Design and Evaluation of Saline Groundwater Wells for Shale Oil Development, Texas Gulf Coast

Henke, Jeffrey

Design and Evaluation of Saline Groundwater Wells for Shale Oil Development, Texas Gulf Coast

Thursday, May 8, 2014: 2:00 p.m.

Jeffrey Henke, PG , Weston Solutions, Inc., Austin, TX

George Dillman , Penn Virginia Oil & Gas, L.P., Houston, TX

Matthew West , Penn Virginia Oil & Gas, L.P., Houston, TX

Michael Keester , Thornhill Group, Inc., Round Rock, TX

Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) oil development in the Gulf Coast of Texas has placed a high demand on water resources of the region. Oilfield demands for hydraulic fracturing make-up water compete with agricultural, municipal, and domestic uses of water in moderate to low-population areas. Producers are evaluating alternate water sources in areas where surface water rights are fully assigned and competition for fresh, shallow groundwater competition is high. One alternative includes exploitation of deeper groundwater aquifers near a known base of freshwater as well as saline water wells below the lowest depth of usable groundwater.

A deep, fresh water well was completed in unconsolidated Eocene Jackson Group strata in northern Lavaca County, Texas to obtain fresh to slightly saline water for multi-stage hydraulic fracturing of multiple horizontal EFS oil wells. The well was installed as part of a water delivery and management system designed to supply make-up water over an approximated 25 square mile area. The well was designed using borehole geophysical logs and core samples from several adjacent oil well locations and installed using a combination of traditional water well and oil well completion technology. Testing of the well after installation and development indicated fresh to slightly saline water quality, substantial potential yield, and the presence of elevated dissolved methane in the produced groundwater. This presentation will describe aquifer evaluation; well design, installation, and development; well yield; and production issues surrounding use of the well for the intended purpose.

Jeffrey Henke, PG, Weston Solutions, Inc., Austin, TX

Jeffrey Henke is a Texas-licensed Professional Geoscientist with more than 28 years of professional consulting experience involving soil and hydrogeologic characterizations, remedial action design and implementation, agency negotiation, and litigation support. He is currently a Principal Project Manager with Weston Solutions in Austin, Texas.

George Dillman, Penn Virginia Oil & Gas, L.P., Houston, TX

George Dillman is a Texas-licensed Professional Geoscientist and AAPG Certified Petroleum Geologist with more than 28 years of oil and gas experience. His primary role as Exploitation Manager with Penn Virginia Oil & Gas in Houston, Texas is to manage the development program of the Eagle Ford asset, including delivering adequate supplies of frac water.

Matthew West, Penn Virginia Oil & Gas, L.P., Houston, TX

Matthew West is a Petroleum Engineer with experience in drilling and production of the Eagle Ford Shale. He works in the Engineering Department and is a member of the Water Management Team for Penn Virginia Oil & Gas.

Michael Keester, Thornhill Group, Inc., Round Rock, TX

Michael Keester is a hydrogeologist focusing on aquifer hydraulics and groundwater modeling. He began his career at Thornhill Group in 2003 after obtaining his undergraduate degree in philosophy and his graduate degree in hydrogeology from Oklahoma State University.