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GEORGE DICKINSON
S ynop'sis
High pressure zones frequently make drilling of
wells most difficult in a belt about 50 miles wide
along the coastal plain northwest of the Gulf of
Mexico from the Rio Grande to the Mississippi
Delta. This study is an attempt to link geological
factors with occurrences of abnormal pressure in
order to provide a better understanding of their
origin.
Abnormal pressure has been defined as any pressure which exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of a
column of water containing 80,000 parts per million
total solids.
Dangerously abnormal pressures occur commonly
in isolated porous reservoir beds in thick shale sections developed below the main sand series. Their
locations are controlled by the regional facies
change in the Gulf Coast Tertiary province, and
they appear to be independent of depth and geological age of the formation.
The high pressures are caused by compaction of
the shales under the weight of the overburden
which is equivalent to approximately one pound per
square inch per foot depth. Difference in density
between gas and water causes abnormal pressure
when hydrocarbon accumulations occur above water, irrespective of whether the water is at normal
or abnormal pressures. The magnitude of this pressure depends upon the structural elevation above the
source of pressure in the water and may cause very
high pressure gradients in isolated sand bodies.
However, the trend of pressures in the Gulf Coast
region indicates that maximum pressures will probably not exceed ninety per cent of the overburden
pressure.
Des zones de haute pression rendent frquemment trs difficile le forage de puits dans une zone
de 50 milles de largeur le long de la plaine ctire
au nord-ouest du Golfe du Mexique depuis le Rio
Grande jusqu'au delta du Mississi pi. Cette tude
essaie d'tablir des liens entre les acteurs gologiques et la prsence de pressions anormales afin de
permettre une meilleure comprhension de l'origine
de celles-ci. Une pression a t dfinie comme
anormale quand elle dpasse la pression hydrostatique d'une colonne d'eau dont le contenu solide est
de 80.000 parties par million.
Les pressions dangereusement anormales se prsentent souvent dans des couches-rservoir poreuses isoles, intercales dans d' aisses sections de
shales dveloppes au-dessous c fes sries sableuses
principales. Leurs emplacements sont gouverns par
les changements rgionaux de facies dans la province tertiaire de la Gulf Coast et paraissent tre indpendants de la profondeur et de l'ge gologique de
la formation.
Les ressions leves sont causes par-le tassement es shales sous le poids des terrains de couverture, lequel est quivalent environ une livre
par pouce carr par pied de profondeur. La diffrence de densit entre le gaz et l'eau cause des
pressions anormales quand il y a des accumulations
* Regional Production Department, Shell Oil Company, d'hydrocarbures au-dessus de l'eau, que la pression
de l'eau soit normale ou anormale. Limportance de
Houston, Texas.
Proceedings 3rd W.P.C., Section I
cette pression dpend de l'lvation structurale audessus du lieu d'origine de la pression dans l'eau et
peut causer des gradients de pression trs marques dans des amas de sable isols. Cependant,
l'allure des pressions dans la rgion de la Gulf
Coast indique que probablement les pressions
maxima ne doivent pas dpasser 90% de la pression
des terrains de couverture.
L'augmentation abrupte de la pression au-dessus
de la pression hydrostatique normale a lieu souvent
dans un intervalle vertical extrmement court, ce
qui rend le contrle difficile. La russite de forages
travers des pressions anormales implique la cimentation du tubage au-dessous des sries sableuses
principales et au-dessus des zones de haute pression
de manire pouvoir employer une boue alourdie
sans perte de circulation.
Introduction
Drilling operations in the coastal plain northwest
of the Gulf of Mexico frequently encounter high
pressure zones which are most difficult to control.
These zones of excessive pressure are widely distributed in a belt 35 to 75 miles wide along the
coast from the Rio Grande in the southwest to the
Vississippi Delta in the east, a distance of approximately 800 miles. This belt coincides approx:mately
with the arda of Pleistocene and Recent formations
shown on the index map, Figure 1.
There has been only limited success in drilling
through high pressure zones to rospectfve reservoir rocks thought to be favorab y located for the
accumulation of oil and gas. An adequate understanding of the origin of pressure in reservoir formations becomes, therefore, increasingly important
as shallow objectives become fewer and as attainable drilling depths increase.
The present study of the geological aspects of the
problem attempts to link geological factors with occurrences of abnormal pressure.
The Gulf Coast region of Louisiana, as outlined
on the index map, Figure 1, was chosen for this
purpose since it is part of a relatively simple geological province favorable for analysis.
Stratigraphy
The general stratigraphic column of the Tertiary,
shown in Figure 5, is overlain by sediments of Recent and Pleistocene age, whidh in some places exceed 3,000 feet in thickness. In the inland part of
the area a few wells penetrated the Eocene, for
example in the Bear and Bannister districts shown in
Figure 7.
r
I
Structure
'
* According to a verbal communication from J. M. Bugbee, 800 to 1200 pounds per square inch overbalancing mud
pressure is required in a hole compared with only 200 to
500 pounds per square inch in a 8-1/2 hole.
Abnormal pressures are encountered in formations ranging in age from the upper Miocene in the
Mississippi Delta area, to the base of the Oligocene
in a strip extending from around Baton Rouge to
the Lake Charles area. Figure 3 shows the locations
of all abnormal pressure occurrences for which data
were available, and the geological zone in which
the first abnormal pressure was recorded. It is apparent from this map that these geological zones
follow trends which agree closely with the Bay
Line of Lowman (27) and with the established
producing trends of the region (Lowman, Figure 6).
When plotted on a stratigraphic correlation chart,
Figure 5, the grouping of the occurrences of abnormal pressure is even more striking, so that some
geological control would appear to be indicated.
Cannon & Craze (12) and Cannon & Sullins (13)
of the Humble Oil & Refining Company, after
reviewing a large number of abnormal pressure occurrences, concluded that depth alone seemed to be
the governing factor regardless of the age of the
formation. However, in the latter paper adjacent
normal and abnormal pressures in the same formation were attributed to depositional and faulting
characteristics, but this geological aspect was not
further pursued.
The change from normal hydrostatic to abnormal
pressure for some wells is shown in Figure 6. A
study of the available data appears to lead to the
conclusion that once the zone containing abnormal
pressure has been reached, the pressure will increase
suddenly, as in Iowa and Manilla Village, or somewhat less rapidly, as in Chalkley, South Roanoke
and La Pice. No reliable examples of gradual pressure increase over an appreciable depth range were
found. However, the use of progressively increasing
mud weight in many wells probably indicates that
a gradual pressure increase does occur.
In order to investigate possible geological control of abnormal pressures, a detailed study was
made of the logs of all the wells known to have
encountered abnormal pressure and of many neighboring wells with normal pressure. The results of
this study are illustrated by three diagrammatic
stratigraphic sections, Figures 7, 8, and 9, drawn
through a series of typical wells across the West,
East and Delta areas of the region. These sections
show that abnormal pressure commonly occurs only
below the base of the main sand development in or
below a major shaly series. Even though most of the
abnormal ressure occurrences reviewed conform
to the con itions shown in the cross-sections, high
pressure may also be found in the main sand series
where conditions are favorable for isolation of sand
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9000
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Fig. 4. Relationship between subsurface pressures measured by pressure bomb and estimated from minimum hydrostatic
head of mud required for control during drilling.
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19 & 20
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29, 30,42 & 49
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33 & 34
36 & 45
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43 & 44
46. 55-51 & 15
47
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67, 76, 71, 80 & 84
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Chalkley (South)
Samstown
Chalkley (North)
South Crowiey
South Roanoke
West Mermentau
South Hayes
North of St. Gabriel
West of Whitecastle
East Hackberry
Bon Air
Northeast of Black Bayou
Nprtheast of Black Bayou
North Crowley
Roanoke
Bayou Choupiquc
St. Gabriel
East of Baton Rouge
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Roanoke
TOPSY
Iowa
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Northeast of North Elton
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RELATIVE POSITIONS
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Dissipotion of pressure
11
Fig. 13. Effect of structure on pressure gradients in sands containing fluids under abnormal pressure.
12
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Acknowledgements
The writer expresses appreciation to the management of the Shell Oil Company for permission to
publish this paper. Thanks are due also to members
of the staffs of the Exploration and Production
Departments in both the Regional office, Houston
and the several offices in the New Orleans Area
who contributed suggestions and assistance in assembling the information and in preparation of the
enclosures.
Manuscript received Nov. 23, 1950.
15
16
Bibliography
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DISCUSSION
1) difference in densities between hydrocarbon
Mr. B. P. BOOTS(N.V. De Bataafsche Petroleum
Maatschappij, The Hague, Netherlands) suggested and water,
2) compaction of formations.
that a clear distinction be made between the two
Dealing only with the second cause, which is
causes of abnormal pressures, mentioned in Mr.
characterized
by an excess of pressure in the water
Dickinsons paper, i.e.
17