New Berea Sandstone research consortium planned

The Upper Devonian Berea Sandstone has been a major producer of natural gas in eastern Kentucky for decades, but recent horizontal drilling in northeastern Kentucky has generated new interest in this interval. The new Berea horizontal oil play is of significant interest to the energy industry because of shallow drilling depths (less than 1,600 feet vertical depth), good production rates, and the current price advantage of oil versus natural gas.

KGS, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, is forming an industry-funded research consortium to better characterize the Berea horizontal oil play in eastern Kentucky and adjacent parts of Ohio and West Virginia. This research hasseveral objectives to help better define the extent of the play area and controls on hydrocarbon distribution in the Berea:

1. Improve the accuracy of thermal maturity maps of the Devonian Ohio Shale source rock, particularly in the shallow, lower-maturity area in northeastern Kentucky
2. Characterize Berea oil, gas, and brine chemistry, and geochemically tie Berea hydrocarbons to their source
3. Interpret Berea structure and detailed stratigraphy in the producing area, incorporating data from Berea cores and outcrops, to gain a better understanding of the reservoir architecture and distribution of porosity and permeability
4. Interpret controls on Berea perme

Principal investigators for the 18-month study will be Steve Greb, Marty Parris, and Cortland Eble. Companies interested in participating in the consortium should contact KGS for a full project proposal.

More data on the Berea horizontal play can be found by going to the KGS website, www.uky.edu/kgs, and entering the search term "Berea."