Abstract:
The Los Angeles basin is one of the most prolific oil basins in the world. The basin formed in late Miocene time and accelerated periods of subsidence have resulted in more than 9,000 meters of sediments.

Shell Oil Company discovered the Long Beach field, located within the cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill, in 1921.  The field has a cumulative production of nearly 1 billion barrels of oil and more than 1 trillion cubic feet of gas from seven Pliocene and Miocene age turbidite producing zones.  Since the early 1980s, reservoir simulation has been applied with varying degrees of success. The building, accuracy, and forecasting capabilities of a reservoir simulation model depend on the quality of the underlying geological and engineering data. This is especially true in mature oil fields where geological and reservoir data are at best incomplete. Modeling of the Long Beach field presents a particular challenge due to the scarcity of geological and reservoir data. Geological and reservoir uncertainties have been reduced by exhaustive gathering and screening of historical production, engineering, and geological data; and the application of new oil fingerprinting techniques, thermal modeling, and cased-hole logging. The resulting reservoir model is the basis for the redesign and optimization of the existing waterflood operations, as well as the identification of bypassed reserves.

Biography:
Hilario Camacho received a B.S. degree in Geology from the Universidad de Granada, Spain, a M.S. degree from California State University, Long Beach, and obtained a Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara, California. He is currently the geology and engineering manager for Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc. in Long Beach, California. His research interests are focused on deepwater depositional environments, fluid flow in sedimentary basins, oil generation and migration, and siliciclastic diagenesis.

Richard Finken, Forum Chairperson: 562-570-3961 or by email richard_finken@longbeach.gov