P.R. SPRING AND HILL CREEK TAR SAND AREAS A RESOURCE ASSESSMENT (IN PROGRESS)

Transcription

1 P.R. SPRING AND HILL CREEK TAR SAND AREAS A RESOURCE ASSESSMENT (IN PROGRESS) presented by WALLY GWYNN - Utah Geological Survey at the Western U.S. Oil Sands Technology Transfer Meeting February 22, 2008

2 T h e S t u d y A r e a

3 THE P.R. SPRING HILL CREEK TAR SAND AREA IS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERN FLANK OF THE UINTA BASIN. THE AREA IS GENERALLY BOUNDED BY T. 12 S. IN UINTAH COUNTY, EXTENDING SOUTHWARD TO T. 17 S. AND THE ROAN CLIFFS IN GRAND COUNTY. IT IS FURTHER BOUNDED BY THE GREEN RIVER ON THE WEST AND THE UTAH-COLORADO STATE LINE ON THE EAST. THE HILL CREEK AND P.R. SPRING AREAS ARE SEPARATED BY THE NORTH-SOUTH-TRENDING WILLOW CREEK.

4 UTAH COLORADO HILL CREEK AREA P.R. SPRING AREA N ROAN CLIFFS SCALE = 10 MILES WILLOW CREEK GREEN RIVER UINTAH CO GRAND CO.

5 THE TAR SANDS IN THE HILL CREEK AND P.R. SPRING AREA ARE FOUND IN THE LOWER PARACHUTE CREEK AND THE UPPER DOUGLAS CREEK MEMBERS OF THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION.

6 TAR SAND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT OF THE P.R. SPRING AND HILL CREEK AREAS.

7 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT GATHER THE AVAILABLE CORE AND MEASURED-SECTION DATA. PLOT UNIFORM-SCALE LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS. DETERMINE LATERAL EXTENT OF TAR SAND ZONES OR OF INDIVIDUAL TAR SAND BEDS.

8 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT (CONTINUED) PRESENT AVAILABLE TAR SAND PROPERTIES RECOGNIZE LIMITATIONS AND PITFALLS OF THE RESOURCE-ASSESSMENT PROCESS. DEVELOP A BELIEVABLE METHOD OF ESTIMATING THE SIZE OF THE P.R. SPRING- HILL CREEK RESOURCE (BARRELS OF OIL) IN PLACE.

9 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT GATHER THE AVAILABLE CORE AND MEASURED- SECTION DATA. INFORMATION WAS GATHERED FROM MEASURED SECTIONS AND CORE-HOLE DATA TO CREATE ONE HUNDRED TWENTY SIX LITHOLOGIC LOGS. THIS INFORMATION WAS GLEANED FROM VARIOUS REPORTS, STUDIES, AND FROM DATA IN UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FILES.

10 MAP OF P.R. SPRING/HILL CREEK AREA SHOWING THE LOCATIONS OF THE 126 CORE HOLE OR MEASURED SECTIONS

11 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT PLOT UNIFORM-SCALE LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS. NUMERICAL DATA WERE ENTERED INTO AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET AND CONVERTED INTO A STACKED COLUMN OF A UNIFORM SCALE. EACH LITHOLOGIC TYPE IN THE COLUMN WAS COLORED CODED. LOCATION AND TOP ELEVATION INFORMATION WAS ADDED AT THE TOP OF EACH COLUMN.

12 EXAMPLES OF LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS

13 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT DETERMINE LATERAL EXTENT OF TAR SAND ZONES OR OF INDIVIDUAL TAR SAND BEDS. MINI, ONE-SECTION, TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS WERE PRODUCED USING TOPO SOFTWARE. THE LOCATION OF ALL LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS WERE PLOTTED. THE AREAS UNDERLAIN AND DEVOID OF TAR SAND WERE DETERMINED AND PLOTTED.

14 (CONTINUED) THE AREAS DEVOID OF TAR SANDS, NORMALLY EXPOSED WITHIN CANYONS, HAVE ELEVATIONS LOWER THAN THE BOTTOM ELEVATION OF THE LOWEST TAR SAND LAYER. THE AREAS DEVOID OF TAR SANDS WERE INFILLED WITH DARK GRAY COLORING. IF NO TAR SANDS ARE PRESENT IN THE LITHOLOGIC SECTION, THIS IS INDICATED BY A NOTE NEXT TO THE SECTION LOCATION, AND THE INFILL IS NOT DEPLOYED.

15 EXAMPLE OF MINI TOPOGRAPHIC MAP WITH SECTION LOCATION AND AREAS DEVOID OF TAR SAND SHOWN.

16 FINALLY, THE LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS AND THE MINI TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS ARE COMBINED, AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS ADDED. SATURATED AND NON-SATURATED AREAS ASSOCIATED USGS QUADRANGLE WHETHER PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL DATA ARE AVAILABLE IF THE SECTION IS OWNED BY THE STATE TAR SAND ZONE/BED THICKNESSES

17 A COMPLETED INFORMATION SHEET IS CREATED FOR EACH CORE HOLE OR MEASURED SECTION

18 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT PRESENT AVAILABLE TAR SAND PROPERTIES SOME STUDIES INCLUDED PHYSICAL AND/OR CHEMICAL INFORMATION FOR SPECIFIC TAR SAND INTERVALS SOME DID NOT. THIS IS INDICATED ON THE COMPOSIT SECTION/-MINI MAP FIGURES. WHEN AVAILABLE, THESE DATA ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM IN THE FINAL REPORT AND AS EXCEL FILES ON AN ACCOMPANYING CD.

19 TYPES OF TAR SAND DATA THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE TYPES OF ANALYSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE P.R. SPRING-HILL CREEK TAR SANDS. THICKNESS AND OVERBURDEN OF TAR SAND BEDS POROSITY AND PERMEABILITY WATER / OIL CONTENT (% AND GALLONS PER TON) TAR SAND AND GRAIN DENSITIES GRAIN SIZE SAND AND CLAY MINERALOGY IRON AND SULFUR CONTENT SULFUR ISOTOPE DATA CHEMICAL ANALYSES

20 HISTOGRAM SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF THE THICKNESS OF TAR SAND BEDS OVER A RANGE OF THICKNESS AN ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION

21 HISTOGRAM SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF TAR SAND OVERBURDEN THICKNESSES OVER A RANGE OF THICKNESSES AN ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION

22 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT RECOGNIZE LIMITATIONS AND PITFALLS OF THE RESOURCE-ASSESSMENT PROCESS. DIFFERENCES IN MEASURING AND LITHOLOGIC- IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES, STYLES, OR ABILITIES BETWEEN GEOLOGISTS. THE EXTREME LENTICULAR NATURE OF THE LITHOLOGIC UNITS IN THE AREA. HOW FAR CAN A BED BE EXTRAPOLATED FROM A SECTION?

23 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT RECOGNIZE LIMITATIONS AND PITFALLS OF THE RESOURCE-ASSESSMENT PROCESS. (CONTINUED) INCORPORATING THE EXTREME DISSECTION OF THE AREA BY STREAMS AND DEEP CANYONS FINDING AN ACCEPTABLE METHOD TO ESTIMATE THE TAR SAND RESOURCE IN THE AREA.

24 W EXAMPLE 1 E VARIABILITY OF LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS OVER A DISTANCE OF ABOUT ONE MILE.

25 EXAMPLE 2 VARIABILITY OF LITHOLOGIC SECTIONS OVER A DISTANCE OF 1.5 MILES.

26 EXAMPLE 3 THE VARIABILITY OF LITHOLOGIES OVER A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 7.2 MILES NOTE THE EXTREME DIFFERENCES IN LITHOLOGY FROM SECTION TO SECTION

27 STEPS OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT DEVELOP A BELIEVABLE METHOD OF ESTIMATING THE SIZE OF THE P.R. SPRING - HILL CREEK RESOURCE (BARRELS OF OIL) IN PLACE. THOUGHT PROCESS IN PROGRESS! RODIN