Increasing heavy oil reserves in the Wilmington oil field through advanced reservoir characterization and thermal production technologies. [Quarterly report], October 1, 1995--December 31, 1995

The project involves improving thermal recovery techniques in a slope and basin clastic (SBC) reservoir in the Wilmington field, Los Angeles Co., California using advanced reservoir characterization and thermal production technologies. This is the third quarterly technical progress report for the project. Through December 1995, the project is on schedule and on budget. Several significant technical achievements have already been successfully accomplished including the drilling of four horizontal wells (two producers and two steam injectors) utilizing a new and lower cost drilling program, the drilling of five observation wells to monitor the horizontal steamflood pilot, the installation of a subsurface harbor channel crossing for delivering steam to an island location, and a geochemical study of the scale minerals being created in the wellbore. Steam injection into the two horizontal injection wells began in mid-December 1995 utilizing the new 2400 ft steam line under the Cerritos Channel. Work on the basic reservoir engineering is expected to be completed in March 1996. A working deterministic geologic model was completed which allowed work to commence on the stochastic geologic and reservoir simulation models