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Gruy analyzed empirical data available for the Burnt Hollow
area as of 1979 and established that the lighter oils in the
Burnt Hollow reservoir had been flushed out by underground water
over the course of geologic time. His analysis included plotting
the porosity and oil saturation of a sample core from the
Exeter-Hudson Mahoney No. 1 well located near Cromwell's acreage.
His analysis of that sample revealed that the high porosity rock
had little remaining saturation of oil and that higher
saturations of oil were present only in poorer quality rock.
Thus, in any fluid injection project on such property, the fluid
would migrate to the better quality rock, bypassing the area of
higher tar saturation.
Gruy's analysis is consistent with other wells drilled in
the vicinity of the Cromwell acreage, including the so-called Sun
State No. 2 (Sun) well from which flowed water, not oil. In the
case of the Sun well, even steam heating of the reservoir yielded
only minute quantities of oil, confirming Gruy's conclusion that
these reservoirs were not amenable to steam injection recovery.
Petitioners' expert, Bursell, did not make any reserve
analysis or predictions specific to Cromwell's properties. His
reservoir analysis was limited solely to a review of the Sun
pilot well and the Exeter-Hudson Mahoney core hole. Bursell
evidently did not review the additional core data discussed in
Gruy's report. In analyzing the Exeter-Hudson Mahoney core,
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