Assessing Waterflood Potential within the Tight Three Forks Formation

To enhance results, the client needed to understand the feasibility of implementing a waterflood to increase oil recovery in a field in the Three Forks Reservoir.

Project Highlights

  • Involved low permeability reservoir with multi-stage hydraulically fractured horizontal wells
  • Needed to understand the potential for waterflooding
  • Used a reservoir simulation model to investigate waterflooding and the effects of different well-spacing
  • Delivered essential information for development of the field
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Challenges:

The client was looking to determine the feasibility of implementing a waterflood to increase oil recovery in a field

The reservoir is comprised of dolostones and contains light oil under natural depletion

The zone is currently being developed with multi-stage hydraulically fractured horizontal wells

Solutions:

Sproule ERCE conducted a geological evaluation to develop reservoir maps and parameters for a selected client-operated section of the field

Sproule ERCE engineers constructed a detailed reservoir simulation model with local grid refinement to model the hydraulic fractures, and history matched to available performance data

Forecasts revealed the benefits of waterflooding and effects of different well-spacing

Values:

Performance forecasting with the model determined primary and waterflood recovery factor profiles

Study results helped the client understand waterflood response times and the impact of different well spacing

The results underscored the importance of well spacing when considering a waterflood in the tight Three Forks Formation