Abstract: East Shugart Delaware Field: Geology and Development

Ralph E. Worthington

The East Shugart Delaware field in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico, produces oil from over 300 ft of upper Brushy Canyon (Delaware formation, Permian, Guadalupian) sandstones. Sands deposited in a shelf-to-basin transition environment form multiple, stacked reservoirs with at least 14 separate oil-water contacts across the field. Each reservoir is relatively continuous over the structure, with slight variations in porosity and permeability.

Discovered in 1985, oil production peaked in late 1987 at 32,000 bbl per month from 19 wells. Currently, the field is producing 12,500 bbl per month. Ultimate primary reserves are projected to exceed 5 million bbl of oil and 10 billion feet³ of gas. A secondary recovery feasibility study concluded an additional 5 million bbl of oil could be recovered. However, a lack of analogous fields for comparison study makes the secondary reserve projection less certain. Pilot projects are in progress in two similar fields, Parkway and Avalon, which will provide additional information on secondary reserves projections

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90980©1994 AAPG Southwest Section Meeting, Ruidoso, New Mexico, April 24-26, 1994