December Lunch Talk with Mitch Schneider

Join us for a hybrid lunch in December. Sign up for in-person or online options above.

Talk Title: Quantifying Rock Characteristics in the San Andres Formation that Promote CO₂ Sequestration, Permian Basin, USA

Speaker: Mitch Schneider, Colorado School of Mines

The San Andres Formation is a conventional carbonate reservoir on the Central Basin Platform that has been a prolific producer of oil and gas, but vertical and lateral heterogeneity within and between fields make reservoir characterization and thus recovery difficult. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) flooding has long been used for enhanced oil recovery operations within the San Andres Formation, and some fields unintentionally sequester large volumes of CO₂. However, the rock characteristics that allow effective CO₂ sequestration (e.g., lateral geological heterogeneity, diagenetic evolution, pore-network dynamics, fluid-rock interactions) are still uncertain. There is a desire to transition these reservoirs into permanent CO₂ sequestration sites due to existing infrastructure and the history of CO₂ injection. Using thin-section data from the Goldsmith Field on the Central Basin Platform, we quantify heterogeneity within pore networks to provide a methodology for ranking these reservoirs into permanent CO₂ sequestration sites. Using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, we document the mineralogy and porosity network at the micron scale to quantify pore dimensions, pore-lining minerals, and pore-network heterogeneity between different facies and stratigraphic intervals of the San Andres Formation. Integration of this data with existing core-plug porosimetry and field-wide production data, we will quantify the CO₂ trapping capability of the San Andres Formation, and thus the viability for a particular field to be converted to a site for CO₂ sequestration. This newly collected data and methodology can help make informed economic decisions on the future utilization of depleted carbonate petroleum reservoirs, not only in the Permian Basin, but globally.

Bio:

Mr. Schneider has a B.S. in Geology from Grand Valley State University and is currently pursuing an M.S. Degree in Geology and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science from Colorado School of Mines. His thesis project is focused on quantifying rock-fabric characteristics that promote CO2 sequestration in the San Andres Formation, Permian Basin.   His research interests involve the viability of transitioning depleted oil and gas reservoirs to carbon sequestration sites, and how data science can be utilized together with advanced petrography techniques and core description. Mr. Schneider has worked with FourPoint Energy, Ovintiv, and multiple consulting firms. Outside of his studies, he enjoys archery and spending time outdoors.

Download full Abstract & Bio

Hybrid luncheon schedule:

• 11:15am: In-person check-in opens
• 12:00pm: Online event opens
• 12:00pm: Lunch service begins
• 12:15pm: Talk begins
• 1:00pm: Talk/Q&A session ends; Online event closes

Hybrid Luncheon costs:

• Member Lunch: $35
• Non-Member Lunch: $40
• Walk-in without Lunch: $15
• Member Online: $10
• Non-member Online: $20
• Student online: Free

Refund policy:

If you need to cancel an in-person lunch registration for any reason, you must do so by 4:00pm on the Thursday before the Wednesday luncheon. Refunds will not be available after 4:00pm on the Thursday before the luncheon. If you are unable to attend, your luncheon registration is transferable to another RMAG member, or if you are a non-member your registration is transferable to whomever you wish. Refunds will not be issued for online talk registrations.

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