Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Arts, 1983 / Barnett Newman's mature work i.e. from 1948 - 1970 is characterised by monumental paintings, flat planes of single colour and vertical stripes as the only pictorial element. Despite this severe reduction of form, the titles of these works suggest profound and esoteric concepts. This dichotomy of simple form and complex meaning creates a problem of understanding as there is no obvious correlation between the two. A guide to interpretation is needed and is indicated even more by the wide disparity between the interpretations by different critics. In particular T.B. Hess, in his 1971 book on Newman, introduces references to Kabbalistic themes that complicate the issue further. Newman's widow and some critics reject Hess's premise yet the image of Newman as a Kabbalist artist persists in writings as recently as 1980. This dissertation examines Hess's theories, rejects most of them and attempts alternative interpretations. Newman was a prolific writer and his stated philosophy may be studied as an index to the understanding of his work. This emerges as concerned with sublime, spiritual and heroic content; and the absence of pictorial, nostalgic references from nature is intended to evoke in the spectator a corresponding spiritual and emotional response. Whether the artist's aims were realized remains unanswered in this work because the title- form relationship is still to some extent, obscure; but it is hoped that lines of research into Newman's work other than those by Hess, are strongly suggested.

Shale gas reservoirs are gaining importance in United States as conventional oil and gas resources are dwindling at a very fast pace. The purpose of this study is twofold. First aim is to help operators with simple screening criteria which can help them in making certain decisions while going after shale gas reservoirs. A guideline chart has been created with the help of available literature published so far on different shale gas basins across the US. For evaluating potential of a productive shale gas play, one has to be able to answer the following questions: 1. What are the parameters affecting the decision to drill a horizontal well or a vertical well in shale gas reservoirs? 2. Will the shale gas well flow naturally or is an artificial lift required post stimulation? 3. What are the considerations for stimulation treatment design in shale gas reservoirs? A comprehensive analysis is presented about different properties of shale gas reservoirs and how these properties can affect the completion decisions. A decision chart presents which decision best answers the above mentioned questions. Secondly, research focuses on production data analysis of Barnett Shale Gas reservoir. The purpose of this study is to better understand production mechanisms in Barnett shale. Barnett Shale core producing region is chosen for the study as it best represents behavior of Barnett Shale. A field wide moving domain analysis is performed over Wise, Denton and Tarrant County wells for understanding decline behavior of the field. It is found that in all of these three counties, Barnett shale field wells could be said to have established pressure communication within the reservoir. We have also studied the effect of thermal maturity (Ro %), thickness, horizontal well completion and vertical well completion on production of Barnett Shale wells. Thermal maturity is found to have more importance than thickness of shale. Areas with more thermal maturity and less shale thickness are performing better than areas with less thermal maturity and more shale thickness. An interactive tool is developed to access the production data according to the leases in the region and some suggestions are made regarding the selection of the sample for future studies on Barnett Shale.

The increasing interest and focus on unconventional reservoirs is a result of the industry's direction toward exploring alternative energy sources. It is due to the fact that conventional reservoirs are being depleted at a fast pace. Shale gas reservoirs are a very favorable type of energy sources due to their low cost and long-lasting gas supply. In general, according to Ausubel (1996), natural gas serves as a transition stage to move from the current oil-based energy sources to future more stable and environment-friendly ones. By looking through production history in the U.S Historical Production Database, HPDI (2009), we learn that the Barnett Shale reservoir in Newark East Field has been producing since the early 90's and contributing a fraction of the U.S daily gas production. Zhao et al. (2007) estimated the Barnett Shale to be producing 1.97 Bcf/day of gas in 2007. It is considered the most productive unconventional gas shale reservoir in Texas. By 2004 and in terms of annual gas production volume, Pollastro (2007) considered the Barnett Shale as the second largest unconventional gas reservoir in the United States. Many studies have been conducted to understand better the production controls in Barnett Shale. However, this giant shale gas reservoir is still ambiguous. Some parts of this puzzle are still missing. It is not fully clear what makes the Barnett well produce high or low amounts of gas. Barnett operating companies are still trying to answer these questions. This study adds to the Barnett chain of studies. It tests the effects of the following on Barnett gas production in the core area (Denton, Wise, and Tarrant counties): * Barnett gross thickness, including the Forestburg formation that divides Barnett Shale. * Perforation footage. * Perforated zones of Barnett Shale. Instead of testing these parameters on each well production decline curve individually, this study uses a new technique to simplify this process. Decline Map Analysis (DMA) is introduced to measure the effects of these parameters on all production decline curves at the same time. Through this study, Barnett gross thickness and perforation footage are found not to have any definite effects on Barnett gas production. However, zone 3 (Top of Lower Barnett) and zone 1 (Bottom of Lower Barnett) are found to contribute to cumulative production. Zone 2 (Middle of Lower Barnett) and zone 4 (Upper Barnett), on the other hand, did not show any correlation or influence on production through their thicknesses.

During the past decade, the worldwide demand for energy has continued to increase at a rapid rate. Natural gas has emerged as a primary source of US energy. The technically recoverable natural gas resources in the United States have increased from approximately 1,400 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) to approximately 2,100 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2010. The recent declines in gas prices have created short-term uncertainties and increased the risk of developing natural gas fields, rendering a substantial portion of this resource uneconomical at current gas prices. This research quantifies the impact of changes in finding and development costs (FandDC), lease operating expenses (LOE), and gas prices, in the estimation of the economically recoverable gas for unconventional plays. To develop our methodology, we have performed an extensive economic analysis using data from the Barnett Shale, as a representative case study. We have used the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the values of the Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR) for all the wells in a given gas play, to determine the values of the P10 (10th percentile), P50 (50th percentile), and P90 (90th percentile) from the CDF. We then use these probability values to calculate the technically recoverable resource (TRR) for the play, and determine the economically recoverable resource (ERR) as a function of FandDC, LOE, and gas price. Our selected investment hurdle for a development project is a 20 percent rate of return and a payout of 5 years or less. Using our methodology, we have developed software to solve the problem. For the Barnett Shale data, at a FandDC of 3 Million dollars, we have found that 90 percent of the Barnet shale gas is economically recoverable at a gas price of 46 dollars/Mcf, 50 percent of the Barnet shale gas is economically recoverable at a gas price of 9.2 dollars/Mcf, and 10 percent of the Barnet shale gas is economically recoverable at a gas price of 5.2 dollars/Mcf. The developed methodology and software can be used to analyze other unconventional gas plays to reduce short-term uncertainties and determine the values of FandDC and gas prices that are required to recover economically a certain percentage of TRR.

Water production is a challenge in production operations because it is generally costly to produce, treat, and it can hamper hydrocarbon production. This is especially true for gas wells in unconventional reservoirs like shale because the relatively low gas rates increase the economic impact of water handling costs. Therefore, we have considered the following questions regarding water production from shale gas wells: (1) What is the effect of water production on gas production? (2) What are the different water producing mechanisms? and (3) What is the water production potential of a new well in a given gas shale province. The first question was answered by reviewing relevant literature, highlighting observed deficiencies in previous approaches, and making recommendations for future work. The second question was answered using a spreadsheet based Water-Gas-Ratio analysis tool while the third question was investigated by using artificial neural networks (ANN) to decipher the relationship between completion, fracturing, and water production data. We will consequently use the defined relationship to predict the average water production for a new well drilled in the Barnett Shale. This study also derived additional insight into the production trends in the Barnett shale using standard statistical methods. The following conclusions were reached at the end of the study: 1) The observation that water production does not have long term deleterious effect on gas production from fractured wells in tight gas sands cannot be directly extended to fractured wells in gas shales because the two reservoir types do not have analogous production mechanisms. 2) Based on average operating conditions of well in the Barnett Shale, liquid loading was found to be an important phenomenon; especially for vertical wells. 3) A neural network was successfully used to predict average water production potential from a well drilled in the Barnett shale. Similar methodology can be used to predict average gas production potential. Results from this work can be utilized to mitigate risk of water problems in new Barnett Shale wells and predict water issues in other shale plays. Engineers will be provided a tool to predict potential for water production in new wells.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-126).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Texas water resources are under pressure due to population growth expected in the coming decades, increasing industrial demands, and frequent periods of drought. With this increasing demand for limited water resources it is important to explore alternative water sources within the State. One of those resources that can be developed is the many small aquifers which have never been well-characterized but could be an alternative source of fresh and brackish water for agriculture, municipal, and industrial applications. The natural gas industry’s demand for water is growing in Texas as new drilling techniques such a hydraulic fracturing have opened new reserves previously considered economically non-viable. The development of smaller aquifers containing brackish water is a viable alternative to the gas industry’s current reliance on fresh (potable) groundwater resources. The aquifer sections containing brackish water need to be mapped and characterized so they can be developed as an alternative water resource by the gas industry. The Barnett Shale in North-central Texas is one of the first major gas plays in the United States to use the technique of hydraulic fracturing in field development. This technique requires large quantities of water to create the required hydraulic pressure down the gas well to fracture the normally low permeability shale. A typical horizontal well completion consumes approximately 3.0 to 3.5 million gallons (11,400 to 13,200 m3) of fresh water. Projections of future groundwater demand for the Barnett Shale gas play total 417,000 AF (5.1x108 m3), an annual average of 22,000 AF (2.7x107 m3) over the expected 2007-2025 development phase. This level of water demand has the gas industry and groundwater managers exploring alternative sources of water for future development of the Barnett Shale. One alternative source of water for the expanding footprint of the Barnett Shale gas play are the smaller local Paleozoic aquifers on the western edge of the play. These small aquifers are underutilized and contain waters with higher levels of TDS. These levels are, however, acceptable to the drilling industry. In order to characterize theses aquifers, TWDB databases were utilized to analyze water chemistry and well productivity. / text

The Mississippian Barnett Formation is a prolific shale-gas reservoir that was deposited in the Fort Worth Basin, Texas. Many previous studies of the Barnett Formation have been conducted in the main production area; few studies have been made of the Barnett Formation in the southern part of the basin, which is a less productive area. In the present research, several cores from the Barnett Formation in Hamilton County, southeast Fort Worth Basin, are studied in detail. Two vertical, continuous cores from Hamilton County, Texas, were studied to delineate the depositional setting, lithofacies, pore types, and reservoir quality of the Barnett Formation in the area. Five lithofacies were defined by analysis of the two cores: (1) laminated clay-rich silty and skeletal peloidal siliceous mudstone; 2) laminated skeletal silty peloidal siliceous mudstone; 3) nonlaminated silty peloidal calcareous mudstone; 4) laminated and nonlaminated skeletal calcareous mudstone; and 5) skeletal phosphatic packstone to grainstone. As indicated from this study, the dominant organic matter type is a mixture of Type II (major) and Type III (minor) kerogen having a mean TOC content of approximately 4%. Analysis of Rock Eval data shows that most of the interval is within the oil window; calculated Ro is approximately 0.9%. Organic geochemistry shows that the hydrocarbon generation potential of the abundant oil-prone kerogen was excellent. Mineralogical analysis reveals that the two types of siliceous mudstone, which are similar in composition to the siliceous mudstone in the main producing area in the northern Fort Worth Basin, are good for hydraulic fracturing and production, but they are also limited by their marginal thickness. Organic matter pores, which are the dominant pore types in these two cores, are consistent with pore types found in currently producing wells in the Newark East Field. This research also suggests that the deposition of Barnett Formation was controlled largely by basinal geometry, suspension settling, and slope-originated gravity-flow events. Skeletal deposits and carbonate-silt starved ripples suggest gravity-flow deposits and bottom-current reworking during deposition. Redox-sensitive elements and degree of pyritization both indicate anoxic/euxinic conditions during the deposition of the Barnett Formation. / text

In 2007, the Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth basin of Texas produced 1.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) gas and ranked second in U.S gas production. Despite its importance, controls on Barnett Shale gas well performance are poorly understood. Regional and vertical variations of reservoir properties and their effects on well performances have not been assessed. Therefore, we conducted a study of Barnett Shale stratigraphy, petrophysics, and production, and we integrated these results to clarify the controls on well performance. Barnett Shale ranges from 50 to 1,100 ft thick; we divided the formation into 4 reservoir units that are significant to engineering decisions. All but Reservoir Unit 1 (the lower reservoir unit) are commonly perforated in gas wells. Reservoir Unit 1 appears to be clay-rich shale and ranges from 10 to 80 ft thick. Reservoir Unit 2 is laminated, siliceous mudstone and marly carbonate zone, 20 to 300 ft thick. Reservoir Unit 3 is composed of multiple, stacked, thin (~15-30 ft thick), upward coarsening sequences of brittle carbonate and siliceous units interbedded with ductile shales; thickness ranges from 0 to 500 ft. Reservoir Unit 4, the upper Barnett Shale is composed dominantly of shale interbedded with upward coarsening, laterally persistent, brittle/ductile sequences ranging from 0 to 100 ft thick. Gas production rates vary directly with Barnett Shale thermal maturity and structural setting. For the following five production regions that encompass most of the producing wells, Peak Monthly gas production from horizontal wells decreases as follows: Tier 1 (median production 60 MMcf) to Core Area to Parker County to Tier 2 West to Oil Zone-Montague County (median production 10 MMcf). The Peak Monthly oil production from horizontal wells is in the inverse order of gas production; median Peak Monthly oil production is 3,000 bbl in the Oil Zone-Montague County and zero in Tier 1. Generally, horizontal wells produce approximately twice as much oil and gas as vertical wells.This research clarifies regional variations of reservoir and geologic properties of the Barnett Shale. Result of these studies should assist operators with optimization of development strategies and gas recovery from the Barnett Shale.