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Petrophysical Evaluation of the Tensleep Sandstone Formation Using Well Logs and Limited Core Data at Teapot Dome, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA

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Abstract

This study presents a petrophysical analysis carried out to evaluate the rock properties of the Tensleep Sandstone Formation (TSF) at Teapot Dome, Powder River Basin, Wyoming. The TSF is dominated by porous and permeable eolian cross-bedded sandstones of dune and interdune origin, but also contains marine carbonate/dolomite beds. A-sandstone, B-dolomite, and B-sandstone units of TSF were identified by the stratigraphic well log correlations and further evaluated for hydrocarbon potentiality. Shale volume, lithofacies, porosity, and fluid saturation were identified from the well logs. Permeability was empirically driven from available core data from one well. The computed effective porosity range in TSF subunits is 4–8, 5–14, and 5–20% for A-sandstone, B-dolomite, and B-sandstone, respectively. Permeability was deduced to be 0.001–3.9, 0.01–14, and 0.1–234 mD, respectively. B-sandstone was identified as the most hydrocarbon-bearing potential zone in the TSF with its hydrocarbon saturation ranging up to 72%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Elkhedr Ibrahim & Muhammad Naeem

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Muhammad Kamran Jafri

  3. Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia

    Aref Lashin

  4. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, P.O. Box 13518, Benha, Egypt

    Aref Lashin

  5. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Elkhedr Ibrahim

  6. Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Naeem

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  1. Muhammad Kamran Jafri
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  2. Aref Lashin
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Correspondence to Muhammad Kamran Jafri.

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Jafri, M.K., Lashin, A., Ibrahim, E. et al. Petrophysical Evaluation of the Tensleep Sandstone Formation Using Well Logs and Limited Core Data at Teapot Dome, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA. Arab J Sci Eng 41, 223–247 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-015-1741-7

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