By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Mar. 26 -- Brigham Oil & Gas LP, a unit of Austin-based Brigham Exploration Co., reported that it lost surface control Mar. 24 while drilling a natural gas development well, Burkhart No. 1, at a depth of 10,370 ft in Providence field near Bay City, Tex., in Matagorda County. The well was the first offset to the field's discovery well, Stauback No. 1.
Brigham said it was drilling Burkhart No. 1 in a shallower formation than the lower Frio interval, which is now producing in the Stauback No. 1 discovery. Burkhart No. 1 then "encountered a high pressure Frio gas reservoir," Brigham added. Following an associated gas kick, the well subsequently lost circulation, and the drill string become stuck, Burkhart explained.
Houston-based Cudd Pressure Control Inc. was contacted to retain control of the well and to free the drill string. Cudd estimated a 4-7 day timeframe to bring the well under control. At presstime, the well was venting natural gas into the atmosphere but was not on fire and there was no condensate on the ground, a Brigham spokesman told OGJ. Two workers sustained minor injuries at the site, said Lance Langford, Brigham's senior vice-president, operations.
A unified command center was set up at the scene to coordinate response efforts, comprising officials of Brigham, the Matagorda County sheriff's department, the Texas Railroad Commission, and Cudd Pressure Control. As a precaution, one family was evacuated from a nearby residence, and a 2 mile stretch along Texas State Highway 60 was temporarily blocked off to traffic.
The incident did not affect production from Staubach No. 1, which is producing 2,000 b/d of oil and 5.5 MMcfd of gas, Brigham said. Staubach No. 1 was drilled near yearend 2001 when it logged 36 ft of apparent net pay in the Lower Frio sands at 11,500 ft (OGJ Online, Dec. 20, 2001).
Brigham said it had well control and liability insurance that it believes would be sufficient to cover any loss, including the potential drilling of a replacement well.
