Master of Science

thesisThe Ordovician age Utica-Point Pleasant (UPP) formation found in eastern Ohio has demonstrated, over the past 7 years through production, to be a significant shale play in the United States. Historical production data show that the play is predominantly gas producing. Conversely, and although relatively minimal production compared to gas, oil production zones do exist, and trend from the northwestern towards the central part of Ohio. In recent years, the UPP formation has received substantial industry attention because of its projected production potential. However, due to limited exploration outside the gas window and little understanding of the maturity levels within the formation, the production potential for unconventional oil remains uncertain in the UPP play. Using a newly developed pyrolysis method, Incremental S1 (IS1), on a suite of samples from four wells located in zones of low maturity, oil maturity, and condensate maturity, oil quality can be predicted. To complement and validate the newly developed IS1 method for determining oil quality, selected UPP samples were also sent to GeoMark Research to perform oil extraction and gas chromatography analysis. Combining GC extraction and IS1 results, petroleum quality within the Utica-Point Pleasant formation of Ohio can be better resolved, facilitating the potential for production within the play