Darrell Carriger, Texaco E&P Inc.; Kelvin Fisher, Dowell
The Glorieta, Upper Paddock, and Lower Paddock formations were unitized in the Vacuum Field (S.E. New Mexico) by Texaco in 1992 creating the Vacuum Glorieta West Unit. A technical committee made up of working interest owners was formed to determine operational matters for the newly formed unit. The technical committee determined that the Upper and Lower Paddock intervals contained the more prolific productive capacity and provided the most suitable median for waterflooding. Consequently, unit wide water injection in those intervals commenced late that same year. Almost immediately water breakthrough occurred in the northern area of the field and in selective areas of the southern portion of the field. Unit production showed an immediate increase in unit water production accompanied by an actual decrease in unit oil production at the commencement of the waterflood. From this point forward the water/oil ratio (WOR) became the major driver of economic limit for the VGWU. It was not until the first quarter of 1994 that the Vacuum Glorieta Unit saw its first positive response to injected water, considerably after the anticipated time frame.