Using Geographic Information Systems to Evaluate Gas Fields in Western Kansas
Joscelyn Nittler.
MasterÕs Program
of Earth, Environmental, and Physical Science,
Wichita State University,
Wichita, KS 67260 [email protected]
The economic conditions of the natural gas industry have changed dramatically over the past few decades. When many of the fields in western and central Kansas were discovered, natural gas prices were comparably low to current trends, and it was not cost-effective to lay the necessary pipelines to bring discovered gas to market. Producers now have an advantageous situation; they have access to wire-line logs from many wells in these fields which they can use to locate potential pay-zones in offset and infill wells, in addition to washdown possibilities. This study uses ArcGIS to develop maps of a gas field in western Kansas. The majority of the data were gathered from the Kansas Geological Survey website. Maps were published as TINs, then overlain with contours. Raster maps were also created using freeware available on the KGS website. Surface topography, formation tops, and isopachs are combined with cumulative production data, lease acreage, and equipment value to aide the investor in visually evaluating the area as a whole. The results show apparent faults and anticlines, as well as longevity of production in the field. The next phase is to combine these maps with more detailed log and scout card analysis in order to test these findings by drilling the proposed offsets and infield wells.
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90067©2007 AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting, Wichita, Kansas