07123-04

Primary Performer
Kansas Geological Survey (University of Kansas Center for Research), Lawrence, KS

Additional Participants
American Energies Corporation (AEC), Wichita, KS

Abstract
High water-cut oil production in the U.S. is a severe problem that impacts many small oil producers limiting their ability to significantly increase oil production. Many of these strong-water drive fields typically do not achieve optimal recovery leaving considerable oil behind. New cost-effective, energy efficient technologies will be applied in Hillsboro Field, Marion County Kansas by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) and the American Energies Corporation (AEC) to address this significant problem. Radial-jetted laterals will be used to increase the drainage area and enhance oil production from a Viola production well pumped by an efficient high-volume progressive cavity pump, which will move higher fluid volumes at no incremental costs. Increased volumes of produced water will be economically disposed by a deepened Arbuckle injection well whose injectivity will be enhanced by targeted jetted laterals. Successful demonstration of this production-injection pair will be followed by application of this methodology to multiple producing wells in (nearby) Durham Center Field. This study will be the first publicly available scientific evaluation of the use of radial jetted laterals in both production and injection wells. An intense technology transfer effort focused on the small producer will convey project results.

Principal Investigators: W. Lynn Watney