Wyoming Baxter shale gas flows without frac

Sept. 5, 2007
Questar said it still has much to learn about the Cretaceous Baxter shale in the Vermillion subbasin in southwestern Wyoming after it began gas sales from a second horizontal well without treatment.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Sept. 5 -- Questar Corp., Salt Lake City, said it still has much to learn about the Cretaceous Baxter shale in the Vermillion subbasin in southwestern Wyoming after it began gas sales from a second horizontal well without treatment.

The Trail 14D-10H well in Sweetwater County, averaged 7 MMcfd of gas on 12/64-in. to 20/64-in. chokes in the first 24 hr with 7,100 psig initial flowing wellhead pressure. The well flowed from a 2,900-ft lateral in Middle Baxter after encountering multiple indications of natural fractures.

Questar set 4-1/2-in. liner across the horizontal interval, perforated 850 ft of interval, and opened the well to sales. TD is 14,500 ft. Bottomhole location is in 9-13n-100w with surface location in Sec. 10.

The well, which produced at rates up to 9.1 MMcfd in the first 4 days on line, was making 2.7 MMcfd on a 12/64-in. choke on Sept. 4 with 3,300 psig flowing wellhead pressure. Questar's working interest is 100%.

The early results are encouraging, said Charles Stanley, president and chief executive officer of Questar E&P.

"We mapped, targeted and drilled into multiple natural fractures. We perforated less than one third of the 2,900-foot horizontal section, and we produced gas at good initial rates without fracture stimulation," he said. "We believe natural fractures are the key to this play, and we think that the best way to tap the natural fracture network is with horizontal wells, but we still have much to learn about how to drill and complete these Baxter shale wells to optimize rate and recovery.

"We intend to produce the naturally completed 850-ft interval for a few weeks before making a decision to either fracture-stimulate the currently perforated section, or simply perforate the remaining 2,000 ft of lateral section."

Questar's first horizontal well in the play, Trail 13-15J, flowed 65 MMcf of gas in its first 11 days on production (OGJ Online, Feb. 27, 2007).