Analysis of the Compartmentalization and Migration in the Cooper and Ero-

manga Basin’s Murta Member

Joseph DeSpain1
1
Texas A&M University, Department of Petroleum Engineering

Abstract. The increasing demand for oil and gas in growing Australia has prompted oil companies of the
Cooper and Eromanga basins to expand their exploration efforts and to incorporate unconventional means of
extraction. The Murta Formation within the basins has historically been a conventional producer, but current
conditions could see it have unconventional potential as the formation consists of alternating sandstone and shale
subsections. Particularly, this speculation arises interest in that the low permeability shale could be fractured
to migrate into the accessible high permeability sandstone. However, the nature and direction of the migration
of water from the low permeability layer into the high permeability layer following initial production remains
to be directly defined; as well, whether oil can become mobile from the low permeability layer is at question
as well. The work of this research investigated the properties of the Murta Formation at the well-developed
Murteree Horst through the parameters given in well completion reports. Through this process, identification
of the Murta Member’s behavior in multiple established oil complexes would be characterized to be applied to
the newer development wells on the Western flank of the Cooper Basin, which will be the subject of later stages
in this research topic.

1 Problem Statement Figure 1. Potential revenue in the Cooper Basin. (Millions of

Dollars) (Cooper Energy Group, 2016)
In Australia’s Cooper Basin, oil outlooks show Eastern
Australia’s increasing energy demand must still be met at
competitive prices. An effort exists to diversify and in-
crease the attainable volume of reserves through uncon-
ventional means. The Western flank is a large prospect.
The Murta Formation of the Cooper Basin has been a pro-
ducible member of conventional oil. However, there is
speculation whether it can be enhanced by unconventional
means, as little is understood regarding the direction of
water migration in the low permeability zone of the for-
mation following initial production; consequentially, it is
questionable whether fracturing could assist in retrieving
previously immobile oil in that zone.

2 RAP Objective and Scope

With sizable outlook for unconventional experimentation
potentially existing on the Western flank of the Cooper
Basin, well completion reports will be collected from
this location to retrieve reservoir parameters. A forma-
tion that has proven to produce consistently and show fu-
ture unconventional uses will be chosen after data collec-
tion and analysis; the location must have appreciable oil-
production history and size, and it must be relevant to fu-
ture prospects in the Western flank, which includes im-
plementing unconventional methods. It is likely future re-
search will be devoted to another area with more prospects.
This formation and its parameters will be subject to petro-
physical analysis and lab testing to determine the nature of
its migration and measure its current volume.
The Murteree Horst was selected as the location to
retrieve petrophysical and performance parameters. This
structural high has been a consistent oil-producing region
since the early 1980s and consists of five major oil com-
plexes.
The Murta Formation was selected as the evaluated
formation after data analysis.
3 Literature Review Figure 2. A log suite of the Murta Member. High permeability
sandstone sections are found in M2 and M4. (Williams et. al,
3.1 Well Completion Reports 1994)
The Well Completion Reports (WCRs) available to this
research are provided by SARIG (South Australian Re-
source Information Gateway), an initiative sponsored by
the government of South Australia. Each well comple-
tion report (to the bounds of this research), includes basic
well location and schedule, stratigraphic descriptions and
geological targets, net pay and perforations, petrophysical
values, drill stem test results, and logging results.
By tabulating the desired data onto a spreadsheet,
graphing tools may be used to reveal the conditions of in-
dividual producing formations. Additionally, this tabula-
tion gives the opportunity to group wells based on similar
characteristics.

3.2 Unusual Lacustrine Reservoirs and Seals of

the Murteree Horst Area, Eromanga Basin,
Australia
This SPE publication was authored by Williams et. al
in 1994, and it offers speculative insight regarding the
unique migration and trapping mechanisms present in the
Murteree Horst. The introduction segment describes the
basic qualities and behavior of the Murta Member (now
known as Murta Formation) and gives a brief history re-
garding the performance of the Murteree Horst’s oil com-
plexes. Following the introduction, the article addresses
problem statements surrounding whether the low perme-
ability shale of the Murta Member contained oil and mi-
grated its oil into the high permeability zone. These prob-
lems were assessed beginning with a geological review of
the Murta Member and a discussion of the sedimentary fa-
cies of each subsection.
The main assessment of the publication was the flow
analysis between the low and high permeability subsec-
tions. The authors indicated a constant pressure water
drive was present during late production of the Murta
Member, and this must have meant water was being sup-
plied from the low permeability zone to the productive
sandstone at an uncharacteristic rate. After proposing
several drive mechanisms to explain the water migration
through the near-impermeable shale, it was concluded
flow was directly upwards via vertical fractures, though
this observation was indirect. Additional pressure data
from Drill Stem tests were analyzed to confirm vertical
flow as the dominant tendency for fluids in the Murta;
however, poor oil shows from the Drill Stem tests in later
production stages led the authors to conclude that oil was
immobile in the low permeability zone. The authors com-
mented that the data analyzed was likely unique, and anal-
ysis of another region could yield alternative results.
3.3 Lineament Associations in the Cooper Basin:
Basement Controls on Hydrocarbon
Distribution
R.K. Boucher released a series of reports in the 1990s
investigating the influence lineament-fault systems could
have on the migration of today’s reservoirs in the Cooper
Basin. His initial work on the topic went to lengths on
defining a lineament, which was based upon how they in-
tersected in a grid-like fashion within the basin to create
ore deposits. This particular article in 1998 analyzed how
gas reservoirs tend to lie inside the perimeter of alternating
grid squares and never directly on an intersection of two
lineaments. Though his figures supported this claim to an
expansive level, he never found a mechanism to explain
how gas migrated into this position, and this research was
stalemated. Oil reservoirs lacked a visible pattern along
lineaments unlike gas, making any proposals about this
system too difficult to speculate. Though this article does
not produce any usable mechanisms in future research, it
does offer a basic insight on the macro-fracture systems of
the Cooper Basin, which when explaining the conditions
of the Murta Formation may prove useful at a later deter-
mined date.
3.4 Cooper-Eromanga Basin Outlook| 2035
Core Energy Group released a report in October of 2016
about the outlook of the Cooper and Eromanga basins. It
projected economic and physical figures regarding cost,
well performance, and new discoveries well into the sec-
ond quarter of the 21st century. The primary figure of
interest in this report pertaining to this research was the
projections of oil production in Australia by region. Their
figures indicate that the Western flank region of the Cooper
Basin, which is still in its immature stages, will make up
double the production than all other wells in the entire
country for at least the rest of the decade, and the West-
ern flank’s upside potential could keep that condition alive
well into 2030. In addition, the report presented figures
about the importance of unconventional development in
the Cooper Basin, which could altogether make up three
quarters of total production by 2035. They noted the chal-
lenge in meeting this condition lies in undergoing more ex-
pensive operations to reach deeper gas reserves in the cen-
tral Cooper Basin’s tight shales and coals; however, any
unconventional plays in the basin’s oil fields are projected
to help that figure, though only fractionally as compared
to gas.
4 Methodology
The basis of the research methodology was divided into
four recognizable steps through its duration:
Step 1: Identify Topics and Problems
Step 2: Initial Literature/Data Collection and Evaluation
Step 3: Data Mining of WCRs
Step 4: Condense Data and Reevaluate Literature
Figure 3 shows a schedule block regarding time of
completion for each step, including submissions.
Figure 3. Timeline of RAP Procedures.
4.1 Identify Topics and Problems
At the beginning of research under Dr. Maqsood Ahmad
of Petronas University, he introduced the format of the
research. It would follow a variant of the work require-
ments listed in Petronas University’s “Final Year project.”
Following the introduction and understanding of the re-
search’s conditions, the process of identifying and se-
lecting problems to address in the research would begin.
This was initiated by first selecting which subtopics of
petroleum engineering were most appealing to future work
endeavors. Under the greater general interest in reservoir
engineering, the three final topics after consideration were
the following listed below.
Topic 1: CO2 Injection of Cores at a lab-analytic level
Topic 2: Formation Evaluation using Well Logging Data
Topic 3: Formation Evaluation using seismic interpreta-
tion
These topics were presented to the supervisor, who
then offered advice to which one may be the most fruit-
ful to study. Following this process, topic 2 was selected,
in which the research would primarily involve reservoir
petrophysics, geology, and well logging. Next, tangible
problems present in the selected subtopic were evaluated
in order to later produce a problem statement. This process
was initiated through the support of the supervisor, offered
data from a dry well in Australia’s Cooper and Eromanga
Basins, where he had prior involvement. Comments found
in this well’s completion report gave that there was hydro-
carbon charge uncertainty in the involved anticlinal trap.
With this in mind, the initial problem under study involved
seeking unknown but potential data sets that could address
hydrocarbon migration and compartmentalization and that
could correlate with structural and geologic patterns. As
later discussed, this would prove a generic statement and
only an infantile step in developing a concise, attainable,
and fruitful problem statement.
4.2 Initial Literature/Data Collection and Evaluation
Personal investigation in the structural influences of the
basins’ reservoirs led to the articles of R.K. Boucher,
whose article is discussed in the Literature Review. As
stated, he did not find any evidence of a working mech-
anism or data correlation that could support the influence
of lineaments on reservoir placement. With this consid-
ered, the research’s problem of focus would be in light of
addressing the lack of data correlation to reservoir place-
ment. By understanding more clearly that geologic struc-
tures are rather complex in this region and difficult to as-
sociate reservoir placement, the problem of “lack of data
correlation” would be better addressed by collecting data
and properties from the well completion reports of a con-
sistent oil-bearing formation in order for eventual usage
to explain reservoir expanse and migration at a larger
scale. A specific location near the initial well provided
by the supervisor was identified as a historically consis-
tent oil producer: the Murteree Horst. This structural high
has produced five distinct drilling complexes: Jena, Al-
wyn, Limestone-Creek/ Biala, Ulandi, and McKinlay. Re-
spectively, the next phase of research would include col-
lecting the well completion report data and results from
these complexes in order to identify formations of inter-
est, drilling practices, and overall development throughout
the years.
4.3 Data Mining of WCRs
All aspects of this research prior to this step involved lit-
erary speculation of the basins, none of which included
personal evaluation of the topic. Data would be collected
from the wells of the JALBU multi-complex, the horst’s
Western flank, and a nearby Southwestern high. These
specific locations were chosen, respectively, to test the
location’s consistency, to test the conditions of its visual
boundaries, and to test the conditions of separated but sim-
ilar structural highs. In order to progress the goals of this
research, the parameters found in the completion reports
of the Murteree Horst’s wells were collected and com-
piled into a spreadsheet. The dates, exact locations, tar-
Figure 4. Seismic overlay of the Murteree Horst. The green dots Figure 5. Frequency of Net Pay within formations of the
indicate oil showing wells. (SARIG, 2001) Murteree Horst’s Wells. (DeSpain, SARIG, 2017)

geted members, net pay/perforations details, petrophysi-

cal properties, drill stem test readings, and log readings
were recorded in the spreadsheet. This process enhanced
the personal understanding of formation evaluation in this
local setting as well as revealed subsurface consistencies,
as later discussed. Altogether, over 120 well completion The topics of flow patterns, transient pressure analysis, and
reports were used for data collection. fracturing would be the topics derived from this reevalua-
tion that would be incorporated in the future segments of
4.4 Condense Data and Reevaluate Literature this research.

Following the data acquisition, there required further re-

finement of the problem statement and scope of the re- 5 Results
search. Prior investigation involved the general influence The following points below represent the primary obser-
of lineament systems on the compartmentalization and mi- vations taken away from data analysis and graphing:
gration of oil reservoirs; however, the research surround-
ing this topic proved difficult for data correlation. Under Figure 6. Porosity values of the selected wells of each oil com-
this realization, the collected data was used to find a pro- plex. (DeSpain, SARIG, 2017)
ducible stratigraphic layer that was widespread enough to
assess a parameter across all complexes. Figure 5 gives
that the Murta Formation was one of the most frequented
stratigraphic layer having net pay, and its layering pre-
sented both conventional and unconventional opportuni-
ties unlike McKinlay, the other frequented formation.
At this point, the area of well analysis was reduced
to the Murteree Horst’s Western portion, where compara-
tively newer plays were undergone. The specific locations
included the Jena complex, Ulandi complex, Western Edge
wells of the horst, and wells taken from a nearby structural
high to the Southwest in order to test boundary conditions.
The properties collected in the spreadsheet would only be
taken from net pay segments in the Murta Formation. The
total amount of completion reports following these condi-
tions amounted to 24 wells. Particularly, the parameters
that were graphed included porosity, initial reservoir pres-
sure, and water saturation. These graphs are shown in Fig-
ures 6-8. Reevaluating literature sources was vital at this
point in the research, as most references purely came from
the well completion reports. An article by Williams et. al • The variations in porosity values over the same mem-
in 1994 discussed the unusual behavior of Murta Forma- ber could be attributed to the difficulty of logging and/or
tion seals in the Murteree Horst, which directly pertained coring thin producible subsections. (Figure 6)
to the topics selected. The article itself provided specu- • In the largest, most producible reservoir complexes,
lation that is discussed further in the Literature Review. there is an apparent pressure loss as more wells are de-
Figure 7. Initial Reservoir Pressure values of the Murta Forma-
tion over a time span from 1984 to 2007 of each selected well of
each oil complex. (DeSpain, SARIG, 2017)
Figure 8. Water Saturation values of the Murta Formation over
a time span from 1984 to 2007 of each selected well of each oil
complex. (DeSpain, SARIG, 2017)
veloped. Most of these recent wells have been cased and
suspended for later production. The tested areas outside
of the main complexes do not exhibit pressure loss evi-
dence at this current time, as they are not as developed
and considered secondary projects. (Figure 7)
• The Murta Formation’s thin, producible submembers
are surrounded by shaly siltstone that are considered pri-
marily impermeable; however, water flow into the thin,
producible submembers is still being permitted, with no
general water-saturation decrease being observed. (Fig-
ure 8)
6 Future Proposals
Data analysis and literature review have proposed that the
Murta Member’s drainage mechanism is still in question
and that unconventional fracturing only aided in opening
the high permeability layer further. However, researching
these entities in other regions of the Cooper Basin may
prove fruitful, where more prospects were expected. The
following objectives make up the proposal develop the
research topic initiated by the Research Attachment Pro-
gram:
• Collect data from the far-Western flank of the Cooper
Basin, where newer prospects exist.
• Obtain core data or physical cores and testing lab to un-
derstand and describe the nature of flow in the low per-
meability zone of the Cooper Basin using lab techniques
(fluid injection and pressure transient analysis). Vali-
date the presence and particular influence of fractures,
and whether it is beneficial to enhancing and/or increas-
ing expected recovery from the Murta Formation as a
whole.
• Obtain new software to assist in calculating oil-in-place
using the SARIG-retrieved data in order to assess rele-
vance of study. This is secondary.
.
The following objectives will be reimplemented from
the RAP research segment.
• Data Retrieval from Well Completion Reports using
SARIG Database and Excel
• Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel graphing tools
• Analyze the Murta Member and highlight the interaction
between its high and low permeability subsections.
This research will be discussed with representatives
at Texas A&M. There are aspirations this work could be
brought to university labs for in-depth testing of cores and
well simulation under the communicative support of the
UTP supervisor.
7 References
[1] Boucher, R.K. "Lineament Associations in the Cooper
Basin Region, South Australia: Basement Controls on Hy-
drocarbon Distribution" PIRSA. 1999. Web. 11 Jun. 2017.
PDF.
[2] Government of South Australia. "Well Comple-
tion Reports" South Australian Resources Informa-
tion Gateway. 2015. Web. 07 Jun. 2017. http :
//petroleum.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/prospectivity/cooper_basin
[3] Various Authors. "Cooper-Eromanga Basin Outlook-
2035" Core Energy Group. Oct. 2016. Web. 15 Jul. 2017.
PDF.
[4] Williams, N., Boult, P., Zwigulis, R. et al. 1994.
Unusual Lacustrine Reservoirs and Seals of the Murteree
Horst Area, Eromanga Basin, Australia.SPE Formation
Evaluation. SPE-28751.