Advanced oil recovery technologies for improved recovery from slope basin clastic reservoirs, Nash Draw Brushy Canyon Pool, Eddy County, New Mexico. Annual report, September 25, 1995--September 24, 1996

The basic driver for this project is the low recovery observed in Delaware reservoirs, such as the Nash Draw Pool (NDP). This low recovery is caused by low reservoir energy, less than optimum permeabilities and porosities, and inadequate reservoir characterization and reservoir management strategies which are typical of projects operated by independent producers. Rapid oil decline rates and high gas/oil ratios are typically observed in the first year of primary production. Based on the production characteristics that have been observed in similar Delaware fields, pressure maintenance is a likely requirement at the Nash Pool. Three basic constraints to producing the Nash Draw Brushy Canyon Reservoir are: (1) limited areal and interwell geologic knowledge, (2) lack of an engineering tool to evaluate the various producing strategies, and (3) limited surface access prohibiting development with conventional drilling. The limited surface access is caused by the proximity of underground potash mining and surface playa lakes. The objectives of this project are: (1) to demonstrate that a development drilling program and pressure maintenance program, based on advanced reservoir management methods, can significantly improve oil recovery compared with existing technology applications and (2) to transfer these advanced methodologies to oil and gas producers, especially in the Permian Basin