Sefton Resources Inc., Denver, said its TEG Oil and Gas USA Inc. unit will begin drilling four new wells in mid-November from existing pads in Tapia heavy oil field in the eastern Ventura basin in Los Angeles County, Calif.
The field produces 18° gravity crude from Quaternary Yule sand at 1,100 ft. Sefton is seeking to increase production to 240 b/d in early 2012. Oil production in October from the company’s Tapia and Eureka fields averaged 129 b/d.
Original oil in place at Tapia is estimated at 11 million bbl. A consulting engineer is finalizing an interim report on continued steamflooding and cyclic steaming. Sefton believes full steaming could boost the recovery factor to 60-70% from 50%.
Sefton noted that Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s Vintage Production subsidiary has moved in a rig to drill a third well at Wayside Canyon oil field just east of Tapia field.