June 23, 1999

The project, "Geological and Petrophysical Characterization of the Ferron Sandstone for 3-D Simulation of a Fluvial-Deltaic Reservoir," was a competitive, $1.67 million contract that began in 1993. The project is scheduled for completion this year. "Fluvial-deltaic reservoirs" are actually deltas created by ancient rivers, then covered over, compressed, or otherwise contorted by geologic pressures and movements over millions of years. Their geologic properties make them natural, major traps for oil and gas reserves. The oil fields in Alaska, along the U.S. Gulf Coast, and in the North Sea are examples of fluvial-deltaic reservoirs.

The goal of the effort is to define fluvial-deltaic reservoirs so that three-dimensional models can be created of similar fields world-wide. Those kinds of reservoirs are known to contain significant oil reserves, and 3-D modeling leads to more effective and efficient management of them. The project focused on the Ferron Sandstone outcrop belt in east-central Utah. Although it contains no oil reserves itself, the Ferron Sandstone is exposed and accessible and is well-known throughout the oil industry as a natural model for studying fluvial-deltaic reservoirs.

In grading the efforts by the UGS, the DOE program officer, Robert Lemmon, noted, "The contractor has completed an excellent technical effort. [The UGS has] demonstrated through reports, publications, and oral presentations a high level of professional quality. Results from the outcrop and subsurface analysis have been useful to the oil industry."

The project was managed by Thomas C. Chidsey, petroleum section chief and senior scientist with the UGS. The final ratings for quality, cost control, timeliness of performance, business relations, and customer satisfaction were all "4s" on a scale of 1 to 4, with "4" being excellent.