Armstrong gauges Williston basin Lodgepole find

Oct. 5, 2009
A group led by Armstrong Operating Inc., Dickinson, ND, gauged the Dickinson area's first Mississippian Lodgepole oil discovery since the late 1990s and plans to drill at least one offset.

A group led by Armstrong Operating Inc., Dickinson, ND, gauged the Dickinson area's first Mississippian Lodgepole oil discovery since the late 1990s and plans to drill at least one offset.

Armstrong's Laurine Engel-1, in 17-139n-96w, Stark County, flowed 463 b/d of oil at 650 psi flowing tubing pressure from 10 ft of perforations. TD is 9,754 ft.

Armstrong, Continental Resources Inc., Enid, Okla., and Jordan Oil & Gas Co., Healdsburg, Calif., control 1,500 gross acres (1,200 net) offsetting the discovery that has potential for more wells.

A play for oil in Lodgepole carbonate mounds flared in this part of the Williston basin in the 1990s after an initial pool discovery in Dickinson field by the former Conoco Inc. in 1993 (OGJ, Aug. 14, 1995, p. 50). Cumulative production totals 55 million bbl of oil and 28 bcf of gas from 41 wells in the greater Dickinson area.

Ecuador

Drilling can be expected to start within 2 months at giant Pungarayacu heavy oil field on Block 20 in Ecuador, said Ivanhoe Energy Inc., Calgary.

The deepest wells will go to no more than 1,500 ft.

Consulting engineers reviewed data from 27 wells Petroproduccion drilled in the 1980s and estimated the original oil in place range at 4.3-12.1 billion bbl with a most likely 6.4 billion bbl. At Ivanhoe Energy's request, a recovery factor was not estimated.

Crude oil gravity in the 250 sq mile field is commonly held to be 10-11° gravity, but Ivanhoe Energy said it has geological indicators that the oil might be lighter than that.

Kenya

China National Offshore Oil Corp. plans to spud the Bogal-1-1 exploratory well on Block 9 in Kenya's north-central Anza basin at the end of October 2009, said Africa Oil Corp., Vancouver, BC.

The well will target Jurassic reefal limestone and Cretaceous sandstones with a projected total depth of 5,000 m. Numerous other prospects have been identified.

Interpretation of reprocessed vintage seismic data from Africa Oil-operated Block 10A is under way. The new data provide a clearer image of vast subbasins on the block. To supplement the existing data, 750 line-km of new 2D seismic will be shot.

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