Preliminary results on the characterization of Cretaceous and lower Tertiary low-permeability (tight) gas-bearing rocks in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

摘要

The Wind River Basin is a structural and sedimentary basin in central Wyoming (Figure 1) that was created during the Laramide orogeny from Late Cretaceous through Eocene time. The objectives of the Wind River Basin tight gas sandstone project are to define the limits of the tight gas accumulation in the basin and to estimate in-place and recoverable gas resources. The approximate limits of the tight gas accumulation are defined from available drillhole information. Geologic parameters, which controlled the development of the accumulation, are studied in order to better understand the origins of tight gas accumulations, and to predict the limits of the accumulation in areas where little drillhole information is available. The architecture of sandstone reservoirs are studied in outcrop to predict production characteristics of similar reservoirs within the tight gas accumulation. Core and cuttings are used to determine thermal maturities, quality of source rocks, and diagenetic histories. Our work thus far has concentrated in the Wind River Indian Reservation in the western part of the basin.