SUMMARY

In order to finish the detailed reservoir characterization the DOE CLASS III project in Eastern Midland County, a horizontal core was planned with retrieval of 150 feet of core from both key pay zones (1U and 5U).Before this acquisition occurred the data for fracture characterization was ambiguous. The orientation has been investigated through use of tracer surveys, pulse testing, and production monitoring, and generally found to be along a NE to SW trend that could vary as much as 20 to 40 degrees. There are those whom believed that the existence of natural fractures was not significant enough and should not be a key part of reservoir characterization. The acquisition of the core unequivocally documents numerous, closely spaced natural fractures in the reservoir rock of the Spraberry formation.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90937©1998 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah