New Logging Technology Brings New Perspective To Mature Oil Fields

摘要

A new petrophysical measurement is casting new light on residual oil, especially in heavy crude deposits in such areas as the San Joaquin Basin in California. One might reasonably conclude that the San Joaquin Basin was reaching the end of its productive life, and few would have argued the point, because while the basin is California's most prolific oil producer, it was discovered more than a century ago and heavy crude deposits have largely been off the industry's radar screen for much of the past decade. However, with strong crude oil prices relative to natural gas on a Btu equivalent basis, operators are taking a fresh look at mature oil provinces from the San Joaquin to the Permian Basin. It is a new day for these mature assets, and thanks to the ability to precisely measure the dielectric permittivity parameter, the industry is getting a whole new perspective on mature and heavy oil fields.