The primary goal of this project is to increase the availability and ease of access to critical data on the Mesaverde and Dakota tight gas reservoirs of the San Juan Basin. Secondary goals include tuning well log interpretations through integration of core, water chemistry and production analysis data to help identify bypassed pay zones; increased knowledge of permeability ratios and how they affect well drainage and thus infill drilling plans; improved time-depth correlations through regional mapping of sonic logs; and improved understanding of the variability of formation waters within the basin through spatial analysis of water chemistry data. The project will collect, integrate, and analyze a variety of petrophysical and well data concerning the Mesaverde and Dakota reservoirs of the San Juan Basin, with particular emphasis on data available in the areas defined as tight gas areas for purpose of FERC. A relational, geo-referenced database (a geographic information system, or GIS) will be created to archive this data. The information will be analyzed using neural networks, kriging, and other statistical interpolation/extrapolation techniques to fine-tune regional well log interpretations, improve pay zone recognition from old logs or cased-hole logs, determine permeability ratios, and also to analyze water chemistries and compatibilities within the study area. This single-phase project will be accomplished through four major tasks: Data Collection, Data Integration, Data Analysis, and User Interface Design. Data will be extracted from existing databases as well as paper records, then cleaned and integrated into a single GIS database. Once the data warehouse is built, several methods of data analysis will be used both to improve pay zone recognition in single wells, and to extrapolate a variety of petrophysical properties on a regional basis. A user interface will provide tools to make the data and results of the study accessible and useful. The final deliverable for this project will be a web-based GIS providing data, interpretations, and user tools that will be accessible to anyone with Internet access. During this project, the following work has been performed: (1) Assimilation of most special core analysis data into a GIS database; (2) Inventorying of additional data, such as log images or LAS files that may exist for this area; (3) Analysis of geographic distribution of that data to pinpoint regional gaps in coverage; (4) Assessment of the data within both public and proprietary data sets to begin tuning of regional well logging analyses and improve payzone recognition; (5) Development of an integrated web and GIS interface for all the information collected in this effort, including data from northwest New Mexico; (6) Acquisition and digitization of logs to create LAS files for a subset of the wells in the special core analysis data set; and (7) Petrophysical analysis of the final set of well logs.
