Evaluation of the West Kiehl Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Field Project and Its Application to Mature Minnelusa Waterfloods

Lawrence S. Griffith, Malcolm J. Pitts

The West Kiehl alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) project combines interfacial tension reduction and mobility control agents to achieve incremental oil recovery above conventional waterflooding. The West Kiehl ASP project, initiated in September 1987, is one of only two such field applications in the United States. It is the most advanced application of the ASP enhanced oil recovery technique. West Kiehl is a small Permian Minnelusa oil field located in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

All of the producing fields in a 275 square mile study area around the West Kiehl field were mapped and reservoir geometries analyzed. Reservoir and production decline analysis of 35 selected fields were, incorporated into data tables. These tables were used to establish ranges of recoveries from analogous Minnelusa reservoirs as a function of stratigraphic interval, drive mechanism, and well density.

West Kiehl and two of the 35 reservoirs were subjected to numerical simulation. History matches and ultimate recovery projections for the ASP flood, a polymer augmented waterflood, and a waterflood were developed. Simulation results provide evidence that the ASP application has recovered over 20% incremental oil in place above waterflooding or polymer application. The chemical cost of producing this incremental oil is less than $2.50 per barrel.

Application of the ASP process to the 35 fields in the study area could produce incremental oil exceeding 44 million barrels. If the ASP process is applied to the 120 Minnelusa oil fields in the Powder River Basin, the ultimate incremental recovery approaches 200 million barrels.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91020©1995 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, May 5-8, 1995