Preparations for an Immiscible CO₂ Flood Pilot in Sugar Creek Field, KY

James R. Damico, John P. Grube, and Scott Frailey
Illinois State Geological Survey, Institute of Natural resource Sustainability, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, 61820, [email protected]

As part of an ongoing DOE-funded project to study the use of CO₂ for EOR, the Midwest Geologic Sequestration Consortium is performing a series of pilot tests examining the potential of oil reservoirs for CO₂ sequestration as well as CO₂ as an EOR mechanism. Having completed an earlier huff-n-puff pilot, the next pilot will examine CO₂ injection under immiscible conditions. An immiscible flood does not require a minimum pressure to be maintained, which will allow evaluation under intermittent injection conditions. After conducting an exhaustive search for site candidates, Sugar Creek Field in western Kentucky was chosen.

The field is characterized by complex geologic relationships as a result of compartmentalized nature of the reservoir units. To better understand the area, the geology of the field was studied thoroughly using traditional as well as computer-based approaches. This approach was designed to maximize the available data as well as make the best use of the knowledge of experienced geologists. The end result was a reality-based, three dimensional model of the reservoir architecture that was later used for simulation purposes. The geology of the area and the results of the reservoir modeling will be the subject of this presentation.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90095©2009 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Evansville, Indiana, September 20-22, 2009