Street, Denver, Colorado 80202

Online Registration Closes April 9, 2018

Member: $300 | Non-Member: $350 | Student: $150

Day of registration will be availabe for an additional $50.00 ($350 for members, $400 for non-members).

April 11-12, 2018

Ralph A. Cantafio - Partner and Attorney

Abstract Petroleum geologists play a vital role in oil discovery, and a diverse cross-section of upstream activities, but often possess only a dim understanding of the often parallel legal process that is advancing simultaneously with the work being done by their professional counterparts. This short-course aims to provide a sound legal foundation to these scientists focusing on the issues that arise impacting the oil and gas industry.

Oil and Gas Law for Geologists will address essential factual, legal, regulatory, political and legislative issues to provide a more broad-based appreciation and awareness of these issues to equip the learner and his or her organization for more efficient business and work product management in light of the significant legal challenges that arise in the exploration and production of oil and gas. An objective of this class is to not make petroleum geologists into lawyers, but to provide a broader understanding of how the legal process impacts the identification and development of oil and gas assets.

This course will examine the legal theories upon what the oil and gas industry has utilized and applied, methods for acquiring developmental rights, review basic contracts and agreements customarily used in the oil and gas industry, analyze the fundamentals of oil and gas permitting, and examine the subtleties of property and mineral ownership. There will be considerable attention dedicated to reviewing and understanding legal theory, contracts, deeds, and a wide array of agreements typically used in permitting, the entitlement process, and development of oil and gas assets.

Students will be exposed to the essentials necessary for organizations to draft, negotiate, implement, and secure land-use approvals, lending the petroleum geologist a better appreciation as to how their discipline works into the greater scheme of the oil and gas industry. The instructor will provide case studies, use PowerPoint presentations, and allow for open discussion as learning tools used in this course.

Biography With an extensive history in law and knowledge of the Oil and Gas industry, Ralph practices oil and gas law in Alaska, Colorado, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Not only is Ralph a shareholder of a law firm, with offices located in Denver and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, that emphasizes oil and gas law, but he is also an adjunct professor teaching oil and gas related classes. Ralph currently teaches in the Global Energy Management Program at the University of Colorado Denver. Mr. Cantafio has also lectured foreign professionals, primarily from Nigeria and China, focusing on international oil and gas law, industry, as well as international natural resources law.

His education includes not only a Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Law, but a Master of Science in Mineral Economics from the prestigious Colorado School of Mines and a Master of Science in Global Energy Management from the University of Colorado-Denver, where he now teaches. With two professional oil and gas certificates in Petroleum Land Management and Energy Finance from the University of Denver, numerous professional affiliations and publications as well as numerous industry presentations, Ralph’s knowledge of the oil and gas industry is extensive.

email: staff@rmag.org | phone: 303.573.8621 OUTCROP | April 2018 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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fax: 888.389.4090 | | www.rmag.org web: www.rmag.org Vol. 67, No. 4 follow: @rmagdenver

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

28 Lead Story: Gas Rate Forecasts for 10,000 ft. laterals in the San Juan Basin Mancos Dry Gas Play

2 RMAG 2018 Summit Sponsors 4 RMAG April 2018 Short Course 7 RMAG Career Fair 9 RMAG May 2018 Short Course

DEPARTMENTS 6 RMAG March 2018 Board of Directors Meeting

11 On The Rocks Field Trips, 2018 13 Geo Train Trip to AAPG Ace, Salt Lake City

10 President’s Letter

15 AAPG ACE, Salt Lake City Short Course

16 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Rebekah Simon

17 2018 RMAG Golf Tournament

18 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Jeffrey A. May, PhD 24 Welcome New RMAG Members!

26 In The Pipeline 39 Outcrop Advertising Rates

19 RMAG Dinner: Scott Tinker 20 Colorado School of Mines Events 21 2018 Sporting Clay Tournament

Water-filled potholes just outside of Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

These potholes are formed through the dissolution of calcite cement and wind erosion.

Photo by Ryan Fountain

22 RMAG Foundation Announces Michael S. Johnson Scholarship and Recipients

44 Advertiser Index

23 Call For Papers – RMAG/ DWLS Fall Symposium

44 Calendar

25 2018 Rockbusters Bash

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

COVER PHOTO

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OUTCROP | April 2018

RMAG MARCH 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

By Anna Phelps, Secretary aphelps@sm-energy.com

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on April 11-12, and other courses on borehole imaging, Spotfire basics, spatial modeling and geostatistics, coring basics, and a core workshop. Keep an eye out for these events in the Outcrop and on the RMAG website. The Membership Committee Mentorship Program kickoff meeting went smoothly and was well attended. Mentors and mentees are having a tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in May. The Career Fair is scheduled for April 24, and is still in need of hiring managers, recruiters, and volunteers for the event. The Publications

OUTCROP | April 2018

members, and the grace period for membership renewal ends March 31. There are $1,004 in publication sales in 2018 so far.

48 people signed up for the Geo Train Ride to Salt Lake City for AAPG ACE, and there are still a number of spots left. So sign up to ride through the Piceance Basin, the Uintah Basin, the edge of the Paradox Basin, and the Utah Thrust Belt and learn about the geology along the way. Rest assured, there will be a beer car!

The Continuing Education Committee has a number of events planned for 2018 including the Oil and Gas Law for Geologists with Ralph A. Cantafio

Happy spring everyone! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful sunny weather, breaks from school (and hopefully work) and grocery stores packed with eggshaped chocolate treats.

The March meeting of the RMAG Board of Directors was held on March 21, 2018 at 4:30 PM. All board members except Sophie Berglund were present.

Treasurer Robin Swank reported that RMAG is ahead on revenue for 2018 thanks to large Summit Sponsorship this year.

Expenses have been low, so we are off with a financial bang. Executive Director Barbara Kuzmic reported that there are 1,518

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

A P R I L

04 24

Location: LMKR Geographix

|

1:00pm-5:00pm

Q&A session with HR, Hiring Mangers, Recruiters, and Consultants Break-out Sessions for Social Media, Resume Writing, and Networking Mini-Interviews with HR, Hiring Mangers, and Recruiters Networking with Everyone Bring Several copies of your resume and business cards.

RMAG

Career

Fair

Register online at www.rmag.org RMAG Members: $10 Non-Members: $30

email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

910 16th #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 Vol. 67, No.Street 4 | www.rmag.org

fax: 888.389.4090 7

web: www.rmag.org

follow: @rmagdenver OUTCROP | April 2018

RMAG MARCH 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

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OUTCROP | April 2018

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Committee reported that there are a few excellent publications in the pipeline, but that they are low on submissions and are looking forward to receiving all of your papers this year. The On the Rocks Committee has 10, yes 10!, fieldtrips planned for 2018. Keep an eye out for more information and dates. The Science Educational Outreach Committee is continuing to assemble PowerPoints, rock samples, and other materials to take into schools and would love any rock samples you’d like to donate that could be given out in classrooms.

For all those Powder River Basin stratigraphy lovers out there, last month’s Name the Formation was for you. Did anyone guess the Frontier Formation? If so, you are correct! If you haven’t been to Kaycee, Wyoming to see the type section of the Wall Creek Member of the Frontier Formation, this summer is your chance. And if you need a tour guide while you’re out there, may I suggest Andy Hennes, Rich Gibson, or Jeff Zawlia (extra credit answer) and watch out for the rattlesnakes!

Well rock lovers, spring has finally sprung. I saw my first daffodil of the season yesterday. But, as all good Rockies gardeners and flower admirers know, there will be at least one more daffodil-crushing heavy spring snow before summer. So let’s enjoy the daffodils while we can and take this nice weather as an opportunity to get back out on the outcrop.

In honor of spring, this month’s Name the Formation comes from a Spring Break river trip in Southeastern Utah.

While floating along the San Juan River, you might glance up and notice this brightly colored red member of interbedded sandstone and shale.

The famous Mexico Hat is sculpted by nature from this member of the formation. Deposited during the Permian, the formation is present throughout the Four Corners Region. The formation is less well known, but the structure is fairly famous. Name that Formation! Extra credit: name the structure in the background. I’ll post the answer in my April writeup. (Photo credit goes to avid rafter and outcrop enthusiast Daniel Bassett.)

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

RMAG SHORT COURSE Fundamentals of Borehole Imaging Applications in Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs A one day course discussing technology, applications and interpretation objectives Andy Duncan, Senior Geologist, Task Fronterra Geoscience, Houston

8:30am - 4:00pm Denver Place 999 18th St, Denver, CO 80202 Member: $175 Non-Member: $225 Student $85 Register Online www.rmag.org

05 09 18

email: sta@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

The agenda for this course looks at imaging tool history and what technology is available currently and in the near future. It will discuss what data comprises an imaging dataset, how images are generated and the basic elements of image QC. The limitations of measurement types will be considered and appropriate tool choice for the desired application.

Structural interpretation objectives will touch on subsurface zonation, fault and fracture characterization and the analysis of in-situ stress indicators. Sedimentological approaches will discuss lithofacies analysis, sediment dispersal and considerations for the interpretation of depositional environment.

The ďŹ nal topic will demonstrate how the value of image data can be maximized by integrating with core and various petrophysical measurements, and introduce some novel data applications.

Andy Duncan has worked in the Oil and Gas Industry for nearly 37 years. Before joining Task Fronterra Geoscience as a Senior Geologist and US Onshore Business Development Manager he was most recently a Senior Geoscience Advisor in the North American RDS consultancy group within Baker Hughes. Previously, he was Owner/Field Geologist at his own company, Gattageo LLC, and has worked for Fronterra, Z&S, Robertson Research, Corex and Geochem. He holds MSc (Sedimentology) and BSc (Applied Geology) degrees from Aberdeen and Strathclyde Universities in Scotland. Designated as a Subject Matter Expert in Geology/Sedimentology by BHI in 2012 he has been training geologists for over 2 decades. Andy is skilled in subsurface interpretation, and particularly in the interpretation of borehole image data, core and outcrop. He is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Professional Member of the Institution of Materials, Minerals and Mining (MIoM3), SCA Life Member, and has Active Memberships with AAPG, SPWLA and HGS.

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fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org OUTCROP | April 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

By Terri Olson

RMAG and the 3D Seismic Symposium RMAG. One sign of the depth of the conflict was the resignation of the previous RMAG Executive Director, Carrie Veach, primarily because of stress caused by dealing with the 3DSS Committee. Barbara Kuzmic, our Executive Director (new last year), and Rob Diedrich, RMAG Counselor and liaison with the 3DSS Committee, deserve recognition for their efforts to develop a good working relationship with that committee and for their contributions to a good meeting in 2017.

While the 3DSS in recent years has not been as big as it was in more prosperous times for our industry, it is still significant in terms of both monetary

The annual 3D Seismic Symposium was held on March 6 in Denver. For the first time since its inception 24 years ago, RMAG was not the co-sponsor of the event with the Denver Geophysical Society (DGS). The DGS Board of Directors voted last spring not to renew the Letter of Agreement between DGS and RMAG governing the symposium (“3DSS”). This came as a surprise to the RMAG Executive Director and Board of Directors, because we had just successfully put on a joint symposium after significant effort to smooth over past conflict between the 3DSS Committee and

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OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

Save The Dates!

June 9, 2018

May 10, 2018 Edgar Mine Tour

Front Range Geo-Hazards

Location: Idaho Springs, CO

Location: Front Range/Golden, CO

June 30, 2018

July 1, 2018

Mineral Collecting - Calumet Iron Mine

Mineral Collecting - Sedalia Copper Mine

Location: Salida, CO

Location: Salida, CO

July 14, 2018

August 4, 2018

Leadville Mining District Tour

Ammonite Fossil Trip

Location: Leadville, CO

Location: Kremmling, CO

August 25, 2018

Date - TBD

Powder River Basin - Joint RMAG-WGA

Horseshoe Cirque

Location: Fairplay, CO

Location: Casper, WY

September 8-9, 2018

October 27-28, 2018 Picketwire Canyonlands Dinosaur Trackways

Upper Arkansas Valley Location: Salida, CO

Location: La Junta, CO

Trip details, pricing and registration information can be found at

www.rmag.org.

email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | April 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

POSITIONED FOR GROWTH With a proud legacy and an exciting future, QEP Resources is an industry leader in crude oil and natural gas exploration and production.

We’re focused on some of the most prolific natural resource plays in the continental United States. These include two world-class crude oil provinces — the Permian and Williston Basins and two premier natural gas assets — the Haynesville Shale and the Uinta Basin.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, QEP is an S&P MidCap 400 Index member company (NYSE: QEP).

Learn more at www.qepres.com.

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proceeds and participation, with over 300 attendees last year. (It could have been larger but people were turned away at the door.) The Board of DGS felt that “DGS could, on its own, produce a conference similar to 3DSS which would net DGS more revenue.” DGS offered RMAG the opportunity to be a minor sponsor for a small proportion (10%) of the revenue, in exchange for promoting the event to RMAG members, who would receive discounted admission. The 2017 RMAG Board determined that the financial agreement that was proposed was not enough of an incentive for the 3D Committee to gain free access to our membership rolls, RMAG staff overhead and Outcrop advertising.

Despite this decision, RMAG wished DGS well and did advertise the event in our email event announcements (In the Pipeline) for the month prior to the symposium, as a gesture of goodwill and in the interest of serving our members.

There are several reasons that resuming co-sponsorship by both societies would be beneficial. RMAG has significantly greater membership and broader reach than DGS. More importantly, sponsorship by the geological society is likely to increase the degree of integration between disciplines presented if more speakers are solicited who come from geologic and petrophysical as well as geophysical backgrounds.

We don’t actually know what percentage of attendees belong to RMAG, DGS, or both—the exit survey taken last year had a very low response rate. But a significant

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OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

Geo Train Trip to AAPG Ace, Salt Lake City F r o m

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D e n v e r

May 2018

Departs at 8:05am Arrives at 11:05 pm

Travel to AAPG Ace 2018 in style! Join RMAG members on a train trip from Denver to Salt Lake City. As the train passes through the Piceane Basin, the Uintah Basin, the edge of the Paradox Basin, and the Utah Thrust Belt, short geo talks will be given throughout the day.

Ticket Price - $115 Register at www.rmag.org This is a one-way ticket. Passengers will be responsible for planning travel back to Denver after AAPG ACE.

Sponsored By:

email: sta@rmag.org | phone: 303.573.8621 #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 Vol. 67,910 No.16th 4 | Street www.rmag.org

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fax: 888.389.4090 | web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver OUTCROP | April 2018

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Marty Hall

7765 Windwood Way P.O. Box 549 Parker, CO 80134 USA

Program Development Manager Multi-Client Services

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percentage of attendees appears to belong to both societies. This year pre-registration was less than 200 people (and while there were additional walkin attendees, overall attendance was lower than last year). Joint sponsorship would likely lead to higher attendance, with a resulting increase in the scope of networking opportunities and market for exhibitors at the symposium.

It should be noted that there has been a large amount of turnover in the three groups associated with putting on the 3DSS in the past: the DGS Board, the RMAG Board, and the 3DSS Committee itself. I would hope that this would facilitate increased cooperation between the two societies if we agree that a joint symposium would be better than one run by DGS alone. So here is a question for RMAG members: Should RMAG seek a greater role in organizing and sponsoring an annual 3D Seismic Symposium? Why or why not? Please contact me at tmolson8550@ gmail.com with feedback.

P: 720.851.6152 C: 303.885.8860

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OUTCROP

RMAG’s Earth Science Education Committee is actively collecting materials for community outreach.

‘Energy’ is one of the outreach topics being prepared by the committee and a collection of oil samples is needed to complete the materials list. If you happen to have an oil sample collection, or individual oil samples, that you would be willing to donate to RMAG, please contact Danielle Ebnother at debnother@hotmail.com.`

OUTCROP | April 2018

Formation Evaluation • Petra® Projects Reserve Reports • Drilling Engineering • Well Plans

Bill Donovan

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

(720) 351-7470 donovan@petroleum-eng.com www.petroleum-eng.com

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

AAPG ACE , Salt Lake City Short Course

Presented by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Petrography of Mudrock Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Saturday, May 19, 2018 | 8:00am - 5:00pm Instructors: Lyn Canter (Whiting Petroleum), Mark Longman (QEP Resources), David Hull (Devon), Joe Macquaker (ExxonMobil), Terri Olson (Digital Rock Petrophysics) This course is designed for geologists, petrophysicists and managers who desire a better understanding of mudrock reservoirs and the technology used to investigate their composition, evolution, and pore systems. This one-day course will focus on applications of pore-scale imaging techniques, with most of the time dedicated to case studies of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. Quantitative as well as qualitative results will highlight the utility of various methods.

Register online at ace.aapg.org/2018/ email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. No. 4 | #1214, www.rmag.org 91067, 16th Street Denver, CO, 80202

fax: 888.389.4090 15

web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | April 2018 follow: @rmagdenver

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Rebekah Simon | April 4, 2018

Characterizing Residual Migrated Hydrocarbons and their Role in Porosity Evolution Rebekah Simon1, Omar Khatib2, David A. Budd1, and Markus Raschke2 1 – Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 2 – Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

OUTCROP | April 2018

Scholarship) and developments in near-field micros-

Understanding the controls on pore network evolution in unconventional reservoirs remains a research focus for nearly all oil and gas operations, even nearly a decade into the “shale boom”. It is common to investigate the effects of mineral diagenesis on pore development both at the field and the pore scale (microns or smaller), but less common to question the pore-scale effects of emplacing hydrocarbons. Because crude oil is a mixture of molecules with varying size, polarity, and thermal stabilities, it travels through porous media in a complex manner.

Of particular interest are the large, polar asphaltene molecules—emplacement into just a few of the narrow pore throats characteristic of unconventional reservoirs may dramatically alter the efficacy of the total pore network, impacting flow of even the most mobile hydrocarbons. Major advances have been made in industry-standard techniques for analyzing hydrocarbon chemistry (SARA, pyrolysis, etc.), but those technologies extract the hydrocarbons from the rock, and likewise, most standard porosity/permeability tests clean the sample of the hydrocarbons before analysis. No standard analyses allow for simultaneous investigation of the spatial distribution of porosity-compromising hydrocarbons and the pores themselves, or chemical characterization of hydrocarbons at the pore scale.

Thanks to support from a generous RMAG student award (the Norman H. Foster Memorial

copy, we have established a novel method to chemically characterize hydrocarbons at the pore scale

without extracting them, thus preserving their spatial relationships. Initial nano-spectroscopic data

from infrared scattering-scanning near-field optical microscopy demonstrates submicron spatial vari-

ability in hydrocarbon functional groups indicative

of asphaltene molecules in the Niobrara Formation, of the Denver Basin. With additional investigation,

it is anticipated that this approach will demonstrate correlativity between the distribution of pore-compromising hydrocarbons and other reservoir prop-

erties such as mineralogy, pore geometry, and porethroat size with tens-of-nanometers resolution.

REBEKAH SIMON is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder, working with Dr. David Budd to develop a holistic framework for pore evolution in Colorado’s Niobrara Formation. She completed her Master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin, and her Bachelor’s degree at the Colorado School of Mines. Her collaborator, Dr. Omar Khatib, is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder in Dr. Markus Raschke’s research group for Nano-optics.

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

May 30, 2018

2018

RMAG Golf Tournament

1:30pm Shotgun At Arrowhead Golf Club Registration includes entry, 18-holes of golf, cart, dinner, & entry to win great door prizes.

Registration is open!

Teams of 4 and Individuals are welcome to register.

Member Individual: $150 Non-Member Individual: $175

Member Team: $600 Non-Member Team: $700

email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | April 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Jeffrey A. May, PhD | May 2, 2018

Using Sequence Stratigraphy to Optimize Target Selection in Resource Plays

By Jeffrey A. May, PhD, Geologic Consultant horizontal targeting based on sequence stratigraphic concepts. First, the importance of establishing accurate correlations based on flooding surfaces and parasequences is demonstrated for the Parkman and Baxter sandstones. Second, the significance of reservoir compartmentalization in highstand vs. falling stage systems tracts is described for the Viking, Woodbine, Sussex, and Frontier-Turner systems. Third, identifying different types of erosional surfaces and their impact on hydrocarbon production and the landing of laterals are highlighted for the Frontier-Turner and Bakken intervals. Finally, the significance of assessing vertical variations in reservoir and mechanical properties within a sequence stratigraphic framework are revealed for the Marcellus, Eagle Ford, Avalon, and Niobrara shales.

Sequence stratigraphy is not THE answer in optimizing the selection of horizontal targets in resource plays. But it is an extremely useful, and oftentimes necessary, tool that should be used when defining sweet spots and evaluating reservoir intervals.

Sequence stratigraphy can aid subsurface geologic interpretation and evaluation in numerous ways. It (1) provides an increased understanding of depositional controls on reservoir vs. non-reservoir facies, (2) promotes better well-log correlations, (3) aids in reservoir prediction, (4) offers a framework for data integration, (5) guides sample collection from core, (6) delivers better reservoir flow models and volumetric calculations, (7) helps in choosing and staying within the target zone, and (8) furnishes input for completion design.

This talk focuses on four aspects of optimizing

JEFFREY A. MAY received his B.A. in Geology from Earlham College, M.S. in Geology from Duke University, and Ph.D. in Geology from Rice University. He has worked in the oil and gas industry for over 30 years: as a research geologist with Marathon Oil Company (1981-1994); as a geological and geophysical consultant with Enron Oil & Gas (1994-1996) and GeoQuest Reservoir Technologies (1996-1998); as an exploration geoscientist with DDD Energy (1998-2001); and with EOG Resources beginning in 2001, first as Chief Stratigrapher and then as Chief Geologist, until his retirement in 2011.

OUTCROP | April 2018

Jeff has conducted sedimentologic, sequence stratigraphic, and seismic stratigraphic projects on basins and fields worldwide.

Areas of expertise include onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico; onshore and offshore California; Uinta, Green River, Washakie, Denver, Powder River, and Williston Basins; northern and eastern Egypt; and Natuna Sea, Indonesia. At EOG, he provided regional to prospect-scale stratigraphic interpretation and evaluation plus training in support of all divisions. Jeff also conducts a variety of classroom and field seminars on clastic facies, deep-water sandstones, sequence 18

stratigraphy, and mudrock deposition and stratigraphy, most notably for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, Nautilus Worldwide, many oil and gas companies, and universities. In addition, he has published numerous papers and abstracts on deep-water sandstones, sequence stratigraphy, geophysical interpretation, and mudrock deposition. Most recently, Jeff completed an AAPG Distinguished Lecture tour and was presented the best luncheon speaker award by RMAG for 2013.

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S C R O M A T G T D I N N E R

07 26

T I N K E R

email: staff@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

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910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

The Chophouse Denver, CO

Dr. Scott Tinker's passion—bringing academe, government, industry, and NGOs together to address major societal issues in energy, environment, and the economy—has led him to nearly 60 countries where he has presented 700 keynotes and invited lectures to government, industry, academia, and the public. Dr. Tinker is an AAPG Halbouty Leadership Medalist, GCAGS Boyd Medalist, a Fellow of the Geologic Society of America, and has been broadly awarded by AIPG, AGI, AAPG, and TIPRO for his successful efforts to engage the public in science.

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web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | April 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

Colorado School of Mines Events Lecture series at the Colorado School of Mines is given each week by a distinguished speaker from academia, industry, or government on a topic pertinent to the geosciences. The lecture series is a public event open to all members of the Mines community and beyond.

The Van Tuyl Lecture series takes place Thursday, from 4 to 5 p.m., in Berthoud Hall 241 on the Colorado School of Mines Campus

The soluHon for unique and valuable geological informaHon for prospect generaHon

Masaki Hayashi, Ph.D., University of Calgary.

Topic: Alpine Hydrogeology: The Critical Role of Groundwater in Sourcing the Headwaters of the World APRIL 19, 2018 Daniella Rempe, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin Topic: Probing Weathered Bedrock in Earth’s Critical Zone: Rock Moisture and its Implications for Weathering and Biogeochemical Processes

APRIL 26, 2018

Jeff Chaumba, University of North Carolina at Pembroke Topic: Precambrian Layered Mafic Intrusions (?) of the Zimbabwean Craton: Their Economic Importance and Origin

APRIL 12, 2018

APRIL 5, 2018

Clint Dawson, University of Texas at Austin Topic: Algorithms for Hurricane Storm Surge Modeling: Current State and Future Outlook The Heiland Lecture Series takes place 4 p.m.

Wednesdays in Coolbaugh Hall (CO) 209, unless otherwise noted.

The Heiland Lecture Series takes place 4 p.m. Wednesdays in Coolbaugh Hall (CO) 209, unless otherwise noted.

730 17th Street, Unit B-­‐1 Denver, CO 80202 303.825.5614 derlibrary@gmail.com derlibrary.com

OUTCROP | April 2018

APRIL 11, 2018

APRIL 25, 2018

Dr. James A. Clark, Professor of Geology, Department of Geology & Environmental Science, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL Topic: Inexpensive Geophysical Instruments for Groundwater Exploration in Developing Nations

Dr. Rob Evans, Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic TBA

20

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

2018 Sporting Clay Tournament

Registration is open! www.rmag.org

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September

Kiowa Creek Sporting Club • Prizes for individual high score and team 1st, 2nd and 3rd flights.

• Includes one round of 100 sporting clays, lunch, and door prizes.

• Does not include ammunition (please bring enough ammo for 100 clays or you may purchase ammo at Kiowa Creek).

• You may also rent a gun for $20 onsite.

5 Person Team (member): $425 5 Person Team (non-member): $500 Individual (member): $85 Individual (non-member): $100

email: phone: 303.573.8621 Vol.staff@rmag.org 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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RMAG Foundation

Announces Michael S. Johnson Scholarship and Recipients

Mike Johnson, a renowned Denver petroleum geologist whose technical work contributed to the discovery of Parshall Field in North Dakota, has graciously funded the Michael S. Johnson Scholarship for graduate students from various Rockies universities and colleges.

Caroline Nazworth, a student at the University of Kansas, is the first recipient of this scholarship. In honor of Mike’s generosity, the RMAG Foundation is giving a one-time honorary scholarship to Anna Stanczyk at the University of Utah to celebrate the creation of Mike’s scholarship.

OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

RMAG DWLS Fall Symposium What have we learned from unconventional reservoirs that could be applied in any petroleum system?

The American Mountaineering Center

Email abstracts to

Ginny Gent

ginny_gent@eogresources.com

Sam Fluckinger

10 02 18

suckiger@sm-energy.com

email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

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web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | April 2018 follow: @rmagdenver

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

David Clothier

is the Vice President of Exploration at McCoy Petroleum Corporation in Wichita, Kansas.

May Deng

is a Staff Geologist at Highlands Natural Resources in Denver, Colorado.

Monike Distefano

lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Daniel Kaim

is a Petroleum Engineer at Division of Energy and Mineral Development in Arvada, Colorado.

Kelsey Marzolf

is a Laboratory Technician at Dolan Integration Group in Denver, Colorado.

Julian Michaels

is a Geologist at Looking for Opportunities in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

James Nelson

lives in Canon City, Colorado.

Marc Rahming

is a Geoscience Associate at Noble Energy in Denver, Colorado.

Meredith Roberts

is a Geologist at Finley Resources in Fort Worth, Texas.

Robert Weyand

is in Business Development at Willis Towers Watson in Centennial, Colorado.

Logan Wieland

lives in Laramie, Wyoming.

OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

Rockbusters Bash 2018 Professional Awards Celebration

Join the RMAG for an evening of heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, a live auction, and most importantly, honoring professional award winners.

Ticket Price

$45/Person

11 08 18 4:30pm - 7:30pm | The Maven Hotel at the Dairy Block Details and registration can be found online at www.rmag.org. email: sta@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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follow: @rmagdenver

IN THE PIPELINE APRIL 4, 2018

APRIL 17, 2018

RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker: Rebekah Simon. “Characterizing Residual Migrated Hydrocarbons, and Their Role in Porosity Evolution.” Maggiano’s Little Italy in Denver. Contact: staff@rmag.org

DWLS Luncheon.

Speaker: Steve Cumella. 11:30 am. Cost: $20.

Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver. RSVP to Jennifer Bartell at 303-770-4235 or visit dwls. spwla.org to pay via PayPal link.

APRIL 11-12, 2018

APRIL 24, 2018

RMAG Short Course.

Speaker: Ralph Cantafio. “Oil and Gas Law for Geologists.” The Denver Place- 999 Eighteenth Street, Denver, Colorado 80202.

RMAG Career Day RMS-SEPM Luncheon.

Speaker: John Curtis. “Time-Lapse Geochemistry of Source-Rock Reservoirs: One Approach & Initial Observations.”

APRIL 13, 2018 DIPS Luncheon.

Members $20 and Non-members $25. For more information or to RSVP via email to kurt.reisser@gmail.com.

APRIL 26, 2018 PTTC Rockies Short Course.

Instructors: Richard Patience and Joe Curiale.

“Applied Petroleum Geochemistry.” Lakewood, CO. For more information contact Mary Carr(mcarr@mines.edu) 303.273.3107

Providing geoscience expertise and technology to the field and office since 1981

Well Site Geology Geosteering - On site & Remote Rock Analytics Geologic Prognosis/Mapping Oil Field Safety Training - PEC Regulatory Representation

sunburstconsulting.com

406.259.4124 OUTCROP | April 2018

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• • • • •

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

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Geological Wellsite Supervision Supervised Remote Geosteering Integrated Petrophysical Analysis Oil and Gas Geological Studies Conventional and Unconventional Expertise

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LEAD STORY

Gas Rate Forecasts for 10,000 ft. laterals in the San Juan Basin Mancos Dry Gas Play

By Robert Brooks

The San Juan Basin (SJB) dry gas play is located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado extending along the synclinal axis of the SJB at depths of 6000 – 7000 ft. The dry gas play has about 150 productive vertical wells, many of which are commingled. The play has less than 10 horizontal producers. Despite the relatively limited production data, the commercial potential of long laterals can be derived by analysis of one of the first horizontal wells drilled 2010, as the data are consistent well-to-well.

The performance of a representative well from the original set of 5,000 ft. laterals is analyzed with decline curve, rate-transient, analytical and numerical simulation to determine critical reservoir, and completion parameters.

Based on this analysis, the mean performance of a 10,000 ft. Mancos lateral completed with 70 hydraulic frac stages is forecast to produce at 15 MMCFD for 8 months before beginning a production decline resulting in 13.1 BCF ultimate recovery.

With the consistent well results, potential stacked pay and large areal play extent, the Mancos dry gas play has an estimated mean 64 TCF of economically recoverable resource.

Analyzing the play, evaluation, proving the concept, planning and drilling vertical and horizontal wells has taken over a decade and required the efforts of geoscientists, engineers, support staff, multiple service providers, and field personnel. The engineering understanding described in this article would be impossible without the input of these numerous coworkers. Through the interdisciplinary effort, a clear picture of this large resource emerges. Thanks to Jerry McHugh Jr., President of San Juan Resources Inc., for his permission to publish results obtained during evaluation of the Mancos potential of the McSimms Unit.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

DISCUSSION – DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND

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Gas flow from the Mancos shale has been noted in the SJB for decades while drilling the underlying Dakota reservoir.

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Fajada Butte in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA

LEAD STORY

FIGURE 1: Gas Rate vs. Time -

Time Zero

Figure 1: Gas Rate vs. Time - Time Zero Occasionally vertical wells were completed in the Mancos. In the early 1980’s, Amoco Production Company targeted the Mancos at the Rosa Unit (31N 6W, 31N 5W, 31N 4W). Amoco completed over 30 vertical wells which represent about half of the nearly 70 total pre-2005 legacy vertical Mancos tests in the dry gas window. The typical legacy Mancos vertical well had an estimated ultimate recovery of 0.15 BCF. A Williams’ Denver Exploration team began the geotechnical evaluation of the Mancos in late 2006.

In 2008, Williams tested four vertical wells in the west portion of the Rosa Unit to gather engineering and geoscience data, and to frac and test individual prospective pay zones. Williams drilled additional vertical wells that were completed across the Dakota, Mancos and Mesa Verde.

In November, 2010, Williams completed the Rosa Unit 634a and 634b horizontal wells off of the same surface location in T31N R6W Sec 22.

These 2010 wells were the first horizontal wells

OUTCROP | April 2018

to evaluate the Mancos dry gas play’s commercial potential in the SJB. In 2011, Black Hills completed the Jicarilla 464 No. 724 horizontal well on Jicarilla tribal lands located in T30N R3W Sec 30.

These first three horizontals all had similar lateral lengths of approximately 5000 ft., and were completed with similar total proppant volumes of approximately 4 MM pounds. The wells have produced at similar rates as shown in rate-time plot of all three wells (Figure 1). Note that the Jicarilla 724 is 16 miles southeast of the Rosa 634a/b well pair.

In 2015 WPX Energy (Williams spun-off WPX Energy in January 2012) completed 5 additional Mancos horizontals immediately offsetting the original 2010 Rosa Unit wells, including one 10,000 ft. lateral. BP has now completed their first Mancos horizontal at North East Blanco Unit (NEBU). The initial BP activity is approximately 6 miles northwest of the Rosa Unit 634a/634b horizontal pair and 3 miles from the western-most

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

Applied Learning-PTTC Workshops Applied Petroleum Geochemistry

Thursday, April 26, 2018, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Denver Place Conference Room, 999 18th Street, 80202 Denver, CO Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructors: Richard Patience & Joe Curiale

Applied Petroleum Geochemistry is a one-day course in the fundamentals and applications of petroleum geochemistry to exploration, development and production of oil and gas in both conventional and unconventional plays. It will be useful for those with no prior background in geochemistry, and for those who would like a refresher. The emphasis is on understanding the appropriate issues to consider at different points of the value chain, and how to go about addressing them. You will learn the reasons for using this discipline in the exploration phase, throughout appraisal from first discovery to completing field development, and as a troubleshooter and problem-solver once you begin production. You will not learn how to be a geochemist in this class – that takes at least two days!

The course begins with the why (the value-add) and how (the methods) of petroleum geochemistry, and proceeds to applications in all parts of E&P. We conclude with a discussion of new applications and the impact these are already having in the business. All participants are welcome to bring questions about your current projects (and even data, if you wish) for discussion at the appropriate places in the course.

Topics Covered • Introduction to Petroleum Geochemical Concepts, Definitions and Areas of Use

The course will commence with an introduction to the presenters, an overview of key concepts (e.g. biogenic vs thermogenic), and definitions of important terms (e.g. what is an asphaltene?) used by petroleum geochemists. We will then give a summary of the areas of usage of petroleum geochemistry within the oil industry, both from a historical and present-day perspective.

•

An Overview of Sampling and Analytical Methods

•

Applications in Exploration

•

Applications in Appraisal, Development and Production

•

A Brief Overview of Advanced Techniques

This section will discuss i) the goals of a petroleum geochemical program (i.e. the subsurface processes that we are trying to understand), ii) the samples we analyze, iii) how we use those samples to generate the data, which iv) we then interpret in order to understand the subsurface and achieve our goals.

Exploration has long been the principal area of application of petroleum geochemistry, and here we will cover the standard geochemical topics involved with basin and prospect evaluation, such as source rock properties, thermal maturity, biodegradation risk, fluid properties prediction, oil-oil and oil-source rock correlation, and gas data interpretation. Conventional and unconventional play examples will be shown presented.

This section will discuss key in-reservoir subsurface processes which control fluid properties, and the impact they have on measured fluid properties such as GOR, API gravity or molecular parameters. Understanding these controls during appraisal can help us to identify reservoir characteristics such compartmentalization and compositional grading, amongst others, which impact how reservoirs are most efficiently developed and produced. We will also give examples of how problems which arise during production can be solved using standard petroleum geochemical data.

Here we will discuss recently developed geochemical analytical techniques which are not yet a routine part of petroleum geochemical programs, and how they can help us to solve problems not easily addressed by previous methods.

Presenters Drs. Joe Curiale and Richard Patience each have over three decades of experience with multinational integrated oil companies. They developed and presented multiple classes in those companies, and first worked together to develop a course in applied petroleum geochemistry for Unocal, which went on to become Chevron’s in-house geochemistry course. Their experience base includes hundreds of sedimentary basins throughout the world, and encompasses both conventional and unconventional approaches. Joe is a former editor of Organic Geochemistry journal, Richard is past chairman of the European Association of Organic Geochemists, and both are widely published.

Class Descriptions and Register Online: www.pttcrockies.org For more information, contact Mary Carr, 303.273.3107, mcarr@mines.edu

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY structural strike in turn leads to similar petrophysical properties and thickness of the organic rich shales. The coincident strike ultimately results in similar burial depth and thermal maturation of similar sediments resulting in a dry gas play of regional consistency.

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

2008 Rosa Unit vertical test well. BP is currently drilling their second NEBU horizontal. Both of these BP wells are 10,000 ft. laterals.

DISCUSSION – GEOLOGIC BACKGROUND Numerous Dakota penetrations in the basin allow good log coverage across the Mancos dry gas play. Production data from the Mesaverde above and Dakota below provide a good basis for identifying the Mancos dry gas window.

The Mancos dry gas play is located in the upper Mancos section. The Mancos dry gas play extends from near Durango to 60 miles southeast along the axis of the basin onto Jicarilla Apache Nation lands.

Further to the southwest the Mancos dry gas transitions into a wet gas and then a condensate play.

The structural strike of the SJB parallels the depositional strike of the Mancos deep marine environment. This coincident depositional strike and

DISCUSSION – RESERVOIR ENGINEERING PROCESS

The Mancos dry gas commercial potential can be evaluated despite the relatively sparse number of producing wells and a reliance on public production data. Fortunately, dry gas reservoir engineering is well understood. Forecasting unconventional multi-frac horizontal “shale gas” well performance with rate transient analysis and reservoir modeling is therefore a straightforward and reasonable approach for the Mancos production data set.

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 2: Rosa 634a Rate vs. Time with Decline Curve Analysis

Figure 2: Rosa 634a Rate vs. Time with Decline Curve Analysis

Analysis begins by selecting one of the three existing 5,000 ft. laterals for decline curve (DCA), rate transient (RTA), analytical (AM) and numerical modeling (NM). History matched well performance of the original 5,000 ft. lateral provides reservoir and completion parameter inputs for modeling 10,000 ft. lateral performance. A Monte Carlo simulator uses uncertainty estimates around these inputs to drive an AM to determine a probabilistic forecast of rate and reserves for the 10,000 ft. laterals.

The original three horizontal well performances are similar. The Rosa Unit 634a was selected as representative of the well behavior of the group and used throughout this analysis. The 634a was completed across approximately 5200 ft. of lateral length with 12 frac stages and 4.0 MM pounds of proppant. The gas rate production (Figure 2) was very uniform for five years when the rate increased from 600 MCFD to 3 MMCFD. This rate increase corresponds to the completion of the 2015 horizontal wells offsetting the 634a and 634b wells.

The analysis of the 634a well performance uses the OUTCROP | April 2018

first five years of rate data.

The Wattenbarger RTA plot (Figure 3) provides flow regime identification and an initial understanding of well performance. Data from the 634a plots on both the infinitely acting linear portion of the plot (parallel lines on a half-slope) and the boundary dominated flow (BDF) stems. The linear flow portion provides information on the hydraulic fractures and permeability-thickness of the near-field Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV).

The BDF transition seen in the 634a is interpreted to be caused by hydraulic fractures that have begun to interfere with one-another. The BDF data yields information on the contacted original-gasin-place (OGIP) and the corresponding permeability-thickness of the far-field reservoir that is beyond the impact of the hydraulic fractures.

The Unconventional Resource Analysis (UCRA) plot (Figure 4) is a simultaneous analysis of several type curves. The Flowing Material Balance (FMB) (upper right) and Superposition Time (ST) plot (upper left) are shown together so that the interpretation of the early time data reflecting the

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»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 3: Wattenbarger Rate Transient Analysis

Figure 3: WaKenbarger Rate Transient Analysis Superposition

FMB

Schematic

Type Curve

FIGURE 4: Unconventional Resource Analysis (UCRA)

Figure 4: UnconvenMonal Resource Analysis (UCRA)

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

KEY Yellow – Wellbore and Fracs White – SRV Cyan – Far Field

K2 – Far Field

K1 – SRV

FIGURE 5: Analytical Model Schematic

Figure 5: AnalyMcal Model SchemaMc

hydraulic fracture parameters can be made consistently. The ST interpreted slope intercepts the origin indicating that there is no frac face damage.

This lack of frac face damage is consistent with the Wattenbarger linear flow data interpretation.

Using the UCRA method the permeability of the near-field (SRV or K1) area was matched at 1.6 µd which was refined to 1.1 µd as matched in the later AM and NM process. The fracture half-length (Xf) was modeled at 293 ft. in the UCRA step. The later AM and NM steps matched an infinite conductivity Xf of 279 ft. The UCRA analysis of the 634a yielded approximate values but more matching was required in the AM to refine both the early-time and late-time matches. The degree of this additional AM matching refinement in this particular case may be due to the limitations of using monthly rate data combined with the lack of flowing pressure data. Note that even with this particular data limitation that the workflow is able to OUTCROP | April 2018

cope and sensibly analyze the reservoir and completion parameters.

The schematic of the AM (Figure 5) shows the wellbore, hydraulic fractures, near field (SRV) and far field reservoir. Note that the early time model performance will be sensitive to the number of hydraulic fractures, hydraulic fracture length, fracture conductivity, SRV permeability and SRV OGIP. In late time, the far field permeability and total OGIP will have greater influence on well performance. The described workflow takes advantage of this changing influence to move from the UCRA emphasizing early time behavior to the AM and NM evaluating both early and late time influences.

Gas rate and pressure are plotted for the AM forecast vs. the actual 634a monthly gas rate data.

The match is focused on the data from mid-2012 to the end of 2015. The assumption of constant bottom hole flowing pressure appears reasonable for this time period. If daily rate and pressure data

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

NETWORKING EVENTS IN THE UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY NETWORKING EVENTS IN THE UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY NETWORKING EVENTS IN THE UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY Technical Education Series

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OUTCROP | April 2018

LEAD STORY

FIGURE 7: Hybrid Numerical Model

were available, it would be important to match the 18 month period from initial production to mid2012 in both the AM and NM steps. The AM match has difficulty with early production, yet provides a reasonable fit to the late production. The match will be further refined and the parameters tested with the NM process.

(Figure 7) is a plot of gas rate and pressure for the NM forecast vs the actual 634a monthly gas rate data. Similar to the AM match, the NM match is focused on the data from mid-2012 to the end of 2015. The NM match provides a slightly smoother match than the AM process, and has an appropriate appearance traversing the early time period of unknown, but decreasing bottomhole pressure.

(Figure 8) is a comparison of the AM vs NM results. The fracture and near well bore (SRV) description is very similar with Xf 279 vs Xf 263 and SRV permeability of 1.1 µd vs 1.0 µd. The far field K2 permeability is similar with K2 at 0.6 µd vs 0.5 µd. The OGIP of the SRV and the Total OGIP are identical in both models. The similarity of the AM compared to the NM results encourages the use of the faster AM coupled with a Monte OUTCROP | April 2018

Carlo (MC) simulation to forecast the 10,000 ft., 70 frac horizontal performance in the final steps of this evaluation.

The MC simulation is initialized with distributions of the key uncertain parameters impacting rate and reserve forecasting. Near and far field permeability, pay thickness and porosity use normal distributions. Fracture half-length uncertainty uses a uniform distribution and the number of effective hydraulic fractures uses a triangular distribution. As fracture job size (fluid and proppant) will be fixed, a negative correlation between larger half-lengths and a higher number of effective hydraulic fractures conserves total frac “mass balance”. When the probabilistic model is executed, the MC routine proceeds by randomly selecting from the input parameters and then running an AM and storing the model results for 1,000 iterations. The MC controlled AM results for a 10,000 ft. lateral are examined next.

A P10, P50 and P90 rate, estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) and OGIP forecasts from the MC driven AM are shown in (Figures 9, 10 and 11.) The

Figure 7: Hybrid Numerical Model FROM PAGE 36 »»CONTINUED

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

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LEAD STORY

Analytical Analytical

Numerical Numerical

Analytical Analytical compare compare favorably favorably with Numerical with Numerical • • • • • • •

Xf 279 • Xfvs279 263vs 263 Fcd• 1000 Fcd vs 1000 1000 vs 1000 K1 • 1.1K1 vs1.1 1.0vs 1.0 K2 • 0.6K2 vs0.6 0.5vs 0.5 X1 • 107 X1vs107 112vs 112 OGIP • OGIP SRV 2.1 SRV vs2.1 2.1vs 2.1 OGIP • OGIP Tot 8.6 Totvs8.6 8.6vs 8.6

Figure 8: Comparison of AnalyMcal and Numerical Model Match Parameters Figure 8: Comparison of AnalyMcal and Numerical Model Match Parameters FIGURE 8: Comparison of Analytical and Numerical Model Match Parameters

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 9:

Forecasted Gas Rate vs Time 10,000 ft. Lateral

Figure 9: Forecasted Gas Rate vs Time 10,000 Z. Lateral

FIGURE 10: Forecasted EUR Histogram 10,000 ft. Lateral

Figure 10: Forecasted EUR Histogram 10,000 Z. Lateral OUTCROP | April 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

CALL FOR PAPERS: THE RMAG MOUNTAIN GEOLOGIST

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

41

OUTCROP | April 2018

LEAD STORY

FIGURE 11: Forecasted OGIP Histogram 10,000 ft. Lateral

Figure 11: Forecasted OGIP Histogram 10,000 Z. Lateral initial rate is constant at 15 MMCFD for 8 months in the P50 case (Figure 9). The Pmean case has an EUR of 13.1 BCF/well. (Figure 10) shows the EUR histogram with the P10 to P90 cases ranging from 10.8 to 15.5 BCF/well. (Figure 11) shows the OGIP histogram with P10 to P90 cases ranging from 18.2 to 21.5 BCF/well. The P10/P90 EUR ratio is 1.4. This low P10/P90 EUR ratio is consistent with the tightly clustered well performance of the 5,000 ft. horizontals.

The reservoir engineering process focused on evaluating the mean performance of a 10,000 ft. lateral with 70 hydraulic fracture stages. This engineering work can be extended to make a provisional estimate of the potential of the entire SJB Mancos dry gas play by evaluating the play extent and number of potential pay horizons across the basin. Two horizons have been tested with horizontal wells and two additional shallower Mancos OUTCROP | April 2018

horizons have yet to be tested with horizontals.

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

Estimating the mean potential resource area as

1,100 square miles the play has the potential for

a mean well count of 4,800 multi-horizon 10,000

ft. laterals on a 1,320 ft. inter-well spacing. While the range of per well EUR’s across the play and

the play’s vertical and aerial extents remain un-

certain, the potential exists for an estimated mean of 63 TCF (11 BBOE) of economically recoverable resource in the dry gas window with a P90 of 22 TCF, P10 of 120 TCF and a P10/P90 recoverable

resource ratio of 5.5. As an interesting compar-

ison, the 2016 USGS resource assessment of the

Piceance Mancos Shale continuous gas accumula-

tion reported an estimated mean 66 TCF of natural gas, 74 MMBO and 45 MMB NGL of undiscovered, 42

technically recoverable resources.

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

Are You a Photographer?

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists would like to invite you to submit your digital images that capture the geology of the Rocky Mountain region.

Pore Throat to Outcrop, Modern Analogs, Oilfield Activity (Rigs), Dinosaur Trackways.

These images will be used on the cover of the Outcrop and a select number will be used in a forthcoming RMAG Calendar.

• All images will be accredited to the photographer • A brief description of the image (location, formation, significance) • The file size must be 300dpi or greater and be in TIFF or JPEG format.

• Limit 10 images/person

Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org

Submit images to: Cheryl Fountain, cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu 43

OUTCROP | April 2018

ADVERTISER INDEX

• Confluence Resources ����������������������������� 37

• Laramide Geosciences ���������������������������� 14

• Crestone Peak Resources ������������������������ 33

• Leeds Group, The ������������������������������������ 37

• Crown Geochemistry ��������������������������������� 8

• LMKR ������������������������������������������������������� 32

• Daub & Associates, Inc. ���������������������������� 8

• Neil H. Whitehead, III ����������������������������� 14

• Denver Earth Resources Library �������������� 20

• PTTC �������������������������������������������������������� 31

• Discovery Group Inc. (The) ���������������������� 41

• QEP Resources ���������������������������������������� 12

• Donovan Brothers Inc. ����������������������������� 14

• Raisa Energy �������������������������������������������� 27

• FieldGeo Services ������������������������������������ 24

• Schlumberger ������������������������������������������ 10

• Geokinetics ���������������������������������������������� 14 • GeoMark �������������������������������������������������� 33

• Spancers & Associates ��������������������������� 14

• Geostar Solutions �������������������������������������� 8

• Sunburst Consulting �������������������������������� 26

• Goolsby Brothers ������������������������������������� 27

• Thomas L. Davis - Geologist ��������������������� 8

CALENDAR | APRIL 2018 SUNDAY

MONDAY

1

TUESDAY

2

WEDNESDAY

3

THURSDAY

4

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

5

6

7

12

13

14

RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker: Rebekah Simon

8

9

10

11 RMAG Short Course.

15

16

17

DIPS Luncheon.

18

19

20

21

25

26

27

28

DWLS Luncheon.

Speaker: Steve Cumella.

22

23

24 RMAG Career Day -----RMS-SEPM Luncheon.

29

OUTCROP | April 2018

PTTC Rockies Short Course.

30

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Vol. 67, No. 4 | www.rmag.org