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1 Department of Geological Sciences and Energy and Minerals Applied Research Center, University of Colorado, UCB 399, Boulder, Colorado 80309; matthew.pranter{at}colorado.edu
2 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, UCB 399, Boulder, Colorado 80309; present address: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, 3120 Buffalo Speedway, URC-N328, Houston, Texas 77098; amanda.ellison{at}exxonmobil.com
3 Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Mesa State College, 1100 North Avenue, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501; rcole{at}mesastate.edu
4 ExxonMobil Exploration Company, 233 Benmar, Houston, Texas 77060; penny.e.patterson{at}exxonmobil.com
Matt Pranter is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and head of the Reservoir Characterization and Modeling Laboratory. He received his B.S. degrees in geology and geological engineering from Oklahoma State University and the Colorado School of Mines, respectively, his M.S. degree in geology from Baylor University, and his Ph.D. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines. He was previously with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and Conoco. His research interests are in reservoir geology and geophysics, sedimentary geology, and reservoir modeling.
Amanda Ellison is a geologist and geologic modeler at ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company. She received her B.S. degree in geology from Colorado State University and her M.S. degree in geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her interests are in reservoir characterization and modeling.
Rex Cole is a professor of geology at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. He obtained his A.S. degree in geology from Mesa Junior College, his B.S. degree in geology from Colorado State University, and his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Utah. Previous employers include Unocal Corporation, Multi-Mineral Corporation, Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, Southern Illinois University– Carbondale, and Asarco Corporation.
Penny Patterson is a geological associate at ExxonMobil Exploration Company. She received her B.A. and M.S. degrees in geology at the University of Colorado. Penny then worked for the Research Planning Institute, specializing in nearshore marine, fluvial, and eolian strata. She earned her Ph.D. in fluvial sedimentology and stratigraphy and sandstone diagenesis at the University of Colorado. She then joined Exxon Production Research Company, where her research focused on nonmarine and shallow-marine stratal architecture and sequence-stratigraphic concepts. Currently, she is involved in international exploration opportunities at ExxonMobil Exploration Company.
This study presents results of outcrop characterization and modeling of lithologic heterogeneity within a well-exposed point bar of the Williams Fork Formation in Coal Canyon, Piceance Basin, Colorado. This deposit represents an intermediate-scale depositional element that developed from a single meandering channel within a low net-to-gross ratio fluvial system. Williams Fork outcrops are analogs to petroleum reservoirs in the Piceance Basin and elsewhere. Analysis and modeling of the point bar involved outcrop measurements and ground-based high-resolution light detection and ranging data; thus, the stratigraphic frameworks accurately represent the channel-fill architecture.
Two- and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) outcrop models and streamline simulations compare scenarios based on different lithologies, shale drapes, observed grain-size trends, petrophysical properties, and modeling methods. For 2-D models, continuous and discontinuous shale drapes on lateral-accretion surfaces result in a 79% increase and 24% decrease in breakthrough time (BTT), respectively, compared to models without shale drapes. The discontinuous shale drapes in the 2-D and 3-D models cause a 30% and 107% decrease, respectively, in sweep efficiency because they focus fluid flow downward to the base of the point bar. For similar reasons, 2-D models based on grain size exhibit 67–267% shorter BTT and 44–57% lower sweep efficiency compared to other model scenarios. Unlike the 2-D models, the continuous shale drapes in the 3-D models cause the fluid front to spread out and contact more of the reservoir, resulting in 42–53% longer BTT and 41–52% higher sweep efficiency compared to the other models. These results provide additional insight into the significance of intermediate-scale heterogeneity of fluvial reservoirs.
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  M. J. Pranter, R. D. Cole, H. Panjaitan, and N. K. Sommer Sandstone-body dimensions in a lower coastal-plain depositional setting: Lower Williams Fork Formation, Coal Canyon, Piceance Basin, Colorado AAPG Bulletin, October 1, 2009; 93(10): 1379 - 1401. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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M. E. Donselaar and I. Overeem Connectivity of fluvial point-bar deposits: An example from the Miocene Huesca fluvial fan, Ebro Basin, Spain AAPG Bulletin, September 1, 2008; 92(9): 1109 - 1129. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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