By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Dec. 27 -- Oilexco Inc., Calgary, completed appraisal of the Paleocene Forties reservoir at its mid-2007 Huntington two-zone oil and gas discovery on Block 22/14b in the UK North Sea.
Having drilled nine penetrations of the Forties reservoir, the company on Dec. 20 spudded a single appraisal wellbore to target the oil/water contact in the Jurassic Fulmar sands. The Fulmar appraisal wellbore is on the flank of the structure 250-350 ft below the elevation tested by the discovery well, which did not observe an oil/water contact.
The last Forties appraisal well, near the structure's crest, was drillstem tested at 9,982-10,002 ft and 9,870-9,945 ft measured depth. The combined rate was 7,940 b/d, compared with the 6,143 b/d rate from Forties in the vertical discovery well (OGJ Online, June 6, 2007).
The Huntington 22/14b-5 discovery well went to TD 13,325 ft. Fulmar sand at 12,750 ft flowed at a maximum 4,624 b/d of 39° gravity oil and 1.6 MMcfd of gas, restricted by equipment capacity. Forties sand flowed at a top rate of 5,577 b/d of 41° gravity oil and an estimated 3.4 MMcfd of gas, severely restricted by test equipment capacity.
The appraisal drilling is designed to define reservoir properties in preparation to apply for the 2009 field development.
Oilexco has 40% interest in Huntington, E.On Ruhrgas UK Exploration & Production Ltd. has 25%, and Altinex Oil (UK) Ltd. has 20%. Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc., Houston, which generated the prospect, has a 15% cost-bearing share and 17% beneficial interest in all depths.
Oilexco, which set a $707 million budget for 2008, is participating in the drilling of the Mallory prospect on Block 22/14a, northeast of Huntington. Mallory is either on an analogous structure on trend with, or an extension to, the Huntington Fulmar oil discovery.
