Irregularities in the productivity of the Fry sand in the Smith-Ellis pool of Northwest Brown County, Texas

Author

Willard Ardell Schaeffer Jr.

Abstract

"The Fry Sand of Northwest Brown County, Texas, as ordinarily defined, consists of irregularly distributed lenticular sand bodies of varying thickness, ranging up to more than thirty feet in some localities. It is quite generally conceded to be a member of the upper Strawn Group of the Pennsylvanian of Texas.

The Fry Sand is highly unconformable with relation to the strata both above and below, and is subject to abrupt changes of thickness within distances of but a few yards. It generally occurs as a light grey to white, fairly fine-grained, quite pure quartz sand, and where it is present it is almost always highly porous, producing water when no oil is present.

It occurs in the western portion of Brown County and the eastern part of Coleman County between the depths of 1100 and 1600 feet, varying with locality. It is quite readily reached with various portable drilling machines, which are used to the almost complete exclusion of standard drilling rigs.

Where the Fry Sand occurs in any appreciable thickness and favorable structural conditions prevail, the chances for production of petroleum therefrom are good. The oil from this sand will average between 42 and 43 degrees Baumeʹ, and hence is eagerly sought. Flowing wells producing as high as 2000 barrels daily have been encountered in this horizon.

The Smith Pool is one of several producing from the Fry Sand, and was discovered early in 1927. During the drilling campaign which followed, in the course of which the writer had charge of the drilling in of some 24 wells in the pool, and observed the drilling of most of the others, various deviations from the normal in sand conditions were noted. These will be treated in the following discussion"--Introduction, pages 1-2.

Advisor(s)

Dake, C. L. (Charles Laurence), 1883-1934

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Degree Name

Professional Degree in Mining Engineering

Comments

1 folded map inserted in back of book included here as supplementary material

Publisher

Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy

Publication Date

1928

Pagination

ii, 8 pages

Geographic Coverage

Brown County, Texas

Time Period

Pennsylvanian

Rights

© 1928 Willard Ardell Schaeffer, Jr., All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Oil sandsGeology, Structural -- Texas -- Brown CountyGeology, Stratigraphic -- Pennsylvanian

Thesis Number

T 541

Print OCLC #

5959572

Electronic OCLC #

947044801

Recommended Citation

Schaeffer, Willard Ardell Jr., "Irregularities in the productivity of the Fry sand in the Smith-Ellis pool of Northwest Brown County, Texas" (1928). Professional Degree Theses. 300.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/professional_theses/300