DualEx Energy International Inc., Calgary, has cased and will attempt to complete the BHN-1 exploratory well on the Bouhajla permit in northeastern Tunisia.
The well cut 245 m of Cretaceous Abiod chalky limestone reservoir, and during drilling elevated levels of methane-butane were noted on the mud log with indications of both open and healed fractures noted in cuttings.
Last month the company was able to source a pulse-neutron logging tool previously unavailable in Tunisia to determine Abiod pore saturations. The results indicate elevated hydrocarbon saturations throughout the Abiod section, with no indication of having intersected a water contact.
Typically, Abiod reservoirs rely on naturally occurring fractures for the production of hydrocarbons. The nonfractured Abiod section in BHN-1 has low permeability, but several zones of enhanced permeability due to apparent natural fractures and faulting have been interpreted from the logs and confirm expectations based on 3D seismic interpretation of the Bouhajla North structure.
DualEx is focused on completing and testing the zones of enhanced permeability, likely starting in November. It will perforate two zones near the bottom of the logged interval (6 m of perforations for each) for flow and testing analysis. It will acid wash the perforations followed by an acid squeeze into the formation.
The BHN-1 completion protocol will be similar to that employed by the operator of Sidi el Kilani oil field 25 km east of BHN-1.