http://aongrc.nrcce.wvu.edu/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_UTICA_REPORT_0...
UTICA SHALE
APPALACHIAN BASIN EXPLORATION
CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT
This CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT (hereinafter referred to as "Agreement") is entered into this 31st day of March, 2012 by and among the Members, as defined below, for the purpose of undertaking research activities related to Utica Shale Appalachian Basin Exploration.
WHEREAS, the Appalachian Oil & Natural Gas Research Consortium, managed by the West Virginia University Research Corporation ("WVURC") on behalf of the Shale Research, Education, Policy and Economic Development Center at West Virginia University, ("Center"), with input from industry, has developed a research plan ("Project") to address industry needs as they develop the potentially huge Utica Shale oil and gas play; and
WHEREAS, industry, university, and government entities wish to participate in and support the Project as members of the Utica Shale Appalachian Basin Exploration Consortium ("Consortium"); and
WHEREAS, the participants desire to outline and formalize their participation in the project Consortium and the Project;
NOW THEREFORE, the parties to this Agreement elect to become members of the Consortium and to participate in the Project subject to the Terms and Conditions outlined below.
Article 1
Term of Agreement
This Agreement shall be in effect beginning April 1, 2012 and shall terminate on March 31, 2014 unless extended, in writing, by the Consortium membership.
Article 2
Types of Membership
The Consortium will consist of the following member types:
Article 3
Membership Fees
Industry members shall be required to pay a fee of $75,000 to WVURC. This fee may be paid in one lump sum no later than March 31, 2012 or in two equal payments of $37,500. The first $37,500 payment shall be due no later than March 31, 2012 with the second $37,500 payment due no later than March 31, 2013. Failure to pay the entire amount due and payable to the WVURC shall result in termination of membership in the Consortium and the loss of any rights such membership grants such member under this Agreement.
Article 4
Membership Responsibilities
Article 5
Industry Membership Benefits
Article 6
Confidentiality
The period of protection of confidential information shall be 3 years from the effective date of this Agreement. Without affecting or limiting any other provisions of this Agreement, it is agreed each party's obligation under Article 6 may survive the expiration of this Agreement.
Confidential information does not include any information which:
The release of confidential information by the receiving party to satisfy the requirements of federal, state or local laws shall not be a breach of this Agreement.
It is understood and agreed that this Project is partially supported by State funds and, as such, ultimately will be available to the public. Any and all Project deliverables are subject to release or review by individuals and companies not a part of this Consortium.
Article 7
Miscellaneous
Each party to this Agreement is an independent contractor with each party solely responsible for its own business expenses and employees including but not limited to salaries, benefits, insurances, withholding, worker compensation and taxes. Employees of either party shall not be deemed agents, employees or representatives of the other party.
In the execution of this Agreement, the people whose signatures are set forth are duly authorized to execute the Agreement and bind the parties.
This Agreement is governed by and construed under the laws applicable to the United States Government.
This Agreement is intended by the parties as a final written expression of their agreement and supersedes and replaces any prior oral or written agreement. Any terms or conditions inconsistent with or in addition to terms and conditions herein contained shall be void and of no effect unless specifically agreed to in writing and signed by both parties. Any changes to this Agreement must be made in writing and must be executed by the parties executing this original Agreement.
The following Attachments are incorporated herein and made a part of this Agreement:
IN WITNESS HERETO
, the parties hereto affix their signature and enter into the Agreement.
West Virginia University Research Corporation
_____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Kentucky Geological Survey
_____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Ohio Geological Survey
_____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Pennsylvania Geological Survey
_____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Smith Stratigraphic LLC
_____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey
____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Anadarko E&P Company LP
_____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Chevron USA Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, through its division,
Chevron North American Exploration & Production Company
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
CNX Gas Company LLC
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
ConocoPhillips Company
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
EnerVest Operating, LLC
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
EOG Resources Incorporated
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
EQT Production Company
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Hess Corporation on behalf of itself and Hess Ohio Resources, LLC and Hess Ohio Developments, LLC
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Range Resources Corporation
____________________________ ______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Southwestern Energy Company
_____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
SWEPI LP
_____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
Sylvan Energy, LLC
_____________________________ _______________________________
Signature Typed Name
ATTACHMENT 1
University/Government/Research Members
West Virginia University Research Corporation
Kentucky Geological Survey
U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory
Ohio Geological Survey
Pennsylvania Geological Survey
Smith Stratigraphic LLC
West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey
Washington University, St. Louis
ATTACHMENT 2
Industry Members
Anadarko E&P Company LP
Chevron USA Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, through its division,
Chevron North American Exploration & Production Company
CNX Gas Company LLC
ConocoPhillips Company
EnerVest Operating, LLC
EOG Resources Incorporated
EQT Production Company
Hess Corporation on behalf of itself and Hess Ohio Resources, LLC and Hess Ohio Developments, LLC
Range Resources Corporation
SWEPI LP (Shell E&P, US Appalachia)
Southwestern Energy Company
Sylvan Energy, LLC
ATTACHMENT 3
Research Plan
CREATING A GEOLOGIC PLAY BOOK FOR UTICA SHALE
APPALACHIAN BASIN EXPLORATION
STATEMENT OF WORK
The Utica Shale playbook study will be conducted as a coordinated effort with the new "West Virginia University Shale Research, Education, Policy and Economic Development Center." Research will be conducted by personnel from the Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky state geological surveys, Washington University, Smith Stratigraphic LLC and DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The work will be divided into nine tasks, each of which will have a lead state geological survey or, in the case of New York, a lead state team. To the extent possible, data collection, sampling and other work for each task will be conducted by the staff from each survey or team in their own state. Samples will then be shipped to the task leaders for analysis. After the analyses are finished, the results will be posted on the Consortium website.
Task 1.0 – Organization of Existing Data
Each state geological survey or team will organize all existing data such as well logs, lists of well cuttings and cores, geochemical data, thermal maturity data, any core photos, existing studies of cores or cuttings, publications, etc. A set of approximately 200 wells to be included in the study will be selected. Key wells will be chosen by location and log quality.
Where logs from these wells are already digitized, the logs will be loaded onto the Consortium website and linked in a GIS database as soon as possible. Where key logs are not digitized, they will be digitized prior to submission and then loaded onto the website. Each state will be responsible for completing this task for their own state and submitting data to the West Virginia Geological Survey (WVGS) web site administrator.
Deliverables:
All existing data will be uploaded and linked in a GIS database on the Consortium website as soon as possible.
Task 2.0 – Core and Outcrop Descriptions, Petrography, Spectral Gamma Ray Logging
The team representing New York State and the Ohio Geological Survey (OGS) will take the lead on this task, which will be divided into four subtasks.
Subtask 2.1. Core Description.
Cores from each state geological survey core library will be selected for description and all new cores submitted by member companies will be described in detail. The main rock types to be logged are gray shale, black shale, argillaceous lime mudstone, lime wackestone, packstone and grainstone. Where less than 6 inches thick, bed thickness may be captured schematically, but intervals that consist of thinly interbedded limestone and shale will clearly be discriminated from those that are more massively bedded. Macrofossils, lithology and sedimentary structures will be captured in the core descriptions. The New York team will set the guidelines for core description and members from the other states may describe their own cores or use existing descriptions where possible to maintain consistency.
Subtask 2.2.
Petrography. Thin sections will be made from key facies. The thin sections will be described and photographed and the information will be used to make more accurate core descriptions. The New York team will take the lead on petrography.
Subtask 2.3.
Outcrop Description. Each state geological survey will be responsible for its own outcrop descriptions with the goal of a field trip at the end of the study. Although the field teams will vary from state to state, outcrops will be described using a consistent, standardized format.
Subtask 2.4. Gamma-Ray Logging of Cores.
The Ohio Geological Survey and NETL will take the lead on gamma-ray logging of selected cores with a spectral gamma-ray tool. This will aid in linking the core descriptions to logs and could be an excellent way to identify uranium and, by association, organic-rich intervals.
Deliverables: Descriptions and photographs of cores that are in the public domain will be uploaded onto the project website. Descriptions and photographs of cores donated by member companies will be included in the final report. Spectral gamma-ray data will be converted to .las files and loaded onto the website. Analysis of the data will be included in the final report. At least one field trip to examine key outcrops will be organized for research team and company members of the consortium.
Task 3.0 – Reservoir Characterization (Porosity and Permeability Measurements, and Imaging of Pores)
This task will be divided into three subtasks. Selected organic-rich core intervals will be chosen for porosity and permeability measurements and pore imaging with the SEM and NMR. This will be done on at least one core from each state (if possible) and perhaps more than one from Ohio. At least five samples will be selected from each core, from which we will obtain both pore images and porosity and permeability data. A thin section will be made from each sample, so that full data sets will exist for each core plug. Each survey will be responsible for sampling cores in their possession. The Pennsylvania Geological Survey and NETL will be the task leaders.
Subtask 3.1. Porosity and Permeability Measurements.
NETL for porosity and nano-permeability measurements.
Subtask 3.2. Pore Imaging.
Pieces of the same sample will be sent out to be milled with
an ion beam and then analyzed with an SEM to determine the pore types present. There
will be a focus on organic and diagenetic pores that are likely to be hydrocarbon filled.
Subtask 3.3. NMR and /or CT X-ray Analysis.
NETL will scan core to obtain 3D images of organic matter and determine the types of hydrocarbons in the shale matrix with NMR and an industrial high resolution X-Ray instrument.
Deliverables:
The porosity and permeability measurements, pore images and NMR/CT analyses will be uploaded to the website as they are acquired. Analysis of the data will be included in the final report.
Task 4.0 – Inorganic Geochemistry (Carbon isotopes, XRD, Calcite Content)
Inorganic geochemistry will be divided into three subtasks. Sampling of the wells will be done by the individual surveys. The New York team will be responsible for Subtasks 4.1 and 4.2 and the Pennsylvania Geological Survey will be responsible for Subtask 4.3. Samples from at least 60 wells will have carbon isotope and calcite content measurements, and samples from at least 20 wells will be analyzed with the XRD.
Subtask 4.1. Carbon Isotopes.
The New York team will be responsible for carbon isotope stratigraphy. All of the cores utilized in the study and cuttings from at least 60 wells will be analyzed for carbon and oxygen isotopes. All wells will be analyzed for 13Ccarb and some wells will be analyzed for 13Corg. As the names suggest, 13Ccarb is a measurement of the ratio of 13C to 12C in carbonate, whereas 13Corg is a measurement of the same ratio in organic matter. All of the work performed to date by the New York team has been on 13Ccarb but the 13Corg data can be used in sediments that don’t contain any limestone, such as the upper Utica Shale and Lorraine Shale.
All wells will be sampled from below the Knox Unconformity up to the upper, organic-poor Utica. A few wells may be sampled even higher to see if any useful markers can be found.
The isotopes will be measured by David Fike and Garrecht Metzger at Washington University in St. Louis (part of the New York team). Garrecht Metzger will be working on this for his Ph.D. dissertation. The 13C data will be depth shifted and the shifted logs will be made into .las files. The raw data and the .las files will be uploaded to the website as soon as possible.
Subtask 4.2. Calcite Content.
Much of the Utica "Shale" play is really an interbedded limestone and shale or a calcareous shale play. In order to capture the amount of limestone present and how it varies through the stratigraphic section, the New York team will measure calcite content by performing insoluble residue analysis on approximately 60 samples. This will be done simply by crushing, weighing, acidizing, and drying each sample, and weighing them again to determine the amount of calcite dissolved. This technique has been proven to be a key diagnostic tool, and should be important for correlation purposes and to obtain a better understanding of the reservoir.
Subtask 4.3. XRD Analysis.
Some cores and cuttings from 20 key wells will be analyzed using an X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) with a focus on clay mineralogy, quartz, pyrite, dolomite and other minerals. The Pennsylvania Geological Survey (PGS) will take the lead on this sub-task.
Deliverables:
Data will be shifted to log depth (sometimes quite different than pipe depth) and converted into .las files. The raw data and the .las files will be uploaded to the website as they are acquired, except data from cores that are donated by the member companies. These data will be included in the final report.
Task 5.0 – Organic Geochemistry and Petrology (TOC, Organic petrology, Rock Eval, Thermal Maturity)
This task will be divided into four subtasks, and the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) will take the lead, with cooperation from New York team and NETL-DOE.
Subtask 5.1. TOC Measurements
. All cores from key wells and cuttings from at least 60 wells will be sampled and analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC) and calcite content. Cores will be sampled at a minimum of 3-foot intervals with finer sampling possible where thin interbeds of shale and limestone occur in organic-rich intervals. Samples will be acquired using a cordless drill and a masonry bit and sample size will be sufficient to analyze for both TOC and calcite content.
Cuttings will be sampled and analyzed from each key well from the top of the Black River up through the Trenton and Point Pleasant (and equivalents) and into the upper organic-poor Utica.
The Kentucky Geological Survey has the capability to obtain LECO TOC data and will analyze most of the samples. Many samples from New York already have been analyzed using a carbon coulometer and these results also will be included. A few wells will be tested with both the LECO and coulometer to determine if there are any significant differences among them. If the values turn out to be approximately the same, TOC measurements may be made by either the Kentucky Geological Survey or the New York team.
Deliverables:
Total organic carbon (TOC) analyses acquired by LECO technique for approximately 2500 samples from 60 wells across the study area.
Subtask 5.2. Organic Petrology.
Organic petrography will be performed on up to 100 samples identified as containing significant organic carbon. Petrographic examination of polished core and cuttings samples will allow identification of the organic components of the Utica and adjacent units. Organic components, especially algal components such as G. prisca will be identified and quantified. While no true vitrinite is known to occur in Ordovician rocks, material that resembles vitrinite is known to occur in the Cambrian-age Conasauga shale, and reflectance measurements have been obtained for this unit. For the proposed work, reflectance will be measured on any vitrinite-like material identified. Organic petrographic results will be integrated with Rock-Eval data to improve the prediction and mapping of thermal maturity. Organic petrology will be done by Dr. Cortland Eble at the Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky.
Deliverables:
Descriptions of approximately 100 organic petrologic samples and reflectance measurements will be collected where possible. Organic components of the Utica and related units will be identified. All data will be uploaded to the website upon completion and an analysis of the data will be included in the final report.
Subtask 5.3. Rock Eval.
After the initial total organic carbon data are collected and analyzed, a subset of samples will be selected for Rock-Eval pyrolysis. Rock-Eval will be run at NETL and a commercial lab on approximately 50 samples. These data will determine the type of organic matter present and its thermal maturity, and will better define the limits of the play. Maps of maturity (Tmax) values will help to define the oil, wet gas, and dry gas portions of the producing trend. Plots of hydrogen and oxygen indices will allow interpretation of regional trends in kerogen types and maturation.
Deliverables:
Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses for several hundred core and cuttings samples across the study area. Data will be uploaded to the website upon completion and an analysis of the data will be included in the final report.
Subtask 5.4. Thermal Maturity
. On existing maps of basin-wide thermal maturity, the lines between immature and the oil window and the oil-wet gas and the wet-gas regions are poorly defined. All of these boundaries likely occur in eastern Ohio, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. Vitrinite reflectance data cannot be acquired from the Utica because there is no vitrain in the formation due to its age. Most of the thermal maturity data to date are CAI values from studies conducted by the USGS. These data will be included in the study. To further refine our understanding, additional methods will be used. This will include examining vitrinite reflectance, and production data from the Marcellus and Upper Devonian shales, and extrapolating downward to the Utica using the current geothermal gradient.
Deliverables:
All data will be uploaded to the website as they are acquired. A final analysis of the data will be included in the final report.
Task 6.0 – Log Analysis, Stratigraphic Correlation and Fairway Mapping
This task will be divided into three subtasks. The 13C, TOC, calcite and XRD data will be distributed to each state geological survey and each survey will then use these data and available well logs to make correlations across their respective states. The KGS will take the lead on this task and produce the final maps and PETRA product and the WVGS will upload the finished cross sections and maps to the project website.
Subtask 6.1. Log Analysis. The TOC data from the cores and cuttings will be calibrated to wireline logs to determine which logs are the most useful for correlation and for evaluating TOC-rich and porous strata.
Subtask 6.2. Log Correlation.
Stratigraphic correlation will be done at a very high level of detail from the top of the Black River up through the Trenton, Point Pleasant, Utica and Utica equivalents. All of the logs included in the study will be correlated at this resolution and a final PETRA project will be created with all of the logs and picks. A series of cross sections will be constructed for the entire northern Appalachian basin and for each state. Where possible, using descriptions from cored wells key facies will be added to cross sections to illustrate their variability across the study area.
Subtask 6.3. Stratigraphic, Thermal Maturity and Fairway Mapping.
A series of maps will be created, including isopachs of various time slices and net thickness of organic-rich Utica above 1%, 2% and 3% TOC. Thermal maturity and other data will be included to make fairway maps for oil, wet gas and dry gas potential.
Deliverables:
As cross sections and maps are created they will be uploaded to the website for download by consortium members. A final PETRA project will be given to all consortium members.
Task 7.0 – Resource Assessment
Available production data on this developing play will be very limited. However, those production histories that are available will be gathered, documented and summarized. If sufficient data exist, production maps will be constructed and decline curve analysis attempted. Also, if data warrant, production amounts will be compared to productive interval thickness, completion practices, etc. to investigate if statements can be made concerning preferred methods.
Geologic factors that appear to control the occurrence and productivity of oil and gas will be used to define one or more plays within the study area. Such factors might include thickness of the reservoir, stratigraphic interval, facies, depositional environment, and structural history. The region might also be partitioned on the basis of probable, possible, and hypothetical. Production data will be examined for each area, if available. A resource assessment will include stratigraphic and geographic definition for each play; justification for this partitioning, and assessment of oil and gas volumes produced obtained through either volumetric or probabilistic methods.
The West Virginia Geological Survey will be the lead agency on this task. Each of the state teams will provide production data from their respective states to the WVGS.
Deliverables
: A chapter in the Utica play book describing the methodology used and the final resource numbers for Utica Shale potential in the Appalachian basin.
Task 8.0 – Data, GIS and Website Management
All data, reports, images and maps collected or created for this project will be integrated in a central computer repository, or made available from or through servers at the West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey (WVGES). A secure web site will be created for the project with user accounts and passwords for researchers and funding participants; this website will be created immediately after work has commenced. Data collected and summaries of interpretations will be available to account holders on the website. Regardless of what software is used to create individual maps, they will be converted by researchers/participants to ESRI file format (e.g. shapefile or file geodatabase) for use in an ArcGIS environment. The website will use ESRI’s ArcGIS for Server system to integrate and distribute the GIS via the Internet. We expect that, by collecting data and maps centrally and distributing them live, final report preparation at the conclusion of the project will be more efficient.
Deliverables:
A prototype of the integrated web-based environment will be available with preliminary data during the first weeks of the project while the design and development of the web environment are refined. During the two-year course of the project, the site will continue to be populated with data and the results of analyses, core descriptions and photographs, cross-sections, maps, and other resources as they are made available to WVGES. The restricted-access environment will continue to be maintained during the one-year period of confidentiality following the completion of the project.
Task 9.0 – Play Book Compilation and Project Management
Overall project management will be provided by the Director of the Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Research Consortium, with management of each individual subcontract to be provided by the heads of the oil and gas sections at the state geological surveys and the New York team. This management team will work together to keep the research on schedule, meet all milestones and deliverable dates, file all required reports on time and stay within budget. The management team also will be responsible for collating all of the assembled models into an integrated interpretation, producing the resource assessment, and compiling the final play book for distribution.
Deliverables:
Four meetings of the full Consortium will be organized and hosted in a location near the Pittsburgh airport. During these one-day meetings, the research team will summarize for company partners the current status of the research plan. The final deliverable will be a play book of Utica Shale exploration in the Appalachian basin.
1. Program/Project Identification No. |
2. Program/Project Title Utica Shale Appalachian Basin Exploration Consortium |
||||||||||||
3. Name and Address West Virginia University Research Corporation 886 Chestnut Ridge Road P.O. Box 6845 Morgantown, WV 26506-6845 |
4. Program/Project Start Date 1/1/2012 |
||||||||||||
5. Completion Date 12/31/2013 |
|||||||||||||
SECTION A - BUDGET SUMMARY |
|||||||||||||
Grant Program Function or Activity (a) |
Federal Catalog No. (b) |
Estimated Unobligated Funds |
New or Revised Budget |
||||||||||
Federal (c) |
Non-Federal (d) |
Member fees (e) |
Research Team Cost share (f) |
Total (g) |
|||||||||
1. Member fees |
$ |
$ |
$825,000 |
$ |
$825,000 |
||||||||
2.Cost share |
120,732 |
120,732 |
|||||||||||
3. |
|||||||||||||
4. |
|||||||||||||
5. TOTALS |
$ |
$ |
$825,000 |
$120,732 |
$945,732 |
||||||||
SECTION B - BUDGET CATEGORIES |
|||||||||||||
6. Object Class Categories |
Grant Program, Function or Activity |
Total (5) |
|||||||||||
(1)Member fees |
(2) Cost share |
(3) |
(4) |
||||||||||
a. Personnel |
$14,976 |
$90,308 |
$ |
$ |
$105,284 |
||||||||
b. Fringe Benefits |
1,198 |
27,461 |
28,659 |
||||||||||
c. Travel |
600 |
600 |
|||||||||||
d. Equipment |
|||||||||||||
e. Supplies |
|||||||||||||
f. Contractual |
761,754 |
761,754 |
|||||||||||
g. Construction |
|||||||||||||
h. Other |
4,000 |
4,000 |
|||||||||||
i. Total Direct Charges |
|||||||||||||
j. Indirect Charges |
42,472 |
2,963 |
45,435 |
||||||||||
k. TOTALS |
$825,000 |
$120,732 |
$ |
$ |
$945,732 |
||||||||
7. Program Income |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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