Abstract: Twenty Years of Production from an Impact Structure, Red Wing Creek Field, McKenzie County, North Dakota

Claud F. Pickard

The Red Wing Creek Field located in McKenzie County, North Dakota was discovered by True Oil Company in 1972. Production occurs from the Mississippian age undifferentiated Madison Group in the central rebound pinnacle of an impact structure of Early Jurassic origin. The reservoir has produced in excess of 12.7 million barrels of oil and 16.2 billion cubic feet of wet natural gas since its discovery.

Early studies of the secondary recovery potential of the reservoir using water as a medium indicated that expected hydrocarbon recoveries would be extremely low; therefore, in 1982 True Oil Company embarked upon a miscible hydrocarbon flooding process which, although still in its primary stages, will hopefully increase the recoveries in the field from the expected 30 percent into the 50 percent range. Over 1.9 million barrels of miscible hydrocarbons have been injected into the reservoir to augment the recovery of hydrocarbons from the reservoir.

Because permeability to oil movement in the reservoir is so low, production rates are low and, therefore, the length of time necessary to deplete the oil and gas reserves of this reservoir will extend well into the next century.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994