IN-SITU COMBUSTION IN THE LOWER HOSPAH FORMATION, MCKINLEY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO.

To evaluate the pilot test and to determine the reasons for its performance behavior, a reservoir model of the test site was developed from the historical performance of secondary recovery operations in conjunction with available log and core data. The result was a three-layer, four-quadrant model of the test site. The volumetric sweep efficiency of the combustion front was estimated from two interior core holes drilled after the project was terminated. This resulted in a postcombustion model of the test site depicting the vertical sweep of the combustion front. Stoichiometric relationships were used to evaluate the combustion performance of each layer of the model. The stoichiometric evaluation provided a means to compare quantitatively the postcombustion reservoir model with actual test performance, thus verifying the model.