.

SPE
sook3QJsMR3t@rMnEr9#m$a

SPE 20138

Reservoir Management: A Synergistic Approach

&C. Thakur, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
SPE Member

Copyright t9S0, Socfefy of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

Thie paper waa prepared for presentatkn at the 1990 PermianBaaln011and Gas RecoveryConferenceheldIn Midland,Taxae, March S-9, 1800.

Thla paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee followlng review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(e), Contents of the paper,
as presented, havenotbeenreviewedby the Societyof PetroleumEngineersand are aubjactto correctionby the author(a).The material,as presented,doesnotnacwwrily raflact
anypositionoftheSocietyof PetroleumEnglnwr8,Itaoftkere,or members.Paperspresentedat SPE meetingeare subjectto publkationreviewby EditorialCommttfeeaof theSwlety
ofPetroleumEnglnaere.PermleaiontoWY faraafrktadtoanabstractofnotrmxethan300 wwde.Wafrafknsmaynotbe@pied.Theabstractshouldcentaincawpkww ecWwWgmant
of whereand by whomthe paperISprewntad. Write PublkationaManager,SpE, p.O- *X S3WS, Richardson,n 7--3333. Telex, 7309S9 SpEDAL.

ABSTRACT

Becauee of the complexities and varied areas of A team building approach, involving in-houee
expertise Involved in making a primary, secondary, reservoir management forumslworkshope, has alao
or enhanced recovery prodect successful~ it has been employed. The main objective of the workshops
become necessary to adopt a team approach for has been to facilitate cotmmnication among
reservoir management. Until the early 1970s, engineering, geology, geophysics, and operationa
reservoir engineering was considered the only iteto staff. Synergetic recommendations for project
of technical importance in the management of a improvement have been a mutual outgrowth of these
reservoir, However, after understandingthe value forums.
of geology, this no longer holds true. The
eynergism provided by the interaction between
geology and reservoir engineering haa been quite INTRODUCTION
successful, but the reservoir management has
generally failed to recognize the value of other The first task of this paper is to define
diectplines, e.g. production operations, drilling, reservoir management. The Webster dictionary
and different engineeringfunctions. defines management as the judicious use of meana
to accomplish an end. Thus, the management of
Thfs paper provides informationon the treatment of reservoirs can be interpretedas the judicious use
reservoir management as a SYSTBM. The System of various means available to a businessman in
consists of: 1) reservoir characterization, 2) order to maximize his benefits (profits) from a
creation and operation of wells, 3) surface reservoir.
processing of the fluids, and 4) fluids and their
behavior in the reaervofr. These must be Most people consider reservoir management
considered aa interrelated parts of a unified synonymouswith reservoir engineering. As recently
system. as the early 1970s, reservoir engineering was
considered the only item of technical importance in
A reservoir management model involving the management of reservoirs. However, after
interdleciplinary functions is discttesedin this understanding the value of geoloEY, synergism
paper. Also, the success of this model in between geology and reservoir engineering has
designing and implementingthe North Ward Estes COZ become very popular and has proved to be quite
project, Ward/Winkler County, Texas, is diecuseed beneficial.
in detail. TMs reeervolr management approach has
yialded a better deeign and installation of this Reservoir management has advanced through varioue
C02 project. h addition, it has resulted in stages in the last 30 years. The technique are
successful workovers~ identificationof waterflood better, background knowledge of reservoir
improvements, and better plans for future C02 conditions hae iatprovecl,and automation using
projecte. mafn~rame computers and personal computere has
helped data processing and management. The
developmental etages of reservoir management could
be described as:
References and illustrationsat and of paper.

.-
 ------- ---- ..
Stage 1 - Before 1970, reservoir engineering
was considered the only item of technical
importance in the management of reservoirs.
Wyllie, in 1962, emphasized two key items:
(A) clear thinking utilizing fundamen;;;
reservoir mechanics concepts ~ and
automation ueing basic computers. In 1965,
Essley summarized What ts reeervoir
engineering? and concluded that in spite of
advancement in technical aspects of reservoir
engineering, vital engineering2considerations
are often neglected or ignored.
Stage 2 - This covers the time period of the
1970s and 1980s. Craig et al (1977), and
Harrts and Hewitt (1977) explained the value
of synergism between engineering and geology.
Craig emphasized the value of detailed
reservoir description, utilizing geological,
geophyeic~l and reservoir simulation
concepts. He challenged explorationists,
with the knowledge of geophysical tools, to
provide a more accurate reservoir deszriptton
to be used in engineering calculations.
Harrie and Hewitt presented a geologic
perspective of the synergism in reservoir
management. Thay explained the reeervoir
inhomogeneity due to complex variations of
reservoir continuity, thickness patterns, and
pore-space properties, e.g., porosity,
permeabilityand capillary pressure.
Although the synargiem provided by the interaction
between geology and reservoir engineering has been
quite successful, the reeervo%r management has
generally fatled to recognize the value of other
disciplines, e.g. production operations, drilling,
and different engineeringfunctions.
The objective of raservoir management ia to
optfmize profitable oil and gaa recovery, which can
be obtained by the following steps:
1. Identify and define all individual
reservoirs in a given field and their
physical properties.
2. Deduce past and predict
performance.
3. Minimize drilling of unnecessary wells.
4. Define and modify (if neceseary) wellbore
and surface systems.
5. Initiate operating controls at the proper
time.
6. Coneider all pertinent economic and legal
factors.
Thus, the purpoee of reservoir management ie to
provide facts, information,and knowledge neceesary
to control operations and obtain the maximum
poseible economic recovery from a reservoir.
RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT APPROACH
In 1963, Calhoun described the engineering system
of concern to the- petroleum engfnyr ae bein6
compoeed of three principal subeystame ;
..,. ..,-.-... . . - -..-... -=4 AU nrrnutm.n . ------
10 Creation and operation of wells.
2 Surface processing of the fluid8.
3. Fluids and their behavior within the
reservoir.
The first two depend on tha third because the type
of fluide (oil, gas, and water) and their behavior
in the reservoir will dictate where and how many
wells to drill, and how they should ba produced and
proceesed to maximize profits.
The goal is to maximize profits and thus neglecting
or de-emphasizing any of the items above could
jeopardize our objective. For example, we coulddo
well in studying the fluide and their tnteractton
with rock, i.e. reservoir engineering, but if the
proper well andlor eurface ey8tem design is not
considered,the recovery of oil andlor gas will not
be optimized. Mo8t people can cite exemplea of
mietakes made in our buaineas where we thoroughly
studfed various aepects of the reservoir and made
decieiona resulting in too many wells drtlled,
improper applicationof well completion technology,
inadequate surface facilities available for future
expansions,etc.
In this paper, the suggeeted reaervolr management
approach involvee interaction between various
function8, as deecribed in Figure 1. Although not
shown, the approach emphasizes interactionbetween
various functton8 and their interaction with
management, economic, proration, and legal groups.
This reeerwoir management model, involving
interdisciplinary functione has provided ueeful
reeults for several projects. A caee study ue%ng
the North Ward Estes Field wtll be descr%bed to
illustratethis approach.
The following question and answer section describes
our philosophy of reeervoir manage$uent:
A) When should reservoir management etart?
The ideal time to start managing a reservoir
fS at its discovery. It is never too early to
reservoir start this program, becauee early initiation
of a coordinated raservoir management program
not only provides a better monitoring and
evaluation tool, but also coste less in the
long run. For example, a few early l.)STacould
help decida if and where to set pipe. some-
times these data can also provide the same
type of information normally available by
complex and expensive cased hole, multiple
zone testing, An extra log or an additional
hour~s tine on a DST may provide better
information than could $e obtainad from mora
expeneive core analyais.
Sometimes it is possible to do acme tests
early on that can indicate the sdze of a
raservoir. If it is of limited size, drilling
of unnaceesarywelle can be prevented.
Extending Calhoun8 idea, one can draw an
analogy
~nagement,~tween It ieesenoir
not efficient and for
health
the
reeervofr management tean to determine the
state of reservoire health and than attempt
to improve it. To be most effective, the tean
aAe
. .
E 020138 G. C. Thakur
must maintain the reservoirs and its sister
subsystemshealth from the start.
Most often reservoirmanagement fs not started
early enough and the reservoir, wella~ and
surface systems are ignored for a long time.
Many times we consider reservotr management at
the time of a tertiary recovery operation.
However, it is critical and a prerequisitefor
an economically successful tertiary recovery
operation to have a good reservofr management
program already in place.
In the Permian Basin, C02 flooding is
receiving more and more attention. An
efficient reservoirmanagement program for COZ
flooding (with a $2 per barrel injectant cost)
is even more critical compared to
waterflooding (with a 5 - 10 cents per barrel
cost for water). Thus, it is very important
that all injected COZ be properly utilized in
displacing oil to the productionwells.
B) What, how and when to collect data?
To answer this question, we must follow an
integrated approach of data collection
involving all functions from the beginning.
Before collecting any data, we should ask the
following questions
(i) Are the data necessary and what
are we going to do with these
data?
(ii) What are the benefits of these
data and how do we devise a plan
to obtain the necessary data at
the minimum cost?
Note that the reservoir management team must
prepare a coordinated reservoir evaluation
program to show the need of the data
requirement, along with their coats and
benefits. &nyx et al provides a detailed
review of ~ta evaluation for reservoir
calculations.
It must be emphasized that early definition
and evaluation of the reservoir system i~,~
prerequisite to good reservoir management.
The team members must convince the management
to obtain necessary data to evaluate the
reservoir syetam and should participate in
operating decisions.
c) What kinds of questions should we ask if we
want to ensure the right answer in the process
of resarvoir management? Example questions
are described below:
(i) What does the anawer mean?
(ii) Doea the answer fit all
facts; why or why not?
(iii) Are there other possible
interpretations of the data?
(iv) Were the assumptions reasonable?
(v) -Arethe data-reliable?
,
(vi) Are additional data necessary?
(vii) Has there been an adequate
geological study?
(viii) Has the reservoir been adequately
deftned?
D) Why a Team Effort and How to Enhance It?
Successful reservoir management requires an
Integrated group effort. All development and
operating dectsions should be made by the
reservoirmanagement team which recognizes the
dependence of the entire system upon the
nature and behavior of the reservofr. It is
not necessary that all decisions be made by a
reservoir engineer; in fact, a team member who
considers the entire system, rather than just
the reservoir aspect, will be a more effective
decision maker. It will help tremendously If
the person has background knowledge of
reservoir engineering,geology, production and
drilling engineering, well completion and
performance,and surface factltties. Not many
people in an organization have knowledge in
all areas. However, many persons develop an
intuitive feel for the entire system and know
when to ask for technical advice regarding
various elements of the system.
The team effort in reservoirmanagement cannot
be emphasized too much. It is even more
necessary now than it has ever been before
because the current trend of the oil industry
is not one of expansion. Host companiea are
carrying on their production activitieswith a
staff much smaller than that existed just five
years ago,
Also, with the advent of technology and the
complex nature of different aubsyatems, it h
difficult for anyone to become an expert in
all areas. Therefore, it is obvious that the
reduction of talent and increasingly complex
technologiesmust be offset by an increase in
quality, productivity, and emphasis on the
team effort.
A team approach to reservoir management can be
enhanced by the following:
(i) Facilitate communication among
various engineering disciplines,
geology and operation staff by:
(a) meeting periodically, (b)
interdisciplinary cooperation in
teaching each others functional
objectives,and (c) building trust
and mutual respect. Also, each
member of the team should learn to
be a good teacher.
he (ii) The engineer, to some degree, must
develop the geologists knowledge
of rock characteristics and
depositional environment, and a
geologist must cultivate knowledge
in wall completion and other
engineering tasks.
-.
aAi
-1-r.

(iii) Each member should subordinate
their ambitions and egos to the
goals of the reservoir management
team.
(iv) Each team member must maintain a
high level of technical
competence.
(v) The team members must work as a
well-coordinatedbasketballteam
rather than a relay team.
Reservoir engineers should not
wait on geologists to complete
their work and then start the
reservoir engineering work.
Rather, a constant interaction
between the functions should take
place. For example, it ia better
to knew early on if the isopach
and cumulative oil/gaa production
mapa do not agree rather than
finalize all isopach maps and then
find that the cumulative
production maps are indicating
another interpretation of the
reservoir.
In summary, the synergism of the team approach
can yield a whole ia greater than sum of its
parts effect.
NORTH WARD ESTES FIELD - A CASE STUDY
Introduction
The Notth Ward Estea (NWE) field, located in Ward
and Winkler Counties, Texas (Figure 2), was
discovered in 1929. It is an 18 mile x 4 mile
anticlinorium. Cumulative oil production fron
primary and secondary recovery has been in excess
of 320 million barrels, or about 25% OOIP, from
more than 3,000 wells. The field haa been
waterflooded since 1955. Geologically, the field
resides on the western edge of the Central Basin
Platform. The ~i.eld is part of an Upper
Guadalupfan productive trend which extends
uninterrupted for 90 miles on the edge of the
platform (Figure 3).
The average reservofr depth is 2,600 feet; porosity
and permeability average 19% and 19 md,
respectively. The reservoir temperature ia 83F.
The flood patterns are generally 20 acre five apots
and line drives.
Field Informationand Geology
The field was initially developed on 20-acre
spacing. Later, however, the moat productive parta
of the field were drilled on a 10-acre spacing.
Until the 1950s, the wells were mostly completed
open-hole and shot with nitroglycerine. Perforated
lfners were then hung from the casing, which was
set above the productive formation in the gaa
sands.
After 1950, the wells were completed caaed-hole,
hydraulicallyfractured and acid stimulated. About
half of the current producers and injectors are
cased-hola. Table 1 provldae additional
442
. .
SYNERGISTICAPPRO.ACH SPE 02013
information on the field history, structure, and
stratigraphy.
The producing formationsare Yatea and Queen sands,
but most of the production has been from the Yates
sands (Figure 3). They consist of very
fine-grainedsandatones to siltstones,separatedby
dense dolomite beds. These sands, as shown in
Figure 4, are: A, BC, D, E, F, stray sands, Jl,
J and J .
2 3
Most of the BC was in the original gas cap and
consists of siltstone~ to finegrained sandstone
with clay. The D and E sanda are similar to BC.
The atrsy is composed of thin bedded, lenticular,
s-iltatonesand fine-grained sandstones, with high
clays. The JI and J2 sands are composed of coareer
sanda with much less clay content and, therefore,
have higher porosities and permesbilities.
Generally, the J3 ia not well developed and is wet
in most areas.
The Queen formation, which lies below the Yates
sands, iS composed of intervals of fine-grained
sandstonea to siltstones, composed of numerous
thin, lenticular sanda with poor lateral
continuity. Thus, the Queen sand has been
difficult to waterflood.
Reservoir Management Team
A team including all functional groups, as shown in
Figure i, was fmmed to investigate all pertinent
optione for optimizing recovery from the field.
The resulte of the team effort are describedbelow:
1. Geological Characterization
A correlation scheme was developed for
the field based upon laterally continuous
.key dolomites that bracket the productive
sanda and segment the reservoir into
discrete mappable units. A computer
database wae built by our geologists to
facilitate che processing and integration
of large volumes of data to aid in the
geological characterization study. The
database componentswere:
A. Wireline log data from 3,300
wells, which included about 15
million curve feet.
B. Core data consisting of 538
cores, which totaled about
30,000 feet of analysee and
lithology description.
c. Marker data for more than
60,000 correlation markers.
D. Fluid contact data, i.e.
original gaa-oil and oil-water.
E. Production data, consisting of
historical and wellbore data,
including diagrams.
Core analyses were depth covrected. Loge
were normalized using a 30-feet interval
of laterally continuous anhydritic
dolomite. -Gore porosity data were
. .

c!
fi. fi,.o
u4vJ.aO c
v.-.
r. Thnkllv
. . .. . . . .
5

cross-plotted versus bulk density log (A) No reduction in injection rates

values was observed during or after
derivatio;of ~%Xcy!~ans$=cti% C02 injection.
for hole rugostty, overburden pressure,
and lithologiccomplicationswere ~~plied (B) The C02 injection rate was
to refine the porosity transform. The about 20Z higher than the water
final transforms are shown in Figure 5. injection rate.

As eeen in this figure, the correlation (C) No significant change in

between porosity and permeability ia injection profile was observed
poor. However, when the correlation during or after C02 injection.
baaed upon lithofacies was+ made, goo$
correlation coefficients were obtained. In addition to the above-mentioned
Structure and porosity-feet maps were results, the co* injectivity test
merged with fluid contact and water implanted a valuable seed of team
~aturationdata to calculate volumetric. effort that led to fruitful results
F>cies relationships and actual to during the design and implementationof
apparent pay ratios were applied to the C02 project.
determine effective hydrocarbon pore
volume. Computer generated net ieopach 3. C02 Project Design and Implementation
maps of the sands display a north-south
strike. The sands pinch out into an The C02 flood design was based upon a
evaporite facies updfp and a carbonate history match of the waterflood
facies downdip. performance of the SIX section project
area, the selection of typical patterns
Reference 12 describes the details of the including a detailed reservoir
study. About 11 man years and $1.6 characterization, a prediction for
million were spent to achieve the above continuation of the waterflood,
results. Figure 6 summarizes predictions for C02 flooding, and the
computer-aided characterization study
::l:n::reofp,:yec::rya:l?re:;::;::to:
steps. Normalized log and core data,
markers, fluid contacts, and production were made for continuation of the
data were quality checked and corrected waterflood and for C02 floodfng.
for any errors. The output includedmaps Additional reservoir simulation was
(structure, isopach and conducted to determine the optimum C02
porosity-thickness), porosity va. slug size.
permeability plots, water saturation and
volumetric data, production plots, and The anticipated increase in oil recovery
cross-sections, including wellbore from the six section, Stage 1 area
dtagrams. (containing 165 producing wells and 192
injection wells) as a result of COZ
An example of a sand trend cross-section flooding is 16.5 million bbl of oil.
is shown iu Figure 7. It is based upon Stages 2 and 3, tentativelyecheduled for
basic geologic data and supported by 1993 and 1995, will depend upon the
productiondata. success of the firat stage and on oil
price.
One of the outcomes of the
characterization study has been Management approval of this project was
identification of well workovers. In obtained in December 1987. In January
addition, several waterflood projects 1988, a task force was formed, and the
were designed and implemented. A C02 injection was initiated in March
waterflood project that did not prove as 1989. Currently, about 55 MMCF/D of C02
successful as others was later analyzed and hydrocarbon gas is being injected.
in terms of the characterizationstudy. To date, project response has been
If the project had been considered after encouraging, with the actual production
the study, it probably would not have meeting or exceeding the forecast.
been implementedand considerablesavings
could have been attaiaed. The C02 plant compressed, desulfurizea,
and dehydrates all COa-rich gas produced
2. C02 InjectivityTest from the project. The plant is designed
to process 65 MMCF/D of produced gas. In
A C02 injectivity test was conducted to addition to reinfection gas, the plant
~ investigate any injectivity reductions will also produce four (4) tons per day
during COZ and water injection cyclee. of marketable sulfur from moderate
An injector in good mechanical condition concentrations of H2S (2%) in the
and with no hydraulic fracturing was hydrocarbon gas.
selected. Geological cross-sections
through thie well showed well-developed
sande. The injectivity test provided
valu8ble information,as described below:

a..
 . .

.= --------- . .- .....--..- - A.. SYNERGISmrn

R!7.CF!RVOTRMiiNfiCE!MF!tJT _-.. ..-_aA
J.- nnnnnnu
Cwr=mrak.h
cm
..4
nml
c. -...
2

Team Effort 2. Discuss typical reservoir management schemes,

strengthening efforts to increase
1. Why a Team Effort? productionlreservesand minimize costs.

The North Ward Estes Field is one of the 3. Discuss management strategy for specific
largest fields for Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and it fields, providing an opportunity for an
has significant EOR potential. C02 flooding exchange of ideas between varioua work groups.
was the only economic option available to
recover significant reserves from this field. 4. Concentrate on problem araas for these ZIelde
For about 1,300 producing wells, the+average and recommend an action plan, reeulting from
production rate is only 7 BOPD at 95 Z water the collective contribution of all
cut. Out of the 1,300 wells, about 700 make 5 participance.
BOPD or less. Also, 300 wells are now capable
of producing only at or below the present (Note that SPE offered a forum in August 1989
economic limit, Thus, if COZ flooding was not on Reservoir Management; however, our format
implemented right away, economics would have is much different than SPES.)
dictated plugging and abandoning of uneconomic
wells. Benefits Received

Keeping the above pointa in mind and
considering the average age of wells in the
field of about 35 years~ a window of
opportunity became quite obvious. If the
wells were abandoned, it was unlikely that the
project would have been undertaken because
economics would not have justified re-drills.
Thus, it became an urgency to start an EOR
project, i.e. either move quickly or risk
losing the chance. To design and implement an
EOR project and to Improve the performance of
the existing waterfloods, a study team, as
shown in Figure 1 was formed.
2. What Did the Team Achieve?
During the design phase, as many as 25 to 30
members of varioas functional groups worked
together on a comprehensive design of a
six-section COZ project, reviewad hundreda of
workover candidates~ and evaluated several
waterflood modificationprojects.
In addition to initiating many workovers and
waterflood modification projects~ within 15
months C02 injection wae started in the
six-section project area. Within a engineers, 2-3 gaa and chemical engineers, 1-2
year-and-a-half,the gas processing plant was
built and started. The teams goal for every
aspect of the project, from well workovers,
reservoir studies, C02 injectionand gathertng
system construction to atart up was
accomplished in a short time without
sacrificingquality.
In eummary, the teamwork across the function
lines has resulted in successful design and
implementationof many successful projects in
the North Ward Estes Field.
ROLE OF RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT FORUM/WORKSHOP
Objective
We have conducted several in-house reservoir
management workshope. The objectives of the
workshops have been to:
1, Focus attentton on practical aepects
reservoir management.
As a result of the in-house forums, the
participantsachieved the following:
1. Refocused the minds of the participants on
reservoirmanagement.
2. Shared knowledge, experiences, judgments and
ideas.
3, Questioned and commented on new contributions
and extracted valuable ideas.
4. Generated ideaa and prepared plans involving
all team members.
5. Developed an understanding of the collective
aim of the team and the way in which an
individual, along with the rest of the team,
can contribute.
Design of In-house Forums
About 30 participant attend each forum. The
participance include 6-8 reservoir engineers, 6-8
production engineers, 6-8 geologiata and
geophysicists, 2-3 design and construction
drilling engineers, and 3-5 field foremen and
production auperintendents(ace Table 2).
Typically, the forums are held for two (2) days and
2 to 3 field caae etudies ara diacuesed. The
studies are selected by the production divieion
staff and are of critical importance to the
division. The division managers concurrence on
the caae studies is obtained beforehand.
The forum starta with a presentation by the
Division Manager. He conveys hie philosophy of
reservoir management. We have observed this to be
one of the most productive session.ebecause:
1. It provides an informal interaction between
the reservoir management teem members and
management.
2. The participance obtain an tnatghtinto the
workinge of the local management. They get a
feel of what may or may not be po.saible to
of be approved. (Most participance indicated
that it provided them with a real opportunity
to understand the local management and

..*
. .

PE 020138 G. C. Thakur

minimized any frustrationsthat might arise as INPROVING SUCCESS IN IMPLEMENTATION

a result of disapprovalof a project.)
The manager essentiallysets the tone of the forum.
His conviction and commitment generally provides an
enthuefasm for all participants.
The subsequent sessions are described in Table 3.
A general discussion on these topics is presented
by knowledgeable staffs. An outline of the
discussion on the role of geology in reservoir
management is described in Table 4.
After completing the general discussion, case
studies are presented by the participants. These
participants are directly involved with the cases
in their daily work, and their pressntattons
include prepared written outlines of the various
topics listed in Table 5. About 6-8 people mske
presentationson a caae study and cover all aspecte
of a project, including economic, legal, and
environmentalconcerns.
After the presentationof the case bcudy, the large
group is broken into four (4) teams. Each team
consists of about 2 raservoir engineers, 2
production engineers, 2 geologistelgeophysicists~
and 2 design and construction engfneerslgaa and
chemical engineersfdrillingengineerslfieldforemen
(see Table 2). A balance in terms of familiarity
with the case study between the team members fs
made. In addition, each team possesses a good
technical background in various aspects of
reservoir management.
The team members work in separate rooms and perform
the following in a problem solving style:
1. Define the probleme.
2. Discuss various solutions (including
alternatives)for each problem.
Table 6 describes a step-by-step procedure on how
to improve success in implementing a reservoir
management program.
1. The first step involves starting with a plan
of action, including all functions. It iS
common for many reservoir management efforts
to devise a plan, but this plan usually doea
not involve all functional groups. Thus, not
all groupa buy into these programs, and the
cooperationbetween var%ous functions is below
the desired level. If a plan is to be
developed and implemented in the best way, it
must have commitment from all disciplines,
includingmanagement.
2. The plan must be flexible. Even if the
reservoir management team members prepare
plana by involving all functional groups, it
does not guarantee success if it is not
adaptable to surrounding circumstances (e.g.,
economic, legal, and environmental).
3. The plan must have management support. No
matter how good the plan Is in technical
terms, it must have local and higher level
management blessings. Without their support,
it would not have a chance to get approved.
Thus, it is necessary that we get the
management involved from day one.
4. No reservoir management plan can be
implemented properly without the support of
the field personnel. Time and time again we
have seen reservoir management plans fail
because either they are imposed on field
personnel without much explanations or they
are preparad wihtout their involvement. Thus ,
the field personnel do not have a commitment
to these plans.

3. List the pros and cons for each solution. 5. It ia critical to have periodic revfew
meetings, involving all team members. Most,
4* Prepare and recommend solutione, considering ff not all, of these meetings should be held
economic aspects. in the field offices. The success of these
meeting will depend upon the abflity of each
Each teatiis guided by a coordinator/facilitatorto team member to teach hislher functional
ensure that it ie making progress and steered in objectives.
the right direction.

Next, all teame gather in a large conference room CONCLUSIONS

and make preaentatione on their findings one by
one. When a team makes its preeentation,members 1. A model involving interdisciplinaryfunctions
of the other teame are encouraged to ask questions has been shown to be effective in designing
and provida comments. Any new ideas generated are successful reservoir
and implementing a
discussed and noted. management program.
At the conclusion of all presentations, ideas are 2. This model has resulted in a better design and
recorded and displayed. A general discussion
installation of a COZ project in the North
involvin8 teem members starts and concludee with a Ward Estea field. In addition, it haa yielded
list of specific recommendatlona on the case study. aucceaeful workovers, waterflood improvements,
and better planning for future COZ projacta.
The bottom line of the forums is to generata ideas
and prepare plane (short-term and long-te~) ~, In-house workshopa or forums proved successful
involving all team members. in the teem building aspect of reservoir
management. Theee forums facilitated
communication among engineering, geology and
geophy.e%cei, and operations staff, and resulted

.4.
 . .

RFSERVOIR MANAGEMENT -

in combined recommendations for project 6. Amyx, Bass and Whiting: Petroleum Reservoir
improvement, Engineering, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New
York (1960)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7. Goolsby, J.L.: The Relation of Geology to

Fluid Injection jn Permian Carbonate
The author expresses his appreciation to the Reservoirs in West Texas, S*W. Pet. Short
management of Chevron U.S.A. Inc. for permission to Course - Lubbock, Tx, 1965
publish this paper. The content of the paper is
prfmarily derived from the in-house Reservoir 8. Jordan, J.K.: Reliable Interpretation of
Management forums and workshops coordinatedby the Waterflood Production Data, J. Pet. Tech.
author. The work performed by the participantsof (August 1955), PP. 18-24
these forums (from geology and geophysics, all
engineering functions, drilling, and production 9. Weber, K.J.: Influence of Common Sedimentary
operations) ie highly appreciated. Structureson Fluid Flow in ReservoirModels,
J. pet. Tech. (March 1982), PP. 665-672

REFERENCES 10. Havlena, D.: Interpretation,Averaging and

Use of the Basic Geololgfcal - Engineering
1. Wyllie, M.R.J.: Reservoir Mechanics - Data, J. Canadian Pet. Tech., part 1s V+ 5S
Stylized Myth or Potential Science?, J. Pet. No. 4 (October - December 1966), pp. 153-164;
Tech. (June 1962), pp. 583-588 part 2, V, 7, No. 3 (July - September 1968),
pp. 128-144
2. Esaley, P.L.: What is Reservoir
Engineering?, J. Pet. Tech. (January 1965), 11. Harris, D.G.: The Role of Geology in
pp. 19-25 Reservoir Simulation Studies, J. Pet. Tech.
(May 1975), pp. 625-632
3. Craig, F.F. et al: Optimized Recovery
Through Continuing Interdtaciplinary 12. Stanley, R. G. et al: North Ward Estes
Cooperation, J. Pet. Tech. (July), PP. Geological Characterization,to be published
755-760 in 1990 AAPG Bulletin.

4, Harris, D.G. and Hewitt, C.H.: Synergism in 13. Winzinger, R.~ et al: Design of a Major C02
Reservoir Management - The Geologic Flood - North Ward Estes Field, Ward County,
Perspective, J. Pet. Tech. (July 1977) pp. Te~asl,SPE paper t?o. 19654, presented at the
761-770 SPE Annual Technical Conference, October 8-11)
1989, San Antonio, Texaa
5. Calhoun, J.C.: A Definition of Petroleum
Engineering,J. Pet. Tech. (July 1963)
 TABLE 1 TABLE 2
In-houao Forums on Prac+tioal Aepocts
North Ward Estoo Mold of Reservoir Management

About 90 pOOp@ G 8efoot 2- s Fhfda

6-ORE* (Caoo studfes)
1929-NORTH WRD FIELD DISCOVERED 6-OPE Proswrtatlon by Dlvlsfon Mmmeer
9.W, OBRIEN #4 SECTION 19 6-8 Q&Q
19S6-E8TE8 FIELD DISCOVERED *rrorsl prosontstlon
2-s Qbc
E.W. ESTES #1 SECTION 98 (Outllno + handouts) / /
. $944-FIELDS COMBINED 2 -aDac
1956-WTER FLOOD BEQAN 1-2 Drtlllng Break into 4 oroupe
2 RE, 2 Pi% 2 Q&Q
t12al- POLYMER PROJECTS BEGAN 2(QOC, DAC,
&CCO + WELLS DRILLED .9-6 Flold Poroonnel
Drllllno & Field)
ACTIVE WELL8-1,901 PRODUCERS, 962 INJECTORS 20 - 37
Small group dlccusalons
(6/1/87) 10 ACRE SPAGINa
LWO. group dioousslorrs
8Poelf10 rooommwrdatlons
. LOW RELIEF ANTIFORM - short-form
CENTRAL BASIN PLATFORM HOMOCLINE - Iwiff-torrrr
(Co9t-borrofit wralyols)

I PRIMARY PRODUCTION-YATES ,n=

..- . ...
la. ......
. . ,.. . .E.,..,,.
... .... . . .... . Dc
- . D,,.,l,,,lm
.-.....,, . ... .... . . .... . -.
=.l.., !. nln . --- .-., - --- ...,..--,
n.n,.. a famoh,lc.

#NERAGE DEPTH-2600 ,,. - -- ..

= -. .. ,.. --,-., c--, marine,D&O - DemlQn 8 @n.tru@lon
I!. rni..l =r!!! Engtneerlrq.

I
SECONDARY PRODUCTION-QUEEN
AVERAQE DEPTH-S1OO
. .
. AQE-PERMIAN.-.(LATE
..QUADALUPIAN)
L17HOLO@Y-VERY FINE QRAIN BAND AND SILT-
BTONEt3,DOLOMlTE/ANHYDRITE INTERBEDDED
AVERAQE POROSITY-19%
AVERAaE PERMEABILITY-19 md,
ENVIRONMENT-TIDAL FLAT

TABLE II

TABLE 3 Role of tiO1ORY in RetIew.lr llan.gemenc

DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Forum Discussion Outline
INTRODUCTION CROSS-SECTIONS & FENCE DIAGRAMS

HCPV DETERMINATION
DATA REQUIREMENTS
RESERVOIR PETROLOQY
ROCK AND FLUID SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS
ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY
ROLE OF GEOLOGY
USE OF OLD WELL RECORDS & OABLE TOOL
INFORMATION
BACKGROUND MATERIALS ON PRACTICAL
ASPECTS OF RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT DETERMINATION OF FLUID CONTACTS

a CASE STUDIES s FORMATIQN WTER

TABLE 5 TABLE 6

Case Study CWltne HOW to Improve Success in Implementtns a

Resew.ir Management Program?

OVERVIEW OF FIELD QEOLOQY & PERFORMANCE

START WITH A PLAN OF ACTION,
INVOLVINQ ALL FUNCTIONS
RESERVOIR ENQINEERINQ WORK

PRODUCTION 4 INJECTION WELLS

FLEXIBLE PLAN
SURFACE FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
INJECTION WTER QUALITY

CORROBION & SCALE 9 COMMITMENT OF FIELD PERSONNEL

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS
PERIODIC REVIEW MEETINGS, INVOLVINQ ALL
c DRILLIN@ OPERATIONS YEW idEMk3ERf3ONTERDlWIPLINARy
000PERATfON IN TEAOf+lNG EAOH OTHERS
CASE 8TUDY REVIEW * DIBCUBBION IN FUNCTIONAL OBJECTIVES)
- SMALL WtOLfPB
- LAR@E WOtJP

BPEGIFIO RE06MMEf4MT10NS

441
\\\

FIs, 1 - RcsorvolrMmcgeuwnt Approach

h \ w /w--K

u
. ,
sf% 20138

. ----- . . .. . ... .. .
\\\ kA n.., .L..m...*..*.* ..........~ F

L\\\\\U, vs [ v~ =--- SL

-4.000

,,*. L----
aO#c
s*nlwO
.,**$*/

F e $&
.
4 -8.000

O, fc. wo ,,**,0* y----+\

.*$~ *L,*.*
**O**
-12,000
,Ems-
,,,,,. ,@.c**
,,*$** A I

Fig. 3 - North Ward Ester CeOlO@C HOrizOn*

GR RHO-B

TANSILL
G.W.O. + 1087

A SAND

PC SAND

D SAND

STRAY SANDS

J 1 SAND

TOP/SEVEN WE RS s Ao

Fig, 4 - Type LOS for North Ward Estee Field

 .

SPE 20138

!
. . .- -. :. :-,- - ,.. .
F ..
-------+ +
,.. ..

\ \l

%%-
,,
;!
.,
\ .*

d ::.
I------*
1-
.

1.
.. .--.l
L-

. Oil
Ammviwwd
z!

450
 SPE 20138

FIE. 6 - xorth wd EstwCawut=r-A~ded

Characteri2ati0nStudy

TYPE LOG
XLYw!
*.

I ==%

TISEVE

BI&+B

\ k===-J
Fig. 7 - Sand Trends for North Hard Ewes Field
SPE Paper Numbers 20139
Thru
20147
No C~pies GWailmble

NO papers assigned to These Numbers