Dow Shale Site Tracer Gas Pressurization Study. Final Report. Appendix: Energy from In Situ Processing of Antrim Oil Shale

摘要

A series of tracer gas pressurization experiments were undertaken at the Dow shale site at Peck, Michigan. The study was conducted to evaluate flow communication between boreholes open to both the Antrim and False Antrim layers of the retort volume, determine permeability and porosity distributions within the retort volume, and to assess qualitatively the uniformity of the fracturing or rubblization within the retort volume. Results show that the system is non-uniform. Flow from Well No. 4 to the other wells occurs primarily through various flow channels. These channels open when the wellhead pressure approaches the overburden pressure and appear closed at lower pressures. Consequently, the system is pressure sensitive and the flow is enhanced at elevated system pressures. Flow to outlying wells, such as No. 8 and No. 10, occurred only when Well No. 3 was at an elevated pressure. When the system approached steady state, as indicated by an absence of pressure changes, the production rate was about exp 1 / sub 3 the injection rate. Multiple tracer gas injection into Well No. 4 at various depths demonstrated conclusively that flow does occur through the Antrim formation in the vicinity of Well No. 4. The permeability and porosity found in the vicinity of Well No. 4 was k approximately 0.045 millidarcy and phi approximately = 0.1 for a radius