Testing and Sampling of Deep Brine Aquifers in the Palo Duro Basin, West Texas

The U.S. Department of Energy is investigating the Palo Duro Basin of West Texas along with locations in Nevada, Washington, Utah, Mississippi and Louisiana as potential sites for storage of high-level nuclear waste. Ten wells have been drilled to depths between 3,000 and 8,300 feet. Short-term testing has included conventional oil-field-type drill stem tests and drill stem equipment with surface pressure readout. Long-term testing has consisted of a series of production and recovery tests.
Fluid sampling was performed in two stages. The first was at the well head under an imposed pressure of several hundred psi. The second fluid samples were collected downhole at the production zone under pressures close to ambient pressure. The geochemical data and hydrologic data can be used as independent checks on each other in many cases. Test results from the well along with examination of recovered core provided maximum data from each well.