PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS FROM PRESSURE TRANSIENT TESTING AT PALM VALLEY.

Abstract

THE PALM VALLEY structure is located about 75 miles southwest of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and is a large gentle structure located in the north central part of the Amadeus Basin. It was discovered gas productive by the drilling of the Palm Valley No. 1 well completed May 20, 1965. The No. 1 well was drilled to a total depth of 6,658 feet and produced gas from the lower Stairway, Horn Valley and upper Pacoota formations of Ordovician Age.

Since completion of the No. 1 well, two additional wells have penetrated the Palm Valley structure. Because the producing characteristics of the three wells vary considerably, an extensive pressure transient testing program has been carried out in order to estimate reservoir characteristics and to estimate the range of the potential reserve for this structure. The transient pressure tests when analyzed by the most modern techniques accepted by industry indicate widely varying storage capabilities and in some instances yield results which are not easily correlated with geological interpretations.

The purpose of this paper is to present the theory and the results of the transient tests performed to date and to discuss the possible meaning of the pressure behavior.