Edward Little | Natural Resources Canada (original) (raw)

Papers by Edward Little

Geofluids, 2021

This study developed a production-forecasting model to replace the numerical simulation and the d... more This study developed a production-forecasting model to replace the numerical simulation and the decline curve analysis using reservoir and hydraulic fracture data in Montney shale gas reservoir, Canada. A shale-gas production curve can be generated if some of the decline parameters such as a peak rate, a decline rate, and a decline exponent are properly estimated based on reservoir and hydraulic fracturing parameters. The production-forecasting model was developed to estimate five decline parameters of a modified hyperbolic decline by using significant reservoir and hydraulic fracture parameters which are derived through the simulation experiments designed by design of experiments and statistical analysis: (1) initial peak rate ( P hyp ), (2) hyperbolic decline rate ( D hyp ), (3) hyperbolic decline exponent ( b hyp ), (4) transition time ( T transition ), and (5) exponential decline rate ( D exp ). Total eight reservoir and hydraulic fracture parameters were selected as significant...

Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering

Energies

This study examined the relationship between the early production data and the long-term performa... more This study examined the relationship between the early production data and the long-term performance of shale gas wells, including the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) and economics. The investigated early production data are peak gas production rate, 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month cumulative gas production (CGP). Based on production data analysis of 485 reservoir simulation datasets, CGP at 12 months (CGP_12m) was selected as a key input parameter to predict a long-term shale gas well’s performance in terms of the EUR and net present value (NPV) for a given well. The developed prediction models were then validated using the field production data from 164 wells which have more than 10 years of production history in Barnett Shale, USA. The validation results showed strong correlations between the predicted data and field data. This suggests that the proposed models can predict the shale gas production and economics reliably in Barnett shale area. Only a short history of production (...

Catalysts

This study deals with a systematic investigation of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) performanc... more This study deals with a systematic investigation of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) performance of a bitumen-derived virgin heavy gas oil (HGO) in the presence of its counterpart from bitumen-derived synthetic crude oil (SCO). The objective is to determine the amelioration effect on yield and product slate by the addition of the premium SCO HGO. The 343–525 °C cut virgin bitumen HGO was obtained from distillation of a raw Athabasca oil sands bitumen. It was then blended with different amounts of the 343 °C+ fraction of commercial SCO. Four HGO blends were prepared containing 75, 64, 61, and 48 v% of SCO HGO. Each HGO blend, as well as 100% SCO HGO, were catalytically cracked at 500 and 520 °C using a bench-scale Advanced Cracking Evaluation (ACE) unit. The results show acceptable FCC performance of bitumen virgin HGO when an adequate amount of SCO HGO is added. However, the resulting liquid product may need some quality improvement before use. Several observations, including cata...

Engineering Geology

Abstract Karamken was one of the most-productive gold-processing plants of the former Soviet Unio... more Abstract Karamken was one of the most-productive gold-processing plants of the former Soviet Union located in the Magadan Region of the Russian North Far East. This paper discusses the causes, environmental damage and current geo-ecological conditions at the site facility after the accidental breakage of the storage pond in 2009 following industrial activity termination of this state enterprise (1994). The amassed water-saturated tailings from the mineral processing amounted ~280,000 m3, corresponding to a total mass weight of 340,000 tons. The on-site multi-proxy investigations indicate synergic effects of hydrogeology, meteorology, engineering and human factors to have accounted for this major technical and environmental disaster. Piled sedimentary waste masses mobilized by removal of the dam-protective construction components initiated a water leakage into the main dam body and its eventual failure. Activated thixotropic processes of plagioclase clay-enriched sediments in conjunction with heavy machinery works on top of the 27 m-high frontal levee above destabilized permafrost grounds together with lack of the facility maintenance are the main causes for this industrial accident. The outburst of the accumulated deposits spilled large quantities of toxic elements stored in the pulverized saturated tailings, poisoning ground waters and causing severe damage to the local riverine ecosystem and fishery, as well as destruction of the nearby town with human casualties. The identified spillage risk factors could be used to forecast the stability of other similar facilities in the sub-Arctic areas.

Considering the vastness of Nunavut, the paucity of regional-scale surficial geology maps for the... more Considering the vastness of Nunavut, the paucity of regional-scale surficial geology maps for the territory, the significant expense of working in a remote region, and the increasing availability of affordable, remotely sensed data, it is timely to develop and test remote predictive mapping techniques for producing surficial geology maps. The goal of this remote predictive mapping project is to produce a surficial materials map, which will be used to expedite subsequent ground-based mapping and sampling. This paper describes techniques used to produce a surficial materials map for an area in northern Baffin Island using remote predictive mapping techniques with Landsat TM and digital elevation data. The predictive maps produced in advance of the field work (i.e. "ground truthing") were found to be approximately 50% accurate. To improve remote predictive mapping accuracy to at least 80%, high-resolution imagery may need to be included in the remote predictive mapping protocol. Résumé : Compte tenu de la vaste étendue du Nunavut, de la rareté des cartes d'échelle régionale des dépôts meubles du territoire, des dépenses importantes encourues lors de travaux en région éloignée et de la disponibilité croissante de données de télédétection abordables, il est opportun d'élaborer et de mettre à l'essai des techniques de cartographie prévisionnelle à distance pour la production de cartes des dépôts meubles. Le présent projet de cartographie prévisionnelle à distance avait pour objectif de produire une carte des dépôts meubles qui servira à accélérer les travaux subséquents de cartographie et d'échantillonnage sur le terrain. Le présent article décrit les techniques utilisées afin de produire une carte des dépôts meubles pour une région dans le nord de l'île de Baffin en utilisant des techniques de cartographie prévisionnelle à distance avec des données du Landsat-TM et des données altimétriques numériques. On estime que les cartes prévisionnelles produites avant les travaux sur le terrain (c.-à-d. avant la vérification au sol) avaient une exactitude de 50 %. Afin d'augmenter à au moins 80 % l'exactitude de la cartographie prévisionnelle à distance, il faudrait éventuellement inclure des images à haute résolution dans le protocole de cartographie prévisionnelle à distance. Current Research 2007-B1 1 Olivia Brown et al. Current Research 2007-B1 9 Olivia Brown et al. Accuracy/ Kappa coefficient Classified (predictive) map Unfiltered Filtered Derived from Group A training areas 90.8%/0.83 92.3%/0.86 Derived from Group B training areas 78.9%/0.64 80.9%/0.66

Open files are products that have not gone through the GSC formal publication process.

Published as British Columbia Geological Survey, Open File 1998-02, scale 1:50,000

Published as British Columbia Geological Survey, Open File 1998-03, scale 1:50,000