The Estimation of Oil Reserves (0cc1ace1-0cbe-4e9c-b427-249e628b498d)

Discussion of the paper of CHESTER W. WASHBURNE, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 9S, February, 1915, pp. 469 to 471. ROSWELL H. JOHNSON, Pittsburgh, Pa.-I hope that this contribution of Mr. Washburne's is only the first of a series dealing more in detail with the very important problems involved. Pores are of two kinds: Those which are entirely inclosed, so that they do not belong to a system of communicating pores tapped by the bore hole or shot hole; second, those which do so communicate. Porosity, of course, includes both. But since pores of the first class are valueless to us, we should confine our attention to the latter, for which I propose the term "effective porosity." This should be measured by the Wisconsin method, based on the quantity of fluid that can be introduced by the aid of vacuum. Another factor which requires attention in this connection is the dependence of the extractability upon the rate of loss of pressure, as affected by the number of holes, and the rapidity of their completion, the existence of uncontrolled wells, the use by other operators of vacuum pumps upon the casing head, the exhaustion of a gas field in the same reservoir prior to the discovery of the oil, etc. The extractability depends upon the pressure available for the exclusion of the oil from the reservoir into the hole. The action of gravity in bringing oil into the hole is relatively small where the pores are very small, as is so frequently the case.