Application of Reservoir Description in Santa Fe Springs Field, Meyer Zone Waterflood, Los Angeles County, California

Arthur M. Morrissey, P. J. Hickey

Santa Fe Springs (SFS) field is located 12 mi southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The field produces from 10 Pliocene and Miocene reservoirs located at drill depths of 3,000 to 10,000 ft. The Meyer zone (early Pliocene, "Repetto") is located at a drill depth of 4,600 ft. SFS ranks as one of the most prolific multi-zone fields in the world with a total production since 1919 of 640 million bbl of oil. Cumulative production from the Meyer zone is estimated at 260 million bbl of oil. The Meyer zone consists of channel-fill deposits associated with a submarine fan complex.

Waterflooding of the Meyer zone was initiated in 1971. Some problems with the waterflood are (1) very poor injection profiles, (2) steep reservoir pressure gradients, (3) uneven fill-up of Meyer sands, (4) premature water breakthrough with water cycling through relatively thin sands, and (5) cross flow between different Meyer sands in idle well bores.

A better understanding of sand geometry and fluid flow has been achieved by integrating (1) a field-wide recorrelation of electric logs, (2) a depositional facies analysis of recent core, (3) quantitative analysis of well logs, (4) SP curves to model depositional facies, and (5) an analysis of production history. This study has identified depositional facies that affect reservoir quality and the distribution of fluids: (1) channel-fill deposits; (2) levee, channel-margin, or crevasse-splay deposits; and (3) interchannel, or overbank, deposits. Primary production and water-flooding have depleted and swept most of the high-permeability channel-fill deposits. The lower-permeability levee, channel-margin, and crevasse-splay deposits contain most of the remaining recoverable oil. The nonre ervoir interchannel deposits disrupt continuity of the channel sandstones and associated edge facies.

This study has combined a depositional model with production data to target potential unswept oil and improve waterflood performance. Based on results of this study, new well locations, recompletions, work-overs, and injector conversions are planned.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.