Changes

Today Pinedale is resource-wise and economically a very significant natural gas field. Through 2012, the field had produced 3.9 tcf of gas and 29.5 million barrels of condensate from 2200 wells. In 2012 alone, Pinedale produced 533 bcf (1.5 bcf per day), which is enough to heat 5.3 million homes, along with over 3.8 million barrels of condensate. This makes Pinedale not only the largest gas field in the state of Wyoming but also the second largest oil field. Today Pinedale has become a major part of America's energy supply, producing over 2% of the United States' demand for natural gas.

Today Pinedale is resource-wise and economically a very significant natural gas field. Through 2012, the field had produced 3.9 tcf of gas and 29.5 million barrels of condensate from 2200 wells. In 2012 alone, Pinedale produced 533 bcf (1.5 bcf per day), which is enough to heat 5.3 million homes, along with over 3.8 million barrels of condensate. This makes Pinedale not only the largest gas field in the state of Wyoming but also the second largest oil field. Today Pinedale has become a major part of America's energy supply, producing over 2% of the United States' demand for natural gas.

 

Pinedale is special not only because of its geological characteristics and its size but also because of the efficiency in operations that the field's operators have achieved. As a result, it has become the model for tight gas sandstone development in fields around the world. In addition, Pinedale has been groundbreaking on environmental and regulatory issues, particularly in the creative ways that industry has worked with government and environmental regulators to shape policy and regulations that benefit both industry and the environment. Pinedale became the first major greenfield development in the United States in an environmentally sensitive area with thousands of wells planned on hundreds of pads. Furthermore, the field was only 10% developed when the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) process was started in 2005.

Pinedale is special not only because of its geological characteristics and its size but also because of the efficiency in operations that the field's operators have achieved. As a result, it has become the model for tight gas sandstone development in fields around the world. In addition, Pinedale has been groundbreaking on environmental and regulatory issues, particularly in the creative ways that industry has worked with government and environmental regulators to shape policy and regulations that benefit both industry and the environment. Pinedale became the first major greenfield development in the United States in an environmentally sensitive area with thousands of wells planned on hundreds of pads. Furthermore, the field was only 10% developed when the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) process was started in 2005.

Figure 4 High-density pad drilling allows development of a large subsurface volume of the gas resource with minimal impact to the surface environment.

Figure 4 High-density pad drilling allows development of a large subsurface volume of the gas resource with minimal impact to the surface environment.

High-density development is conducive to pad drilling. In Pinedale field, the operators drill gently S-shaped directional wells from central surface pads. This is a technology that was originally developed for drilling offshore wells from a central platform, but that is now being applied onshore. Wells are arranged in pods of two to eight wells on a pad. Up to 50 wells can be drilled on an individual pad so that the physical footprint of operations and wildlife habitat fragmentation are minimized.

High-density development is conducive to pad drilling. In Pinedale field, the operators drill gently S-shaped directional wells from central surface pads. This is a technology that was originally developed for drilling offshore wells from a central platform, but that is now being applied onshore. Wells are arranged in pods of two to eight wells on a pad. Up to 50 wells can be drilled on an individual pad so that the physical footprint of operations and wildlife habitat fragmentation are minimized.

Figure 5 Total disturbance per well and long-term disturbance per well continue to decline with improved drilling techniques such as the pad drilling now being used to develop Pinedale field.

Figure 5 Total disturbance per well and long-term disturbance per well continue to decline with improved drilling techniques such as the pad drilling now being used to develop Pinedale field.

Pinedale field is a giant natural gas resource with unique geologic characteristics. Because of the advanced application of technology and innovative thinking, Pinedale has become the model for modern tight gas development in the United States and throughout the world. It is an efficient “gas factory” where the attention is on fully developing the natural gas resource economically and effectively, without waste, in a safe manner, with focus on the environment, wildlife, and the socioeconomic benefits for the people of the area. Many of the innovative practices developed in Pinedale have been and are being applied elsewhere around the world.

Pinedale field is a giant natural gas resource with unique geologic characteristics. Because of the advanced application of technology and innovative thinking, Pinedale has become the model for modern tight gas development in the United States and throughout the world. It is an efficient “gas factory” where the attention is on fully developing the natural gas resource economically and effectively, without waste, in a safe manner, with focus on the environment, wildlife, and the socioeconomic benefits for the people of the area. Many of the innovative practices developed in Pinedale have been and are being applied elsewhere around the world.

 

We had two major purposes for compiling this volume on the Pinedale field. The first is to document how the development of a giant onshore field, be it oil or gas, requires the integration of knowledge and skills from many teams of people, including geologists, engineers, drillers, land, environmental, and so on to be successful. The second was to provide a venue for sharing previously unpublished and/or proprietary data on Pinedale field with other interested parties.

We had two major purposes for compiling this volume on the Pinedale field. The first is to document how the development of a giant onshore field, be it oil or gas, requires the integration of knowledge and skills from many teams of people, including geologists, engineers, drillers, land, environmental, and so on to be successful. The second was to provide a venue for sharing previously unpublished and/or proprietary data on Pinedale field with other interested parties.

The final chapter in this book, written by Philip Nelson with the U.S. Geological Survey, provides another comparison of Pinedale and Jonah fields. Nelson summarizes and compares the gas, oil, and water production characteristics in early wells in these two fields to shed more light on the nature of their respective reservoirs. He notes that initial gas production rates were higher in Jonah field than in Pinedale field whereas rates of water production were generally significantly higher in Pinedale. Furthermore, the water-gas ratios in Pinedale field tended to remain fairly constant through time, but that these ratios were roughly an order of magnitude greater than in Jonah. Nelson also found that water production rates declined in all wells in Pinedale field over the initial five-year interval he studied, whereas in Jonah field half the wells showed increases and half showed decreases in water production during their first five years. It is clear from these statistics that the fields differ significantly in some ways despite producing from very similar lithologies in the Upper Cretaceous Lance Pool.

The final chapter in this book, written by Philip Nelson with the U.S. Geological Survey, provides another comparison of Pinedale and Jonah fields. Nelson summarizes and compares the gas, oil, and water production characteristics in early wells in these two fields to shed more light on the nature of their respective reservoirs. He notes that initial gas production rates were higher in Jonah field than in Pinedale field whereas rates of water production were generally significantly higher in Pinedale. Furthermore, the water-gas ratios in Pinedale field tended to remain fairly constant through time, but that these ratios were roughly an order of magnitude greater than in Jonah. Nelson also found that water production rates declined in all wells in Pinedale field over the initial five-year interval he studied, whereas in Jonah field half the wells showed increases and half showed decreases in water production during their first five years. It is clear from these statistics that the fields differ significantly in some ways despite producing from very similar lithologies in the Upper Cretaceous Lance Pool.

 

Technology and innovative thinking, mainly during the past 15 years, have driven Pinedale field's development and unlocked a giant domestic energy resource in the United States. These techniques have benefitted all of the following: (1) the oil and gas industry, which through enhanced geologic understanding, better hydraulic fracturing techniques, reduced drilling times and improved operational efficiency has been able to convert what until the 1990s had been a subeconomic play unsuccessfully chased by dozens of companies into one of the most commercially successful fields; (2) wildlife, due to the well thought out regulations and field development plans that have led to geographically focused human and drilling activities and reduced habitat fragmentation; (3) the environment through water recycling, reduced noxious air emissions, and a network of pipelines for fluid transport; (4) safety by lowering the total recordable incidence rate through pad drilling, continuous operations, and long-term employment on the drill rigs; and (5) ultimately, the people of Wyoming through the millions of dollars spent for field development, the hundreds of jobs created both directly and indirectly by all the work done in the Pinedale field area, and the steady (and large!) stream of tax revenue that the field's production has provided to the state.

Technology and innovative thinking, mainly during the past 15 years, have driven Pinedale field's development and unlocked a giant domestic energy resource in the United States. These techniques have benefitted all of the following: (1) the oil and gas industry, which through enhanced geologic understanding, better hydraulic fracturing techniques, reduced drilling times and improved operational efficiency has been able to convert what until the 1990s had been a subeconomic play unsuccessfully chased by dozens of companies into one of the most commercially successful fields; (2) wildlife, due to the well thought out regulations and field development plans that have led to geographically focused human and drilling activities and reduced habitat fragmentation; (3) the environment through water recycling, reduced noxious air emissions, and a network of pipelines for fluid transport; (4) safety by lowering the total recordable incidence rate through pad drilling, continuous operations, and long-term employment on the drill rigs; and (5) ultimately, the people of Wyoming through the millions of dollars spent for field development, the hundreds of jobs created both directly and indirectly by all the work done in the Pinedale field area, and the steady (and large!) stream of tax revenue that the field's production has provided to the state.

As editors of this book, we wish to extend our most sincere thanks to the notable list of companies and contributors who have given so much of their time and talents to provide this book with an excellent series of papers that should serve as a reference not only for Pinedale field but for understanding and developing other tight gas sandstone accumulations around the world for years to come.

As editors of this book, we wish to extend our most sincere thanks to the notable list of companies and contributors who have given so much of their time and talents to provide this book with an excellent series of papers that should serve as a reference not only for Pinedale field but for understanding and developing other tight gas sandstone accumulations around the world for years to come.