Show I rI r I SCHEMATIC DRAWING SHOWING OIL RECOVERY c BY y WATER INJECTION GREATER GR 1 ATER ANETH AREA UTAH AREA UTAH t 1 1 Eo 6 1 0 0 f f t t e Eo G O O c i Ec Q f E Eo y at tf t Q f P t Eo E. E OO O r s Pa PaS f 4 f f WATCH PUSHES OIL TO PRODUCING writs NEIL 1 How Irow the Aneth Area will work ja s illustrated by this simplified drawing Water from the alluvium sand beds of the San Juan River is pumped to a plant where it is ia filtered and distributed to water injection wells wes drilled to the Desert Creek producing for for- gan n in 1959 Cores from producing producing ing formations of wells at Aneth Meth were examined by oil company scientists who conducted laboratory laboratory labor labor- atory with the samples to determine if the formations formations for for- would accept water These tests indicated that t wa wa- at Aneth will probably pro bably work Unit agreements entered Into by Aneth operators al almost almost al al- most three years of negotiations were approved last year by the Navajo Tribal Council United States State Geological Survey and Bureau Dureau of Indian Affairs and Utah Oil and Gas Conservation Commission The industry is investing additional additional ad ad- millions of dollars Inthe in inthe inthe the Four Corners fields In hopes hope th the projects will significantly Increase Increase In In- crease the life expectancy and oil recoveries from Aneth Meth In Investment Investment In In- vestment costs in the l Unit alone will wUl be In the neighborhood neighborhood neigh neIgh- of 2 2 million I In the l Unit water Is Isnow Isnow now being obtained from five water source wells drilled Inthe in inthe inthe the alluvium of ot the San Juan River The water is being trans- trans mation matlon more than a mile below the ground surface The water is injected at pressures pressures pres pres- up to a maximum of pounds per square inch As underground res reservoir reser reservoir reser- reser voir pressures are increased it is hoped additional oil will be pushed to the producing producing pro pro- proof oil wells for recovery Aneth Operations End 2 2 Years of Planning fanning Commencement of ot operations in the Unit of f the Greater Aneth Area San SanJuan Juan uan County culminates over two wo and one-half one years years' of oi oil Industry planning to increase ol oil recovery from the Paradox Basin Dasin Da Ba Ba Bain sin in fields Superior Oil Co and Humble Oil on Refining Co are are operator and sub-operator sub respectively re reo re- re of the acre unit The three other areas at Aneth Aneth An An- eth unitized for secondary re recovery recovery reo re- covery purposes and nd operators are the Aneth Unit Texaco Inc Phillips Petroleum Co and White Mesa Continental Co Continental tal Oil Co I t If successful the operations could result In addi addi- additional additional oil recoveries of of from to million barrels according according ac ac- ac cording to varying oil industry and United States States' Government estimates Studies of the feasibility of injecting water more than a amIle amile amile mile underground to increase reservoir pressures on Aneth be be- ported over three miles mUes through aluminum pipelines es to a water InJectIon Infection plant where silt sUt and other Impurities are filtered before before before be be- fore the water is injected In six Input wells drilled to the Desert Desert Des Des- ert Creek formation It is hoped the Injected water will increase reservoir pressures which will in turn push to the producing wells additional oil for recovery Initially Uy only about one hou thou send acres in the Unit will be affected by operations After a period of In Injection In in- history has hai been obtain obtained obtained ed ed the water Injection program probably will be enlarged to cover the entire unit The water supply will be expanded to fur fur- nish the estimated barrels barrels bar bar- of water dally for a full fun scale flood As the progresses it Is anticipated that a n considerable considerable consid erable volume of salt water willbe will willbe willbe be produced from the Creek Unit The salt water willbe will willbe be filtered and Injected into t the e formations through a separate high pressure system Since their discovery In 1956 the Greater Aneth Area fields have produced over barrels of oil Maximum producing rates were obtained in May 1959 when the Greater Aneth Area wells wens produced barrels bl of at crude oil daily dally Three years la la- later la later ter there has been a 45 percent per percent percent cent drop In production to about barrels per day The purpose of the is ts to reverse declining reservoir pressures by building up the energy energy en en- ergy in the producing formations formations forma forma- for greater oil recovery Primary production methods will recover only 14 to 17 per percent percent percent cent of the oil at Aneth according according accord accord- ing to estimates of various oil companies including an engineering engineering engi engl company report submitted submitted submit submit- ted to the Utah Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in January 1959 Successful water- water flooding could Increase total oil recovery to 30 per rent cent |